Matthew 18:15-20 "I am a rock"...not so much

            “A winter’s day. In a deep and dark December, I am alone. Gazing from my window. To the streets below. On a freshly fallen, silent shroud of snow. I am a rock, I am an Island.” Some of you may know those words. They are from the musical group “Simon and Garfunkel and the song is titled “I am a Rock.” The songs premise is based on being alone. Throughout this song, Paul Simon uses words like fortress, island, and building walls. For this song is all about isolation. When I was in my early teens, believe it or not, that was what I considered a powerful song that would define who I was going to be. I felt like I didn’t need anyone or anything. I thought I could do it all. I could just plod along in life and do things myself. It seemed like it would be pretty easy goings…or so I thought…maybe that is what I had hoped for; being an island.

            Our Gospel reading today is one that is pretty popular when it comes to pointing out God’s law. Jesus is in the middle of explaining to the disciples what it means to live the life of God’s children. Meaning, the question asked of Jesus by the disciples “whom then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” This is at the beginning of chapter 18. So Jesus is telling the disciples and we find ourselves here in verse 15-20. Jesus begins with the words that if your brother or sister sins. He goes on to tell the disciples and us what needs to be done if our brother or sister sins. “Go and point it out,” if that person listens to you, then it is all good. If not, go get another person and try to resolve the issue.
            That makes a lot of sense. Jesus is telling us to try and seek reconciliation. Jesus is saying that things need to be reconciled as soon as possible. We know that because there is no instruction to “give it a week, wait till the right time,” or anything like that. Jesus says “go and do.” We are getting a clear instruction from Jesus on how to handle a particular situation AND THAT IS A GOOD THING!  Clear instructions can help make our lives easier because it is so cut and dry, because we can say “it’s in the bible…Jesus told us to do this.”
            There is one part of this Gospel that is not so clear. It is in verse 17: “If they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. What do we know about tax collectors and Gentiles? Remember what I said last week about Gentiles and tax collectors? Last week, I told you that tax collectors were considered pretty low on the likeable scale. They took from people and inflated prices so they could get some of the money. They were highly disliked. What about Gentiles? They were not the chosen people. They were unclean and looked down upon; again not popular people. In fact, mostly to be avoided and ignored at best.
            But the question for this part of Matthew’s Gospel is this: How did Jesus treat tax collectors and Gentiles. This Gospel is full of stories about how Jesus treated the unclean and tax collectors. Jesus healed the Gentile woman’s daughter because of her faith. He sat down with tax collectors and shared meals with them (which is one of the most personal acts of hospitality in Jesus time).
            It seems as though Jesus words and actions are two different things; but they are not. This passage is not about how to kick someone out of the body of Christ. This is about the importance of community; and the importance of maintaining God’s children in relationship with God. Jesus called children, and adults to hear the Word of God. He did not check their credentials, economic status, or job. He invited. We know the story about Zaccheus; called him out of the tree, and ate dinner with him. All this draws us to bringing into relationship and not kicking out of a relationship.
            If Jesus shows us through this action of inviting then we are called to do the same. We are called to speak directly to sin; but it is not for the purpose of kicking out. It is for the purpose to getting whatever sin it is out of the way so that, as children of God, we can do the work as the body of Christ AND live in the community of a living and loving God, together. What is means is that the song “I am a rock” is all wrong. Believing that “all you need to do is rely on yourself.”
            For one thing, it is impossible to rely on yourself for everything. Although I wanted to believe that I could, guess what, I don’t know how to fix a car when my car broke down. I cannot deliver my own mail, run my own bank and so on. It takes many different people who have many different gifts to help support one another through this world that is so broken; to lift one another up and pray for each other, to show each other the blessing of forgiveness and grace, and mercy.  AND none of that would be possible if it weren’t for a loving God who sent a son, Jesus Christ, to show us all how far God is willing and did go to teach us about love, grace, and mercy; to show us that God’s love is real and that God longs for us to be in a relationship with God…through the body and blood of Jesus Chris; that is how far that God goes to prove that we are loved children of God.
            This means that we are all interconnected. As the body of Christ we are connected with other parts of the body of Christ; Trinity UCC next door, St. Bart’s down the street, the Methodist church in Hampstead; we are not loners as church and we are not loners as individuals. Each one of us needs each other for daily life and for our spiritual. As much as we are told that we can do it all by ourselves, that can get tiring if we believe that and try to live that out. Being part of God’s community means that we can be the body of Christ together; which makes our faith stronger and alive; more confident in the promises of God’s abundant love.
            It is because of the gift of Jesus Christ that we can celebrate that we are not alone. We are not rocks, islands, or fortresses; but we are God’s children who are called to live as one body of Christ. We are a community, though we fall short of the Glory of God, invited by Jesus Christ to continue to be part of God’s kingdom of heaven here on earth. Thanks be to God: AMEN!

