Sunday, April 17, 2016
“The Power of Easter”
Scripture: Acts 9:36-43
We have read that Jesus appeared to his followers a number of times before he returned to his heavenly home. He amazed them every time with his presence, and he blessed them with the things he continued to teach. But the full power of the Spirit had yet to come to the believers.
In those precious few moments before he ascended, the Lord gave the faithful two more promises for their lives. In Acts 1:4-5, he told them that they were to wait in Jerusalem, for the Spirit was about to come onto them. And in Acts 1:7-8, he promised that when the Holy Spirit came upon them, that they would “receive power” which would enable them to be the Lord’s witnesses throughout the earth.
The Spirit could not come until Jesus left them. But when he came, the world would experience a power unlike anything they had ever known before. (John 16:7-11) And that power would rest upon the faithful. John 16 tells us that the Spirit would prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement – sin, because the world didn’t believe Jesus; righteousness, because Jesus has returned to the Father; and judgment, because the ruler of the world has now been condemned.
And the Spirit of God would be working though all who can truly claim faith in the name of Jesus Christ. The Spirit would first manifest itself at Pentecost, but that would only be the beginning – that holy power was about to start flowing in incredible ways, and to unexpected places.
Read Acts 9:36-39
By the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter has become a new man. The old, impetuous, speaking-before-thinking, foot-in-mouth Peter discovered his new calling at Pentecost when he delivered the most powerful sermon of his life. (Acts 2:14-41) He would soon begin to heal the lame, confront the liars, would discover that even the Gentiles were welcome in the Kingdom, and he continued to preach the Good News to whoever would listen. And others would begin to see the strength and power that came to those who believed in Jesus.
The company of faithful was already beginning to spread throughout the area – even into Samarian towns like Lydda and Joppa. We aren’t sure who brought the Message of Jesus to these outcasts, but it could have begun with the woman who met Jesus at Jacob’s well, and who then went and began to tell everyone – especially those who had ostracized her – about this wonderful man. (John 4:1-42) And this woman, Dorcus, was one who had heard. She had become a believer in Christ, and she took her faith seriously. She cared for the poor and widows, just as Jesus told us to (Matthew 25:34-46), and others were blessed by her Christ-like love. And when she died, her Christian friends cared for her by sending for Peter. Her body had been prepared for burial, but that didn’t deter the Apostle. He came just the same.
This was no longer a Peter who sought honor for himself, or who stumbled in faith, or who, when the situation turned ugly, looked the other way. This was a Peter who was walking in the Power of the Spirit. He now knew where he was to be, he knew who he was to see, he knew what he was to say and do, and this was a new Peter who no longer questioned and doubted. Peter had accepted the power and call of the Holy Spirit.
Read Acts 9:40-43
By the power of the Spirit, Peter tells Dorcus to get up, which she does. He helps her out of bed and takes her to the mourners so that they might know for certain that she lives once again. Before this, it is fairly apparent that the widows are not believers. They mourn death and don’t celebrate the impending new life - they don’t seem have faith that Peter can do anything to change the situation. And even now we don’t read that they, in particular, believe, but they certainly did spread the news that Peter had raised Dorcus from the dead!
And he decided to stay in Joppa for a while longer. It is interesting to note the person who he would be staying with – a tanner. A tanner dealt with dead animals, stripping the hide from their carcass, cleaning the flesh and blood off it, and applying chemicals to keep the hide from deteriorating. An orthodox Jew would be required to avoid the death that was inherent in the body, flesh and blood of a dead body. They wouldn’t associate with any person who did, and they definitely wouldn’t enter the home of such a person. But the “new” Peter did. He had begun to change dramatically!
While Peter followed Jesus, he seemed to live in a constant struggle with what this new relationship meant for him. He was certainly bold and outspoken, but his actions didn’t always convey a sense of faithful service. He could, upon occasion, express faithful words, but his actions were generally anything but Christ-like. Such was Peter’s problem when he began to walk toward Jesus on the water. (Matthew 14:22-33) He spoke faithful and obedient words, but after a step or two, He began to sink. Was it due to the distraction of the natural storm, or the doubts of a spiritual storm that had surged up in his heart, or was it the storm of desire for personal glory and honor? Regardless, his actions couldn’t live up to his words.
Do you see the change that has come over him? It is no longer the words that Peter expresses that control his life – now it is his heart for Jesus that leads him. It is no longer the worldly Peter who we see walking in faith – it is the faithful Peter who now walks in the Spirit throughout the world. It is no longer the man who is strong in body and confident in his own abilities – he has become a humble man who now knows the power that comes from Easter’s Resurrection.
Without Easter, Good Friday would have triumphed - not only over Jesus, but over Peter and all who had placed their hope in Christ. But with Easter, with the resurrection, the death that had appeared to win was now destroyed, and a new life had begun to thrive and grow in all who believed. First Mary, then John, then Peter, then Thomas and the others – life began to fill them all, and when the Holy Spirit came into the world, that new life took on an authority and purpose and call and ability unlike anything the world could ever hope to offer.
