John 20:8-10

John 20:8-10 

English Standard Version 

  Verse 10 never fails to amuse me.  We're told that John went in and believed (after John reminds us all that he'd beaten Peter in the race), although they still didn't grasp this in line with the larger witness of Scripture, and then they just went home.  They discovered the largest news event to ever take place, then decided to chill at home on the couch for a bit, maybe grab some breakfast.  It'd been a big morning, after all.

  The movie industry makes us think that change happens radically.  We see it so often on the big screen that we come to expect it in our own lives.  Main characters in movies have radical life-changing transformations overnight, and they go out into the world instantly as new people.  Commercials tell us that changing our lives or bodies can happen in only a few shorts days, so we workout twice and then wonder why our muscles haven't grown.  We are constantly disappointed because our goals are so high.

  But real change takes time.  Allowing the Holy Spirit to work requires great acts of patience.  It's not to be rushed.  God will change you, but it likely won't be quick.  After each encounter, it's helpful to pause and rest, to reflect, like Peter and John do, and see what God has in store.  Don't feel disappointed if you're not seeing instant changes -- be patient with yourself and with God.  

John 20:5-7

John 20:5-7 

English Standard Version 

  What do you do when you see the unbelievable?

  Usually, when presented with evidence that something miraculous has happened, we try and come up with some explanation, and there usually is.  It's unlikely that a true miracle happened -- there's probably some perfectly plausible reason.

  When Peter and John went into the tomb, what do you suppose they thought?  They saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth wasn't with them, but folded up on its own.  There was no body, which was unexpected, because they watched Jesus die.  Usually, when people die, the body hangs around.  It could've been grave robbers, but what grave robber takes the time to fold a cloth and place it elsewhere?  Was there some sort of gang of impeccably neat grave robbers?  Unlikely.  But Peter and John had to consider every option... because there's usually a way to explain a miracle.   

  But sometimes, it really is a miracle.  

John 20:3-4

John 20:3-4 

English Standard Version 

  For two thousand years, no one has been asking whether Peter or John reached the tomb first, and yet John was certain to note in his Gospel that he was faster than Peter.  It's amazing to think how much we want to know, like more details about what Jesus said and did after his resurrection, and what details we do know, which is who would run a footrace between Peter and John.  

  But this is also one of those details that helps us see the Gospel as a true account.  They wrote what they remembered.  They weren't certain as which details would be the most important, so they recorded what stood out to them, and we've been piecing things together ever since.  

  We don't know everything we want to, but we know enough to believe.  We take the rest on faith.  But, if challenged to a race once you reach heaven, opt to race against Peter, not John.

Sermon for November 27, 2022

John 20:2

John 20:2 

English Standard Version 

  Maybe some of the most powerful words in the English language are 'I don't know.'

  So often we're trying to fake it.  We want others to think that we're competent and capable and all those things -- we need to be respected and maybe even admired.  We have a self-image and we want others to see us the same way we see ourselves, so we often project knowledge, even if we're not as sure as we're pretending to be.

  Admitting that we don't know can be hard.  Especially if it's something that we've been doing for years -- over time, we become more trapped and more committed to making others think we know.

  It can be so liberating to admit that we don't know, to rely upon the wisdom of the group.  To admit that we don't know is to allow room for others to come alongside and help us figure it out.  It creates space for others to say that they also don't know.  It transforms the atmosphere, because we're no longer performing, but all figuring it out together.

  Mary was willing to say she didn't know, and then Peter came along with her to find out.  Together, they started putting the pieces together on what God was doing.  Admitting she didn't know created a community where they discerned together what God was doing.

  There's a long, long, long list of things I don't know.  I pray for the wisdom to admit them when they come up, that we may work together to listen to what God is saying and how God is moving.

John 20:1

John 20:1 

English Standard Version 

  Discipleship is hard.  The world places so many demands and so many distractions on us -- I get caught up in so many other things I'm trying to do.  These things seem more pressing, even though they're not as important, but the repercussions can be more immediate.

  I wish I had the same mind that was in Mary Magdalene.  She got up early and went to the tomb.  Maybe she knew exactly what she was doing, or maybe she wandered there by accident, lost in her grief, but regardless, she got up and went to the tomb, and because she showed up, she was the first witness to something incredible.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ has changed the entire world, and she was first, because she got up early and went to the tomb.

