Image – Page 6 – Salvaged Faith

On Trial for Christ

Posted on August 22, 2021Leave a comment

Text: Acts 26:1-7, 20-23

“When the people of Jesus follow the way of Jesus, their stories begin to look like his story.” – The Bible Project

As we have followed along through the book of Acts throughout this summer, we have seen that happen in the life of the disciples and the apostles.

God’s Spirit poured out upon their lives and they began to live like Jesus.

They formed deep communities that reached out to care for the vulnerable.

They healed the sick and raised the dead.

And they shared the hope and promise and message of Jesus Christ wherever they went.

Every step of the way… from Jerusalem… to Samaria… to the ends of the earth… people heard that good news and began to follow the way of Jesus.

As our scripture video for today reminds us this is incredibly beautiful…. But it is also dangerous.

Stephen and James were killed.

Peter and Paul were imprisoned.

Their words were met with opposition and riots and there are countless stories of beatings and narrow escapes.

After years of missionary work, Paul continues to follow the way of Jesus, and feels compelled to go to Jerusalem.

He sets his face towards the city, in much the same way that his Master had.

Prophets and friends and disciples warn him that destruction and arrest will be waiting for him, but Paul knows that this is the path he needs to take.

As Luke records in the first half of his testimony… Jesus told the disciples:

“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it…” (Luke 9:23-24)

Paul is not afraid of the consequences.

He is not afraid to take up his cross.

In Acts 21, Paul tells those who have gathered around him, “I’m ready not only to be arrested but even to die in Jerusalem for the sake of the name of the Lord Jesus.”

He is not ashamed of the hope and promise he has claimed, and he will continue to proclaim it no matter the cost.

Deny yourself.

Take up your cross.

Follow me.

We hear the call of Jesus, but we aren’t ready to dive in head first.

We try to fit God into our lives… a few minutes here and there between work and practice and getting dinner on the table.

Which is a far cry from denying ourselves.

In the Greek, the word is arneomai – disowning, renouncing, refusing.

We are called to trust God enough to let go of all of the stuff we think we need…

To let go of the relationships that only drag you down…

To renounce the things you do to get ahead…

Really, this is about letting Jesus take the wheel because God’s way is the only way that truly leads to life.

When we hear the call to take up our cross, we turn it into some romantic idea of the burdens we bear in life. I’ve heard folks talk about the crosses in their life being an illness, or a family member who is difficult.

Too many times, I have heard people told they need to stay in an unhealthy or dangerous situation with an abusive partner, because that is their cross to bear.

Friends – let me say loudly and clearly that illness or abuse or harmful relationships are NOT what God desires for you. They are NOT signs of God’s will or punishment or something that you must bear alone. God loves you… I love you… and God desires abundant life for you. If you want or need to talk about what you are carrying, I am here to listen.

The cross that we are called to take up in scripture is not that.

Jesus is calling us to embrace the consequences of following him.

To willingly accept the punishment that might arise as a direct result of walking in the footsteps of Jesus. In his time, that was the Roman cross. But for others it was prison, stoning, leaving behind friends or family.

When you choose the life of Jesus, we leave other parts of our life behind.

And sometimes when you choose the life of Jesus, it gets you in trouble with the world.

Paul felt God calling him to Jerusalem to bring the gifts of the churches and to testify about Jesus in the heart of Jerusalem.

His arrest and the subsequent trials that he faced were his cross to bear.

But they were also an opportunity – every step of the way – to testify to the hope that sustained him.

We don’t often take the time to read these chapters or hear about his long drawn-out ordeal, so let’s take a closer look…

Initially, Paul is taken into custody by the Roman guards for… well, today we might call it disturbing the peace or inciting a riot.

But Paul is also a Roman citizen and has rights under Roman law… the right to a trial, for instance.

The captain of the guard, Claudius Lysias, is caught between a rock and a hard place.

He knows that Paul is being accused of the Jewish leaders of breaking their laws, but can’t find any charge to bring against Paul.

So he leads Paul before the High Council.

Paul proclaims that he is being faithful to God and is on trial simply because of his hope in the resurrection. The Council itself starts to fight and the Roman captain realizes this is going nowhere.

After learning of a plot to murder Paul, the captain feels his only option is to send Paul farther up the chain of command.

He is escorted to the Governor Felix for trial… and we can’t help but think about how Pilate sends Jesus away to Herod in the gospels.

Every step of the way, Paul is given the opportunity to defend himself.

And his defense is clear: “I am on trial because of my hope and belief in what God has promised… hope in the resurrection.”

Felix hears Paul’s testimony, but leaves him in jail… maybe because he is hoping Paul might offer some kind of bribe for his release.

Not for a few days… but for TWO YEARS Paul remains in custody, until a new governor is appointed.

Governor Festus inherits the problem and almost as soon as he takes office, he brings both the Jewish leaders and Paul to stand before his court in Caesarea.

The Jewish leaders bring the same old charges against Paul, but can’t prove them.

Paul for his part continues to proclaim – I’ve done nothing wrong against the law, the temple OR against Caesar.

But as a Roman citizen, Paul also knows his rights.

He has not been tried for any supposed crimes.

He has been held without any verdict or sentence.

And so he appeals to Caesar… or rather, he knows that a trial here in this place is going nowhere, so he asks that his case be tried in the highest court in the Empire – in Rome.

Now, what is interesting here is the timing. King Agrippa, Festus’s boss essentially, comes to town to help officially welcome and install Festus as the governor and so Festus has the chance to talk over the case with them.

And we get a really unique insight into how the Romans saw this religious dispute play out.

Festus says, “they didn’t charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. Instead, they quibbled with him about their own religion and about some dead man named Jesus, who Paul claimed was alive.”

He is also a bit stymied because he doesn’t actually have any official charge to pass along with Paul to Caesar’s court.

Again, Paul keeps proclaiming that he is on trial because of his hope and trust in the resurrection… and that isn’t anything that has any relevance to Roman laws.

Agrippa wants to hear Paul speak and so the next day, Paul gets the chance to testify… yet again… about his faith.

In our scripture for today, Paul proclaims once again that he has been a faithful Jew his whole life long.

He stands on trial because of his hope in the promise God gave his ancestors… a promise that was far larger than he ever imagined, but that he came to understand when Jesus himself stood before him and sent him to the Gentiles to preach repentance and forgiveness.

He continues to share God’s word of love and grace… light and life.

And we are left at the end of this chapter with a sense that his words might even have converted King Agrippa to the Way.

