Thursday, April 28, 2016

“What Does It Mean to Believe?” Matthew 16: 13-20

This question was chosen because Sunday we receive the confirmands during the Sanctuary worship service. Customarily, I focus the sermon around their profession of faith.

of course, I doubt that if someone asked the resurrected Christ what it meant to believe, he would answer, "Go to confirmation class for the next 8 months, do sermon outline, etc."  On the other hand, reading the Bible and being in worship surely help us live out our profession of faith.

I read this in a sermon a few years ago, and I have been pondering it this week.  

 "Well, this is what I believe: The call is not to be a preacher or teacher or doctor or mother or father or elder or deacon or orthodontist or floor manager at Macy’s — even if you are any of these things. The call of Jesus is not to a particular job, but to a way of living life, no matter what job you have. When Jesus calls, you don’t get a new job; you get a whole new life." Tom Are, Jr. 11/11/12 Sermon “It's a Whole New Life”

What does a new life look like for a confirmand in 8th grade? For that matter, what does a new life look like for all of us?  

What do you think it means in your life for you to believe in Jesus Christ?

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Reflections on "Why did you call the body of Christ?" Matthew 28: 16-20; Colossians 3: 12-17

This sermon had too many points, instead of fully developing fewer points.

The Matthew text was a late addition.  I think the sermon dealt with that text better than the Colossians passage.

The Sanctuary sermon went much better.  I tweeked some transitions and tried to focus on being clearer about each point.  That seemed to work.

(Colossians 3:12-17) As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (NRSV)

“Why did You Call the body of Christ?” April 24, 2016; FPC, Troy; Colossians 3: 12-17; Matthew 28:

Introduction: I read an article this week that likened Easter to winning the lottery (Stan Mast from the Center for Excellence in Preaching suggests that Easter is something like winning the lottery (http://cep.calvinseminary.edu/sermon-starters/1st-sunday-after-christmas-c/?type=lectionary_epistle)

I'm not sure that works theologically, at least in comparing resurrection to beating the odds of the lottery, but the person was making the point that after winning the lottery, people often do not know what to do with it. In fact, lottery winners often seem worse off a few years later (if you want to see some of those horror stories, go to http://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/Lottery-Horror-Stories-33026559).


The question posed was how do we deal with this incredible gift of resurrection. Christ is raised from the dead – how do we respond in appropriate ways?

Jesus responds by calling the body of Christ into being. That is, the church is created to help us respond to the resurrection.

This morning we ponder the question “why did Jesus call the body of Christ?”

I invite you to answer that question from your own experience of church as I offer some thoughts.

Move 1: After Christ's death and resurrection, there was an obvious question of whether the remaining disciples were going to expand their group or keep it small?

a. Remember what happens immediately following the discovery of the empty tomb.

  1. the disciples retrench.
    2. Images of the disciples hiding behind closed doors.

    1. Or disciples going off to places like Emmaus and Galilee to gather together.
    4. No surprise – as those impacted by Christ’s death trying to figure out what's next, they sort of isolate themselves.

    1. their instincts were to circle up by themselves as the core group figures out what to do.

b. But the resurrected Christ has something else in mind.

  1. Not just hanging out together.

    1. We read in Matthew what the resurrected Christ desires of the disciples.

    1. Go into the world....baptize....teach.

    1. do not limit, but expand the circle of those who are invited to live into the resurrection.

c. Speaking to a woman who had recently lost her job as a Vice-President for sales.

1. She had been hired into that position just six months previously.

2. It was a small company and the president/owner had started it by himself.

3. it had grown into a multi-million dollar company, but it had expanded as far as it could without significant change to its structure.

4. the owner decides to hire a Vice-President for Sales, this woman, and another Vice-President to oversee the human resources, accounting, etc.

5. he knew he had to ramp up his infrastructure if he was going to take his company to the next level.

6. Six months into the transition; six months of new ideas; six months of changing how they did things; sales were up; some big deals were in the works.