Mathew 16:13-20, "Who do you say that I am?"

            Have you ever found one of those statements that has been so profound…so deep that it sticks in your brain for days, maybe weeks; how about months or years? I had an experience like that many years ago. I was finishing my time in the military and transitioning to civilian life. A very significant relationship also ended and so I felt pretty much alone. I woke up this one morning in a panic attack. I felt disoriented and also felt like there was something that I was supposed to do but I didn’t know what it was. I was trying to figure it out and I just couldn’t understand what was going on. I kept hearing this phrase in my head; “thou art Peter and upon this rock, I built my church.” The language is a little dated but I kept hearing it in my head.
            It’s important to understand what is going on this Gospel reading. Jesus and the disciples have been travelling now for 16 chapters. Last week they were up on the outer fringes of the border of Israel. They are still pretty far north of Jerusalem. They are in Caesaria Phillipi which was a place named for Tiberius Caesar. It is where the Roman Emperor would come for vacation after the Roman’s conquered Israel. Just a reminder that Roman Emperors has statues built in their own image and they were to be treated as Gods and you worshipped the emperor.
            Despite being in this area, this dangerous area, Jesus asks the question. “Who do the people say that I am?” The answers are not too shocking. Some think he is John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah and it makes pretty good sense because they were prophets. They (John, Elijah, Jeremiah) went into the world and were given a calling to proclaim God’s word to God’s people; they spoke to rulers about what God had told them, they were relied upon to accurately state God’s Word and they were called upon by leaders as to what God would think about their actions or lack of action.
            That all makes sense, because what has Jesus been doing? He has been walking around telling people and leaders about God’s Word. He has been teaching God’s people about the many aspects of God and God’s love. He has shown God’s love through his words; he shows God’s love through healing, sitting with people that were considered unclean or the least likely people in society. When it comes to God being happy or unhappy, Jesus does not mince words. Just like the prophets, Jesus tells people when they are wrong and tells them to repent for the Kingdom of Heaven draws near. So, it would make sense that people might see Jesus as John, Elijah, or Jeremiah).
            Then Jesus asks that all important question; “Who do you say that I am?” That question is a whole different ballgame. That is one of those questions where we think “man can’t I just stick with what the other people say?” I mean, it is easier to be faced with the question of “who do they say that I am?” Now Peter has to come up with an answer to this question. It is time for Peter to declare…to confess who this Jesus; who this man is that he has been following for some time. He is called upon to state who this person is that we know just two short weeks ago was calling to Peter to come to him on the water, despite the crashing waves and wind; AND who plucked him out of the water when he was drowning because of his lack of faith.
            So, Peter makes this bold declaration. He says to Jesus “you are the Messiah, son of the living God.” Alright! Peter finally gets it doesn’t he? He knows who Jesus is and is ready to move on and so are we, right? NOT SO FAST! There is one little surprise in this Greek of the New Testament; and that surprise is that Jesus’ question and the verb “SAY” is in the present tense; which means that it is an action that happens in the present and continues on. Meaning, that it is the equivalent of Jesus saying, “who do you say, and continue to say…keep on saying….that I am?
            Now the question becomes a little bigger than a “one and done” type question. Jesus’ question becomes more like an understanding than just a nice to know information type question. Our reading might make this look like an easy answer because there is no indication that Peter said “let me get back to ya on that one.” Peter answers and Jesus tells him the reward…”the keys to the Kingdom.” Although it seems pretty cut and dry, I would ask you to remember two things: First, Peter is making a bold statement in an area that is dangerous. He is in a Roman town with all kinds of Roman statues as Gods and if anyone that is a Roman heard this declaration, it could mean the end for them all, so Peter is brave. Second, Peter may not fully understand what he is saying. Although Peter may have taken into account what Jesus showed him up to this point, we know what happens when Jesus is arrested. Peter does not continue proclaiming Jesus “the son of the living God.” In fact, at one point he denies knowing Jesus.
            So where do we fit into this picture? We can relate to Peter. We can sit in this sanctuary and proclaim Jesus as the son of the living God, and we do! Outside these doors it is not so easy. Although we may not have to fear the wrath of a Roman emperor, we do face backlash because we believe that Jesus is the Son of the living God. We face times when it may not seem like a good idea to say thanks be to God; and there are times when the secular world would rather we not pray, identify our faith, or make the slightest reference to God. Frankly, it may be the easiest thing to do to not mention our faith or make any references to God, just so we don’t have to hear the backlash.
            But we are asked the same question by Jesus. Jesus asks us “who do you say that I am?” We are called to answer that question in the present and continuing into the future. Ever since the day that I experienced the words of “Thou art Peter and upon this rock, I build my church I began getting more involved in my church and seeking out what it meant for me to be a child of God. We make the creed statement every Sunday as to who Jesus is collectively. BUT, who is Jesus to us personally? That is a much deeper question because it calls us to think about this question, not just today, but every day.  The good news is that we all may have different answers because the question calls us to think about what God has done for us in our lives; it calls us to remember where Jesus…God has been active in our lives. The motto of the ELCA is “God’s Work, Our hands.” This means that Jesus question calls us to see the Christ and to be the Christ in ourselves…as well as seeing it and bringing it out in others.
            Thanks be to God: AMEN!

