21 April 2013              “The Voice of the Shepherd”                     John 10:22-30

   There are questions that matter. Why would someone bomb and kill and injury innocent people at the Boston Marathon? Why would a fertilizer plant in the town of West catch fire, explode, and kill and injure scores of people? Why when 90% of the American people want expanded background checks on gun sales would our elected officials act against those wishes? Why are we having life threatening illness, changes in life we did not expect  and do not understand? Where do we turn? To whom do we find comfort? We struggle to find answers.

 On the other hand, we have clear answers to some of our questions. There has been grace extended as health has been restored, as grief has received comfort, as time has healed, as blessings to family and friend have been realized.

  On the one hand we ask questions that leave us shaking our heads, dazed and confused. On the other hand answers jump out at us. This world and it’s questions defy simplicity and cry for relevancy.

 What do we do with this tension between the horror and despair and cries to God, “Why, Lord?” and the way we believe the world should rightly be, mixed with comfort and joy, hope and peace?

 Many before us have weighed in on the conundrum between our days of hell and our days of holy joy. Where might we find a wise heart to parse our fears and feelings this morning for our world is at it again. Creating worry, fear, pain, sorrow, and anger at the injustices.

 Thomas Merton, the well-known and gifted American Trappist monk, has written of his desire for such a wise heart. On a holy day in December he wrote of his effort through his rediscovery of Lady Julian of Norwich. I shared one of her best known quotes in last Sunday’s sermon.

   Julian wrote of her revelations; first experienced, then thought, then lived simply as she explains being saturated in the light she had received all at once.

  One of her central convictions is what she calls her  hidden dynamic progress which is at work already and by which she could say, “all manner of things shall be well.” This “secret,” this act which the Lord keeps hidden, is really the full fruit of the Parousia, a term used for the coming of Christ, most usually focused on the second coming or future advent as indicated in the Nicene Creed: “he . . . will come again.”

 For Julian, It is not just that Jesus comes, but Jesus comes with a secret to reveal. He comes with his final answer to all the world’s anguish, his answer which is already decided, but which we cannot discover (and which, since we think we have reasoned it all out anyway) we have stopped trying to discover.

 Julian’s life was lived in the belief in this “secret,” the  “great deed” that the Lord will do on the Last Day. Not a deed of destruction and revenge, but of mercy and of life. All partial expectations will be exploded and everything will be made right. It is the great deed of “the end,” which is still secret, but already fully at work in the world, in spite of all its sorrow, the great deed “ordained by Our Lord from without beginning.”

 So our tension between the way the world is and the way we wish the world to be, whether in Boston or the town of West, or the quiet of our own home: is settled in the “wise heart” that beats strong in times of hope and in times of contradiction, in sorrow and in joy, fixed on the secret and the “great deed” which alone gives Christian life its true scope and dimensions! The wise heart lives in Christ. The great deed is God’s son made man. Jesus Christ our Messiah.

 The wise heart, Jesus, lives in the tension between what we cannot understand and the grace evident in our lives. We live him, there in between the horror and the hope. This truth, as David Johnson points out, is primarily an honest and sober self-analysis as a response to grace, made in the assurance that there is healing and hope.

 Jesus came into our world with a secret to reveal. He spent his life teaching and performing miracles that we might learn his secret. But we are slow and suspicious learners.

 The Jews, for their part, asked Jesus in the midst of his obedient life, “How long will you keep us in suspense?” Like us, they want to know, “If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

Jesus’ answers like the exasperated parent, “I have told you, and I have told you and still you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep.”

  In Palestine today, Bedouin shepherds bring their flocks to the same watering hole their forefathers used. There is a certainty about this scene – the sheep know when and where to go when their shepherd calls them. Once there they look for him, find him, take comfort, and settle into their life. Safe and reassured.

 This is the image Jesus uses as he is walking in the portico of Solomon, the oldest and most sacred part of the Temple of the Jews. They ask Jesus the question burning in their hearts. Who are you? They were not confused, they had heard about his life, they knew of his teachings and his miracles, they simply did not believe his answer!

   Jesus knew their question was loaded. He knew they were really trying to pick a fight, to argue with him and accuse him of lying. They believed the Jewish King to come would be a warrior king, a political messiah. Jesus did not meet their expectation.

   So, Jesus answers their question by speaking the truth about who they are. He tells them they do not believe because they have no real relationship with God.

   So how will Jesus answer our questions this morning? Does he sense our questions too are loaded. We know who Jesus is, this is 2013 and we have been believers for a long time. But we want to know about Boston, and exploding fertilizer plants, and political decisions that leave us angry.

