King, Good Shepherd, Messiah, Truth

This sermon was preached on November 22, 2015 at New Covenant Presbyterian Church in Chesterfield Virginia.  It was Christ the King Sunday. 

The scriptures were John 18:33-37 and  2 Samuel 23:1-7.
 

King, Good Shepherd, Messiah, Truth

My first thoughts when I looked at the scripture reading from John for today was

  ‘Shouldn’t this text be closer to Easter?’ 

  ‘Shouldn’t we be talking about the trial of Jesus before Pilate in the later part of Lent?’

  ‘Why are you and I hearing this text now?’

Well it is Christ the King Sunday and today we focus on

     the crucified and risen Christ, whom God exalted to rule over the whole universe.

This scripture helps define Jesus as King.                      

And more than King.

King,    Good Shepherd,           Messiah, and    Truth.

And these 5 verses have a lot in them. 

It is a discussion on authority, who has the real power,

     who is in charge, and who is really on trial.

First let us look at some of the meanings of these titles we use for Jesus.

King and Messiah can be tied together, especially considering our Old Testament scripture.

Messiah means ‘anointed one’.  

David is referred to as “the anointed of the God of Jacob.”

In the Old Testament, kings were anointed, chosen by God.

In Samuel’s time, the Israelites wanted a king so they could be like the other nations.

They saw a king as having power,

if they were a nation with a king,

     they could battle the Philistines,

     they could be like the other nations.

In Jesus’ time, the people were again looking for a divine warrior,

someone to take charge,

     this time to fight Rome,

     to bring vengeance on their enemies,

     someone to save them.

But who did God send?  

     Not a warrior, yet, a savior. 

     Not a king like the other nations,

       not a king to make war against Rome,

       but a prince of peace.

God sent someone to tend the flock,

     to be the good shepherd,

     to care for the people, and not desert them.

In John chapter 10, Jesus speaks of being the good shepherd. 

The shepherd knows his sheep and

“the sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

The shepherd’s voice, hearing his voice, we are the sheep;

and Jesus proclaims himself the good shepherd

  and explains what he is willing to do for his sheep.

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

My Greek professor at seminary likes to remind us that in the Greek

  the word for good is also the word for beautiful.

So he emphasizes Jesus is not just the good shepherd, but the beautiful shepherd. 

The sheep are blessed to have this shepherd.

God sent a light into the darkness; a spark of hope, a ray of truth.

One light, breaking through the darkness;

  the brightest spark shinning from the deepest darkness.

From the first few verses of The Gospel of John:

“What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

Light illuminates truth.

Truth has to do with testimony, which in this trial dialogue is what Jesus is doing,                     

     testifying to the truth.

Pilate is driven by political expedience,

  he is unconcerned with truth or questions of innocence;

Pilate is concerned with a claim of kingship for it is a threat to his authority.

A king, a messiah, would be a potential threat to Rome.

So it is a very loaded question when Pilate asks “Are you the King of the Jews?”

Jesus respond with a question wanting to know if this is Pilate’s question or from someone else.

Pilate wants to know     “What have you done?”

In Jesus’s response, he shows power, he has authority.

“My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”

Jesus’ kingship is not defined by force, not like the Romans,

     not like the other nations.

Jesus’ authority, his kingship, comes from God.

When Pilate again asks “So you are a king?”

You and I can hear the good shepherd’s voice in Jesus’ reply to Pilate: 

“Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Everyone, not just the Jews, but everyone; it is an invitation to all,

     even to Pilate,

to hear the truth, to be part of his kingdom.

Those who oppose Jesus, have rejected truth and have sided with the ‘world’.

Do you and I embrace the kingdom of truth with Jesus as the one who reigns

or do we continue in this world looking for earthly rulers,

  looking to be like the other nations?

As Jesus speaks about the kingdom,

  we hear God’s words in Jesus’ voice, he reveals the truth

  and draws the people of the truth into a kingdom of truth as they hear his voice.

The sheep respond to the good shepherd’s voice.

You and I are followers,

  the ones who know the shepherd’s voice,

            the sheep of this  beautiful shepherd.

We are followers of Jesus, disciples.

How then do you and I as disciples

  take what we have heard from Jesus’ voice and bring it to the world and into our daily lives?

This is a question to explore both as individuals and as a community of faith.

Think for a moment what your answer would be.

What are some ways New Covenant is bringing Jesus’ voice of truth to others?