 

Matthew 14: 22-33 Only when the Boat is about to sink? I hope not!

             Could you put yourself in this situation? Imagine that you’re walking along with Jesus and he says, “Head on over to the other side. I’m going up the mountain. I will catch up with you later.” Is that something you could really imagine; maybe? Then imagine you agree, you get in the boat and head off…not thinking about what he meant with “I’ll catch up with you later.”

            You are in the boat and out of nowhere, this storm kicks up, the wind is blowing, and the water is almost taking the boat all the way over. That is not a fun place to be, is it? It is not something that a person plans for but yet storms can come up pretty quickly whether it is on land or water. This storm has gotten the disciples thinking “this is it! We’re not going to make it through this!”
            I think there is something that needs to be explained about this particular story of Jesus. This sea or any large body of water was to be avoided by the people of Jesus time. They would go out to fish, but it was not anything like deep sea fishing excursions we might tend to think about. They stayed close to the shore. One of the reasons is that the sea represented chaos. Waves crashing was part of the unorganized nature of things; it was the place where dangerous and deadly creatures lurked; some might say it was where evil resided. So this place that could cause so much hurt, pain, and disruption was to be avoided whenever possible. That would make sense to avoid it, wouldn’t it?
             So, they are in the boat and they see this shadowy figure coming out to them. Through the waves crashing, the wind blowing, and all this fear they see Jesus coming to them. He tells them “take heart, it is I (sidenote: the original Greek language of the New Testament uses the phrase “I am” not “it is I;” where have we heard that before?). “Do not be afraid,” Jesus says. I don’t know about you but those words would be little comfort to me when I think a wave is going to throw me over the side!
            Then we have “brave Peter.” Peter tells the Lord to command him to come, that happens and when Peter is almost there, he gets frightened and begins to sink. Peter cries out to the Lord “Save me!” and Jesus does. Jesus plucks him out of the water and we hear those words “you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
            Brothers and Sisters, I do believe that we can imagine being in this story; in this boat. I am sure there have been at least one time where we can relate to this story. I believe that we have all experienced the chaos and uncertainty of our world; whether it is the loss of a job, a loved one, being stressed out because there is not enough time in the day to do what needed to be done, work piling up and being asked to do more with less. We can all relate to that storm that pops up on the disciples. We can recognize it as individuals and we can recognize it as a congregation. Congregations are not immune from having these feelings at times; feeling lost or trying to figure out a future. These are real feelings that every person and congregation will go through in our lives.
            When those times come, how do we react?  These circumstances can bring us to a bad place where we may say or do things that can be hurtful, say things we don’t mean or do things we would not normally do. We do them because we are just trying to figure out how to survive amid all the turmoil and, to be honest, sometimes our faith gets so shaken that we cannot possibly think that God is present or walking with us through all this.
            This is when God calls us to hear, “Take heart, I am.” When the storms come up, we can take Peter’s lead with a twist. Instead of waiting till we think we’re going to get tossed over the side, how about, we ask for the Lord to be with us…to save us before things, anything happens?! It may sound a little drastic but why not ask for God to be present in all that we do? It doesn’t have to be some dramatic crying or wailing and gnashing of teeth, but maybe it is a simple statement like “God be with me today.” OR “I’m gonna need your help with this one, God.” Or simply say “hi” to God.
            The Good news is that through this scripture reading we hear Jesus continuing God’s promise to be with us. We know that because Jesus doesn’t say “you of little faith, how could you and I am out of here!” Instead, Jesus gets into the boat. He takes Peter back to the boat and they get in! If that were not the case then the Gospel of Matthew would or should have ended right then and there; BUT IT DOESN’T!!!!
            The Gospel continues on because there is more to the story. And part of that more is that Jesus saves Peter from the chaos, he does not let the wind or the water consume the people that are following him. Despite their lack of faith, he does not give up on them. He continues to invite them to hear the Word of God, Learn the Word of God, and live out God’s love for the disciples.          Just as they are invited to all of this, so are we. We are invited to hear, learn, teach, and live out the Word of God in a world that is so broken; where that chaos of the ocean can be seen, where our lives can be disrupted by so many things and so many events that it can rattle our faith.
            BUT, Jesus still invites. He invites to continue learning about the Word of God, the love of God and the promise that death does not have the last word and that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Jesus also invites us to invite others to hear, learn, teach, and live out the word of God. We are called to share all the blessings that God has given us and share them with strangers, with communities, and among others who believe in Jesus Christ; as well as those who may have never heard the Word of God before; to share God’s love with those who need to know that they are cared for and loved.
            Today, we know the chaos in our own lives and in our world. My prayer is that we all call on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ to save us when we need saving, to pray with us, and to be with us at all times: Thanks be to God: AMEN!

