Neighbor.

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PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

“The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me; my eye and God’s eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, one love.”

―Meister Eckhart, Sermons of Meister Eckhart

Luke 10:25-37

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus.[a] “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” 27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”28 And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii,[b] gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Footnotes:

  1. Luke 10:25 Gk him
  2. Luke 10:35 The denarius was the usual day’s wage for a laborer

Sermon Manuscript:

Who is our neighbor? 

In our parable this morning, Jesus is hanging out with his disciples and others.  In the crowd, there is a lawyer who asks Jesus about the greatest commandment.  Jesus’ answer can be summed by “loving God, loving others…nothing else matters.” as my friend Bart Campolo used to say.  Jesus specifically says, loving your neighbors as yourself.

The lawyer, for some reason, feels like his ego is on the line and wants to justify himself, so asks, who is our neighbor?

Jesus replies with a parable, the one of the Good Samaritan.

A man is robbed, everything is taken from him while he’s on a journey…he’s beaten, left for dead.  Yet, he’s still hanging on.  He has one thing left even if everything else is stripped away, his humanity.

Along comes priest, then a Levite.  Both of these folks have high positions in society, important people.  They probably came from great families with good connections to have these kinds of positions.  They also had places to get to, in their defense, others were counting on them.  Plus, they understood that if they helped, they would be unclean, in those days, to touch a bloody person meant days of cleansing and purification.  It would be inconvenient.  Before we pass judgement, how many times have we passed up things, how many times have we not gotten involved with someone because of time or convenience…maybe we’ve passed by an accident, or saw someone arguing in public, or something small or great…I know I’m guilty at times.  

Yet, then comes a Samaritan.  Jesus has just welcomed the 70 or 72 messengers back in the previous story that we talked about last week.  They had gone into Samaria, maybe some were welcomed, some were not…maybe some still had bad feelings towards Samaritans…who knows.  The Samaritan, someone not Jewish, not religious, a merchant also…not part of the ruling religious cast, stops, gets dirty, helps this man.  He was moved with compassion…which is the same phrase that is used elsewhere in Scripture to describe how Jesus felt about folks who were in desperate places.  

In other words, this Samaritan, this foreigner, felt the same way that Jesus felt.  That folks who don’t have a “religious” inkling may be closer to God’s heart than some that call themselves God followers.  

And, this Samaritan follows through, bandages the man, takes him to an Inn, has his needs paid for…and even checks in on him the next day.  

It seems like Jesus is saying that your religion, even your beliefs, mean nothing unless they line up with your practice or praxis.  

When Jesus asks who was the true neighbor back to the lawyer, the lawyer responds that it’s the one who showed mercy, the Samaritan.

I don’t believe that Jesus was interested in winning an argument, as a matter of fact, I think the lawyer wasn’t interested either, it was a genuine conversation…something that seems to be lacking in much of today’s culture.  In that conversation, the lawyer, and those listening had a sense of hearing the deeper nuances of this story…they were curious, and they experience a sort of conversion, change, transformation through listening.

That’s what parables do.  

They don’t give us measurements of success, they aren’t always feel good stories, they are not meant to be morality plays, they don’t even give us clues on how to grow the church bigger…They are organic and are meant be shared authentically and without a desire for winning.  They are like seeds that are then planted in our hearts and grow into deeper meanings for all of us.

As we think about this parable, may we let it grow within us this morning.  As we’ve seen  in the past few weeks, folks are more and more isolated, and filled with hate and prejudices…we as a church, have an obligation to our neighbors, and our neighbors are everyone, especially those on the margins or in need…and we have a greater joy in being good neighbors to all who we meet, inviting them into our lives, our church, and our community.  

How do we become good neighbors?  By letting go of our image, as the Samaritan did, and by having a deeper agency through donated trust.  The message of Jesus is pretty straightforward, don’t be defined by your class, the color of your skin, your immigration status, your political leanings or bias, our even your roles you play in life.  Be defined by your humanity, a humanity that is shared with all people in creation.  That everyone is your neighbor, and if you are living in awareness, deep awareness, you will begin to see the world as your neighbor.  Stop trying to win arguments, listen to your heart and engage in conversation out of your heart where things are more real and not defined by Fox News or MSNBC or whatever.  Compassion and wisdom can then grow out of the seed of awareness of shared humanity.  And, with that, the world can change…starting with you and your neighbor.

Remain.

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PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

In the gift of this new day,
in the gift of the present moment,
in the gift of time and eternity intertwined,
let us be grateful,
let us be attentive,
let us be open to what has never happened before,
in the gift of this new day,
in the gift of the present moment,
in the gift of time and eternity intertwined.

–       JP Newell, “Sounds of the Eternal:  A Celtic Psalter”

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

The Mission of the Seventy

10 After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2 He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’

16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

The Return of the Seventy

17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” 18 He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19 See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Last week we discussed being on a journey and the importance of our journey partners.  Our passage in Luke was about Jesus setting his eyes towards Jerusalem and being set on the mission of proclaiming the Kingdom of God, of living out the peace and presence of God on all of humanity.

This week, we find Jesus sending out 70, or in some manuscripts, 72, messengers to towns and places to proclaim the message that God’s Kingdom, God’s presence is now…that the time for release of prisoners, of welcoming of immigrants, of freedom for those being oppressed or persecuted has come…that community, true community…community marked by honest conversation, checking our egos at the door, being confident in who we are in Christ, our humanity, and what God has created within us, radical inclusion of everyone, of opening up the doors of our lives and our communities to all of those around us in some way while trusting that God’s love will flow in and through us is here!  

Jesus goes on to say that this is a message that is ripe and ready for harvest.  I get that.  When I’m out in this neighborhood I hear folks all of the time saying bits and pieces in their conversations for a yearning to belong to a larger purpose, to a community that will not judge them or hem them in, but will allow them to ask questions, to live in wisdom, compassion, and in friendship.  

Jesus is not saying that he came to make a kingdom marked by unhealthy boundaries and power, but a kingdom, or Presence, marked by authentic friendship that leads to freedom and growth.  Friendship, Kingdom friendship, happens when folks believe in each other, love one another, don’t hold grudges, are willing to ask questions out of love for one another and not out of winning arguments or out of some sort of personal agenda.  In that Kingdom, transformation is a mark of friendship, a mark of relationship, not transactions or “if I do this, you’ll do this”.  