  I truly believe that getting up early and starting the day with Jesus has the ability to change our lives as well.  I don't do it often enough. I get busy.  I make excuses.  But showing up, day after day... who knows what God might do.  There's no guarantee that every day we'll witness something amazing, but if we don't get up and spend time with Jesus, we'll definitely miss it.  So may we imitate Mary and show up, day after day, trusting in God to be at work.

John 19:38-42

John 19:38-42 

English Standard Version 

  When we think about stewardship, we often think about giving money, but stewardship goes far beyond that -- it's not just about money.  Sometimes, we realize we have just the right gift that's needed at just the right time.  Joseph of Arimathea was a secret disciple of Jesus, and when Jesus died and needed a tomb, Joseph happened to have just the place, a tomb where no one had ever been laid.  It turns out this resource he had was exactly what the church needed at exactly the right time.  I doubt he had ever thought about how this resource might be beneficial to the church, but when the time came, he was ready to give.

  May we have the same spirit -- one that looks at the world and wonders how we might use our resources to meet the world's needs.  Joseph hadn't planned on this, but when the need presented itself, he was ready and willing.  May we live the same way, ready and willing to help when we see needs, looking at our resources as potential ways to help one another in times of need.

Sermon for Nov 20, 2022 (John 18)

John 19:31-37

John 19:31-37 

English Standard Version 

  There are plenty of competing theories as to what happened to Jesus when he was crucified and then later vacated his tomb.  One of the theories is the 'swoon' theory, which postulates that perhaps Jesus was just sorta dead on the cross, and the Romans overlooked the fact that the guy they'd hung on cross all day wasn't really super dead, and that later on, the coolness of the tomb revived Jesus and he went on his merry way.

  There's a few issues with this theory.  One of them being that even if you accept the first part of the theory, he still had the issue of rolling a way a giant stone and then slipping past the guards posted outside to ensure things were in order.  To accept that a guy weakened by hours hanging from a cross managed to do this is a stretch... Having watched all of the James Bond movies, most of them at least twice, even he doesn't escape from such improbably circumstances without help.

  Also, the soldiers who were professionals at killing people spent their entire days killing people.  They knew what dead people looked and acted like, so it's not likely that they would've failed to notice Jesus' death.  They still pierced him with a spear, causing blood and water to pour out, the water being a result of fluid gathering around the heart due to the rapid heartbeat caused by extended shock.  So they pierced the fluid sac around the heart.  Given that Jesus wasn't rushed to a modern ER after this, it's unlikely he could've survived this, even if he was alive... but even if he did, and you accept the idea of him then escaping from a tomb, are you really ready to then believe that he looked well enough to convince the disciples only days later that he had really risen from the dead and he wasn't just faking it?  And remember, they were convinced enough of this that they went to their deaths proclaiming that he was really raised from the dead, and people only go to their deaths for believing something that they really think is true.  This wasn't simply a joke to them.  

  All that to say, it takes a lot of faith to believe that Jesus didn't die on the cross before that tomb was empty on the 3rd day.  

John 19:28-30

John 19:28-30 

English Standard Version 

  I was driving home the other day and saw the flags out along the sidewalk that mark where the gas lines and other utilities are buried.  Most of the time, you never see the lines and there aren't any markers, so you never give a second thought to the idea that directly below your feet, there are all sorts of pipes and conduit with water and energy and waste coursing through them.  There's so much happening just below the surface, but you don't see it so you don't think about it.  There are flags that remind you of what is beneath the surface, but they blend into the background so that you don't think much about those, either.

  When I think of Jesus on the cross, the same is true.  The Romans looked upon him and saw just another criminal dying on the cross.  They crucified lots of people -- Jesus was just another, barely noticed.  

  But there was so much happening that we didn't see, that we didn't notice.  It was right beneath the surface, and a few people took the time and energy to look, and because of that, they followed him, and their lives were transformed.  

  Do we take the time to notice what God is doing?  It's so easy to barrel through life, through the days, without paying attention to what God is doing in the moments.  Do we look for God's work in our relationships?  Do we stop and pray for Holy Spirit wisdom to guide us in big decisions?  Or are we moving along the road at speed, unaware of so much happening around and within us?  God is here, and God is at work -- will you slow down enough to realize it?

The Woman in the Library

   How well do you know someone?  

  I finished reading The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill last week.  Four strangers are bound together by a scream overheard in a library, and as their lives intertwine, they discover threads connecting their lives previously unknown, all the while striving to know what happened to the woman whose death was accompanied by the scream.  At the end of every chapter, there is correspondence between the author and a reviewer, and it takes a turn for the macabre each and every chapter.