7. And the owner fires both of the newly hired Vice-Presidents.

8. Just lets them go.

9. turns out the change is too much for him.

d. That's the challenge Jesus faces – how to expand to do the ministry needed to be done.

1. he calls the body of Christ into being.

  1. That's who we are.
  2. Important to remember that expanding who we are and expanding our ministries is fundamental to who we are.

4. When we quit going outside of ourselves to invite people into our community of faith; when we quit going outside of ourselves to find people with whom to minister, we turn away from our calling.

Jesus calls the body of Christ to expand the ministry.

Move 2: We are better people because we are part of the body of Christ, or at least we have that opportunity!

a. Paul spends a lot of time reflecting and writing about what it means to be a community of faith.
  1. Read his letters.
    1. he deals with the internal struggles of the church community.
    1. We know the challenges and the joys.
    1. You can probably remember both from your own experiences of church.
b. IN his letter to Colossians., Paul reminds the church what they can be.
  1. It's a beautiful image of being in relationship.
    1. If we go back to the beginning of the chapter, we realize that Paul is telling us that we can life like that because we follow the resurrected Christ.
    1. because of what Christ has done, we can dare to offer ourselves in love and offer forgiveness to one another.
    1. and we can hold others accountable to living like that.
c. thought the Colossians passage suggests that following the resurrected one demands we live better and treat each other better.

Move 3: Finally, Jesus calls the body of Christ because it witnesses to the world who God is.

a. Relational
  1. God is a Trinitarian God.
  1. Fundamentally, God is relational.
3. as we co-exist as the body of Christ, as we live in relationship with one another, as we struggle sometimes but still lift up being in right relationship, it speaks to the world about God who calls us into relationship with God and with one another.

b. Concern for others.
  1. Wes Avram’s October, 2009 newsletter article: “And so hearing this story in Pittsburgh, in the 1980s, members of the Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church became painfully aware of the plight of children in families of unemployed steelworkers in their area. They gathered together and studied, prayed, imagined, and thought it through. Eventually, the church approached Highmark Blue Shield and shaped what they called the Caring Program for Children, designed to provide insurance for these children. This program inspired what became Pennsylvania’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (called CHIP), which later became the model for national SCHIP legislation. All from one congregation hearing Jesus tell them who they are, loving its neighbors as it loved itself, sharing itself in relationship like the Samaritan, and bearing the weight over the long haul.
    1. that story reminded me of this congregation's part in the formation of Dorothy Love, the retirement home in Sidney and part of the Ohio Presbyterian Retirement System.
    1. the idea grew out of a Sunday School class in this church. The class had been studying about caring for their neighbors and then began reflecting on what neighbors might need help.
    1. they ended up asking the presbytery to explore ways in which they could build homes for children and the aged.
    2. Five years later, Dorothy Love was dedicated.
      1. Not just a concrete response to a need, but a witness to the world that God cares for those living on the margins.
    7. a witness provided by a part of the body of Christ.
  1. Witness in the world the hope we have in God.
  1. John Buchanan, “Being Christ's Body,” Christian Century, 3/5/14 (3): Buchanan tells the story of church member Glen who is dying of AIDS at Hospice. Glen tells about at night when he is restless and cannot sleep he puts on headphones and listens to the church's worship service on the Internet. “It settles me down,” he said. “Sometimes I fall asleep while the choir is singing. I doze off a lot of times during your sermon – I know I'm not the only one,” he added with a grin. “That's how I go to sleep every night, her in my Hospice bed but also with my church.” Glen reminds me that the church does what no one else does – and that people still turn to the church in those singular moments of birth, crisis, and death.”
  1. I suspect he did not fall asleep solely because of the music or a sermon.
  1. He fell asleep because of the peace he discovered while listening to the body of Christ in worship and being reminded of the hope he had in the God who was being worshiped.
  2. We baptize infants, join with others as they profess their faith, gather to celebrate the covenant of marriage, join together when death arrives – why, in part because it is good to be together, but also because we witness to the world about the God who is in our mist claiming us in the waters of baptism, giving us hope in the face of death, guiding us in our lives of discipleship.
Conclusion: Lottery winners have a shaky history of dealing with the incredible gift they have won.