It’s important to note that the gospel author is simply trying to say that this is a message that needs to be spread…and that even 72 folks isn’t enough…the harvest is huge, all of humanity really.  But, have hope, you have all you need…you have yourself and a friend.   And, again, trust.  Trust beyond circumstance.  Donated trust.  Going out like lambs in the midst of wolves, but still trusting something deeper.  And, as we trust, to also trust that others also are looking for that kind of faith…a faith that is present and connects us to all that is good in ourselves, one another, and creation.  

My friends John McKnight, who recently passed, and Peter Block, who’s working with us in Westwood that many of you have met, have given us the concept of asset based community development.  The idea is that you don’t go into a situation asking what the need is, you go in looking for your assets…you gather your assets, then apply them in a community and development and growth will hopefully follow.

And, I’ve seen this concept work in so many ways over the years…and it’s working in different ways in our church and in Westwood.  That’s what we’ve been doing with the “Common Good Alliance” that has been meeting periodically.   Really, it’s how we are operating as a church.  When folks start talking about what we don’t have, that’s maybe a sign of a lack of trust in one’s self…or a lack of imagination to see the assets, the possibilities, and the relationships.  It frustrates me to no end when folks say things like something or someone can never change.  That’s simply not the gospel narrative, is it?

Jesus tells his messengers to model presence, even in the midst of resistors.  He tells them to go to homes and if they are welcomed there, to remain there, to bless the house, to give them peace and to have a deeper agency.  For those who do not welcome God’s message, Jesus says to go into the streets, to shake the dust off their feet in protest…but, notice, he doesn’t tell them to leave.  They remain and still proclaim and live out their message.  What I understand in this passage is that the early Jewish listener to this story would understand that the dust represents rejection or criticism.  Shake it off Jesus is saying, don’t let it stick to you.  And remain being the person that you’ve been called to be.  

Remain is a good word for us today.   I have found that being in one place for a while helps to build up love and trust and beauty in that place…when someone makes a commitment to the growth of an area and remaining…and if that place is welcoming and open to the message, good things usually follow…again, it’s trust and any organization or relationship will grow at the speed of trust.  

It’s also a good reminder to remain in Christ, our true home in Christ is welcoming and allows us to grow to a place of self awareness, others awareness, and God awareness.   That awareness while remaining moves us towards growth.  

God’s flow can’t be stopped, it will continue to flow over those who welcome it, and those who reject it.  Those who welcome it will grow, and those who can’t seem to welcome it, who can’t let go of the demons in their lives that are oppressing them, will continue to live in the hell that they’ve created for themselves, and often for others.  

Friends, Jesus reminds us that there is a thief that comes to steal and destroy, but as we live in the awareness of living in Christ, we experience abundant life…life filled with wonderful assets of relationship, possibility, imagination, purpose, and new life that we see emerge as we remain and become our true, authentic Selves.  We are called to be the body of Christ together…and to experience the abundant life of Christ poured into us.

Setting the Course.

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PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

That truth has been inscribed into our heart and into the heart of every human being, there to be read and reverenced, thanks be to you, O God.

That there are ways of seeing and sensitivities of knowing hidden deep in the palace of the soul, waiting to be discovered, ready to be set free, thanks be to you.

Open our senses to wisdom’s inner promptings that we may give voice to what we hear in our soul and be changed for the healing of the world, that we may listen for truth in every living soul and be changed for the well-being of the world.

–       JP Newell, “Sounds of the Eternal:  A Celtic Psalter”

Luke 9:51-62

A Samaritan Village Refuses to Receive Jesus

51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; 53 but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.54 When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 Then they went on to another village.

Would-Be Followers of Jesus

57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”61 Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Our gospel lesson in Luke this week finds Jesus at a turning point, he is setting his eyes

towards the journey to Jerusalem. As we’ve discussed in the past, Jerusalem is the

center of Jewish religious life, it has the rebuilt temple, it is the focal point of Jewish life,

it is where God dwells on earth symbolically. Jesus has been teaching, preaching, and

loving folks from all different walks of life. He has been healing and restoring to

community those on the margins of society. He has also challenged the religious-political

structures of that time to be model better the type of community that God intended:

inclusive, loving, restorative, and built upon the notion of God’s dwelling being made

with all of humanity. Jesus modeled this by being a rabbi, someone on the “in” of Jewish

culture, going out to those on the outside, building genuine, authentic friendships with no

strings attached, but loving them towards restoration and bringing folks back “in” to

community with others.

In the Luke narrative, the late theologian Gordon Fee says that Jesus is “the coming of

salvation in all of its fullness to all people.” No one is left out, humanity, as the Jesuit

theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin says is the body of Christ that Jesus came to restore

in the 2nd “big bang” of history…and in that 2nd big bang, we have a deepening of awareness that we cannot continue to scapegoat our issues on to others, but to have agency and to let God emerge within and around us.  That starts with intention and “setting the course” towards a growth.  

So, Jesus is now “set” to move towards the center of Jewish thought at Jerusalem, putting

into another phase of God’s purposes of planting the seed that changes everything. This

is the Christ Project, working all of humanity towards wholistic restoration of

relationships with ourselves, others, and God.

And, Jesus is determined to get to Jerusalem. He sets out in a direct route that takes him

towards Jerusalem. In takes him through Samaria. This is an area that is populated by

folks who have have a mix of Jewish and Gentile (non-Jewish) lineage both religiously

and literally as they have intermarried. Because they are considered impure to devout

Jews that considered Jerusalem their center, and because Samaritans had a different view

of where God dwelt, they had built temples on the borders of Samaria suggesting that God dwelt throughout the land, they were looked down upon by devout Jews and Samaritans didn’t want to have to do with Jerusalem,

because of their being rejected.

So, when Jesus sends messengers to prepare the way for his journey through Samaria, his

messengers are rejected and the Samaritans, folks who Jesus actually was trying to

befriend, reject Jesus because his “face was set for Jerusalem”…in other words, they

weren’t rejecting Jesus personally, but his intent to go to Jerusalem. Yet, the disciples

were upset, James and John especially, and asked if they could ask for “fire to come

down from Heaven” and destroy Samaria.

It seems as if James and John had not quite received the message that Jesus was sharing

yet, actually, they didn’t until after Jesus’ death and resurrection, it’s certainly safe to say

that they were working in an old paradigm of viewing Samaritans, looking down upon

them rather then opening up to them, and they also didn’t like rejection. They still had some small “e” ego.  There were drawn to the aspect of power and glory that Jesus presented, they liked the notoriety of the flash of Jesus’ message, the hearings, the miracles, but they were missing the power of rejection and of humility.