They are convinced at the very least that he has done nothing wrong, but since he has asked for a trial before Caesar, then that is what they must provide.

“When the people of Jesus follow the way of Jesus, their stories begin to look like his story.” – The Bible Project

If we are walking in the footsteps of Christ, there will be consequences.

There will be friction between our lives and the powers of this world.

And maybe because of that… maybe because of our fear of those consequences, we live out our faith timidly.

We treat faith as if it were a private thing between us and God.

Instead of walking boldly, setting aside our own comfort, and truly following the way of Jesus, we go to church on Sunday, read a devotion at home, donate money to help the needy here and there and hope it is enough.

It might feel easy and safe to stay on the path you are on, but I can’t help but remember the words of Jesus.

If you want to really and truly save your life, you must take up your cross and follow.

Pastor Katie, you might be thinking, that is far easier said than done…

And you are right.

It feels impossible.

We are afraid of the consequences of living out our faith – what others might think or say or how they might respond.

But I’m here to tell you that after you take the first step, it gets easier.

Because you aren’t going it alone.

You are following in the path of Jesus, and you are walking with others who are on this journey, too.

No matter how scary it gets, or what trouble pops up, Jesus has been this way before.

He will lead us in his paths.

He will help us carry the crosses we must bear.

So trust in God and live in such a way that others can see Jesus in you.

In your love… in your forgiveness… in your compassion… and in the ways that you challenge the things in this world that harm life, rather than restore it.

Speak up for the vulnerable.

Take action to provide for those in need.

Sit with the sick and the prisoners.

Talk about the hope you have in Jesus.

Be a light to the world.

A City of Idols

Posted on August 8, 2021Leave a comment

Text: Acts 17:16-32

When I lived in Nashville for seminary, my house just around the corner from Centennial Park.

In 1897, to celebrate one hundred years of statehood, Nashville hosted a World’s Fair – type exposition. Many incredible buildings were constructed on the park grounds… including a full scale replica of the Parthenon from Athens.

It was kind of surreal to live just a few blocks from one of the most iconic temples ever constructed… only this one was fully intact unlike the actual temple in Athens which has seen the wear of time.

When I would run at the park, with this looming structure as the centerpiece, I felt like I was transported to another time and place.

I wondered what it would have been like for the ancient Greeks who walked those streets of Athens and worshipped there…. or at the temple of Nike, or Zeus, or Hephaestos, or any of the other ancient Greek gods whose shrines were found throughout the city?

What would it have been like for Paul as he strolled those streets?

One of the first words we find in our scripture reading for today was that Paul was deeply distressed by this city flooded with idols.

Everywhere he turned there was a new place to worship a new god.

A shrine for silversmiths and for harvest, for healing and for the moon and the hunt…

And an idol was a representation of those gods used for worship.

Something carved in stone or molded out of metal.

A physical representation that people would hold or go to or in order to make a connection with whatever god it was they wanted to connect with.

And I got to thinking about our lives today.

As we walk the streets of our cities and towns and neighborhoods… what do our buildings and our signs and the way we live tell us about what we worship.

I’d actually like your help with this.

Think for just a few seconds… what are some of the things that you see other people worshipping today?

What do we obsess about, and give all of our time to?

What kinds of things do we build statues around?

What names and figures do we hold in reverence?

If you are joining us online, feel free to type your answers in the comments…

If you are right here in the room, shout them out and I’ll write them up here.

What are the idols that people worship today?

[space for writing]

Paul was a Roman citizen.

He had lived his whole life with this subtle background of the Greek gods in his life.

Even though he had always been a faithful Jew who worshipped one God, he would have known and interacted with many who were polytheistic… who worshipped many gods.

It would have been fairly normal and routine.

And yet, walking through these streets of Athens, he was greatly distressed.

He saw all of the ways people were spending their time and energy and wealth on that which was not God… his God… the one true God.

And it made him feel sick.

As you look at this list that we have created… how do you feel about it?

How do you feel about the idols that are worshipped in our midst?

Shout out in one word… or type in the comments online… just one word that describes how you feel…

[pause for answers]

I must admit… that much of this feels normal to me.

I feel like we are swimming, much like the people of Athens, in a culture of tribalism and difference and each person has their own truth… their own god… their own way to engage the world.

It is normal… and yet disorienting.

But I also have to admit that when I look at this list… and the things we haven’t yet put on there… that this is so normal… so much a part of who we are and how we live… that the truth is, we all have some kind of idol we worship in our lives.

We all have something that we get obsessed about… we all have things that we worship besides God.

I want to invite you each to take a minute to reflect in your own heart about what some of the idols are in your own life.

[pause for a minute]

Now, here is the thing about what Paul does when he encounters these idols.

When he encounters the stoics and the epicurians and those who are gathered at Mars Hill…

He doesn’t ask them to give up their idols.

He doesn’t tell them they are wrong.

In fact… he compliments how very religious they were!

Even though he is distressed by this worship, he doesn’t shame them or put them down.

No… he transforms the way they understand them.

He introduces his God… the one true God… and shows how our God doesn’t have just one specialty, or look out for only one type of person.

Paul describes our God as the one who truly accomplishes that which they are seeking in those idols of stone. Goodness… truth… life…

Our God is the one who gives life and breath.

Our God is the one who created every nation.

Our God doesn’t live in temples and isn’t served by humans.

In God we live, move, and have our being.

In essence, he is saying… what you are trying to seek through those idols of stone and clay and silver… turn to God and you will find it.

Maybe sports is your thing. It is the thrill of teamwork and watching individual gifts and talents shine.

But we can find that in God as well as the individual members of the body of Christ each play their part and the whole succeeds.

Maybe nature is what you place above all else. The rhythm and flow, the cycles of life and death.

All of those birds and flowers point to the One who made them.

Maybe you idolize work and wealth… But for what end? Is your aim to provide, to find stability, to yourself be highly valued and respected by others?

What greater value and respect can we gain than to be called beloved by God.

Paul, you see, challenges us not to lay aside our idols, but to transform them.

To look beyond them… deeper… and to ask what we are really seeking.

We can’t find answers in stone and clay and metal… but we can find our life and our hopes in the one true God.

So you don’t have to give up sports or working or whatever else it is that you idolize in order to follow Jesus.

But you might have to transform it.

You might have to hold it more loosely and recognize that in and of itself, it will not give you what you ultimately seek.

But there does come a day and a time when something that we worship simply will never lead us to God.