We gather together to be active witnesses in the world.

Truth is a challenge and a gift God has given to us through love and grace.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

Everyone is invited to be part of the kingdom of truth.

Everyone.

            Those we love, those who are strangers,

those we know, those we have yet to meet,

those who may be un-churched

or searching for something,

those who we see as our enemies in the world,

and those we fear.

Remember Jesus even gave Pilate an invitation to his kingdom of truth,

  but Pilate could not hear it or could not respond to it.

He was focused on his world, his authority, his power.

Next week the church calendar begins again,

with Advent, the anticipation of the birth of Jesus,

leading to God’s light of love,

love's own crucified risen light,

coming into the world;

  however, today we celebrate that Jesus Christ is Lord!

In this upcoming week of giving thanks,

  we are thankful for this good shepherd,

  for the way, the truth, and the light,

  for having a king, who is not like the other nations,

For having Jesus as ruler, as judge, as savior, and as the one who reigns

in the world,

in our lives,

and in our hearts.

Amen.

King

 Good Shepherd

Messiah

                     TRUTH

Reflection from a camp weekend....

To Glen Arden girls, past, present, and future….

My earliest connection to God as Creator cane from my experience at summer camp. 

Being in nature, being in God’s creation, feeling God’s presence; the Holy Spirit in the beauty around me.

There is comfort in nature; the Creator’s arms embrace me here.

The sound of the waterfall washes my worries away.

The sunlight on the lake brings light to my soul.

There is peace here.

The cool breeze whispers,

The camp dog smiles,

Laughter of children floats from cabins;

There is joy here.

Memories call to me.

Traditions of council fires, vespers, warm fuzzies,

candles on the lake, singing, and tajar tricks;

There is love here.

Time stands still and moves at a different pace.

Healing can happen here; tears of joy, release, renewal.

God is here!

These mountains are my own heaven;

The happy place I go in my mind

when the world is too fast or cruel or lonely.

Glen Arden is special.

Its girls grow with grace into strong women,

Women of faith, of character, of compassion;

Women forever connected to Earth’s natural beauty,

For they too are part of God’s amazing creation.

Thank you Glen Arden for what you have spoken to me

and

Thank you Lord for the blessing of this beautiful experience.

 

trees reflected in lake

Needing to be self

There are times that do not allow you to drop your guard; 
      boundaries must be kept up.       

 Then there is the self time; the time to let myself be.

Alone time or time with very close friends or family or with those of same experience or when spending time with animals. 

Not a lonely time but a time of solitude and a time with God.

Peaceful joyful, quiet, independent….

A time to wander, to set my own pace, to choose my own path, to do what I need, to fill my cup.







{picture of Camp Glen Arden, Tuxedo, NC}

Doubting Thomas: Is seeing Believing?

Sermon given at Imperial Plaza in Richmond on April 12.  Scripture: John 20:19-31.

Doubting Thomas: Is Seeing Believing?

  I call this sermon Is Seeing Believing, but I thought of calling it Faith from Doubt.

And I will explain that idea in a moment, but first the idea of having to see something in order to believe.

The idea of seeing and believing is present throughout our lives today. 

We need proof that something has been done:

       a receipt for expenses,

       a copy of a letter,

       a report turned in,

       evidence and facts.                 

So the question presents itself:

Is seeing believing?  Do you and I have to see something to know it is true? 

Or can we have faith, even when we do not have evidence in front of us? 

 Hebrews 11:1  Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.                 

Words like assurance, hope, and conviction,

do not point to needing proof,

but to believing in the unseen.

What gets my attention in this 20^th chapter of John is the story of how the disciples came to learn of and believe in the resurrection. 

These are characters on a faith journey

and their different ways of responding to Jesus.

In the first verses of chapter 20, it begins

with Mary Magdalene who discovers the stone removed from the tomb.  She runs to get Simon Peter and the disciple that Jesus loved (who we know as John).  They hurry to the tomb.   

Simon Peter goes into the tomb first and sees the linen cloth, but does not understand what has happened. 

Then the beloved disciple enters the tomb,

then sees and believes.                       

It is such a simple little line in John 20 verse 8, it is easy to miss:  “..Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in and saw and believed…”

At this point Peter is confused,

but the beloved disciple believes!

Here is the question to ponder;

How can the evidence of an empty tomb lead to faith?