We all face rejection, but how we deal it is important. If we are set on something bigger

than our small “s” selves, then rejection can simply be a moment of growth for us, and for those doing the rejecting. If we take rejection in stride and move forward, we grow. If we reject others out of pride or contempt or a lack of self and others awareness, it can lead us towards bitterness, discontent, and we miss out on relationships and God’s blessings. God’s flow, God’s Spirit will always find a way to move towards growing something within us and in the communities that we find our being in our capital “s” Self. When we are faced with obstacles, instead of reacting to them with power plays or with pride, if we let love flow in and through us, we can see that rejection or barriers will simply add some narrative or contour to a greater story and will not stop us on our journey.

That’s what happens in this story about Jesus. Jesus rebukes the disciples, in some

ancient manuscripts, there is even an extra line in verse 56 that says this: “You do not

know what spirit you are of, 56 for the Son of Man has not come to destroy the lives of

human beings but to save them.” Jesus is for us, Jesus is for humanity, and Jesus is set on

his journey to Jerusalem to change the course of history towards a trajectory of love that

always wins out. And, Jesus wants us to live in his spirit and do the same.

It’s also important to note that even though the Samaritans didn’t get it, had pride and

couldn’t see beyond their contempt for the Jews, that there are stories in the bible that

show Jesus’ love and commitment towards the Samaritans, even befriended them. The

same thing with the disciples, they didn’t get it, even put up roadblocks and made Jesus’

life and message a bit difficult. Yet, Jesus chose them and they chose Jesus to be on the

journey together in ministry and literally towards Jerusalem.6

I have been reminded these past weeks at how important it is to be on a journey together

with folks…folks that sometimes are there for you, and sometimes not, yet the intent is to

be together and to be set towards a goal. A few years ago, I climbed Mt. Whitney with

some friends from seminary…friends from the UK, Latvia, Alaska, and even Indiana!

When we climbed Mt. Whitney, Andy was there for me in many ways…all of us would

encourage each other as we climbed. That bond continues on in many ways. I’ve had

other journey companions who’ve trained for marathons, friends who have conspired to

get some good things going in our neighborhoods and churches.  And, others who have co-created with me so many good things.

I can point to others who have been there for me…not perfect folks, actually, all of us a

mess at times….there have been difficult moments in those friendships… But, still, there

has been a flow, a bond, some would even say a covenant or a promise of friendship.

These journey companions have caused me to be set on certain goals that are all about

seeing God’s Presence within me and all around me as we have “set a course” together.  And, I’ve found that the best journey partner that I can have is the divine within me and all around me…or my True Self which allows me to see my other journey partners truly as friends.  

Jesus calls all of us into these types of relationships, as we journey together, we realize

that we are dependent on each other in this new community that Jesus is calling us

towards. It takes priority over all sorts of other tasks. We can’t be bogged down by how

we’ve always done things or even understood things, there are too many people in this

world that need the system changed in a way that Jesus lived out. Jesus says to follow

him and his way, to let the dead bury their own dead, to not make excuses of why we

can’t follow, to not delay, to not try to build up some idea of power or some sort of

kingdom that is not for the common good, but to not look back and to look forward towards building the new reality of God’s Presence that builds us up, builds bridges between us, and tears down walls that have been built up both literally and figuratively. May we live lives that set the course for the journey God’s called us on.

Voices.

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PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

“We cannot live in a world interpreted for us by others. An interpreted world is not a hope. Part of the terror is to take back our listening, to use our own voice, to see our own light.”

“Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars. Gaze at the beauty of the Earth’s greenings. Now, think.”

Illuminate our hearts and our minds and liberate our voices.  Amen.


― Taken from quotes by Hildegard von Bingen

Luke 8:26-39

Jesus restores a demon-possessed man

26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!’ 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

30 Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’

‘Legion,’ he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.

32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission.33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 ‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’ So the man went away and told all over the town how much Jesus had done for him.

When I was a cross country coach, I often tell runners that they have voices that they can listen to when they run.  

When the race or practice gets hard, or it’s snowing and cold, or hot and humid, they may hear voices in their head that say you can’t do this, you aren’t tough enough, you could quit, or go home, sit on the coach in air conditioning, or play video games.   Or, they can learn to listen to the voice that tell them that they can do this, that it is worth the work and even the pain at times, that it is producing character, that they can overcome.  We call this the “moment of truth”, when you listen to the good voice that will push you through and don’t give in to the voices that leave you in a state that keeps you in a place and not growing.  

Jesus encounters a man who’s been inflicted with thousands of voices that have actually taken control of his life. 

He had so many voices, or personal demons, that when Jesus asked him his name, he said that his name was “legion” meaning “many”, even thousands.  I’m not sure how one gets into this state, but it’s safe to say that this man was affected to the point of madness, so much so that his community shunned him and even chained him up.  

Yet, Jesus goes up to him, has compassion on him.  It’s also interesting to note that this man was not part of Jesus’ faith or lifestyle.  The region where Jesus found this man was a Gentile region and Gentiles were non-believers.  That’s actually what the word “gentile” means, non-believer…as opposed to being a Jew, which meant “believer”.  It was a foreign land, yet Jesus and his disciples felt compelled to travel there, outside of their comfort zone.  

When Jesus confronts the man, the man has lost his mind, his sense of identity so much, that he doesn’t personally answer, but the demons give voice to Jesus…they know that Jesus is the Son of God…when darkness is confronted, it knows it can’t hide from the light, and it knows that it cannot overcome light.  I believe that Jesus was so acutely aware of being human…as made in the image of God, so aware of himself as God’s son, as the representation of God to humanity and humanity to God, that the darkness was revealed in this possessed man so openly that it could not help but to retreat.

It’s also important to realize that this man wanted to be healed.  As conflicted as he was, as possessed as he was, he knew that he needed to change.  It seems like Jesus’ power was best on display when others found within themselves a sense of agency.  In other words, Jesus was a co-healer.  

The demons plead with Jesus to be sent into a herd of pigs.  Which, is another indicator that Jesus is in a foreign country as pigs were considered unclean by Jewish custom.  So, Jesus sends them into the pigs and the pigs go mad and drive themselves off of a cliff.

This man regains his sense of self, his dignity and senses, and is restored into community.  But, the townsfolk are afraid of Jesus, they don’t know how to respond to this amazing act of love and power over the darkness of the possessed man’s life.  Or, maybe they are afraid that this Jesus and his presence will cost them more economically, as the herd of pigs was an economic loss.  Faced with fear, economic instability, and the presence of a change agent like Jesus, they plead for Jesus to leave.  Which, Jesus does.  As he’s leaving, the formerly possessed man asks to go with Jesus, yet Jesus tells him to stay, to find his voice more clearly now that all of the other voices are gone, and to love his neighbors and proclaim to them what God has done.