Jesus calls the body of Christ to help us live into the incredible gift of the resurrection.








Thursday, April 21, 2016

”Why Did You Call the Body of Christ?” Colossians 3: 12-17

The question for this sermon centers on why Jesus would call the church into being.  What did he have in mind for us?

Stan Mast from the Center for Excellence in Preaching suggests that Easter is something like winning the lottery (http://cep.calvinseminary.edu/sermon-starters/1st-sunday-after-christmas-c/?type=lectionary_epistle).  A great gift is received, but beware of how we use that gift.  he notes that there are many stories of lottery winners who seem worse off after winning the money (if you want to see some of those horror stories, go to http://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/Lottery-Horror-Stories-33026559).

Does the Jesus call the body of Christ into being to keep us from becoming a disaster in our new found belief in the God who resurrects?

the Colossians passages suggests that following the resurrected one demands we live better and treat each other better.

Is the church a support system for believers?  An army of people to act on Christ's behalf?

Why do you think Jesus called the church into being?

Monday, April 18, 2016

Reflections on "Will You Let Me Lead Your People" John 21: 15-19; Acts 9: 36-43

I enjoyed preaching this sermon.  I did correct a mistake in my initial bog.  I had noted that Jesus used three different Greek words for "love" his questions for Jesus, but it was really two different verbs.  I did not pick up on any of that in the sermon.

I did note in the Sanctuary service that two weeks in a row the sermon has actually been a bout questions that were not asked.  Maybe the sermon series should be entitled, "Questions they wanted to ask the resurrected Christ but didn't!"

(John 21:15-19) When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go." (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, "Follow me."

Will You Let Me Lead Your People” April 17, 2016; FPC, Troy; John 21: Acts 9: 36-43

Introduction: This story is a continuation of last week's story from the Gospel of John.

The disciples are on the beach with the Risen Christ, gathered around a charcoal fire to have breakfast together.

Surely, the charcoal fire in the scene reminds us that the last time Peter was around a charcoal fire, that would be on the night of Jesus' arrest, he had been asked three times if he was one of Jesus' disciples.

Three times, he denied knowing Christ.

Now breakfast is over and Jesus turns to Peter, and asks “Do you love me?”

Yes, Lord: you know that I love you.”

To which Jesus responds, “Feed my lambs.”

Peter is asked a second time, replying the same, to which Jesus slightly reshapes his response, “Take care of my sheep.”

And yet Jesus asks a third time, “Do you love me?”
This time to Peter's affirmation Jesus answers, “Feed my sheep.”

Peter, we are told, is grieved at being asked this once again.

As we continue in this post-Eater preaching series on questions we might ask the resurrected Christ, I am interested in the question that does not get asked by Peter.

Move 1: "Jesus, will you let me lead your people?"
a. Think for a moment about who Peter was.

  1. Once he had found Jesus, he had given himself over to following and serving Christ.
  2. Indeed, this fisherman had taken Jesus' offer to start fishing for people and he had excelled.
  3. He was the one the Jesus had said would be the Rock on which the church would be built.
  4. For Peter, leading God's people to Christ and doing Christ's ministry has become who he is.

    1. As upset as Peter was at having denied Jesus, I suspect he was even more upset because he believed that his denial would keep him from serving Christ, because he is not sure that he could not do what he believes he is called to do.

He wants to know, “Jesus, will you let me follow you?”

b. When I was coaching soccer, and as I have observed coaching through the years as a referee, I have noticed that some coaches pull you out immediately when you make a mistake.

Other coaches let you play through the mistakes.