Matthew 14:13-21 "You feed them" What does that mean for us?

            Good Morning! I am excited to be here with you and to worship with you. This week’s scripture seems to be highly appropriate for this the beginning of our ministry together. It is so good because Jesus tells the disciples what they are supposed to do while they are with this crowd of 5000 + people.

            Before I get to that, I would like to tell you a little about this disciple. I was born and raised in Hagerstown, Maryland. I joined the Md. Army National Guard while I was a junior in High School; went to boot camp at the end of Junior year and returned for my senior year of high school. Couldn’t find a job after high school so I moved to New York and lived with my sister; worked in a warehouse and decided that wasn’t what I wanted to do so I joined the Navy. I spent 8 years in the Navy and felt this urge to continue to serve people. While in the Navy, I went back to school. I wanted to be a lawyer so I began studies in law and became a paralegal. I worked at the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office for 13 years.

            During that 13 years, I was attending church and my pastor and I began chatting. Then it turned into meeting for coffee once a week. He started talking to me about ministry. As time continued, he would tell me that he and I were doing the same job. You see, I worked with a lot of witnesses, victims of crimes, law enforcement officers, and lawyers. I loved what I was doing. This job had its ups and downs. There were days when you could help people and there were days when I just wasn’t feeling that I helped anyone.

            This scripture reading from Matthew is one that I can relate with quite easily. First off, the disciples want to send the crowd away. It sounds like that 5:00 whistle is about to blow. “its late and these people need to go into town and get some food. The disciples have had enough of the crowd and now they want some Jesus time. At least, that is how it sounds. Now they want to be left alone with Jesus to eat some dinner and let the teaching resume tomorrow. I think we can all relate to that.

.           Jesus says something a little out of character. “Don’t send them away,” he says. He then tells the disciples “you feed them.” Could you imagine the look on their faces when Jesus said that? Stunned might be an understatement. Here is this crowd and now Jesus says, “You feed them.” That would be like going to a concert with your picnic basket and all the sudden the people on the stage say “well, I hope you brought enough for everyone!”