When we are fixated on something that will never satisfy… or bring life… or healing…

There are some idols present in our world that will only harm and destroy and that can never point to God.

It’s what we also name as sin.

That which separates us from God.

And if you have something like that in your life… it’s okay to let it go.

It’s okay to name it and to release it and to say no to the power it has over your life.

Friends, we might be swimming in a land of idols.

We might be surrounded by things that point to anything but God.

But that doesn’t mean that they have to rule our lives.

For there is only one God in which we live… and move… and have our being.

There is only on God that truly brings life.

What Happened in Damascus?

Posted on July 4, 2021Leave a comment

Text: Acts 9:1-20

Our scripture today starts with lines drawn in the sand.

Us verses them.

The faithful, orthodox, Jewish leader vs. the rebellious believers of the Way.

Division.

Destruction.

And everyone so sure that they were on the side that was right.

You know, on this national holiday weekend, I can’t ignore how this kind of “us” vs “them” language echoes the kind of nationalism we find too often in the world.

We, the shining city on a hill have been blessed by God.

And in defense of our beloved nation, we’ll come after anyone who disagrees with us.

Anyone who is a threat to our way of life and our values.

That is what Saul was doing, after all.

He believed in his tradition, in the law, in who God had called him to be.

And he was willing to defend it all with his very life… taking other lives if he had to.

If you weren’t with him… you were against him.

But in the same way, that “us” vs “them” mentality was present in the followers of the Way of Christ.

When Ananias receives a calling from the Lord to go to Saul, his very first response is to name that man as doing evil… compared with the saints on his own side.

Good verses bad.

Right verses wrong.

Insiders verses outsiders.

Both have cause for why they believe what they believe.

Each can point to actions of the other that would justify their own positions.

There is that old adage that there are two sides to every story and today, I certainly don’t want to get caught up in excusing either side from their actions.

Nor do I want to say that there is not, in fact, a good… a standard… a godly measure of how we should be that we should all be held up against.

Maybe more of what I’d like to note is a simple observation from Stephen D. Jones, “not many of us are ‘breathing threats and murder’ against our opponents. However, we have all been on wrong paths… We have all been headstrong, stubborn, blinded to our own ambition, selfish to meet our own need…”[1]

And in part, I think this story of what happens in Damascus is a reminder that God is not interested in the lines that we have drawn.

God is not interested in the labels we throw at one another.

God doesn’t care about our nationality or pedigree or longevity with the faith.

God is not interested in our us verses them arguments.

In fact, God flips all of the scripts and expectations on their head to change everyone’s lives and instead orient us towards life in the Kingdom of Heaven.

In our Acts study book, N.T. Wright calls Saul a “hardline, fanatical, ultra-nationalist, super-orthodox Pharisaic Jew.”

And yet… he’s the guy that Jesus calls to reach out to the non-Jewish, Gentile community.

Ananias is likely a newcomer to the way of Christ. Damascus was about 135 miles from Jerusalem and you can’t imagine that in this short of time that the good news about Jesus would have taken a very deep hold this far out yet.

And yet, this non-Israelite is the one who Jesus calls to go to Saul.

This non-apostle, non-deacon, ordinary, regular guy is the one who God uses to heal Saul and who baptizes him with the Holy Spirit.

In many ways, God is telling us that it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from or what your story was…

You, too, just might be called into this inside-out, upside-down, community of Christ.

No one is safe from God breaking in and disrupting everything you thought you knew about your life.

And that… well… that’s a little terrifying.

As a pastor, I sometimes shy away from this story about Saul’s dramatic conversion because it really is just too incredible.

He is a guy who literally makes a 180 degree turn in his life.

He goes from persecuting Christians to preaching the cross of Christ.

His old life dies on the Road to Damascus and three days later, he is born again as an apostle of Jesus.

There are very few of us who can compare our stories with his and William Muehl writes that this can give us a bit of a “faith inferiority complex.”[2]

Or, maybe even more than that, we fear something coming along to cause such a dramatic change in our lives.

Over these last sixteen months, we experienced what it is like to have life come to a stand-still and have everything that we knew to be “normal” upended.

It isn’t something we seek out unless we are desperate or at the end of our ropes.

Maybe that’s why we identify a bit more with Ananias in this story.

You know, the ordinary fellow, going about his day, who gets called to walk down the street and pass along a message to his mortal enemy.

What… that doesn’t happen to you on a regular basis?

I just have to keep telling myself that the main character in this story is not Saul.

And it’s not Ananias.

It is Jesus Christ.

For many chapters now, the disciples and apostles have been talking about Jesus.

But he shows up and calls these two individuals to action.

This is a word about how our Savior continues to show up in the lives of unexpected people to challenge us and push us beyond everything we thought we knew and understood.

Beyond our boundaries and borders and beliefs.

And sometimes, that happens in a heartbeat – like it did on that road to Damascus.

But sometimes, it happens over a lifetime.

Sometimes, truth comes to us in a dream or a sign or a message…

But sometimes it comes through a friend who has the courage to tell it like it is.

All around us, God is moving…

God is pushing us beyond our artificial divisions…

God is opening up our eyes…

God is calling us out of our privilege and bias…

Jesus stands before us, waiting for us to stop breathing threats and running from enemies and to start working together for a Kingdom that is far wider and more expansive than we could ever imagine.

May it be so.

[1] Jones. Stephen D. Feasting on the Word, Year C Volume 2, p 403.

[2] William Muehl, Why Preach? Why Listen? (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986), 11.

The Sorcerer and the Eunuch

Posted on June 27, 2021Leave a comment

Text: Acts 8: 4-6, 9-10, 12-13, 15-24; 26-27, 29-31, 34-39

Last week, the Jerusalem community of disciples was shaken when Stephen, one of the first deacons, was killed for his beliefs.

The church scattered and one of those deacons, Philip, found himself in Samaria, preaching Christ.

That moment of tragedy and the threat of persecution could not stop the good news from moving beyond Jerusalem… to Samaria… to the ends of the earth.

Before we get too far this morning… why Samaria?

Why is this place so important?

Well, first, we have to remember that Samaria isn’t a far flung place, but had been right in the center of Jesus’ ministry. In order to get from Jerusalem to Galilee you had to pass through… Samaria!

The Samaritans were distant cousins, “lost sheep of Israel” as J. Jervell describes them.

These neighbors were not Gentiles, not complete outsiders to the Jewish faith, but there were differences between more traditional Jews and their Samaritan kin that created animosity and division.