Referreing a soccer game at the Strawberry tournament at Archer Park a few years ago.

It was u U-19 Boys games, which meant that most of the players were Seniors. This was not a particularly high level of soccer, so most of the players were not training and playing with a college career in mind. They were playing a final season for a final hurrah.

I've learned through the years that those types of games can be fun because everyone is there to have some fun, or it can be very challenging because the players don't care much about the authority figures there, including their coaches and the referees.

Appeared to be a star player, but he was not having that great a game. He missed a good chance on the goal early. Then, didn't hustle back on defense. He seemed to receive the ire of the coach. It quickly became clear that he was the coach's son.

After another mistake, the coach angrily substituted for his son.

It began an intense discussion between the player and his coach/father right there on the sideline. I was the assistant referee, so I had a front row seat.

'Why did you pull me from the game?'

You're playing terribly.”

You're a terrible coach.”

if you don't like my coaching, just quit.
The players takes off his jersey and throws it on the ground.

If you're not going to be part of the team, then just leave.”

He angrily grabs his bag, gets his keys, and then heads to the parking lot, all the while exchanging words with his coach/father.

He was parked close to the field, so he gets in his car and slams the door.

He never starts the car. He sits there. Later, he comes back to the field.
His coach/father greets his return with, “What are you doing back here.”

I want to play.”

Silence.

Are you going to let me play?”

Why should I? You already quit on your time”

I'm the captain. The teams needs me. Are you going to let me help my team.”

Put on your shirt and get back in the game.”


b. Peter wants to know: "Jesus, are you letting me back in the game?"

1. I've messed up, but are you letting me back in the
game.

    1. Despite his betrayal, despite his failings, Peter sees the resurrected Christ and wants back in the game.

              3. He wants to follow Jesus.


Move 2: To be clear, Peter took himself out of the game.


a. It was not Jesus giving up on Peter, but Peter giving up on himself.


b. Different ways we take ourselves out of the game.


c.  We do not believe we can do it.

          1.  We want to follow Jesus.

    1. We want to take on the task of ministry.
3.  But like Moses, remember Moses, who did not think we he could lead God's people because he was not a good talker, we do not believe we have the skills needed so we take ourselves out of the game.

d. Or we are too busy doing other things.

                  1. we want to follow Jesus and engage in ministry, but we cannot find the time.

                  2. Busy with work.

                   3. Overwhelmed with family obligations.

                  4. Not enough time in the day to do everything.

                   5. We do not have time to follow Jesus, so we take ourselves out of the game.

e. we are afraid.

          1. the idea of giving our lives over to serving Christ overwhelms.

          2. We are afraid we cannot do it, so we remove ourselves from the opportunity.

f. You can name your own reasons that you take yourself out fo the game.

There are lots of reasons that we dare not even ask Jesus, “Will you let me follow you?”


Move 3: the task is feeding the sheep.

a. Charles Schultz, the creator of the comic strip Peanuts showed Snoopy, sitting atop his doghouse with his trusty typewriter, working once again on his great American novel. The only words in the strip are those from Snoopy’s Smith-Corona:

Do you love me?” she asked.
Of course”, he said.

Do you really love me?” she asked.
Of course”, he said.

Do you really REALLY love me?” she asked.
No”, he said.

Do you love me?” she asked.
Of course”, he said.

So she asked no more

in that series of questions that sounds eerily like the conversation the Risen Christ has with Peter that morning on the beach. It is clear that for the young woman, the questions were about her.

Her need for affirmation.

That's not what is at stake in Jesus' questions for Peter.

Jesus is not asking so that he can feel good about himself.

He's asking Peter to as a way to redirect him, to call Peter's attention to the task still at hand, to invite Peter back into the game.

b. Jesus tells Peter, “Feed my lambs.” “Take care of my sheep.” “Feed my sheep.”