 For our part, we do firmly believe Jesus to be the world’s Christ, the firm and final Messiah. We do believe. But the world blows up and people die. The world is filled with disease and hate and hurt between people. We do believe, but “Why, Lord?”

  We belong to this human race and today it seems the hand of God is someplace else. We feel like we are the lost sheep with no shepherd to guide us home. We feel like we are just another number in the mixed up flocks this world offers.

   The world offers so many flocks to choose from. Many flocks with very appealing things to offer. Ways to make us look healthy and well-tended to. Flocks for the better bred where we might be in better company with better surroundings. All sorts of different flocks looking like they belong and they are not confused or mixed up about to whom they belong. They belong to this world. With safe and satisfying appearances. Join them and we will be safe for all times.

   Then comes the time to go home and the shepherds of sin and greed and selfishness and envy and power call their sheep. And we stand unmoving. We wait for the moment when we might recognize our shepherd.  For surely our life is not dependent on one of these other shepherds. But on days like today we do not see our shepherd. We see fear and hurt and pain. Yet we cry, “Which one is mine? Where do I belong? What do I believe?”

   Jesus said, “You do not believe  because you do not belong to my sheep.” Do we not belong to God? Is it our doubt, our sticking points, our questions which seem to have no answers that separate us from the Good Shepherd? Who keeps us out? Is it God, or do we do it all by ourselves?

   Christian literature is filled with all sorts of claims about what it means to believe. Some say that believers are never at a loss for words. We know what we believe and why and do not struggle to profess our faith. We say that believers are in constant touch with God. So, we are seldom in doubt or afraid and we live with the confidence that we are in God’s hands.

 We say that we worship God in all sorts of places and all sorts of ways and find worship a meaningful experience. We say that we live like Jesus lived and show the world our faith every moment of every day in the words we say, the way we treat one another, the certainty we have about how and where and what it is God wants our lives to be like.

  Are these really your beliefs? Is this what you think it takes to belong to the flock of the Good Shepherd? If so, please stop!

 Please stop exiling yourself because beliefs like this are so unrealistic. If we believe our separation from God is because we do not pray enough, or witness enough, or read enough theology, or visit the sick, or even come to church often enough. If so, please stop!

 We must stop exiling ourselves from God and allow ourselves to belong simply because God says we do.

   This truth is here in this morning’s Gospel. Jesus does not say that we are in or out of the flock because of anything we do or do not do. Or because our world seems to be falling apart. Our presence in the life of Christ has not one thing to do with our ability alone to believe or belong based on whatever moves us this morning or not.

 In fact, Jesus says that our ability to believe depends, not on us, but on whether we are already chosen, by God alone, to be in God’s kingdom as children of the flock of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

  There is every reason this morning to believe that we are such chosen children, if only because we are sitting right here.

  And let it be said, there are no perfect sheep here this morning. There are no perfect sheep anywhere. That is why we need Jesus as our good shepherd.

   With this truth before us we should add another answer to our questions about believers; We can say this morning, as many before us have said, that the way true believers believe is the way most of us believe; valiantly on some days and pitifully on others, moving mountains some days and not moving enough on others to even get out of bed.    Most of the time the best we can do is to live “as if” it were true and when we do, it all becomes truer somehow.

   God does know what is in our hearts, sometimes even before we know what is there. You see, that is what a relationship is like. About matters of the heart and where the heart is so goes our lives.

   Our true belief, our wise heart tends to show up in our actions more than in our words. How we live our lives and with whom and where, doing some things and not doing others, who we include and which choices we make matter.

   Yet life is life and some days we feel firm about our faith and some days we are like lost sheep. Some day’s sadness stops everything but our tears. But God is certain of us all the time and there is nothing on earth we can do to change that.

  So, let us be patient with ourselves, and with those around us too. Above all, understand that you belong here, as part of this flock. For whatever reason, God has brought us to live in the life of this good shepherd, Jesus Christ.

 Because we believe in him or want to believe in him, because there is something about this good news that he brings to the world that has attracted us to him there is evidence that each of us belong to God’s flock of dependent sheep.

 And we hear his voice on occasion, and he knows us, and we follow him, and he protects us, and guides us, and keeps us out of lasting harm’s way, and offers us eternal life, and we shall never perish, and no one will ever snatch us out of his hands.

  And all things will be well.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen.                               

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14 April 2013 “The World Upset By Easter” John 21:1-19

14 April 2013 “The World Upset By Easter” John 21:1-19

“After these things Jesus showed himself again.” John’s gospel ends this way, with Jesus showing himself to his disciples. They had seen him early on that first day of the week following his death and burial. They had seen him when it was evening on that same day, there at the house where the disciples were gathered. They had seen him a week later in that same house when Thomas, who doubted they had seen the Lord, was with them. Now Jesus has shown himself again. He was there at the Sea of Tiberias.