            There is something more than what you see here. This is the first time in Matthew’s Gospel that Jesus tells the disciples to do something. Not just anything but you feed these people who have been following us for days; feed this crowd of people…these 5000+ people…you feed them. They all have left the boats and now they are in the wilderness. They did not drop the nets from the boat to catch as much fish and then hold a party. They left the boat and now are in a “deserted place” All they have is the five loaves of bread and two fish; now they have to feed all these people.

            The something bigger here is what we are called to do as disciple’s of Christ. We acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God; so the Son of God is telling the disciples to do God’s work of feeding this huge crowd of people. Sure they are scared, nervous, worried, that they won’t have enough to feed them all. But Jesus doesn’t want to hear it. HE blesses the food and gives it back to them; AND they don’t resist. They go about what Jesus called them to do and feed. Isn’t that amazing?! AND it is a miracle that there was enough for everyone to eat and there was even some left over. What a miracle that is and what a blessing!

            Just like the disciples were called we, too, are called by Jesus. We are called by Jesus to do God’s work that has been taught to us by the Son of God, Jesus Christ. One of what I would call the “funny things” is that we think we have our lives all planned out. For me, I thought I would be content to be the Navy for 20 years. Well, that did not happen. I thought I was going to be a lawyer and that did not happen. Becoming a pastor was not even on my radar. If someone would have told me that I was going to be a pastor 10-15 years ago, I would have laughed and I do remember laughing.

            Through all that laughing, God continued to call me to do God’s work in different ways. I do believe that in each of those jobs that God was the one who called me to do them. I am not the only one that God calls to do God’s work. God calls us all to do God’s work. In this story of feeding, Jesus is telling us to feed this crowd and there are many ways to feed. There is actual feeding, feed through sharing the Word of God, through our words, actions, and through our jobs and connections with one another.

            That is why I am so excited to be here and in this place. There are wonderful ministries that are going on here of teaching about God’s word and caring for one another and reaching out through the Carroll Lutheran School to some of the youngest of Jesus’ disciples. I am excited about hearing your stories of discipleship and being in conversation with you about what it means for us to be disciples of Christ and the journey that we will be taking together.

            In a few moments, we will be fed with the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We will be fed with God’s gift and God’s miracle of salvation for you and for me. We will receive the gift of forgiveness through the sacrifice and crucifixion of God’s only Son on the cross; and we will witness the miracle of resurrection and new life. We are the recipients of God’s work through Jesus words, hands and feet.

            We have heard the words “God’s Work, our hands” haven’t we? That is why this is an exciting time because God is calling us together on this new journey, God promises to be with us every step of the way and Jesus taught us that God keeps God’s promises and that is something to be excited about.

Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43. The weeds and the wheat might seem cut and dry.

Matthew 13: The parable of the weeds and the wheat

            I spent a lot of time with this parable. It was one of my projects in a class that I took on parables. One thing we learned about parables was that some were open ended; meaning, there was not a full explanation for the parable and that gave us a way to look at how the parable reaches out to the least, last, lost, and lonely. There are many parables that are like that. But, then there are the parables like this one. In this parable there is not a lot of reaching out or being creative; because, in this parable, just when you think there is room for creativity; Jesus comes along and spoils the whole thing by explaining what the parable means. I was a little bummed out that this parable I got for my project was so cut and dry.

            As I read through this parable this week, something popped into my mind. “Is this parable really as cut and dry as I think?” Yes Jesus explains to us that everything in this parable has a role to play; the ground is the world, the wheat is the children of the kingdom, the weeds are the children of the evil one, the sower was the devil, and the angels are the reapers. What happens is that Jesus tells us that the Son of Man will send angels to gather the weeds and they will be thrown out and my favorite line is “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” It does seem pretty cut and dry, doesn’t it? I don’t think so.

            It is not so cut and dry because there can be a lot of questions: Who are the weeds? Who are the wheat? Those seem to be what I would call the “bottom line” questions. Meaning, I don’t need to know anything else other than those two questions to go on in my life and I will be fine. Therein lies the problem. We think we are supposed to know or decide who are the weeds and who are the wheat. That is a problem because it is NOT for us to decide who plays which part.

            Jesus tells us that the Son of Man will send the angels to do the reaping. This parable- Jesus-tells us that this is all up to God. It is not for us to decide who is good, who is bad, who are the insiders and who are the outsiders? When we start assuming that that is our job, we start to turn away from God and from the Good News of Jesus Christ. We do that because we assume that we know better than “the Son of Man” or that we have been given powers by God to make that determination.