We don’t know this man’s name, it’s not in this passage, and we don’t know what happens.  But, my bet is that this region saw and experienced this Jesus and continued to see evidence of this man’s growth and release from what enslaved him.  

The power of a changed life can change the world!

I know that’s true in my life, your life, and our lives together.  What voices are we listening to?  What fears do we have that prevent us from living in awareness of the presence of Christ in our lives or keeps us away from walking with our friend Jesus?  How often do we ask God to leave us alone when faced with change in our lives, even if we know we need it or we see others’ lives changed through their awareness of God, self, and others through Jesus?  

What would it take for us to let go of the voices that keep us enslaved to the way we’ve always done things or lived…voices that are keeping us from living the way that we’ve always wanted to live and growing in new ways as humans made in God’s image, infused with God’s dynamic spirit that moves us towards the kind of lives that bring adventure, meaning, purpose, and growth?

A few years ago, I met over coffee with my good friend Peter Block as I have often done over the years, but I remember this conversation.   

Peter is a voice that I love to listen to…he speaks into my life and allows me to speak into his.  We are in community together, we practice “church” if you will in many ways.  As we were talking, he began to encourage me, as he does so often.  One of the things that he spoke into my life over that coffee was reminding me that I have a powerful voice and finding that voice consistently is good work…it’s good work for all of us.  Not only finding our particular voice, but how it fits into community and being in a community that can find its collective voice.  That voice can shape mountains, experience and share love.  

Voice is powerful when there is no agenda other than seeing relationships and community restored or created.  

Think about this phrase, this powerful voice, throughout the two creation narratives in  Genesis 1 and 2:  “And God said…”

God’s voice, God’s word, brought forth creation.  

God’s voice or God’s word, became flesh and gave us Jesus.

God’s voice, God’s word, is carried to us through the flow of God’s spirit all around us, in us, through us, to us.  

Your homework this week, take inventory daily.  Listen to yourself, others, and the messages being sent to you through social media, news media, or whatever.  What voices are you hearing or listening to.  Write them down.  Then ask yourself, where are you hearing God’s voice.  

Are we willing to listen to God’s voice as it pushes through all of the other voices in our lives, leading us to freedom and reminding us that we have a powerful voice, that we are loved, that we are made for each other and to be a part of a community together proclaiming to each other God’s love?  Not petty issues or pride or insecurities that keep us away from each other, but living together listening to God’s voice emerge within us and through us together?  May it be so!

Three.

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PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

PRAYER of HILDEGARD: 

Holy Life-Giver, Doctor of the desperate, Healer of everyone broken past hope, Medicine for all wounds, Fire of love, fragrant Strength, sparkling Fountain, Protector! In You we see how God goes looking for those who are lost and reconciles those who are at odds with God. We praise You.

John 16:12-15

 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.      

Sermon Manuscript:

Last Sunday was Pentecost, the day we recognize God’s Spirit in and around us.  Today is Trinity Sunday, the day we recognize the mystery of a 3 in 1 God.  

I think it’s best to understand the Trinity simply as this, three beings that are of the same substance and mutually indwell in each other…so much that they are one.  The flow together.  It’s often said that the Father begets the Son through to power of the Spirit…it’s an unending circle.  Our Celtic ancestors understood the dynamic of circles…that they were continuous and represented life, death, rebirth.  And, they usually had 3 circles interlocking, overlapping.  The triquetra, what we call the trinity symbol, was actually a pre-christian symbol.  As our ancestors were trying to explain their experience with the divine as demonstrated through Jesus and outpouring, or recognition of God’s Spirit, they used symbols from their past.  Amazing to think of God’s wisdom being revealed throughout all of time.  

3 is a powerful relational number.  We often break up into triads.  I’m not going to ask you to do that today…although it would be interesting!  But, triads are powerful in that everyone has to contribute in a group of three.  It’s hard to hide!  

We, humanity, are also a part of the Trinity.  A famous icon of the early church was Rublev’s icon of the Trinity.  In it, there are three persons sitting around a table.  One is masculine, one is feminine, and one is somewhat ambiguous.  But, they represent the trinity.  On the front of the icon there is a square cutout.  It is said that the original icon had a mirror in that square.  So when you looked at the trinity in this icon, you also saw yourself being in this flow, this circle.  

It is community, communion if you will.   And, there are glimpses of this kind of close community from time to time.  A couple of weeks ago, we had the Soul Place Gathering.  Our design team of staff, church members, and others came together as one…the gathering itself was a deep place of invitation, welcome, hospitality, and a sense of oneness.  That was reflected in so many comments that we have received from folks who attended.  Many more things were said that were wonderful, it turned out better than we could have planned really.  

The point being, we were so committed to this and to each other, that this project was blessed by a sense of deep unity around a common purpose…we came together in friendship and unity.   

Honestly, we live into this unity every week at Westwood First in some way!

In God’s nature, God’s deepest defining character, there is a deep unity, one that goes beyond human comprehension to the point where lines are blurred and there is a deep sense of mutuality, of mutual indwelling.   Out of this intense community,  there is One God.  

As we’ve mentioned before, in Quantum Physics, physicists use a word describe how atoms, protons, neutrons, quarks, etc. work together…how they form and create.  It’s called “relationship”.  Atoms are attracted to each other, sparks fly, things are made.

They produce energy.

In theological terms, this relational energy in the divine, in the communion of the Trinity creates all things, it is the energy moving things, evolving things.  It also saves, redeems, and reforms things…and, it also holds things together, us together.  We attempt to describe this three in one God by saying that all things originate in the Father who creates, the Son who saves and redeems, and the Spirit that sustains and moves.  In the PCUSA, we even use gender neutral terms from time to time:  Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer to describe the trinity.  But, all of these attributes work within the Trinity, in the mutual indwelling of the relationship found in the Trinity.

The energy of this Holy community caused what Tielhard De Chardin calls the Big Bang of creation, and the 2nd bigger bang of Jesus…divinity and humanity coming together in what ancient theologians called the Homeostatic Union.  This union of divine and humanity gives us the witness of God in flesh, and the “with-ness” of God with us, of Immanuel.  This God with us is carried to us through the Trinity by the power of God’s Spirit, this Spirit in relationship with the Trinity, being poured out on to us, gives us energy to grow, mature, change, be aware of ourselves, others, and with a God who’s closer than the air we breathe.