        1.  Jesus does not say “Feed your sheep,

          2.  Or even “feed the sheep,” in the generic.

         3. Jesus is talking aobut his sheep.

         4.  We have previously heard in the Gospel of John Jesus describe himself as the Good Shepherd.

          5.  He is giving Peter the chance to join with him and care for his sheep


     c.  And so Peter does.

             1. we read one story about what he does in the passage from Acts.

               2.  Tabitha is given up for dead.

             3.  Peter comes and brings her back to life.

                4.  Peter, feeding Jesus' sheep.

Conclusion: when Peter asks, “Will you let me follow you,” Jesus asnwers, “Feed my sheep.”


that's Jesus answer for us as well.






Friday, April 15, 2016

"Will You Let Me Follow You?" John 21: 15-19; Acts 9: 36-43

Second week of the sermon series on questions we might ask the resurrected Christ.  The story is a familiar one in which Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love me?"  You have probably heard enough sermons on this passage to know that Jesus uses two  different words for "love" in the three times he asks Peter, "Do you love me."  Traditionally, this was seen as a Jesus revealing different levels of love, but recent scholarship suggests that these Greek words often were used interchangeably.  I may not spend much time on that, but it's an interesting aspect of the text.

The charcoal fire in the scene reminds us that the last time Peter was around a charcoal fire, that would be on the night of Jesus' arrest, he had been asked three times if he was one of Jesus' disciples.  As you recall, three times he denied knowing Christ.

I am interested in the question that does not get asked by Peter -- "Jesus, will you let me lead your people?"  Or, "Jesus, are you letting me back in the game?"  For Peter, leading God's people to Christ and doing Christ's ministry has become who he is.  His denial of Christ takes him out of the game, at least he may think it does.  But, Christ invites him back in the game.

When I was coaching soccer, and as I have observed coaching through the years, I have noticed that some coaches pull you out immediately when you make a mistake.  Other coaches let you play through the mistakes.

A colleague shared this Peanuts cartoon with me when he heard me talking about this text.  not sure if it fits, but I find it interesting:  About thirty years ago, a Sunday Peanuts showed Snoopy, sitting atop his doghouse with his trusty typewriter, working once again on his great American novel. The only words in the strip are those from Snoopy’s Smith-Corona:
“Do you love me?” she asked.
“Of course”, he said.
“Do you really love me?” she asked.
“Of course”, he said.
“Do you really REALLY love me?” she asked.
“No”, he said.
“Do you love me?” she asked.
“Of course”, he said.
So she asked no more.

what intrigues you about this passage?





Sunday, April 10, 2016

"Who Are You?" John 21: 1-14; Acts 9: 1-6

this sermon begins the next preaching series, "Questions for the resurrected Christ." Each week will focus on a question we might ask the resurrected Christ, or in this sermon, a question we do not ask the resurrected Christ.

When I chose the John passage for the sermon, I did not have a second Scripture lesson in mind.  As the bulletin deadline arrived, I went ot the lectionary calendar to see what the Scripture passages were for this Sunday.  Amazingly, one of the lessons as the Acts story in which Saul asks the question, "Who are you?"  A perfect fit for the sermon.  I could have done more to compare and contrast Saul asking the question and the disciples not asking the question.

Overall, I thought the sermon worked well.

(John 21:1-14) After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. (NRSV)


 “Who Are You?” April 10, 2016; FPC, Troy; John 21: 1-14; Acts 9: 1-6



Introduction: A Presbyterian colleague in ministry tells the story of her first Easter as a solo pastor in a church.

As an Associate Pastor, she had been part of Easter services, but had never preached one.

She was really looking forward to Easter morning when she would be the one who proclaimed Christ is Risen.

When she arrived at church that Easter morning, she excitedly greeted the woman making coffee and her young daughter. She knelt down next to the little girl and said, “it's Easter and I'm so excited. Today we celebrate that Jesus is no longer dead, but alive.”

The little girl looked up and her and asked (beware of little kids with questions!), “Where is Jesus.”