I cannot imagine how exhausted the disciples must have felt. Their emotions had to be raw from the events that had taken place with Jesus, the one whom they loved. Their emotional swings from fear to horror to shock, imagining the pain of Jesus’ suffering and his horrible death had to have taken its toll. Then the breath taking resurrection and the extreme opposite swing in emotion to ecstatic joy and remarkable belief that Jesus, once dead, was now alive.

It is no wonder they jumped at the offer to calm things down and return to their normal life. They were, at their core, fishermen. Simon Peter led the way saying, “I am going fishing.” I am going back to work, where life is predictable and under my control.

The disciples have peacefully returned to what they knew how to do. Jesus had worn them out with his ministry. As life giving as it was, they were ready to get back to their regular, normal, familiar, breathable way of life. But would they ever?

I have never been to a Chrysalis event or an Emmaus walk. They are those long weekend events meant to help you get closer to God. Those who have been report the most powerful and amazingly spirit filled experiences. Most notable being a feeling of the presence of God. Folk say they come away having an new or renewed awareness of God and they feel saved. But exhausted.

Many of us have felt a time of peace and presence and spiritual connectedness. Many of us have had those moments that left us certain that God was present in a life event, or a special moment. That the world around us was filled to the brim with God and we were so focused and so in love that we pledged we were going to change our life forever. Just as sure, it seems those feelings and commitments do not last. How long has our enthusiasm, our energy, our passion, our love for Jesus stayed with us?

Perhaps the same thing was happening to the disciples. They had seen Jesus’ powerful healing touch, they had heard his amazing teaching, they had known his presence and received his blessings. What should they do now?

In their uncertainty life pulled them back to the mundane and the familiar where they knew what to do and who they were. They were being drawn back to their labor.

But Jesus would show up again. You see Jesus follows us around. He will not leave us alone. Jesus is out to change our life and he will not stop until he does. Yet, at some point we all seem to break down and return to the familiar. At some point we become blind to the miracle before us.

“Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.” They recalled they had seen him outside the tomb, twice in the house and here he was again by the Sea of Tiberias. Yet they have begun to break down and do not recognize him.

We may have the same problem recalling God’s grace and recognizing God’s presence in our lives. It becomes painfully evident in our sin and unbelief, in the ways we avoid living as true disciples of Christ – focusing on our own kingdom building instead of God’s. Perhaps like the first disciples, we too need another miracle before we will recapture our passion for the living Christ.

That miracle came just this Easter. Jesus was resurrected from his death and so where we. We were resurrected from life as we knew it before our sins were forgiven and we were saved. It was the miracle at Easter where Jesus showed himself to us as chosen, forgiven, saved disciples and we were given the clear command to follow Jesus’ life example. How could we forget this? Our new life, as followers of Jesus, began with the clear command to be filled with love for all of God’s creation and with the clear command to a life of loving and living as Jesus lived. This should be an exciting time! We are disciples of Jesus Christ! But of course our prayers of confession are true. We have sinned. We have not lived up to our part of the bargain. Too many Mondays have come and gone and we have gone back to fishing for a living right along with the other disciples and we have abandoned our true vocation. Our failure is ever before us.

Peter failed in the same way. Failed to recognize Jesus. But Jesus never left Peter and Jesus never leaves us. Jesus brought a miracle and God’s love reappeared, hope returned. God’s grace for Peter and for us and God’s ever present son, Jesus Christ, entered our lives again and , like Peter, we are saved. Again and again and again.

God, you see, is giving us all another chance. Not because of anything we have initiated. Not because we have come to church. It is all God’s doing. After these things, Jesus shows himself again. Jesus sees our labor and says, ”So, you have caught nothing at all, have you?” How quickly you forget, he tells us. Without me you can do nothing. And he begs us. Please learn that lesson once and for all.

Having gently, or not so gently, guided our return, Jesus promises us he will show us where we should cast our net in order to catch fish. He recognizes we have nothing to eat. So he prepares his meal for us. His body, his blood.

It was all a miracle. Jesus life was a miracle to open the eyes of each of us here this morning. A miracle that will help us see that by ourselves we can accomplish nothing. A miracle that will strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Peter’s restoration you see is our restoration.

Our question this morning is the question found in verses 15-17, “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.’”

This is our real vocation, tending the flock as Jesus did. Seeing all God’s people as needing our love for we are all weak and immature and in need of being shepherded and strengthened by God’s love.