            Believe it or not, that is Good News! I don’t know about you but I feel a sense of relief knowing that I don’t have to determine who are the good, the wheat, and who are the weeds, the bad. I don’t have to worry about who is in and who is out; because don’t we all have enough to do in our own lives and worry about rather than having to make decision that big? I mean, one of the things that we realize from this parable is the question “are we, ourselves, wheat or weeds?” That’s right! We have to check who we are in this whole picture. We are not immune from this parable because we read it on a Sunday morning or simply because we attend church.

            God gave us the ability to think and evaluate situations. We have the ability to gather information and look at goals, agendas, abilities and then go and make a decision based on the information that we have gathered in the direction or path to take. Sometimes we make good decisions and sometimes not so good decisions. The point is that we cannot be sure that we are weeds or wheat at any given time.

            While we may not know for sure at this point in time, we can still live in the hope of being wheat. We can still live in the hope of being children of the kingdom. The big question is “How do we do that?” One of the ways that we do that is by looking to our scripture readings more than just on Sundays. We begin, if you have not already started, on a journey through scripture. Read a part of the bible that interests you, if not the whole scripture. Look at what these faithful people have written about their experiences with God. Read God’s Word and hear those words speak to you.

            Next is to pray about God’s word. Pray for God’s word to enter your ears and into your hearts. It is one thing for the words to appear in front of your eyes, but to hear them and taste them is a whole different thing. When you hear Jesus words that “this is my body, given for you” and “this is my blood shed for you” those very words can change your life and I most certainly hope they do. I hope and pray they tell you that you are a worthy child of God given the gift of Christ; and, I hope it causes us all to live our lives differently. Lastly, God’s word is to be shared.

You don’t have to walk up to someone and say “I am here to share God’s word with you” and then proceed to quote scripture. Sharing God’s word can be as easy as listening to someone that is hurting. Offering to keep someone in prayer as they struggle, inviting people to church or letting them know that there are people that care.

Our world is being turned upside down with all the things that are going on. Wars, planes being shot down, and children fleeing and showing up seeking help. There are all kinds of people screaming angry and hateful things at one another in the newspaper, on radio, and on television. Not once have I heard the words and maybe this is where pastors come in. Maybe it is the pastor’s calling to ask the question “what does scripture tell us to do with the stranger, or alien, or in the wake of tragedy? It is an appropriate question because that can help us try to live as wheat…to live as children of a loving God who invites, as Jesus says, “all who have ears to listen.”

The point is that in order to be wheat, we will never know that answer until we meet the God who created us. What we have been doing in this community is hearing the Word of God by feeding the hungry, sending first aid and school kits, clothing, household items, and prayer shawls into the community and the world. We have been sharing our blessings with others.

Today we celebrate Connie as she ends one chapter of sharing her blessings to begin another chapter. We give thanks to God that we have had the blessing of her being with us for so long and sharing her gift of music and leadership with us. Through her gifts she has brought the gift of worshipping God through the gift of music and with choirs she has brought a sense of God’s presence to our time together and for that we give thanks and praise to Jesus.

Today, this parable calls us to look at ourselves. Reflect on who we are as children of God and what we are called to do in this, earthly and broken world. We are called to seek God’s guidance in our words and in our actions.
AMEN!

John 21:15-19 "Can I get a Witness?"

            This morning we celebrate the lives and ministry of two very prominent disciples. Peter and Paul may be considered the most famous of the disciples. They just might be the two most written about disciples. We are always hearing about Peter or Paul in the New Testament. We know Peter is at the heart of some important moments of Jesus life and Paul is one of the most controversial people after Jesus Crucifixion and resurrection.

            Peter is that most famous Peter who is always answering questions. When Jesus asks in our Gospel, “Simon Peter, do you love me?” What is his answer? “Yes” and he does this three times. He even gets to the point where he feels hurt but still answers, “you know everything.” He is telling Jesus, “of course I love you! You should know this by now!” I could almost hear the anger in Peter’s voice; couldn’t you? This guy who put his whole life on hold and is sticking by Jesus, following Jesus, and now Jesus has the nerve to ask, “Do you love me?” That could be really hurtful.