The reason the story of the Good Samaritan was so controversial was the very fact that the priest and Levite – faithful Jewish folks – didn’t stop… but the Samaritan, whom the crowds would have expected to do the wrong thing, did.

This is where Jesus promises that the ministry of the church will spread first.

From Jersualem… to Samaria… to the ends of the earth.

This journey of Acts starts with the Jewish faithful… but then it starts to take root in those who are on the fringes of God’s people.

Philip finds in Samaria an audience that is eager to hear more about Jesus and the good news.

But his ministry in this chapter is largely the story of how two folks on the fringe of faith receive the invitation.

The sorcerer and the eunuch.

One arrogant and brash, the other humble and full of questions.

For one, the power of the Holy Spirit is a commodity to be bought and sold, possessed and tamed.

For the other, that power is precious, mysterious, and a gift to be treated delicately.

Let’s dive in deeper.

In Samaria, “Simon the Great” was known throughout the area for his dazzling performances of sorcery.

But he finds that notoriety fading as a new player, the deacon Philip, comes on the scene.

Suddenly, it is someone else doing the healing…

Someone else drawing the crowds…

And Simon Magus, himself, is astonished by the power that this follower of Christ displays.

He is overcome by the good news of God and joins in the fellowship of believers.

But we get the sense that stepping out of the limelight was a really rough transition.

Simon misses drawing a crowd and being the center of attention.

Now, there is an interesting point here that I want to mention.

Philip, as a deacon, appears to have the authority to preach and to baptize folks, but it wasn’t until the apostles Peter and John show up that the gift of the Holy Spirit was received.

Philip had the gift of the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t have the ability to share it with others.

The apostles did. They began to lay hands on folks so that they, too, could be filled with the Spirit, and when Simon Magus sees this, he suddenly wants their job.

He perceives the Holy Spirit as a kind of magical ability that could be possessed and he wants to take it on the road to give some new audience a show.

So this former sorcerer runs up and throws down a bag of coins… “Give me that authority!” he demands.

Faith in Jesus Christ is a new part of Simon’s life and so he naturally starts from what he knows and where he is gifted. He knows how to draw a crowd and perform and thinks…“I could do that.”

What he has misunderstood, however, is that the Holy Spirit isn’t interested in being possessed. The apostle Peter calls him out and rebukes him for trying to buy God’s gifts.

We remember what happened not that long ago to the likes of Ananias and Sapphira and you almost have to hold your breath waiting for Simon Magus to drop dead.

But he is invited to pray, to repent, and our last impression of this sorcerer has him asking the apostles to intercede on his behalf.

Maybe there is hope for him, after all.

After this encounter, Philip is led by the Holy Spirit in a different direction, this time southwest of Jerusalem to another person on the fringes of the Jewish faith.

Whereas in Samaria, the Holy Spirit was a power that amazed, in this story, she seems to be moving subtly behind the scenes.

Our text tells us that this individual was coming from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for worship in the temple. We might assume that they were a God-fearer… a term used for those who followed the God of Israel, but like Samaritans, they found himself on the margins.

In this case, it wasn’t because of their own religious history, but because of their identity.

Luke tells us the passenger in the carriage was an Ethiopian eunuch – which might not mean a whole lot to us today – so I appreciate Gary DeLashmutt’s more modern description: this was a “sexually altered black man from a pagan country.” [1]

Despite their standing in the court of the queen of Ethiopia, their wealth, and all the power they did possess, this eunuch knew they could not buy a place in the family of God. They understood the barriers.

And yet, we can’t help but ignore that the eunuch is reading the words of the prophet Isaiah – who talked about Ethiopia’s inclusion in God’s blessings (18:1, 45:15) and who shared God’s promise that outcasts like eunuchs and foreigners who kept the Sabbath would be welcomed in God’s family (see chapter 56). They knew how important scripture was in their quest for a relationship with God… even though they were on the fringes of the Jewish faith.

The Holy Spirit brought these two together in this moment and Philip climbs in the carriage to lead a Bible Study. And in this dialogue with Philip, they discovered someone who, according to DeLashmutt, “understood that their standing with God was based not on ethnic identity, moral record, religious heritage, etc.—but through Jesus’ death alone…”

Philip is led by the Holy Spirit to tell this fellow sojourner the good news about Jesus and the eunuch is ready and eager to receive this word and join in the fellowship.

In spite of the lingering suspicion that the answer might be no, when the eunuch and Philip come to a small oasis of water by the side of the road, they ask a heartbreaking question: “What would prevent me from being baptized?”

It is not a demand, it is a humble question of faith from someone who has everything in the world… except for a place in the family of God.

Because they were castrated, this eunuch could never have completed the conversion to Judaism – which would have included circumcision and then baptism.

But if it is the death and resurrection and exaltation of Jesus that brings us salvation, and if this eunuch has taken this message to heart, why should anything stand in their way?

Philip is led by the Holy Spirit to baptize the eunuch and they go on their way rejoicing.

The story of the church began with a small crowd in Jerusalem, but already it is defying our expectations.

Those on the fringes are ready and eager to hear the good news and to join in the community of God’s people.

They might not all respond in the way that we want them to and there are sure to be challenges along the way… but the Holy Spirit is constantly reminding us… we don’t get to control who hears the message.

[1] https://teachings.xenos.org/es/teaching/1484

Go. Do. Teach

Posted on June 20, 2021Leave a comment

Acts 6:8-15, 7:51-8:3

A father was trying to teach his three sons to do their fair share of the house cleaning. The first place that he started was the bathroom.

Dad crammed the three boys into the room and proceeded to clean the toilet in front of them.

Alright, I’ve showed them, the father thought. Next time, they can do it.

So, the next Saturday came, and the father set the boys to work. They wiped off the counter tops, cleaned the mirror and then stared at the toilet.

“How does that work again, Dad?” “Will you show us one more time?”

Dad got down on his hands and knees and cleaned the toilet again for their benefit.

Next Saturday… same situation… The boys couldn’t or didn’t want to learn how to do it.

So Dad got an idea. He called in the eldest son and showed him how to do it. Then he had the oldest son repeat what he had done – only on the clean toilet.

The following Saturday, Dad brought the oldest and the middle son into the bathroom.

“Okay son… now you teach your brother how to clean this toilet. Show him, what I showed you.”

Lo and behold, the toilet got clean!

The next Saturday, Dad had his middle and youngest sons come into the bathroom.

Again, the older child taught the younger one what to do, with no problems.