In this morning’s gospel, fishing time is over, for good. We have neglected the work among the flock. It is time to return to our authentic selves. Being believers in Jesus Christ. Being disciples, shepherds, following Jesus in service, in suffering and in death.

Sometimes we adults are not so smart about being our authentic selves, being Christ’s disciples on earth. Children actually do a much better job of living authentically.

You may remember me telling you about how my grandson, Grant, taught me this truth one weekend. It was his second birthday and he spent the night with us. He woke up the next morning blissfully honest about who he was.

First, he found with his eyes and then his hands two of his favorite cars, next he moved over to where one of his favorite puzzles lay unfinished and moved a piece into its place. Then he gently picked up just one M&M from the candy jar on the table and found his mouth. And finally, pure heaven, the ultimate finger food breakfast for a two year old – Fruit Loops. What a way to start life. M&M’s and Fruit Loops and being authentic to who we are. The good news this morning is there is equally joy to be found in our lives too. We are reminded to wake up each morning and blissfully recognize the miracle of Jesus Christ in our lives. To see with our eyes the beauty of this world and our many blessings and to accept Jesus’ restoration of our lives so we may care lovingly for his flock.

The 14th century mystic, Julian of Norwich, saw just this truth. She wrote, “In spite of our poor choices and spiritual blindness in this life, our courteous Lord continues to love us. We will bring him the most pleasure if we rejoice with him and in him.

When the end comes and we are taken for judgment above, we will then understand in God the mysteries that puzzle us now. Not one of us will think to say, ‘Lord, if it had been some other way, all would be well.’ We shall all say in unison, “Lord, bless you because it is all the way it is. It is well. Now we can honestly see that everything is done as you intended: you planned it before anything was ever made.’

What is the meaning of all this, she asks. Listen carefully. Love is the Lord’s meaning. Who reveals it? Love. Why does he reveal it? For love. This is the only lesson there is. We will never learn another. Never. We begin in love, and we shall see all of this in God forever.” And all will be well.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen.

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07 April 2013 “Seeing is Believing” John 20:19-31