Why did the beloved disciple believe?                 

He believed because he already believed.

       Belief in Jesus.

       Belief in Jesus’ promises about himself and God.

Earlier in the Gospel of John, we hear these promises:

      Jesus as the way to the Father and the promise of the Holy Spirit:

In that one moment,

on seeing the empty tomb, the linen cloth,

 the beloved disciple believes! 

This puts him ahead of Peter and the others, and Thomas who doubts,

who will not believe, until he ‘sees it with his own eyes’.

Before we get to Thomas, we need to go back to the scene of the empty tomb and Mary Magdalene.

Peter and the beloved disciple leave and

Mary Magdalene is alone at the empty tomb.

She is weeping. 

She sees someone she doesn’t recognize,

assumes he is the gardener and asks,

“…where have you laid him…”       

Mary Magdalene sees Jesus but does not ‘see’ him.

She does not see with the eyes of faith.

 With one word –her name- her eyes are opened

and she sees Jesus.

It is the sound of his voice that she recognizes as he calls her by name. 

You and I need to be reminded that the good shepherd knows his sheep by name,

and they respond to his voice.    

When Mary Magdalene is called by name,

she abandons her grief.

When she hears her name, she makes a connection with Jesus.

All she can manage to say is “Rabbouni!” –teacher.

 In this week’s scripture we come to the verses about Thomas.

Thomas, who will need evidence before believing.

From his doubts, faith does arise;

from the darkest of doubts, can come the greatest of faith.  And there it is faith from doubt.    

Thomas’ words are a statement of faith.

       “My Lord and my God!”

Thomas sees God fully revealed in Jesus.

It is not touching Jesus that leads Thomas to his confession of faith, but Jesus’ gracious offer of himself.

Jesus offers Thomas what he needs.

Thomas is an example of a spirit that was present in that early community; he represents the doubts and denials voiced in his day.

How do you and I doubt?                                    

What doubts do we carry in our everyday lives?  

How do we move past these doubts to be disciples?

How might we grow in our faith?            

Even through our doubts,

even though you and I are sinners,

even though we are flawed,

–God loves and guides us!

Belief itself comes from another source than evidence.

It is a gift from God.          

So back to our original question:

       Is seeing believing?   

Let’s try a quick example of going on faith and trust.  What do you see?

Right here, right now –what do you see?

Now close your eyes –do you still see?

If I asked you to keep your eyes closed and walk from your seat to the front row, could you do it? –without stumbling or tripping?       

Do not worry I will not ask for any volunteers. 

Please open your eyes.           

Now some of you may have been able to do that, crediting your good sense of direction,

balance, or knowledge of your surroundings. 

A few of you may have peeked to make sure you were on the right path and one or two of you may have bumped into something along the way.

Thomas could have only done this with his eyes open.

Simon Peter would have given it a try but ended up a little short on his first attempt.

Mary Magdalene would have been guided

by Jesus’ voice.

And the beloved disciple would be sitting here in the front row.     

Where would you be?        Where are you?

 Do you see with the eyes of faith?

You and I have faith, we are believers;

we know:

       we are loved by God,

       Jesus is our Redeemer and our Savior,

       there is life anew given by the Holy Spirit.

And you and I, who have not seen, but have come to believe are blessed.

But this is not the end of the story.

And ‘he is risen’ is not the message Jesus gives to Mary Magdalene to tell the disciples.

But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’

There is more after the resurrection,

Jesus will ascend to God;

the love of God which was embodied in Jesus,

is not something temporary that was present only in the incarnation, but continues.

God is still with us.

Jesus’ return to God makes new life possible.

God who gives hope to his people;

 Jesus conquering death, taking on the sins of the world, our sins, and letting you and I experience God’s love for us.      

We are blessed for we are among

‘those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’

                     Amen.

             

What Gets in the Way

Last week during a devotional, a group of us were asked to write down things we love.  There was time to consider on how much we loved these 'things' and then were asked about our love for God.  Was there anything on our lists that we loved more than God?  Did anything on that list get in the way of loving God?

I have been thinking about how this could be done in a lesson form to discuss idolatry.
So let's do a little trial run with this idea....
  List 10 of your favorite things. 

 To make it easier fill in the 10 slots: 
     my favorite
            food    __________     place to go  __________    
           hobby   __________    clothing      __________     accessory    __________
           object   __________     feeling        __________     experience __________
           other    __________     anything     __________
 
So what did you put down? 