Having run out of children, the next Saturday, Dad took the youngest son and their dog into the bathroom. “Alright son, teach Rufus here how to clean the toilet.”

The father never had to clean another toilet again!

What we find in the scriptures is a very familiar story.

Jesus spent the entirety of the gospels showing the disciples how to live.

He is like the father who gets down on his hands and knees to clean the toilet.

This is what you should be and do.

This is how you should live.

Feed the hungry.

Love the sinners.

Seek the lost.

Take care of one another.

And if we follow the story of the disciples through the gospels, they don’t get it.

Jesus keeps showing them again and again and again.

Like the three boys in the bathroom staring at a toilet, we faithful believers often find ourselves staring at the Way of Jesus and don’t quite know what to do.

Ever pass by a homeless person on a street corner and pray: “I just wish you would show me how to help that person, God”

Or get into a fight with someone you disagreed with and said: “Jesus, just show me how to stand up for my beliefs in love!”

The task is daunting.

It is overwhelming.

It is messy and real.

We don’t want other people to see us on our hands and knees like that.

And so keep saying… Will you show me again?

GK Chesterton once penned, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.”

Eventually, we must stop watching and start doing.

As Jesus told the disciples in John 14, “the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these.”

Faith or belief is not about having the right theological opinion.

It is about placing your life in God’s hands.

To believe in God… to believe in Jesus… means to trust that God is already working through your life and that God has given you everything you need to love or serve or pray.

Faith equals action.

I’m giving you this task, Jesus says. And you can do it. I don’t have to show you anymore.

But even more than that… not only can you do it… but you can help others to do it.

As Jesus tells them in the Great Commission:

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I’ve commanded you.” (Mt 28:19-20).

Go. Do. Teach.

That is the story of the book of Acts.

It is the story of how the apostles stopped asking Jesus to show them and started to do.

They accepted the gift of the Holy Spirit into their lives.

And they got up in front of everyone and started to teach and share.

Because they did, others began to see… and do… and teach in turn.

Others began to follow the way of Jesus.

Including a man named Stephen.

Stephen seems to appear pretty suddenly on the scene.

He is one of the seven people who were set apart to serve the widows, as we talked about last week.

But there was also something that really stood out about this particular guy.

He got it.

He was full of faith and full of the Holy Spirit… which meant he was full of action.

Stephen didn’t sit back, watching… He did it.

He trusted God was with him, that the Holy Spirit had his back, and that he was called to act.

He served tables.

He cleaned toilets… or he would have, if they had toilets like ours.

He made sure that the neglected were cared for.

Just as Jesus promised, Stephen started to do amazing things in the name of God.

And just as Jesus has experienced, all of those wonders and signs began to stir up opposition.

If you have been following along with our daily readings, you know that this isn’t the first time that these early followers of Christ got in trouble.

The high priest and the Sadducees had already arrested the apostles and threatened them to stop talking about Jesus.

But they stood firm in their beliefs… in fact, celebrated that they were worthy to suffer, as Jesus had.

They were let go… that time… but in doing so, they showed people who came after them, like Stephen, how he should respond to slander and opposition.

Trust in God. Hang on to the faith. Speak your truth.

When people began to conspire against Stephen, he didn’t back down and wait for someone to show him what to do next.

He trusted. He believed. He opened his mouth and let God speak through him.

We didn’t take the time this morning to read ALL of Stephen’s speech before the Jerusalem Council… but in it, he renounced the false rumors and retold the story of God’s people from the Torah.

Stephen compared these leaders to those who rejected God’s prophets and calls them out for being too focused on the things of this earth.

In doing so, he claimed they were fighting against the Holy Spirit, the presence of God, as it moves among the followers of Jesus.

What is different about Stephen’s story is that the Council no longer has any patience for this rebellion and these comparisons.

Like Pharoah whose heart was hardened, they would not let him go.

And suddenly, Stephen realizes the path that lies before him.

He watched as Jesus gave up his life and now it is his turn to go and to do.

Even as these leaders react with anger and fear, this young man responds with love and grace.

“Accept my life, Jesus,” he cries out. “and don’t hold this against them.”

Jesus showed these first Christians what it meant to live according to the Kingdom of God.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Stephen claimed his ability to go and do likewise.

What Stephen may never have anticipated is that his death taught others how to keep going.

This was a turning point for the early church and opposition began to come from every direction.

Even as the community in Jerusalem began to scatter, they carried with them his story.

They learned from his witness and found the ability, themselves, to stand firmly in the faith.

And not just those who were on God’s side…

Standing there that day was a man named Saul who not only approved of Stephen’s murder, but led the charge to persecute the church.

But unbeknownst to him, seeds of truth were planted in his heart that day.

A spark that would forever change his life.

In a few weeks, we are going to talk about his journey from Saul to Paul but for today let us simply say this…

We are not called to sit back and watch.

Our job is not to keep asking for Jesus to show us how to live.

We are called to go and do likewise.

You know what to do… reach out your hand and do it.

Trust that God is with you and speak the words you need to say.

And bring others along with you, teaching and showing them how to do it, too.

Jesus said that we would do even greater things that he did.

And I think that is true because as the Body of Christ, the people of God, we will reach farther and wider than one person every could… holding, guiding, encouraging, learning together how to make the Kingdom of Heaven a reality here and now.

We have already been shown how.

Now, we just need to go… and do… and teach.

May it be so.

Real Church is Messy

Posted on June 13, 2021Leave a comment

Acts 5:1-11, 6:1-7

This summer, as we study together through the book of Acts, I wish that we could talk about every single verse… but we simply don’t have time.

So I hope that you are checking out our daily video devotion – which can be found on our facebook page OR on our church website.

In fact, we made it even easier to find on our website… just go to iumc.org and scroll to the bottom and you’ll find the latest three posted right there!

Today, we are skipping over chapter three and four and diving into more of what it meant for these first faithful folks to live with one another.

Two weeks ago, our Director of Youth Ministry stood here and shared this beautiful, rosy picture of a church community that seemed perfect.

They devoted themselves to prayer and teaching and fellowship and sold everything they had and make sure everyone’s needs were met.

And, if you are anything like me, we hold our own imperfect, human community up to that standard and get a bit discouraged.

But never fear… things were not as perfect as they seemed.

This community was messy.

After all, it was full of humans, too.

Real humans with real problems.

People who are dishonest.

Others who are ignored.

There is jealousy, and complaining, and growing pains.

It is church, after all.