Our passage this morning gives words to Jesus’ promise that even though he would not be around in the flesh for much longer, that his Spirit, God’s Spirit, would be poured out on to us, that we would find the strength and energy to form as communities, to be together as God always intended.  And to be in union with all of creation through God’s Presence within and all around.

In other words, we are not alone.

I have friends that are Greek Orthodox…The Greek Orthodox have a great term, it’s called “theosis”.  We  are drawn into communion or relationship with the Trinity through our shared humanity with Jesus and through the dynamic energy of God’s Spirit that is everywhere showing us how to live in community with others, God, and with ourselves.

Friends, it is my prayer that you walk away from this sermon inspired to live in “theosis”, to cultivate an awareness that you are never alone, that God resides within you and all around you…and, as that awareness continues to dawn on you, on all of us, that we remember and, maybe even record, where we’ve seen God’s moving in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

Take away from this week’s sermon:  Take out 5-10 minutes at the beginning of your day, and at the end of your day.  Reflect on the day ahead, or the day that you just had.  Write down where you think you may see God at the beginning of the day, and at the end of the day, where did you see God?  What were your surprises?  

Keep this in mind, God’s relational, 3 in 1 energy, is constantly at work around you.  Take the time to cultivate the awareness of God’s presence in you, in others, and in all things and time.

Great.

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Holy Life-Giver, Doctor of the desperate, Healer of everyone broken past hope, Medicine for all wounds, Fire of love, fragrant Strength, sparkling Fountain, Protector! In You we see how God goes looking for those who are lost and reconciles those who are at odds with God. We praise You. – Hildegard

John 14:23-29

23 Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words, and the word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me.

25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. 

28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur you may believe.

Love.  We talked about that last week didn’t we?  We also talked about God’s love that resides within and without, all around us…how we are called to love and how hard it is to do that.  I know this past month, there were several times I could point out that I simply wasn’t living into love very well…especially as I was hiking with my son and trying to keep up with him…we hiked 45+ miles in three days on our hiking trip recently…and he wanted to do even more!  At one point on the last day, I was getting frustrated as he wanted to hike to another canyon towards the end of the day.  I gave in but told him he could not pass me on the hike…he had to stay with me and even talk to me!  

In my journal and in my daily readings and meditations, I am reminded that love is always there though…and that I do have access to it as I practice presence with myself and others.  

Our passage this morning is in response to Judas by Jesus.  Judas (not Judas Iscariot..different Judas) is wanting to know why Jesus has revealed himself to the disciples, and not to the rest of the world.

Jesus responds by saying that love is the key.  And, it starts with loving yourself.  We’ve talked about what it means to live in Christ, to live as your “true self”, to be present with yourself that leads to presence with others.  Loving others starts with loving yourself.  That’s not being selfish, it’s knowing that love resides in you…that it’s often found in the darkness and the suffering we experience because that causes a break within us for love to emerge.  It’s also realizing that love, true self, presence are all terms for the Divine, for God.  And God sees God’s self in all of us, each of us!  That is communion friends!  And, eventually, it does lead to peace.  We want to be at peace with the love that resides within and without.  As that love emerges, as we embrace and cultivate it, a deeper peace does arise within us.  

We oftentimes try to deny that love, but God doesn’t.  God remains faithful because God is an intimate indwelling in humanity and God cannot deny God’s self in us…2 Timothy 2:13 says this:

if we are faithless, God remains faithful—
God cannot deny himself.

Jesus goes on to say that we have the Divine Presence, the very spirit or soul of God given to us.   

In Greek, the word is pneuma, in Hebrew, its ruach.  It means, wind, spirit, breath.  It’s Presence.  We’ve said this before, but this Spirit, wind, breath of God is everywhere.  It sustains life, it carries life, it reveals the work of God through creating life, and through the work of Jesus of saving life and redeeming it.

A few years ago, I walked into Ludllow Wines where my friend Mike is the owner.  On this day, we had a most wonderful conversation.   In that conversation, I found out that he’s Greek Orthodox.  We also talked a bit about the beauty of that language.  The greek word for “advocate” in this morning’s passage in John is beautiful.  Greek words often have many different meanings.  The word for advocate in Greek is “paraclete”.  It means to come alongside, to help, to counsel.  We are co-creating the experience of love for self and neighbor with God.  

Jesus knew that death was approaching.  Jesus also hoped and understood that death needed to happen before resurrection.  It’s a mystery, in theology, we often call it the Paschal mystery.  God died on Good Friday.  All was lost.  God had to experience everything we do, the violence, being humiliated and betrayed…as well as being the humiliator and the betrayer.  God had to experience loss and death.  

When all is lost, when nothing is certain.  That’s when faith comes alive, real.  We don’t understand it, but somehow resurrection happened.  And, not as we have been told in Sunday school most of our lives.  It is a wounded resurrection.  A Jesus, and a God, a universe, that has changed by being wounded.  The scars are still there, yet healed and given new meaning.  

2000 years later, we don’t always have faith.  Even as we see it written out scripture.  Jesus also knew that we would need to stay connected to each other and to him.  That’s the way the Spirit works, it comes alongside, it advocates for us, it helps us to see things about ourselves, others, and God that may not make sense at times, but always seems to work out for the good eventually.  It also reminds us that we are not alone, that the very power of God, the deep love of God that is radically inclusive of all of us in this room and outside these doors and windows, presides within us and all around us.

This spirit, as we cultivate our awareness of God and ourselves emboldens us and gives us confidence as it did the disciples.  Even when all is lost, love still wins.  

There’s a lot of talk these days about what it means to be “great again”…well, I’ve got news for you, YOU have always been great…there’s no “again”, because you are are and we are great and evolving in our awareness of what it means to be great.  And, being great is not divisive…it’s the opposite actually…it is being one with yourself and others.  This passage reminds us that Jesus and God are one, and that God is one with us, in all things, in all of life.  In that oneness, Jesus says the Father is greater.  Well, end the Trinity, in that oneness, the Father would say Jesus is also great, and that, we, humans, in our mutual love and suffering and joy…our communion, we are great as well.  The question is do we recognize it, are we aware of our eternal greatness?   It’s that glory thing….God’s glory is humanity being fully alive, and together as one.   I’ll end with the lyrics of this song by Bono, lead singer of U2 that sums it up:

One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should
One life
With each other
Sisters
Brothers
One life
But we’re not the same
We get to 
Carry each other
Carry each other
One…life

One

Love.

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PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

Fire of the Spirit, life of the lives of creatures,
spiral of sanctity, bond of all natures,
glow of charity, lights of clarity, taste
of sweetness to sinners, be with us and hear us.