  All of it makes me think about how well we know people.  We choose what we reveal to one another, and our identities in different parts of our life can be very different if we would like.  We display a personality at work that may or may not correspond to the person we are in the evening or on the weekend.  People know part of our story that we tell, and we can omit the painful parts if we like.  But then what do we do when the truth comes out?  Do we recognize that everyone is hiding something?  Or do we run?

  When we come before God, we don't have the chance to hide anything, although I think we'd often like to.  But we are fully known by God.  Thankfully, we're loved in spite of our weaknesses, in spite of our failures... but it's easy to feel embarrassed before God.  We're not perfect.  Often, we're not even close.  Sometimes, I know what Jonah feels like -- we want to run from God, to hop the next ship to Tarshish and start over, or like Moses, to run into the wilderness.

  We discover the futility of running from God.  God is already there, arms open wide, with grace beyond grace.  We are fully known and fully loved.

  May we extend that same grace to one another.  May we not hide our brokenness, but rather let the light shine through the cracks, that others may know the wonders of unconditional love.

John 19:23-27

John 19:23-27 

English Standard Version 

  It's strange, right -- the soldiers have no problem brutally killing Jesus on the cross, but when it comes to tearing his tunic, they suddenly get sensitive.  

  Here's Jesus, dying on the cross, and what is he doing?  He's taking care of his mother and the disciple.  To the very end, he's taking care of others.  What does that say about Jesus?  How lucky are we that we were created by a God who made us in his image and loves us enough to care for us right to and through his dying breath?  The world wasn't made by someone who set it in motion and left it on its own... but rather by someone who cares about the brokenness in the world and is doing something about it. 

  May we love the world in the same way, that we care about it and the people in it up to and through our dying breath!

John 19:17-22

John 19:17-22 

English Standard Version 

  What if you had to carry your own cross?

  I wonder about the things that are putting us to death, as individuals and as a society.  Seems like we pay most of them little attention -- like the unhealthy food we often mindlessly put into our bodies, we're often pouring unhealthy habits into our souls, staring with greed at the next big thing that we think will bring us peace in our life but only breeds more anxiety and competition, leaving us with scarce resources and stressing our financials and souls.  

  Maybe we are carrying our own cross, only we don't realize that it's a cross, because we're too busy trying to keep up with everyone else.  If we're all marching in the same direction, then we can't be wrong, can we?

  Can we?

  I wonder how Jesus regarded the cross he was carrying.  Did he carry it with the confidence of a man about to die and rise from the grave?  Or did he weep with the overwhelming knowledge that humanity treats death so callously that we design such instruments of torture?  Did he mourn for all the ways we've strayed from the Garden of Eden and left behind the peaceful bliss offered to us by God in that place?  Or did he have joy in his heart as he realized that this was the instrument through which we would be redeemed?

  May we pay attention in the world, to notice the crosses we carry and those burdening one another, and may we receive one another with grace, for life is hard enough without us making it harder for one another.  May the joy we find in a Savior willing to die carry us forward into the world today.

Sermon on Zechariah 3 -- the Truth of the Gospel

John 19:12-16

John 19:12-16 

English Standard Version 

  It's so easy to get addicted to the world.  In 1 Corinthians, Paul tells us that the way of the cross is a stumbling block, and it's as true today as it was then.  The little hit of dopamine that comes from getting likes on social media or seeing the count of views on YouTube or whatever statistics they show on Instagram... that's a real influence.  It shapes behavior, and it's hard to go against that.  To choose to die to yourself daily is to choose a different route, to swim upstream, and it can be lonely.  For the chief priests to turn away from the power offered by intimacy with Rome was too much to ask.  All it cost them was to hand over Jesus Christ.  

  May we make wise choices, today and every day, and recognize that the ways of the world and the way of the cross don't always align.  May we notice the ways that our soul pulls us, and may we have a community that gathers around us and helps us to choose the wiser path, no matter the cost, recognizing that the gain is eternal and worth the world.

John 19:6-11

John 19:6-11 

English Standard Version 

  Do you ever find yourself making decisions that you're unqualified to make?  This is Pilate's world that he's suddenly living in -- the Jews aren't able to put Jesus to death, but they're desperate to get rid of him, so they're using Pilate as a partner in their scheme.  Pilate wants to get to the bottom of this, but he's not able to get Jesus to give him a straight answer.  Jesus knows that death is the path that leads to life, not just for him but for all of humanity, and so he won't speak the words that would allow him to go free -- that freedom would be momentary, and wouldn't offer the forgiveness that he came to extend to all humankind.  