So let’s dive into the dirt and the muck as problems of the church appear in chapters 5 and 6.

First, we’ve got a problem that results from dishonesty and disrespect.

In our short video clip from The Bible Project, we are reminded once again of the temple.

God’s presence once led the people through the wilderness.

Then it was understood to dwell in the temple in Jerusalem… a building… and people would travel to Jerusalem to encounter God’s holiness.

But the story of Pentecost is how God’s presence now fills individuals through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Body of Christ is the temple.

I am the temple of God.

YOU are the temple of God.

And so we have these lovely, good, and holy things happening that would you would expect in God’s presence… teaching and fellowship and reaching out to the needy.

But when we say that something is holy, we also have to acknowledge the danger.

We stand in God’s presence with fear, with awe, with trembling…

There is a line I love in “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” by CS Lewis which captures this idea perfectly.

The lion, Aslan, is a Christ figure in the narrative and one of the children is apprehensive…

“Is he quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”…
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver… “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King; I tell you.”

God isn’t safe.

But God is good.

And God calls us to a better way of living.

We don’t have to be perfect.

But we do need to bring our full selves into this community.

We can’t simply dip our toes into the water and pretend.

In fact, the story of Ananias and Sapphira is not about how this couple should have sold all they had and given it to the community.

It was about the fact that they lied.

They could have chosen NOT to sell their property.

Or they could have sold the property and chosen to be up front about keeping some of the funds.

But they wanted all of the benefits and glory without actually doing the work.

As Peter says, they lied to the community and they lied to the Holy Spirit.

They disrespected the presence of God that was dwelling in their midst and are struck dead.

I started thinking about that scene from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark when the Nazis think that they can open the Ark of the Covenant and take the power of God for themselves…

Dr. Jones and Marian know that God’s power is holy… They shut their eyes and refuse to look.

But the Nazis have no respect for God… only what God can do for them… and when they reach in to take it with fury and fire, God’s presence overwhelms them and their faces melt off.

Just like the priests in Leviticus who disrespected God in the temple.

You can’t use the presence of God for your own selfish purposes and you shouldn’t reach beyond your own limitations.

When I think about how we might apply this lesson to our relationships with one another today, I think about that idea of respecting the presence of God that dwells within each of us.

We need to respect one another enough to be honest.

If you aren’t able to say yes, then you should have the freedom and ability to say no.

We don’t have to pretend, but can simply bring ourselves and our gifts into this community without apologizing.

Whether they are gifts of finances, or time, or abilities and talents that you might offer.

You don’t have to sell everything you have to be included, or sign up to serve on every committee.

In fact, as we heard in one of our daily devotions earlier this week, you don’t even have to have a penny to your name.

Honor what you have.

Offer what you can.

God’s Spirit dwells within you and your gifts, however big or small, matter.

A flip side to this is that each one of us is called to honor and respect the gifts of others.

Sometimes we find ourselves in that ugly, jealous, comparative mode.

We think that someone is offering too little… and then rub it in or make them feel guilty.

Or we get overwhelmed by what someone else can do and become ashamed about our own value.

God’s presence is working through every person.

Be grateful and honor the faithfulness of each person you encounter in this community.

Our job is not to compare what other people can do… but to celebrate what every person offers.

The second real community problem that this early church struggles with has to do with some growing pains and, to be honest, some discriminatory behavior.

As the community kept growing, suddenly they began to notice there were differences among them.

It was all nice and good and warm and fuzzy to be able to hear in new languages on that day of Pentecost… but it’s a whole other kind of conversation to figure out how all of these different groups are actually going to live together.

And some people began to raise real and honest questions about equity in their midst.

While it might not have been intentioned, the widows who came from a more Greek, or Hellenistic cultural background, were being neglected compared to those who identified more with the Hebrew culture.

Someone stood up, and basically said, “Greek widows matter, too.”

If we are going to be a community that takes care of the needs of everyone, then we need to do what we say.

And when we aren’t living up to that value, if we are overlooking someone, then we need to address it.

What I love about this story is that there is an obvious flaw and problem in the community.

But the leadership listens and calls together the people to solve the problem.

And then they think outside the box.

They don’t just add a task to the job description of those who were already leading, but come up with a new and creative solution that actually allows more people to serve and engage in the work.

The church lifts up new leaders who can help make sure that each person is cared for in the way they deserve.

And these new deacons, servants, are blessed… commissioned… into this ministry of waiting tables.

Friends, we will encounter problems in our church and in our larger community.

There are times when we will be come aware that someone or a group of folks has not been treated fairly.

In fact, I’ve had this on my mind as we think about how this coming Saturday, our nation celebrates Juneteenth.

You know, I’ve never really thought about Juneteenth as a national holiday.

I’m going to be totally honest, I didn’t know what it was and maybe you don’t either.

Juneteenth is the day we commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States.

This date comes two and a half YEARS after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation… but remember, this was not a time of 24/7 cable news.

It wasn’t until General Lee finally surrendered in April of 1865 and Union troops landed in Texas on June 19^th that the war ended and the word reached these communities that all slaves were free.

Now, every single American should claim this day as our own.

We didn’t always get it right, just as the early Christian community didn’t always get it right.

But we can do something about the harm.

We can listen to the pain and we can work for a better future.

And we can celebrate the steps we have taken, the leaders we have raised up, and claim the task that is still before us.

The early church was not perfect.

Because it was filled with imperfect people who were learning and growing and still discovering what it meant to follow Jesus.

And friends, we aren’t perfect either.

We are going to get it wrong.

We are going to make mistakes.

We are going to have days when we focus on ourselves and what we want and forget about others.

But the word I find in these chapters of Acts is this:

We are the Body of Christ, the dwelling place of God’s Spirit, and how we treat one another matters.

So we should hold one another accountable.

We should honor the presence of God that lives within us.

And we should keep working to do better every day.

May it be so.

The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Us!

Posted on May 23, 2021Leave a comment

Text: Luke 4:18-19, Acts 1:8, 2:1-4, 38-39

One of the things that we have re-discovered and remembered this year is that church is not a building.

We have a building, sure.

But the church is the people.

You and me.

The body of Christ.

In the same way, the presence of God is not confined to this physical structure.

And, we don’t have to travel to the Holy Land to be in the presence of God.

It is right here.

Among us.

Wherever two or three are gathered, there I am… Jesus said. (Matthew 18)

Well, that is exactly what happened on that Pentecost morning.

The disciples were gathered together, worshipping, praying, waiting for whatever was supposed to happen next.