07 April 2013 “Seeing is Believing” John 20:19-31 We are, by nature, curious people. My good friend Daniel Everly taught me about our curious nature when he created such an interest in me I went with him a number of years ago on a field expedition with the Rock Art Foundation of Texas. The Foundation is dedicated to the rock art and historic sites throughout the lower Pecos region of West Texas. Over five millennia, aboriginal artists recorded elaborate scenes on the limestone canvas of canyons and rock shelters in an area defined by the lower courses of the Pecos and Devil’s rivers and their confluences with the Rio Grande River. That day we drove and drove and then hiked to the Pecos River and a remote rock overhang where I saw in vivid color the painted images of snakes, bear, deer, human like figures, panthers, and the coolest of all, shamans. I had seen pictures of these images in books. But I was so curious to see them first hand in their natural setting and to hear the stories of how and why folk would record such striking images of life long past that I had to see them for myself. They were spectacular. In today’s gospel, Thomas was faithful to his nature too. He was faithful to his personal drive to know the truth about his life, his world, the experiences he was living and seeing unfold before him as a follower of Jesus. Given the recent turn of events, Thomas was not about to change from his curious ways. He had to see things for himself. That Jesus had died, he was certain. What his friends were now telling him, he was not so sure. He struggled to believe that Jesus was no longer dead. That he was alive and had actually appeared to them and even spoken to them was beyond belief. He had to see for himself what common sense told him was impossible. When I taught at Blinn College it was always a struggle to help my students understand the basis for knowing what was indeed true and real in life and what might be suspect. Often, I found, we confuse our own view of what we think is true for what everyone else actually knows to be otherwise. Often, our personal view is just that, our personal view. Just as often, that view is not what right reasoning knows to be true. Being able to know the difference is a huge accomplishment and for some, why, we spend a lifetime searching for clarity and certainty. Thomas shows us the right way to approach this dilemma. Ask, “Where is your proof?” Say, “Show me,” which is exactly what he did. At some point in our lives we all have asked for more proof about God. At some point in our lives we all have realized that just because people we know, people we respect, or even people we love believe certain things about Jesus, they may be wrong. Their faith claims stops being sufficient proof for us. So we do what Thomas did, we strike out on our own, we study, we read, we pray, we engage in discussion, we expose ourselves to new and different ideas. We begin to define limits for ourselves. We first discover what we absolutely do not accept as the truth. The wacky sounding claims, the rhetorical clichés, the mainstream ideas. They help us turn to scripture, to respected teachers, to the church even and we discover bits of truth here and there. Bits we file away in our believe system. Then we discover truths we hold to be absolute and foundational and solid as a rock. These solid truths become strongly held faith and belief certainties that define our Christian way of living. When it was evening on that day, the disciples were huddled in the upper room. They were afraid of the religious authorities, afraid of the religious folk who resist the message of the Gospel and its light preferring instead to hide in the old ways of holy habit. Even with our rock solid beliefs we Christians can be like this some times. It is easier to hide in our old ways, our comfortable clothing of holy habit. Jesus comes not to rebuke us or the disciples but, with a word of peace, spoken twice. Jesus has atoned for our sins, died on the cross to ensure our salvation, spoken first to Mary, calling her name, then calling ours. We cannot avoid this relationship with Jesus. He has done too much for us to take him lightly. He has come back into the life of the living. He returned from the grave to be with his disciples again and he has returned from the grave to be with us, each of us. And like his disciples, we too are being sent out into the world, we too have been breathed upon, we too received the Holy Spirit at our baptism, we too have therefore become his apostles. Thomas was not there when Jesus came, neither were we. He doesn’t believe until he sees the marks, neither do we – not because we lack faith, remember, we are curious by nature and our skepticism keeps us safe from foolish decisions. Thomas was like us, he wasn’t different from the others, he wants to see the same thing they saw, he wants to see the same things we want to see, “show me the marks” he says. “Show me the marks,” we also say. In the same room with the same group, in church, Jesus comes to Thomas and shows him the marks. Then, like John who had entered the tomb and believed, Thomas believes, he says, “My Lord and my God”. This phrase becomes the later church’s confession and it becomes ours, “My Lord and my God.” This story, we realize, is not only about Thomas it is about us, the church. This is clear from Jesus’ insistence on blessing those who have not seen and yet believe – Jesus embraces us here, the church. Our society has many like Thomas and they want evidence before they believe. They cannot see the marks of the body of Jesus, but they can see the marks on the body of Christ, on us, the church. Society and non-believers and those from non-Christian faiths are quick to point this out. We see you church people! We see what you are doing! Sadly, the marks of today’s Christians do not always convince the many like Thomas in society who want evidence before they believe. Mahatma Ghandi famously said, “I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Unless I see the marks, I will not believe. In the history of Christianity there are marks that would help doubting folk like Thomas believe. The marks we have to show them are the historical stories we tell of our Christian witness. There are many we can tell, stories of people like John Calvin or John Knox or others responsible for the Presbyterian tradition finding its way to America. But, what about ordinary people? We need look no further than this church to find ordinary people who are heroes in the faith. We need look no further than the marks left by the real life stories of people in our own church. We need look no further than the founding families and the ministers of Trinity and Wilshire Presbyterian Churches. We need look no further than the transformative folk that brought life to Genesis Presbyterian Church. These are the marks those who doubt long to see, our history, our tradition, our ministries. Once they see us, then they will believe. People come into our church on a daily basis and we show a great deal to them, and much of what we show is good. Before they can believe, they want to see what it is that marks us as the body of Christ, they want to see what marks us as Christians who are like Christ, they want to see that we not only believe in a redeemer, that we act redeemed. People come into our church on a daily basis and we act like Christ when help them by listening, giving them our love through a kind word or a helping hand. People come into our church on a daily basis and they call our name. They tell us, “Unless I see his mark on you, I will not believe!” They come to worship, we greet them during the passing of the peace, we invite them to our table to take communion with us, we invite them to break bread with us in fellowship at our congregational luncheons, we let them see Jesus’ mark on us when we open our church to them to give them a place of comfort and love when they grieve the loss of a loved one like we did yesterday when we filled this space with folks coming to celebrate the life of the Reverend Clarence Bassett. These are a few of our marks, there are others, you know about them, you know about the wonderful ministry network we have for taking care of one another, for keeping up with one another, for visiting with one another, for loving one another. You know about our Christian marks. Can we then feel good enough about these marks that we will open our arms to folk like Thomas, folks looking for what is true and real about God. Folks who come to see our marks so they may believe. I believe we can and it is obvious we have because those who ask to be shown the marks of Jesus in us want to see the marks in a church, an ordinary church, a safe place, this church. And the greatest truth we show them is the boldly lived claim, “See how they love one another”. See how they love one another and us too. May we bring them to this church? I think so, for through thick and thin, we love our savior and we love one another. Jesus said, “Do not doubt, but believe” that through believing all who come this way may have life in his name and have it abundantly. For they will believe and come this way, to this church, knowing Jesus by our love. What greater gift might we give than to give our love, that others may live. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen 040713.gpc