Coffee or pizza?     Grandma's house or the beach?     Biking or crafts?

  A blue dress or a silk tie?     A gold watch or pearl earrings?     Your laptop or comfy recliner?

  Joy when a puppy wags its tail or the good tired feeling after a hard day's work?


  The first time you tried something new or the fun of riding on a roller coaster?

  Or anything else that may go into a favorite category.....how much do you love these things?


Now consider the question.....do any of these things get in the way of your relationship with God?


Our electronic 24/7 world does not easily give us time to pause.  Our worship times may be rushed as to get on to the next event.  We schedule in the important events of life, yet can be unwilling to schedule in time for fellowship with others of faith and with God. 


Life is hard and busy and that time for pausing, praying, and worshiping gets swept aside.


We are at the beginning of Holy Week, the final week of Lent, as we prepare for the resurrection morning at Easter.  There should be time taken to wander through this week, on our journey of faith.


It is not a time to rush through a Maundy Thursday service to get back in time for the next life event.


It is a time to pray, to praise, to remember what God has done for us, the sacrifice Jesus has made for us, the glory that shines through the Holy Spirit which reaches into each of our lives.


Pause this week, put things aside this week, pray this week, and travel on the journey to a hope filled Easter morning!

Beauty in the Journey through Lent

Sermon given March 8, 2015 at Forest Hills Presbyterian Church, Richmond Va.
     Psalm 19     3rd Sunday of Lent


Beauty in the Journey Through Lent
We have so many names for God: 
            I Am, Yahweh, Lord, Redeemer, Rock, Protector, Father,  
                  and my favorite Creator.
 For me, I have always found God in creation, in nature;  
I am amazed by the world around me!
Think of the wonders you and I see around us each day: 
            -an amazing sunrise or beautiful sunset
            -the first flowers of spring (usually the daffodils) peeking up through snow
            -the bluest of blue skies or the brilliant colors of fall leaves
            -a thunderstorm which bring rain to wash the earth.
I love the Psalms;  
I love how they can speak to us about the world around us, the beauty of creation.

Creation manifests the glory of its creator.  
Psalm 19 is one of those psalms.
However, it is not only about the beauty that can be found in creation (those first 6 verses),
 but also the beauty found in God’s law (verses 7 through 10).
This psalm has a balance between creation
     The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
   and law.
      The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.
That 'refreshing the soul' is why we heard part of the Ten Commandments today;
 the verses that talk about Sabbath, about rest.
One of my professors at seminary when talking about the Sabbath, explains that God’s hope was not for the Sabbath to be only a once a week occurrence, but that it could be a way of living our lives.
That original day of rest was supposed to be the way of our lives,
     in communion with God,
     and living in a meaningful relationship with God.
But with human disobedience, it was not to be.
So the psalmist is seeking God’s pardon and restoration.
The psalmist sees a connection in taking time to be in God’s creation, to rest and finding delight in God’s law, the torah.
Through the torah the Lord revives, enhances, and guides human life.
Life depends on the torah as much as it depends on the daily rising of the sun.
God’s sovereignty is proclaimed by cosmic voices and the words of God are given to humankind in God's law.
God gives us a world to live in and laws that guide us in our life. 

But most importantly, this psalm affirms God's love.  
Love motivated God to create humankind and bear the burden of human disobedience.
God’s love is manifested in the story of Israel, in the life of the psalmist, and
        in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  

And of course, Easter morning is where our journey through Lent is leading us.
Leading us to that sunrise, that empty tomb, that renewal, that salvation. 

On this journey through Lent, beauty can be embraced.
As part of God’s creation, we are full of possibilities. 
How do you and I see God's creation? 
In her writings, the 12th century abbess and prophetess Hildegard of Bingen says we observe creation through our senses:

In seeing, we recognize the world, 

In hearing, we understand, 

In smelling, we discern. 

When you and I stop to take in the world around us,  

the beauty of our surroundings, 

we are given the gift of time: 

to take a breath, to pause, to thank our Creator. 