Composer of all things, light of all the risen,
key of salvation, release from the dark prison,
hope of all unions, scope of chastities, joy
in the glory, strong honour, be with us and hear us.
Amen.

-St. Hildegard of Bingen

John 13:31-35

The New Commandment

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 

33 Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Sermon:

Nothing you can know that isn’t known
Nothing you can see that isn’t shown
Nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be
It’s easy

All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need

The Beatles sang this back in the 60’s.  We all know it, yet it’s hard for us to understand it.  Love is a word that gets thrown around a lot.  But, at its core, it’s a relational term.  I believe it is embodied fully in Jesus’ actions and attitudes with each of us.

What does Jesus’ love look like?  Oftentimes I’m asked at weddings to read the “love chapter” found in 1 Corinthians 13.  It has beautiful poetry, but it’s not about love between two persons…no one can love that way except for God.  It’s a chapter describing perfect love, sit back, close your eyes, soak in some of these words as if God is speaking directly to you:

4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9 For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; 10 but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

Wow.  And, this is what Jesus is saying to us.  Live, or abide, remain in my love.  As my spiritual director reminds me, it is abiding love with us..Jesus isn’t going anywhere, as a matter of fact, Jesus is present with us in this room, right now, and is chasing after us…won’t give up on us.

Jesus was and is present with each of us through the universal presence of Christ and the flow of God’s Spirit.  It’s hard, I know, but when we begin to move towards understanding ourselves, asking the really hard questions and confronting the things in our lives that prevent us from experiencing the abundant life that we talked about last week, in knowing who we are and who God, we can begin to truly be present with ourselves, others, and God.  We begin to experience love.  

A couple of years ago, on my birthday during a COVID surge, I gathered with close friends from all over the world for a birthday celebration on Zoom.  It was fun, and then it got serious…one of them asked me what I wanted out of life, I simply said “presence”.  Apparently they wanted something more tangible in their minds…I’ve since realized how important presence really is…it allows me to love myself, others, and to grow in God’s love flowing in and all around me.  

One of the places I go to practice “presence” is the Abbey of Gethsemani as many of you know.  We’ve mentioned this before, but the monks there pray for three things every day:  stability, conversion, and obedience.  Jesus, in this morning’s passage commands us to love God.  An act of obedience is to love, and to love well.  As we do that, we begin to understand deeply that Jesus is truly our friend and that leads to other friendships.

Friendship means a lot to me.  As your pastor, I have made a commitment in my vows to be your friend, to love you.  And, in your vows when you called me here, you committed to be my friend, and to love me. 

As I practice friendship, sometimes in beautifully messy ways!  I find that our friendships leads towards common aims.  Many of my friends in this city and around the world are all working towards seeing goodness happen in communities.  And we are asl well, as our church is partnering with others for that goodness, out of love…we are being a place of generosity and momentum towards others and each other.  

Sometimes we may think that we’d like to simply shirk away from friendship, from being present.  Yet, Jesus reminds us that God’s glory is wrapped up in our glory, in our being fully alive.  And that Jesus is in that process with us…there are times when we have to realize that our view of Jesus changes, we don’t recognize him sometimes as he says in this passage today.  

Friends, a practical takeaway from what I’m sharing is this…YOU are loved, God is present with you, cultivate that understanding, and know that God desires for the best for you…and for this church.  As the Buddhist teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us, “love is none other than understanding.”

I think that’s why I have a deeper trust here at Westwood First Presbyterian.  We will move towards a great story…we are on the crusp of amazing personal and corporate growth as a church, and as persons!  Trust it…accept it.  Receive this love and bear fruit!

And, remember these words:

All you need is love (All together, now!)
All you need is love (Everybody!)
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need
Love is all you need (Love is all you need)

Jesus embodies this love, Jesus is here, present with you through his spirit the Holy Spirit, that connects all of us and all of this…and ultimately keeps us firmly in the Presence of Jesus even as Jesus is present with us.

May we love one another and our neighbors (which means everyone) well!  And, as we do, as Jesus reminds us this morning, the world around us will know that we are truly the body of Christ!  

Voice.

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PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

“I am a hole in a flute that the Christ’s breath moves through.” – Hafiz

May the music of God’s expression come alive to us today.

John 10:10-18

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 

14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

Whenever we go the UK, we visit with our close friends, the Kenny’s.  We bonded on a trip to England at a fundraiser for Oasis, an international community development organization that we’ve been a part of in different ways over the years.  At that fundraiser, we were sitting at a table with the speaker for the event, who was also the founder of Oasis, Steve Chalke, and his wife, Penny, and the Kennys.  I am a friend of Steve’s and we had a great conversation as he was sitting next to me…but, I would notice Debbie and the Kenny’s were laughing and engaged deeply with one another the entire night!  It was love at first sight and we spent the next several days together with the Kenny’s and have tried to visit one another consistently and keep in contact.

On that trip several years ago, through a wild chain of events, our family ended up staying for several days at an English manor house on the Penshurst Estate outside of Tonbridge, UK.  It was an amazing mansion overlooking an even much more expansive mansion/castle, the estate of the Sidney family since 1552.  

Side note:  the Kenny’s have since bought their own English manor house and castle…Embleton Tower.

At Penshurst, and Embleton, there are tons of sheep, all over the UK as you’d imagine…but, at Penshurst,  like four fields of sheep between our manor house and the estate house below…and the Kenny’s children:  Georgia, and her siblings Hannah and Phoebe, and our kids, McKenzie and Brennan were all very young at the time and spent the better part of a day and night running through those fields trying to catch a sheep.  They were not successful, but did step in a lot of yucky sheep stuff!

However, during the day, we’d notice someone opening up a gate from one field to the other, and those sheep would follow his voice.  

I tell you this because our passages this morning are about sheep and shepherds.  I read once that you cannot very easily approach sheep…they are sheepish if you will.  They aren’t easy to heard either, unless you are their shepherd.  Shepherds, especially in Jesus’ time, spent a lot of time with sheep.  Shepherds had a way of gathering sheep, by simply calling them out.  Sheep will follow the shepherd because they recognize the shepherd’s voice.  They trust that voice.

In this passage, we are sheep, you and I together.  It’s obviously a metaphor, but much like the beauty of the landscape at Penshurst, we are live together in a beautiful world.  We also produce a lot of smelly and messiness.  Again, our kids found that out pretty quickly as they stepped in a lot of sheep doo!  Our relationships with each other are filled with craziness at times, we don’t always follow or lead each other well.  There are voices  around us that want to rob of us our lives as they were meant to be lived, voices that can be thieves that lead us towards things like division, loneliness, selfishness, pride, or addictions, or folks not being the best version of themselves, or fully understanding themselves or others.  We often follow these voices and find ourselves stuck in some yucky stuff in the fields of our lives.  Voices that come in the middle of darkness as it says in John 10:10 that kill and destroy the lives that we were called to live.