The minister reached down and patted the young girl's heart and said, “Jesus is here in our hearts.”

The minister saw the girl's look of disappointment mixed with suspicion as she said, “but I want to see Jesus. Where can I see Jesus today?” (Journal for Preachers, “The Stones Would Burst into Cheers: Easter Worship for all the Senses,” Donna Giver-Johnston; Vol. XXXVIII, Number 3, Easter, 2015, 26)

That, of course, is the question we who live in the post-resurrection world continue to ask and strive to answer.

To help us reflect on where we see the resurrected Christ in our world, I am going to be preaching a sermon series covering questions we might ask the resurrected Christ.

We begin this morning with the question, “Who are you?”

Move 1: “Who are you? The question the disciples dared not ask Jesus that morning on the beach.


     a. Don't you find it rather odd that the story includes a question the disciples did not ask?

          1.  It seems to me that it would have been much more powerful to boldly affirm, “We know you are the resurrected Christ!”

          2.  Or at least, “Hey, Jesus, we know who you are.”

           3.  Instead, they would not ask, “who are you?”
  
     b. This unasked question reveals how the disciples and the early church straddle the issue of what it meant for Jesus to be raised from the dead.

          1.  No easy task understanding what a resurrection is.

          2.  That's probably why the story included the charcoal fire and the passing of bread and fish to be eaten.

          3.  Evidence for those who read the story later that Jesus' body was actually resurrected.

          4.  “See, he even eats just like we do!”

          5.  and yet, there are also stories of the resurrected Christ passing through doors and disciples not recognizing him.

          6.  the disciples, the early church, we still struggle to know what exactly what resurrection means.

     b. Or maybe it's not about what shape or form the resurrected body of Christ is when he appears. Maybe the disciples do not ask the question because they are not sure they want the answer.



          2.  the disciples are taking staccato steps, tentatively engaging Christ and wondering what their next step might be now that Christ has been resurrected.

          3.  To follow Jesus when he is right there in front of them doing miraculous things and healing and teaching makes sense. A high demand, yes. But it seems reasonable.

          4.  But what lies ahead for them now that Christ is resurrected.

          5.  The game has changed.

          6.  If they do not ask, maybe they can avoid having to figure out what the answer means.

          7.  Perhaps you know what it's like to think about following Christ and tentatively wonder what it might mean if you make that commitment.

Move 2: Saul on the other hand, does not hesitate to cry out the question: “Who are you?”

     a. Saul, the Pharisee who wants to persecute those who follow the resurrected Christ, finds himself blinded and on his knees on the road to Damascus.

          1.  A voice from the heavens asks, “Why do you persecute me.”

          2.  to which Saul boldly responds with the question, “Who are you?”

          3.  Saul is not a follower of Christ who is struggling to figure out what the resurrection means.

          4.  he is a non-believer who is being pursued by the resurrected Christ.

     b. Saul's question is met with both the answer “I am Jesus,” and the call to change his life.

          1.  As you know, Saul will change not only his life, but also his name, as he becomes Paul, arguably the most important leader of the early church.

          2.  for him, the question “Who are you?” and the answer he receives reveal the opportunity he has, the opportunity we have, to be new creations in Christ.

          3.  Paul, who will focus much of his preaching to the early church about the crucified Christ, begins his life of discipleship in an encounter with the resurrected Christ.

          4.  Saul's story reminds us that to follow the resurrected Christ means being called to new places.

          5.  Perhaps you like Saul have that sense that God is pursuing you.

Move 3: Back to the beach – maybe the disciples do not ask Jesus who he is because they are afraid that he might ask them who they are.

     a. “are you people of the resurrection?”

          1. Henri Nouwen notes that, “Jesus does not speak about a change of activities, a change in contacts, or even a change of pace. He speaks about a change of heart” .” Making All Things New, Henri Nouwen, 42

          2.  Are the disciples on the beach ready for the transition from their pre-resurrection belief in Jesus to a post-resurrection transformation by the power of God to resurrect?

      b. there are signs along the way, of course, to help them make that commitment.