  I'd love to know so much more about the conversations between Jesus and Pilate.  Pilate must have been on the edge of his seat, wanting to know so much, but he was in a rush to keep the Jews happy, and so he allowed them to use the Roman army to keep the peace.  He obviously didn't realize the impact his decisions would have on human history, or else he probably would have asked a lot more questions.

  I hope we all have the intellectual curiosity to pursue Christianity and the truth of it.  There's a lot of great books that have been written by a lot of great minds about whether it is true or not.  It's worth investing our time in, and I believe Christianity stands up to intellectual scrutiny.  So many tough questions have been asked of the faith over the years.  May we ask our tough questions and see where the paths lead.

John 19:1-5

John 19:1-5 

English Standard Version 

  They put the crown of thorns on him to mock him as a king, but they didn't understand his kingdom stretched far above and beyond their own.  They saw their spears and thrones as the height of power, and couldn't imagine a King whose realm isn't limited by time.

  They dressed him in purple, a royal color, and paraded him in front of others, beaten and bloodied, thinking they were mocking his lack of power.  They didn't understand that he could speak a word and the world would turn to dust, that his death on a cross would lead to the defeat of death itself.  They didn't realize how small they were in comparison to the foes Jesus was facing.  They thought they were rulers because their vision was too small.

  We do the same thing as well.  We think of riches or popularity and think these things offer us security in the world.  We think our jobs or houses are the most important things in the world, and we forget about the kingdom of God that we cannot see.  We forget the urgency to care for other people, because we are so focused on those who are right in front of us.  We don't allow the Holy Spirit to stretch our vision to see the reality of God's Kingdom, to understand the commissioning that God places upon us.  

  So may we pray for the wisdom to focus on the things of God first, and allow Scripture to define our priorities.  May we emphasize the things of God, and allow God to lead us forward, day by day.

John 18:33-38

John 18:33-38

English Standard Version 

  Pilate could be a modern hero.  Truth has become so relative -- we often hear people praised for seeking their truth or speaking their truth.  There isn't one central truth anymore in society -- everyone gets their own truth, which presents some challenges when we need to agree on what is right and wrong, because that's generally based on mutually agreed upon truths.  

  Jesus offers a different path -- he tells us that he is the way, the truth, and the life.  Truth isn't relative, it's found in a person.  Which means it also isn't abstract -- it's real and grounded in someone who lived, just like us.  We often struggle, because we're not sure exactly how the words and life of Jesus translate into modernity, which means we have to figure out how to confront countless issues without direct knowledge of how Jesus would respond.  How do we know what truth is in a modern era when there seem to be more questions than answers?  What is truth when trying to get our arms around a constantly changing and evolving society?  

  The first and best answer to that is to look at the sum total of Jesus' life.  It was lived sacrificially, which tells us something about truth.  Truth is reaching out to hurting people in grace and with patience.  Truth tells us that sin has real consequences, but it also gives us all a path forward because we see the selfless love God offers to take those consequences upon Jesus Christ.  We're not paralyzed in uncertainty, but rather motivated to action, visiting the sick and hurting and pouring ourselves out the same way Christ pours himself out for us.

  It isn't easy to live by the truth of Christ in a relativistic society.  But God shows us that the work is worth it in describing to us the eternal life and peace that awaits us on the other side of the ridge.

John 18:28-32

John 18:28-32

English Standard Version

  Here's the leaders of the Jewish community who, at the same time, are worried about keeping themselves ritually pure while also wrongfully condemning a man to death.  They've managed to convince themselves that getting rid of Jesus is the most important thing, and when people can do that, they can make moral compromises because they believe the end justifies the means.  Shortcuts are fine when they're in pursuit of a righteous end, right?

  Jesus leads us down a different path -- one where you can't cut corners or cut out people simply to achieve your own goals, no matter how righteous you may think they are.  If you're walking over someone to get somewhere, then that place isn't worth going to.  Jesus is constantly drawing our attention to people who have been cast aside, often by going and directly serving those very people, illustrating how much they matter to God and should, therefore, matter to us.  When we invest the time thinking about how our choices impact others, it should prevent us from taking advantage of others or using them as a means to an end.