In this is the season of Lent, a season of preparation,  
we are on a journey to Easter morning.
To take a journey is to make a trip toward a place.
Although the final destination is not always clear to us, we know when we finally do arrive. 
Life is full of possibilities of the path we choose to get there. 
So how do you and I journey through this season of preparation?
Are we seeking God’s pardon and restoration?
Some give something up for Lent, some take on something new. 
Lent can be a time for meditation, study, and prayer; a learning experience,
  when you and I may learn a new way 
            to connect with God, 
            to listen to God, 
            to discern our path, our ongoing journey of faith. 
There may be the discovery of hidden beauty,
 where God shines light into the dark spaces and 
thus brings out the hidden beauty found in everyday life and circumstances.
And there are dark spaces on the road to Easter morning;
  to get to that morning, we must go through the betrayal by Judas, the horror of the cross, and the sadness of death.
How can we prepare ourselves for the glory of Easter morning?
One may suggest by embracing the world around us and by 
  examining how God’s laws influence and guide our daily lives. 

The bigger question may be
  how might you and I prepare for the coming day when all will be resurrected?
Our ultimate journey, 
          to be in communion with God, 
          to have that meaningful and deep relationship,
          to finally have Sabbath.
I ask the question, but I do not have an answer.
Each individual discovers their own path,
  we do it with help from others and as we help others,
   it is done within a community of faith and fellowship,
    and with guidance from the Lord above, 
          through the love of God, 
          the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and 
         the power of the Holy Spirit.
There is beauty on our journey through Lent.
You and I will arrive at Easter morning because we are being guided by the brightly shining, coming light of God's love and glory from that resurrection morning.

 

Our Own Diverse Community

Our Own Diverse Community

There have been a lot of events lately that seem to separate people from one another.  Labels are being used, usually to categorize people and claim differences among us.  Even phrases that are used to call attention to social injustice can be taken as words of division.

 I am hoping there is a phrase that will connect us all, despite our differences in race, gender, nationality, age, denomination, background, or life’s circumstances.

 Let us do a quick roll call of who we are, making sure to respond with the words “Child of God”.

African American        “Child of God”

White                           “Child of God”

Korean                         “Child of God”

African                        “Child of God”

Man                             “Child of God”

Woman                        “Child of God”

Gay                              “Child of God”

Straight                        “Child of God”

Married                        “Child of God”

Divorced                      “Child of God”

Single                           “Child of God”

Engaged                       “Child of God”

20-something               “Child of God”

30-something               “Child of God”

40-something                “Child of God”

50 plus                         “Child of God”

Presbyterian                 “Child of God”

Baptist                          “Child of God”

Lutheran                       “Child of God”

Methodist                     “Child of God”

Episcopalian                 “Child of God”

Just out of college        “Child of God”

2^nd career                      “Child of God”

Retired                         “Child of God”

Path to ordination         “Child of God”

Discerning a call           “Child of God”

These are a few of the diverse images I see on my seminary campus, my little corner of the world.  There is diversity here as there is in any community.  May we not separate ourselves with labels and words that divide, but come together in the grace of God’s light to see each other as brothers and sisters.

The Overflowing Toilet

The Overflowing Toilet

I am not someone who easily asks for help.  I admit this freely, I value my independence and do not like depending on others.  Yes, I depend on friends and I am open to making deep relationships with others.  However, I am used to being the one that is called on for help, the one that will listen and give support.

But there are circumstances when no matter how hard I try, I just cannot do something without help.  And when the time comes, and I have tried to do it on my own first, the need can be like an overflowing toilet. 

I am not just speaking metaphorically here.  This happened over the weekend –the toilet overflowed.  I know the horrific image you probably have in your mind and yes it was that bad and worse. So I will save the unpleasant details and let your imagination do its job.

Needless to say, I tried and failed to fix it on my own.  I am a resourceful woman who can do basic handywoman work; I am no stranger to a plunger.  Plunge, plunge, flush –didn’t work, repeat, oh no water rising in toilet, plunge, plunge, flush, overflow….

Paper towels came out, bath mat doomed, trying to stop the madness before it reached every corner of the bathroom.  Call the apartment maintenance, they come to the rescue –mega plunger in hand.  Not only did they fix the clog, but fixed the loose handle on the toilet as well.

All that was left was the clean-up.  A whole roll of paper towels, a favorite towel (doomed like the bathmat), a lot of disinfectant, a lot of mopping, and there is once again a sparkle in the bathroom.

My lesson has been learned. 

Ask for help before the overflow; let others help.

Do not let things get so clogged up (emotionally or spiritually) that you will be dealing with a real mess.  And always have plenty of paper towels (or Kleenex) –just in case.