            Peter, sometimes, seems to have some easy answers. There was another time when Peter came to what we might think as an easy answer. Although it is not in our Gospel readings today, Peter answered another question of Jesus; “who do you say that I am?” I can imagine Peter saying, “that is easy, you ARE the Messiah.” Our Gospel of Matthew brings the powerful response of Jesus “you are Peter and upon this rock I build my church.” It is one of my most favorite passages in the bible.

            There is one little problem with this picture of Peter’s easy answers and Jesus declaration. The problem is that Peter does not realize how complicated that this will become. It sounds good to have those kind of answers because they are just answers. It is a problem for Peter and us because just before this crucifixion of Jesus, Peter did not answer an easy question so easily. It was not so much a question as a statement. When it came to declaring that he followed Jesus, Peter gave a very different answer. His answer was “I did not know him.” In fact he stated it three times.

            Yet God still called to Peter to follow Jesus. Jesus appeared to Peter and called him to continue proclaiming the Good News of God’s love through Jesus Christ. Paul, again, after seeing all that had happened answered “yes” to God. Paul knew that the road of discipleship would not be easy from all that he, himself, had witnessed. And this is a key word that I want you to hear “WITNESS”. Peter had been with Jesus all along and seen all that Jesus had done and had taught. Peter found out in our reading of Acts that witnessing to the love of God was not so easy.

            Let’s look at Paul. We know Paul’s story. He was originally a Roman soldier. He felt that his calling was to go out and round up those people that believed in Jesus and persecute and punish them for not bowing down to the Roman ruler of the time; for not worshipping the Roman emperor as a God. He would hunt them, track them, and even help kill them.

            But something happened when he was on the road. God had had enough. The flash of light came up and knocked Saul (as he was called then) off the horse and asked “Why do you persecute me?” Literally, in the flash of a light AND with Jesus voice, Saul is now Paul. Paul who would persecute the Son of God is now a witness to God. Paul witnessed that God chose him to speak the truth to who Jesus is and who God is. Paul’s witness became was very personal and his heart was transformed; from someone who went after the people who believed in Jesus Christ to a person who was changed by the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, changed by the love of Christ, and called in that love and forgiveness to serve God.

            In both of these disciples is the gift of witness. They experienced, first hand, the love of God. They were able to be a witness, despite their brokenness and their human failings, to see and know the love of God and the power of God’s forgiveness. Brothers and Sister’s in Christ, that is exactly what we are called to do and who we are called to be. Despite our human brokenness and our shortcomings, we are loved by God – not as a form of get out of jail free card but as something we can be a witness to for ourselves and for others. It is the chance for us to look at our lives and see where God is in our lives and we can be witnesses to the glory of God.

            It is not all about being broken either. It is about witnessing those good times in our lives and in the world as well. This past week, at Chapel, and two weeks ago, we had Vacation Bible School. Some of us got to witness the youngest people in our community interacting together and making friends. It didn’t matter what church they came from…some did not come to church here at all. They witnessed to me about where they saw God; and we did it by seeing some of their favorite movies. We could all learn some valuable lessons from these young voices.

            Where else do we witness God’s love, forgiveness, and kindness? It comes through all the ministries that we do in the church. It comes from reaching out to the least, the lost, and the lonely in this community and in the world; the person that may not feel worthy of God’s love. Part of our witness is in words AND in action because when we say and when we do, that is when we become a witness to others in hopes that their lives may be changed and God is revealed to them. The funny thing is that even when I say God being revealed to them, God has a way of bringing God’s blessings revealed back to you and me.

            SO, God calls us to witness and be a witness. For that we can all say Thanks be to God: AMEN!

John 14:15-21 The Holy Spirit, active in our lives

            In the Gospel of John, Jesus is about to be arrested and he tells his disciples that He asked God and God is going to give them another to be with them, an advocate. “This is the spirit of truth,” Jesus says. Not everyone can receive him because they cannot see him. So, this invisible person will be with them. The disciples know who this is because they have seen this being and the being will be in them.

            So who is this being that Jesus speaks of? This advocate, the person that is called the Spirit of truth may be better known to us as the Holy Spirit. What do we know about the Holy Spirit? If you listen to our Liturgy then you know very little about the Holy Spirit. Of course we gather in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…we are blessed in the same way, and our creed says, I believe in the Holy Spirit and then we move on. We don’t sit and give the Holy Spirit its rightful due. Sometimes it feels like the Rodney Dangerfield of the Trinity. If you don’t know who he is, he was a comedian who always claimed he did not get any respect.