Waiting for the power of the Holy Spirit.

And then there was a sound…

Like the howling of a fierce wind…

The entire room was filled with an overwhelming presence…

Tongues of fire danced over their heads…

The Spirit of the Lord was upon them.

The presence of God was right there, in their midst.

When the Spirit of the Lord first appeared to Moses in the burning bush, he heard the call to go back to Egypt and liberate the oppressed.

That power and presence of God released the slaves and set them free for the promised land.

Through a pillar of fire and smoke, the Spirit of the Lord was with the people as they journeyed.

God provided food for their hunger and water for their thirst.

God led them and healed them.

God dwelt among them.

On the mountaintop, the power and presence of God was seen for miles around in wind and fire and Moses journeyed back down forever changed.

He brought with him commandments that would allow them to live according to God’s will.

Laws to help them love God and to love their neighbor.

God wanted this people to bear God’s image to the world.

Yet, as time went on, and the people became settled and rubbed shoulders with folks from lots of different places and cultures, it became harder and harder to stay connected to God’s presence and power.

While the spirit of God continued to call prophets and leaders to keep reminding the people, it was easy to forget about a God who dwelt somewhere else.

So God decided to dwell among the people again.

The Word became flesh.

Jesus entered our lives.

And the Spirit of the Lord was upon him.

As Luke tells us, the Spirit of the Lord sent him forth to preach good news to the poor and heal the sick and to set people free.

People experienced the presence of God through his touch and his words.

And then Jesus promised this same power would be given to the people.

That the Spirit of God would come upon them.

That the presence and power of God would dwell in them.

And they, too, would be sent forth to preach, and to heal, and to change the world.

God would turn the world upside down starting in Jerusalem… heading out to Samaria… and to the ends of the earth.

This was not a promise just for the disciples.

Not just for the Jewish people.

God’s Spirit was pouring out on all people.

On that day of Pentecost, tongues of fire danced over their heads.

God’s presence filled their hearts.

And people from every corner of the world experienced it.

They heard God speaking to them.

They felt God’s presence among them.

And they allowed the gift of the Spirit to fill their lives.

Three thousand people were added to their community.

It is good to be in this space together with folks once again.

But I have to be honest… It is not the space that makes this time of worship holy.

The psalmist may have cried out “How lovely is your dwelling place” and at the time they were talking about the temple.

But the miracle of Pentecost is that the spirit of God dwells in you.

The very presence of God that set that shrub in the wilderness on fire…

And that led the people of Israel through…

That dwelt in the temple…

That filled the life of Jesus Christ…

The Spirit of God filled those first disciples… and then three thousand…

Through them, the presence and power of God moved from Jerusalem…

To Samaria…

To Rome…

And across the oceans…

And right now God’s spirit is upon you.

God’s power dwells in you.

Oh, and how lovely are your faces.

God’s presence is right here in this very room because you are here.

God is with you at home… on your couch… sitting around the kitchen table.

Because the gift of the Holy Spirit is yours.

Right here in the greater Des Moines area, God is with us.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon us right here in this city…

One of the unexpected miracles of Pentecost was the way that this presence of God brought people together.

In the time of exile, Jewish faithful were scattered the winds.

They made their homes in far away places and learned new cultures and languages.

But when able they made the pilgrimage back to Jerusalem to be in the presence of God.

Over these last fourteen months, we have felt a bit scattered to the winds.

We have felt like we were in exile.

Exiled from one another and familiar places.

But that exile is not just a result of quarantines and distancing.

This past year we have experienced political discord and division in our responses to racism and vaccinations and masks.

Although the official language we might speak is the same, the words we use have meanings that separate us.

And so even when we gather in the same space, we are not unlike those pilgrims to Jerusalem who can’t understand one another.

When I read through these verses in Acts once again, I am reminded that this division and discord is not what God intends for us.

As Jana Childers writes in their commentary on this passage, “The human community… begins to be mended. As the Spirit arrives… instead of widening confusion, there is dawning comprehension, incipient reunion. What was divided is mended… The Spirit-baptized are drawn together, this time in the Spirit’s power, for the purposes of extending the realm of God.” [1]

We are drawn together in the Spirit’s power to extend the realm of God.

When Jesus stood up in the synagogue at the beginning of his ministry, he read from the scroll of Isaiah.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, he said,

God has chosen me to preach good news to the poor.

To offer forgiveness and pardon to prisoners.

To be an agent of healing and ease the load of the burdened.

And when he finished reading he sat down and told the people, “Scripture came true just now in this place.”

Right there in Nazareth, the realm of God, the Kingdom of God, was at hand.

The as the disciples claimed the gift of the Holy Spirit and began to preach and teach and heal in Jesus’ name… the realm of God became a reality on the streets of Jerusalem.

People who had been divided began to hear and understand.

It didn’t matter their background or their language or their culture… the presence and power of God rested upon them as the Holy Spirit danced in their midst.

And over the course of this summer, we are going to explore just what it meant for those first disciples to be led by the Holy Spirit and how the realm of God expanded.

We’ll learn about what it means to be a community centered in God.

How to speak God’s truth in the face of opposition.

Along the way, we’ll meet sorcerers and centurions and kings.

We’ll experience earthquakes and shipwrecks, tragedy and miracles.

In the footsteps of Peter and Paul, Barnabas and Silas, Lydia and Tabitha, we will witness how the Spirit of God becomes known to the people of Antioch and Damascus, Lystra and Philippi.

And we will discover how we are “part of the widening circle begun in Acts – part of the growing momentum, building ripple by ripple…”[2] until the realm of God stretches to every corner of this world.

As United Methodists, we see ourselves as part of that widening circle. In our Book of Discipline, we claim that:

“Guided by the Holy Spirit, United Methodist churches throughout the world are called afresh into a covenant of mutual commitment based on shared mission, equity, and hospitality… we commit ourselves to crossing boundaries of language, culture, and social or economic status. We commit ourselves to be in ministry with all people, as we, in faithfulness to the gospel, seek to grow in mutual love and trust. We participate in God’s mission as partners in ministry, recognizing that our God-given gifts, experiences, and resources are of equal value… creating a new sense of community and joyously living out our worldwide connection in our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” [3]

The Spirit of the Lord is upon us right here in Des Moines.

We might have a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds and gifts, but there is one Spirit.

And right here in this city, God is calling us afresh to focus on our mission… to cherish what each person uniquely brings… and to reach out in love welcoming all.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon us to bring good news and offer forgiveness and heal what is broken and divided.