John 18:25-27

John 18:25-27

English Standard Version 

  Nobody ever plans for moral failures.  People don't wake up in the morning and think about how they'll cheat on a spouse or lie on their taxes.  Opportunities present themselves, and people do what they never would have expected they're capable of doing.  It's been happening for thousands of years, and it's tragic, but it's also human nature.  We're fallible, but we generally assume we'll do the right thing, and we do, often, but not always.

  What I love about Scripture is how accessible it is.  I can relate to Peter.  If you asked me to my face, I'd tell you that I'd never deny Jesus like this.  But Peter didn't think he would, either.  He was afraid and reacted out of fear.  I've made bad choices, choices that I never thought I would make, things I regretted and then ended up doing again, even though I had made promises that I'd never do that again.  

  There's a place for Peter in the story of salvation that God is writing.  The place isn't at the middle, because that's where Jesus is, but all around Jesus, we're invited into that place, brokenness and all.  There is healing on the path there for us, no matter what, so when the rooster crows and reminds us of our sin, that's not the bell tolling an end, but rather a reminder of the new beginning made possible in Christ.

Sermon for November 6, 2022 -- Fruit of the Spirit

John 18:19-24

John 18:19-24 

English Standard Version 

  One option is to go through life thinking about the things you ought to get.  This often includes respect that ought to be due to you.  Or maybe you're thinking about the breaks that you should get for one reason or another -- the favors the world owes you.  It's an easy trap to fall into, especially when we see some of the breaks other people get.  If we're just as good as them, then we ought to get those same breaks, right?

  One way or another, we learn (usually the hard way!) that we often don't get what we think we should.  This is where a firm sense of humility and a grasp of theology helps us see a way forward out of our disappointment.  

  When we're humble, we can accept that we deserve God's condemnation.  We have sinned and fallen short, and in God's eyes, we are no better than the officers striking Jesus for speaking the truth.  Because we have sinned and not kept up our end of God's covenant, we deserve the worst.  

  However, our theology teaches us that because of the free gift of grace that is seen most fully in the life and atoning death of Jesus Christ, we do not get what we deserve, but instead receive the honor that Christ fully deserved for living the perfect and sinless life.  Christ gets the punishment we deserve, and we get the honor Christ deserves.  

  Thanks be to God that we don't get the hell we deserve, and are instead destined for eternal life, because of what Christ has done on our behalf.

John 18:25-27

John 18:25-27 

English Standard Version 

  Have you ever had a moment in your life that you wished you could have a do-over?  Maybe you'd say something different, or do something different.  You look back on that moment with regret, but you don't have a second chance.

  Peter gets a second chance to not deny even knowing Jesus Christ.  If you remember, he utterly failed the first time.  I bet he's been kicking himself ever since, wishing he had a do-over.  

  Well, he gets a second chance!  

  And he totally fails again.  Completely misses his opportunity and once again denies knowing Jesus Christ.

  And a second time, there is grace for his failure, and he is still one of the key disciples after the resurrection.

  So friends, there is grace for you, too, even when you get it completely wrong, even if it isn't the first time you've gotten it wrong!

John 18:15-18

John 18:15-18 

English Standard Version 

  How do you feel when you see others who publicly fail?  In many ways, it reminds us that we're all alike -- those who achieve great heights in society are just like us in so many ways.  I've learned this over and over again, and it's always sobering.

  This Scriptural passage is one of the passages in the Bible that gives me more hope than so many others.  Here's Peter, the guy who will go on to be one of the leaders in the early church.  The primary church in Catholicism is named after him!  And he completely and totally fails at following Jesus when presented with the slightest opposition.  Fortunately, this isn't the end of his story, just as it goes for you and I -- when we fail, even publicly, it's not the end of our story, because Jesus has a way of redeeming and restoring us.  Thanks be to God for grace that covers our sins, even when everyone knows ahead of time that we're going to fail, but we are a community of broken people brought together by a God who restores and redeems!

John 18:3-11

John 18:3-11 

English Standard Version 

  Even his enemies were seeking him out!  

  If you knew you were going to be hunted down, persecuted, and put to death, you'd run, right?  Especially if you knew you were innocent and you knew you would be convicted anyway.  There's no way you'd stick around, right?  And if you had the power to escape, and didn't need to fear anyone or anything?  Why would you stay?

  It never ceases to amaze me -- this is the moment of choice, when Jesus commits to seeing the plan through.  He could have left Jerusalem and never seen the Pharisees again, but he chose to stay, simply because of how much he loves you.  

  May that never cease to amaze you, and in the very darkest of days, in your most despairing moments, remember that even if the entire world has turned against you, Jesus loved you enough to stay.