            We in the Lutheran Church as most other Christian denomination believe in the trinity. We believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-equal, God in three distinct forms in one being. There was quite a battle over this when the churches first came together during the time of Constantine. They almost went to war over this Trinity issue. It was a hot topic that is still noticeable in the most obvious way and I will tell you the secret to how public this debate is. When you look at the Nicene Creed there is an asterisks right beside the portion that says “who proceeded from the Father and the Son. This was all part of the Trinitarian debate almost 1900 years ago.

          So, today, the Holy Spirit is going to get his day in Worship. Today, we hope to get a better understanding of who this Holy Spirit is. First, it is not someone that we can see. That’s a help! The disciples know who this is because they have been taught about the Holy Spirit by Jesus. Jesus says they will know the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit will be in them. So how is this advocate or Holy Spirit going to be in them?

          That is where we, the reader, have the edge over the disciples. We know how the story turns out. We know that Jesus will return after his crucifixion. We know that three days later he will rise and be among the living. It is because of this advocate being with the disciples and with the followers of Jesus that they will be able to see Jesus. It is this advocate that will help them through this time of human understanding…when death seems to be the end, this advocate is in the follower’s so that they see the risen Jesus and that they KNOW that Jesus has been raised and that God will not let death have the last word.

          This advocate stays with them the rest of their days. Jesus says they will not be orphaned. This Holy Spirit will be with them throughout the rest of their days because it is the Holy Spirit that continues to be with them when they venture out into the world teaching of the risen Son of God. This Holy Spirit will be with them when they face dangers and persecution for believing in the risen Christ. The Holy Spirit is with them to see the promises of God fulfilled through God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

          Today we are witnesses to the promise of Jesus. Jesus promises us the gift of this advocate this person to be with us in our days. We witness with the disciples the last night of our Lord and Savior Jesus. We are allowed to feel that his leaving might leave us feeling orphaned or alone without someone that cares for us; and so Jesus asks for the Holy Spirit to be given to us so that we know that we are not alone. So that we know that God continues to care about us throughout all the days of our lives.

          So who is this advocate, who is this Holy Spirit? I believe it is that part of God, that active part of God that reminds us about who we are. It is that active part of God that comes to us in the waters of Baptism and tells us that we are no longer bound by sin, death, and the devil; but we are claimed children of God. I believe it is that active part of God that active part of God that puts people, family and friends, in our lives to remind us that we are important, special, and loved.

          There is a more modern phrase used in some circles when speaking of the Trinity. For Father = Creator, Son= redeemer, and Holy Spirit = sustainer. I think that is one of the best names for the Holy Spirit. It is that part of God that sustains us when we struggle, the Holy Spirit rejoices with us in good times, and comforts us in our challenges. It is that part of God that calls us to bring our broken selves to the foot of the cross and lay our burdens and to seek God’s grace and mercy when we have done wrong.

          The Holy Spirit is also that active part in God that calls us into service for one another. Several months ago, I do believe it was the Holy Spirit…that active part of God that called on a fifth grade class to look to those in need. The Holy Spirit called them to hold a fun run with all kinds of food and activities and raise money for the ministry of Community Partners. I can tell you that those students were tired after putting it all together but they admitted it was a good kind of tired because they got to help people.

          I also believe that the Holy Spirit is that active part of God who called some of the bravest men and women in our country to give their all in service. Today and this weekend is the time we remember the men and women who gave their last full measures in service to their country. We all remember our family member with warmth and thanks and we are called to remember, on this Memorial Day weekend, that it was because of what they gave and we give thanks for their service and their lives. I can tell you that I have a lost a few good friends and remember them this Memorial Day because they helped shape my work ethic and character; they were mentors and friends.

          The Holy Spirit calls us all in many different ways and speaks to us in many different ways. The one thing that is common is that the Holy Spirit is active in our lives. I pray that we all look and listen for the Holy Spirit to call us in God’s service. I pray that we all see God’s Holy Spirit active in our own lives and may we all be sustained by God’s Holy Spirit now and forever: AMEN