Yet, Jesus tells us that he has come to give us life.  When we slow down, or get caught up in recognition of good things around us and the origin of that goodness, we can recognize the voice of the true shepherd, the voice of Jesus, through the universal presence of Christ that fills us and all things, and who has entered in the fields of our lives, who walks with us and towards us…walking through the messiness to call us towards new fields, new adventures.  

We often recognize the voice of Jesus through others.  Maybe we literally hear words from Jesus through others such as a speaker, or maybe even a preacher.  Or maybe we recognize the voice of God through something we read, or a song we hear, or being in thin places like this sanctuary.   Maybe it’s listening to our neighbors. Or, maybe it’s seeing someone else practice charity through actions or giving themselves away.

We know it when we see it and hear it though, especially as we train our eyes and ears to see and recognize the true shepherd and the voice of that shepherd.

Friends, we have said it before, we are living in a new place with church.  The old forms simply don’t work anymore.  The world is crying out for us, the church, to be an example of goodness, of the good shepherd, to be reflections of Jesus’ actions and to reflect and amplify the voice of the Shepherd who is calling us towards him, towards abundant life, towards being one flock.  This shepherd has overcome all of the messiness in our lives and is creating something new and beautiful as he leads us into new fields, filled with beauty and relationship.

So, let’s listen to the voice of the Shepherd, let’s love each other well, and let’s play in the fields of our neighborhoods, our congregation, and the world and be the diverse, yet unified flock God’s marked us out to be…we can do this and are doing this, we can believe and trust in each other as God does with us, trusting each other, loving each other, and changing the world in the process as we listen to the voice of God deep within and all around us and develop the wisdom to know that voice and not the many voices of the world that try to divide us and steal our joy and abundance!

Moxie.

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PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

Bless to me, O God,
Each thing mine eye sees;
Bless to me, O God,
Each sound mine ear hears;
Bless to me, O God,
Each odour that goes to my nostrils
Bless to me, O God,
Each taste that goes to my lips;
Each note that goes to my song,
Each ray that guides my way,
Each thing that I pursue.
Each lure that tempts my will,
The zeal that seeks my living soul.
The Three that seek my heart,
The zeal that seeks my living soul,
The Three that seek my heart.

– Ancient Prayers – The Carmina Gadelica

“I am a hole in a flute that the Christ’s breath moves through.” – Hafiz

John 21:1-19

Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples

21 After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2 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.3 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. 

4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6 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.7 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. 8 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.

9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 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. 12 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. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Jesus and Peter

15 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.”16 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.” 17 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. 18 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.” 19 (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Moxie, it’s a great word to describe someone.  I thought of that word this week as I was reading this gospel lesson.  Here’s a definition:  

One’s steadiness and courage in a demanding situation

Mental or physical vitality or strength

The knowledge and skill to be able to do something correctly or proficiently

As this is our Kirking of the Tartans Sunday, I also thought of my Clan, the MacGregors.  Growing up with my grandfather on my mom’s side, I heard great stories of one MacGregor in particular.  Rob Roy.  He lived in the late 1600’s and early 1700’s.  Was a rebel with the Jacobite uprising fighting for Scotland’s independence.  And, he was kind of like Robin Hood.  He took care of his family and friends, usually by “borrowing” cattle from other clans.  Now, before you think he’s a thief, one should understand that it was common practice in those days by clans to take one another’s cattle.  He was particularly good at it and had some ups and downs in his life, but he did live a long life and died of natural causes!  

But, I believe that he may have had a deep trust in himself and in others…a trust that was in something deeper than circumstances.  He seemed to face life with heart, with courage, and with some moxie.  Even in times when he may have felt a bit lost or unsure…and even made decisions that may have not turned out as he had expected.

Our gospel lesson this morning finds the disciples after Jesus’ death and resurrection.  They are near the Sea of Tiberius, they have heard rumors about Jesus’ resurrection, Peter has even seen evidence as have others, but the new reality is still sinking in.  They have been living under a perception of what faith meant, they had put their hopes and dreams in a visible earthly kingdom, and the Jesus that they followed would bring about that earthly kingdom.  They were stuck thinking about some sort of nationalist ambitions and not about God’s Presence that permeates all of life…and even though Jesus may have risen, the images of him being crucified, and their shame in deserting Jesus was almost too much for them to process….they were lost.

So, what do they do.  They go fishing.  They grew up around it, it gave them fellowship, a source of income, and they were good at it.  

The fished all night.  They knew the right places, they had the right technique, they had the correct bait to attract fish, yet, they caught nothing.  All night, nothing.  

The next morning, they see this guy on the beach yelling something to them.  It’s interesting that our text says “children”.  Some texts use the word friends, but children could apply.  They had not reached a point of change or growth in their understanding.  Their faith was still maturing.  But, I also like friends.  Both work here.  Calling the disciples children wasn’t saying anything about their character, I think it was a term of endearment and empathy, as well as a desire for growth.

What else does Jesus tell them?  Throw your nets on the other side!  I’m sure they are thinking, how would that help?  We know these waters, we know how to fish…moving our nets a few feet won’t do anything.  Yet, they had fished all night with no results.  They were doing what they always did which got them something in times past, but nothing on this day.

So, they take a risk, trusted this guy on the beach, and threw their nets on the other side.  What did they have to lose?  And, what happens?  We all know, they caught more fish than they could pull in!  153 to be exact!  Now, here’s a thing about biblical numbers, this says nothing about goals.  I used to be on staff at a church that said we wanted to go out and “net 50” new families in the church during a fall.  It didn’t happen, nor was that biblical.  We can read too much into numbers, but essentially it a reporting of something that happens out of a deep trust, not a blind trust, but a donated trust that moves beyond circumstance… and deep, loving, honoring and unashamed relationships.

We see that happening here in this gospel lesson.  When Peter realizes that it’s Jesus, when his eyes are opened to his friend, he puts on his clothes and jumps into the sea to swim to Jesus.  Now, I’m not sure of the custom at that time about fishing without clothes, and I’ve read a lot of commentaries on this passage, and I’m still not sure on why you’d put on clothes to swim even…yet, that’s in the passage…and it shows Peter being Peter, impulsive and passionate…and showing some moxie…and a future leader that others would follow very soon.  