May the winds of the spirit blow…

Amen.

[1] Feasting on the Word, Year A, Volume 3, page 19.

[2] Ibid.

[3] 2016 Book of Discipline, ¶125, p. 95-96

You Will Be My Witnesses

Posted on May 16, 2021Leave a comment

Text: Luke 24:44-50, Acts 1: 9-11

Forty days after Jesus rose from the grave and conquered death, he led the disciples out to the countryside to the little town of Bethany. And he reminded them of everything he had done.

Jesus reminded them of how he healed and forgave.

He reminded them of his words and truth.

He connected the dots for them and helped them to understand his suffering and death.

I’m pretty sure that he probably talked about love.

And then he said five simple words: “you will be my witnesses.”

He blessed them.

And he left them.

On that day, forty days after Easter, Jesus was taken up into heaven.

And the disciples, our scripture says, returned to Jerusalem with joy in their hearts to spend time in worship and prayer and to wait.

You will be my witnesses.

You know, we started this series on what it means to practice resurrection by talking about how we are called to be the living witnesses of the resurrection.

We are the proof that Jesus is alive and that God is real and that the Holy Spirit is moving.

Everything we say and do is a sign to the world of the reality of resurrection power.

There are some days, however, when I wrestle with why Jesus couldn’t have just stayed with us and done all of this himself.

Wouldn’t it be so much better if Jesus was standing here teaching and preaching? Leading us? Showing us how to live?

There are so many problems that we face in the world today…

The ravages of illness and death…

The exploitation of workers…

Natural disasters…

And then there are the political tensions and violence…

Our scripture today takes place in Bethany – just two miles from Jerusalem in the time of Jesus.

But today, that journey would require traveling from Israel into the West Bank through a separation barrier.

Today, the conflict between the Palestinian and Israeli people over land and the right to exist and live and move freely makes this a dangerous place.

As rockets and missiles fire, and the death toll rises… especially among the Palestinians who are far more vulnerable.

How I long and pray for peace for these peoples.

And how I wish that in that very spot where Jesus once stood, he might stand again, raise his hands, and breathe peace upon the world.

What is the ascension all about? Why is it good news?

Why were the disciples… who were so scared and timid in the days after his death, so filled with joy at this experience?

This language of going up or ascending is really the “language of enthronement.” (GBOD)

In the ascension of Jesus, he rises not simply from the grave, but up to his full authority.

He no longer walks and talks among us but he is now “seated at the right hand of the Father.”

He is no longer the prophetic carpenter from Galilee, but he has risen to his fullest stature as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The ascension is the completion of the resurrection.

And that is a good and holy and awesome thing.

But there is something else to the ascension that we often miss.

In the incarnation of Jesus, we celebrate the word of God was made flesh. We witness how God came down and was born as a tiny babe in Bethlehem.

Every aspect of our human life was experienced by God.

Love and loss.

Stubbed toes and broken promises.

Laughter and tears.

Disappointment and overwhelming joy.

Fear and grief.

Jesus experienced the fullness of our lives – and the ultimate depths of suffering and death.

God entered our humanity in the birth of Jesus… that little child who was fully divine.

And when Jesus Christ – a man of flesh and blood, a fully human being who ate and drank and lived and died – when Christ is taken up into heaven, all of humanity is taken up to God also.

These two moments: the incarnation and the ascension unite the human and the divine. They establish an unbreakable relationship.

And so we don’t need to stand on the Mount of Bethany, with our mouths open, staring at the sky waiting for Jesus.

As the angels – those messengers in white robes who show up remind the disciples – ask, what are you doing standing around for?

Jesus has not left us… he has united us with the divine.

“You will be furnished with heavenly power,” he says as he is carried up into heaven.

You will be my witnesses.

You are going to tell my story.

Jesus blesses us and empowers us to carry on the work of love and grace and transformation in the world.

To be the people of the resurrection.

As I think about our graduating seniors, I think about how this time of transition is just like that blessing and ascension moment.

For years, we have been pouring our love and faith into you.

Today, we have the opportunity to bless you and send you out into whatever God has prepared next for your lives.

But you aren’t leaving us.

And we aren’t leaving you.

We are simply moving into a new phase of our relationship and lives together.

You are crossing a threshold and claiming your lives in new ways.

You are going out to be witnesses for Jesus.

To tell the world what Jesus has done.

To love people as Jesus has loved us.

To share God’s kingdom with the world… as you learn and grow and teach and play and serve.

But there is another truth here…

Sometimes, I bet you as students have heard that your real life begins after you graduate.

But you have been pouring love and ministry back into us through your leadership and energy and service and witness this whole time.

You are not the future of the church… you ARE the church and have been the church.

You didn’t have to wait until you graduate or until you finish college or get a job… you get to serve Christ right now.

One church put on their sign, “We believe in life before death.”

And in the church, just like we sometimes get it wrong about our young people…

We can get so caught up in life after death, in what happens up there with Jesus and whether or not we are going up there, that we forget about this life.

Jesus invites us to live before we die.

He invites us to go and share and tell and bless and love.

He invites us to not only live, but to share new life with the broken and hurting of this world.

William Herzog II writes that “neither resurrection nor ascension is about human longing for life after death. Resurrection is a call to mission. Nothing is said about the disciple’s resurrection… they are focused on waiting… until the mantle passes to them and the power from on high endows them for the mission ahead.” (Daily Feast, Year C, pg 277)

We practice resurrection and work to make God’s will happen on earth as it is in heaven.

We practice resurrection because the Kingdom of God has come.

And in the ascension, we are connected and reminded of the divine power that will allow us to do so.

You know, those disciples were asked to wait… but they didn’t have to wait long.

Next week is Pentecost Sunday and after just ten days of praying and praising and expectation, the Holy Spirit rushed into their lives and forever changed the world.

You know… if Jesus had simply stayed with us – he would have just been one person.

But the Body of Christ… the church… is greater than one man.

And we are going to explore in these coming months how those first disciples claimed the power of the resurrection.

How they found the courage to speak God’s truth.

How they reached out in love.

And how the message of Christ moved from Jerusalem, to Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Quick spoiler alert… it wasn’t easy.

At times it felt impossible.

As impossible as it might feel today to pray and work for peace for the Palestinian and Israeli people… or to respond to a natural disaster… or to navigate forces of oppression… but…

That is our mission.

To receive God’s power.

To share God’s love.

And to change the world.

May it be so.