           1.  Remember in the story we read this morning that without the resurrected Christ, the disciples can catch no fish.

          2.  With the resurrected Christ, however, the disciples can let down their nets and catch a lot of fish.

          3.  Not just a lot of fish. But 153. Sort of odd that we are told exactly how many fish were in the nets. Not 154; not 152; 153 exactly.

          4.  How many fishermen do you know who tell you exactly how many fish they catch?

          5.  They talk about how big the fish are in grand terms.

          6.  Or they talk about how huge the catch was. But no specific number.

          7.Fish stories work better if the facts do not get in the way of the story.

     c.   But we are told exactly how many fish the disciples caught because this is not a typical fish story, not an exaggeration, not some fairy tale.

          1.   This story reveals the resurrected Christ and his power to bring the disciples 153 fish.

          2.  A real sign in the real world.

          3.  The resurrected Christ is not asking the disciples to imagine what the future could hold and stop there.

          4.  The resurrected Christ is inviting them into the future as people of the resurrection, people whose lives are changed in real ways and who bring hope for real change to others in the world.

     c. William Willimon tells a story about a heroin addict approaching him in the weeks after Easter and asking for help.

          1.  In the conversation the person asks, “Preacher, do you really think that I can get a grip on my addiction to heroin?”

          2.  You know that question. It's the question that hangs in the air at Breakfast Club – do you really think that feeding me breakfast can help me change my life?

          3.  Or the question that we ask ourselves when we deliver the clothes and backpacks of school supplies each year to children in our community – can they really be changed and get out of the cycle of poverty.

          4.  Or it's the question we ask ourselves when we continually repeat the cycle of tearing down our relationships – can I really change who I am in this relationship?

          5.  Or the question we ask as we face the uncertainty in our lives and wonder, can I really handle what the future has for me?

          6.  Willimon notes that his immediate response was to say, “No, It's almost impossible to change.” But he caught himself, he says, because the resurrection was fresh in his mind.

          7.  Instead, he said something to the effect, “if it were only about what you could do or what I could do, then no, but God is a God of resurrection, so yes, we can dare to hope that you can change.” (Journal for Preachers, William Willimon,”Preaching As Demonstration of Resurrection,” Volume XXXVII, Number 3, Easter, 2014, 15)

conclusion: The disciples dared not ask the resurrected Christ “Who are you?” because they were trying to decide if they could dare to hope in the God of resurrection.

Could they dare to become people of the resurrection.


“Who are you?” Amen.

Friday, April 8, 2016

"Who Are You?" John 21: 1-14; Acts 9: 1-6

This sermon kicks of the post-Easter preaching series that looks at questions we might ask the resurrected Christ.  The first question is, "Who are you?"  In the John  story, the disciples do not ask that question; in the Acts story, Saul does ask that question.

A few thoughts as I work on the sermon.

1.  Henri Nouwen notes that, “Jesus does not speak about a change of activities, a change in contacts, or even a change of pace. He speaks about a change of heart” .” Making All Things New, Henri Nouwen, 42

2.  The transition from pre-resurrection to post-resurrection belief is the transition from knowing who Jesus is to living who Jesus is.

3.  I find it interesting that the story in John includes the question, "Who are you?" that will not be asked.  Why note the question if they really know who Jesus is?  Is the uncertainty because they are not sure or because they are not sure they want to be part of what it means if Jesus really is resurrected?

4.  For some reason I started thinking about how we identify the resurrected Christ, which also leads to how others might identify those who follow the resurrected Christ.

5.  In the Acts story, Saul is very interested in who had struck him blind.  That seems like a reasonable response.  Look at what Saul ends up doing with the answer -- he gives his life over to following Christ and spreading the news of Christ's resurrection.

What do you think?