Which they do, they follow Peter and row back to the shore and Jesus invites them to cook breakfast together.  He doesn’t just hand them the food, they pull in their haul, start a fire, and cook together.  

After breakfast, Peter and Jesus have this wonderfully awkward and hard dialogue.  Jesus asking Peter 3x if he loves Jesus.  I believe that Jesus is restoring Peter.  Peter denied him 3x on the night before he was crucified, so he asks Jesus 3x.  It must’ve been somewhat hard for Peter as evidenced in the passage.  Yet, he eventually catches on, and Jesus gives him the charge to build up the church.

Friends, this passage can speak to us in our personal lives and in lives together as Westwood First Presbyterian.  There may be things that we’ve done for a long time in our lives that simply are not working anymore, we need a fresh perspective, a resurrection even, maybe we need to put our nets somewhere else, maybe even right outside our church doors.  We certainly need to slow down, and listen to the voice of God calling us to jump out of whatever boat we are in and swim towards this Jesus who continues to beckon us towards deeper relationship with him, ourselves, and others…and to continue to have that deeper, donated trust in one another and this God that our Celtic ancestors reminds us is in all things and all people…and that we we will move into a new future together that is good for us and for all of those who are around us.  And, as my friend Cormac Russel would say, we will move as an organization as fast as the speed of trust…good wisdom from an Irishman even!  

This church, our lives, all of us, myself included, are moving towards new chapters in our lives.  And we have some moxie don’t we?!  We may not be literally fishing, and we certainly are not stealing cattle, but we are moving forward with courage, trust, and authenticity!  That’s certainly good news for me, for us, and for all of those around us as we live in Christ!

Next.

/ jonesyuk / Leave a comment

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

In his thirty-eighth sermon, Meister Eckhart preaches, “If someone were to ask me: why do we pray, why do we fast, why do we all perform our devotions and good works, why are we baptized, why did God, the All-Highest, take on our flesh? then I would reply: in order that God may be born in the soul and the soul be born in God.

“Christ is risen and is rising up within us and all around us, give us eyes to see and ears to hear…and cultivate our hearts to receive life, abundant life.”                                                                                    

John 20:19-31

19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin[a]), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe[b] that Jesus is the Messiah,[c] the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

I’m sure we have all heard the expression that something beautiful or scary or amazing to see can “take our breath away”.  We have probably also experienced moments in our lives when we’ve attempted something like riding a roller coaster at King’s Island, or jumping into a cold lake, or maybe experiencing the birth of a child where it “took our breath away”.

Perhaps we have also had moments in our lives filled with fear or anxiety, times where we feel like our breath has been taken away.

Or maybe we are like the writer of this song, Anna Nalick, “Breathe (2 AM)” that says:  

There’s a light at each end of this tunnel,
You shout ’cause you’re just as far in as you’ll ever be out
And these mistakes you’ve made, you’ll just make them again

Breathe, just breathe

We maybe feel trapped in situations that we feel like we can’t get out of on our own.  We feel caught and out of breath and in need of a “light at the end of a tunnel” or maybe out lives are like being underwater and we need to get to the surface for some air, to breathe.  We get caught in these moments and wonder “what’s next?”  And, can we handle what’s next?

Our text this morning has a lot to do with moments like this, moments in our lives when we need to breathe, breathing that brings life, and not just any life, but life as it was meant to be lived.

Right after Jesus’ death on a Roman cross and resurrection from the dead.  Jesus appears to his disciples.  I’m sure they were overwhelmed, in shock, and wondering what was going to happen next.  

They were locked in a room, afraid of the same folks who had just crucified Jesus and fearful that they would be after them as well.  They were wondering if there was a light at the end of the tunnel of fear that they were experiencing, the uncertainty was overwhelming, not sure what to think about what’s going to happen next.  The room was shut, and probably the lives of those disciples were in a state of being shut down from fear. There was probably a war of emotions going on within them.

Into this room, this state of anxiety, Jesus appears and has the greeting “Peace to you”.    The word “peace” in this context is a common word, but in this context, it meant the world to the disciples.  They needed peace.   

They had to be overwhelmed in seeing Jesus, but Jesus’ physical presence was also comforting.  Our passage this morning says that they rejoiced, and they were strengthened by having seen Jesus. 

Jesus gives a charge to those disciples, an imperative command.  Just as the Father had sent Jesus to the world, Jesus was now sending the disciples out from behind shut doors into a crazy world desperate for hope.  A world full of fear, full of conflict…a world desperately in need of peace.  

Then, something happens, Jesus breathed on them.  This word “breathe” in this passage is the same word used in Genesis 2:7 where God breathes life into humanity, giving us life.  Jesus is in effect saying that he is the Son of God, God in the flesh, giving life to the disciples.  Jesus was not only bringing peace to the disciples, but breathing life into them.  The verse goes on to say that Jesus gives another imperative, to receive the Holy Spirit.  Jesus was breathing the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, God’s presence on to the disciples.  The Holy Spirit, God’s Spirit, the unifying power of God would bring the disciples together, giving them confidence and power to be who God created them to be.  

In verse 24 of this passage, we see that one of the 12 disciples, Thomas, wasn’t around to see Jesus the first time he appeared in that room.  8 days later though, they are hanging out and Jesus appears.  It’s interesting to note that these same disciples who had just been blessed by Jesus showing up and breathing on them are scared and locked up in that room again!  Yet, Jesus breaks through the walls again…gives them a peace blessing and then addresses Thomas.  Thomas wants more tangible evidence, so Jesus gives it to them.  Jesus doesn’t want to shame Thomas, this passage isn’t here to give reference to Thomas’ unbelief, or lack of trust, but it’s here to give hope to those who haven’t seen.  The writer of this passage is giving a direct address to those reading in verse 31 that these things have been written for you…for us.

Friends, we may be living in fear, in anxiety.  We may have just witnessed Jesus’ very resurrection in our lives…we may even have lived our lives in expectation of God’s faithfulness to us.  Yet, here’s Jesus…appearing before us, walking through any barriers that we may be hiding behind.  Calling us out of the four walls we’ve enclosed ourselves in…giving us himself, breathing new life into us, and calling us towards the next thing…a full life with him!   Thomas and the rest of the disciples were living in fear, in disappointment.  They were tired.  Yet Jesus came to them and comes to us…he invites us to know his scars, to touch the pain that has been inflicted upon him…to know that God experiences with us all things…to believe that God has overcome all things, even death, and so can we as we remember that are Christ’s body…and, whatever is “next’ to just breathe and lean into it knowing that God is in us and all around us…our very breath is a witness to that Presence