And there is no expiration date assigned to that resurrection power - it is available to all who confess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, regardless of the day and age! The Power of the Spirit rests on those who readily follow wherever the Spirit leads, and who don’t hesitate to accept that responsibility. As Peter began this new journey in his new life, it wouldn’t be an easy time for him. He would know persecution and rejection and death, but he had a renewed confidence in the faith he had expressed at Caesarea Philippi with those marvelous words “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” (Matthew 16:13-20) I think that he had uttered those words of faith through his knowledge, but now he held those words powerfully within his heart. Peter had to grow in those words, and so do we.
Where are you in your walk with the Lord? Are you straddling the fence of faith – knowing what Jesus taught, but hoping that your worldly life will suffice? Are you standing at the entrance of the empty tomb, wanting to believe, but unsure as to what it all means for you? Have you taken that risky step in faith, only to find yourself slipping and falling and nearly drowning in the sea of doubt?
Peter had to surrender himself to the Living Spirit of God, and that is the solution for each of us. God is power and majesty, but unlike the worldly equivalents, he never demands that we accept his authority for our lives. It is simply offered, and we get to either accept it, or reject it.
Remember Jesus’ parable of the Talents? (Matthew 25:14-30) The two servants who were faithful to the Master’s call were rewarded and glorified. But the third servant, who had professed faith and trust in his Master, but who had failed to do as he was told, lost everything and was cast out of the Master’s presence.
We, too, can choose to walk with the Spirit and follow Jesus’ commands, or we can choose to simply offer lip service. But lip service gains us nothing. In James 2:17, we read “… faith by itself, if it has no action, is dead.” When Peter was led to deliver that sermon on Pentecost, he did so, certainly in faith, but also in trust that he would be given all that he needed. And he was. When we step out in faith, whether we understand the Spirit’s call on us or not, the Lord will never allow us to fail.
The resurrection power of Easter comes to us through the Holy Spirit whenever our faith is expressed in faithful action. May it be so with each and every one of us.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
“The Call of Easter”
Scripture: John 21:1-19
During Jesus’ ministry, he not only taught the masses and healed their woes, but he developed a strong relationship with all who would follow him. He had intimate conversations with his disciples, sometimes explaining his teachings in more detail, sometimes giving them experiences to firm up their faith, and sometimes he held them accountable for what they had heard and learned.
No one was “let off the hook” when it came to the truth of God – not those who opposed him, and definitely not those who professed faith in him. Even after his resurrection, the teaching and the calling and the accountability continued.
When Mary Magdalene encountered him in the garden, he wouldn’t allow her to worship him – he gave her a task – to go and deliver a message to the men who were still hiding in that locked room. (John 20:10-18)
When he joined the men in the locked room later that day, he breathed his Holy Spirit on them, and told them that they needed to spread his message of forgiveness to others. (John 20:20-23)
When Thomas returned and Jesus called him to account for his doubt, the man was told to stop doubting, presumably so that he could get on with the ministry that the Lord required of him. (John 20:24-31)
While the two men walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, he opened the scriptures to them, showing them that everything that had been prophesied had come true, and they rushed back to Jerusalem to spread the word that Jesus was alive. (Luke 24:13-35)
He had spent three years preparing his disciples to assume the ministry that he had begun, and now, he was moving them beyond their fears and uncertainty, and into a sense of hope and promise. So far, his appearances had been in and around Jerusalem, but would he remain there? Would those who believed in him have to come to the city to experience his presence? Or would he be wherever the faithful were?
Read John 21:1-3
Jesus would appear to his disciples – not in Jerusalem, but in the Galilee. There has been some discussion through the years as to why the disciples left Jerusalem to return to their “home ground”. In Matthew 28:8-10, Jesus tells Mary to take a message to the men – that they are to go to Galilee, and there they will see Jesus again. This journey north was not so much an escape from the glare of the Roman and Jewish officials, as it was to follow Jesus’ order.
So they went, and while they waited for Jesus to arrive, they decided to go fishing. Peter, John, and several others were very comfortable with this activity, so they went out on the lake – to relax, to get away from others, and very possibly to discuss the happenings of the past several weeks.
But the fishing didn’t go so well, and as any fisherman knows, some days the fish just don’t cooperate! This was one of those nights – the fish had all gone elsewhere. But as they visited and reminisced on what they had learned from Jesus, one of them may have remembered Jesus’ call to them to leave their life on the lake in favor of following him so that he could remake them into “fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:18-22) They certainly had no luck in their own attempts at fishing, and they may even have thought that “fishing for men” might be just as fruitless! The lesson, though was actually that either form of fishing would be unproductive without Jesus’ guidance.
There is a lesson here for us, too – that without approval by God, anything that we do, whether in our secular activities, or in our faith expression, if our life’s efforts aren’t centered on the Lord, success will be a fleeting thing.
Read John 21:4-8
On their own, they were unsuccessful, but when they followed the Lord’s instruction, the victory was far greater than they had ever expected! Have we ever had a similar experience? To strike out on our own, thinking that we are working within God’s will, only to discover later that this wasn’t what he intended for us at all!
But when they did as Jesus said, they caught more fish than they could handle! And that is when they recognize their Lord. Have you noticed that in each of the encounters that the faithful had with the Risen Christ, they had difficulty in recognizing him at first? Mary needed to hear her name called; Thomas needed to see the unhealed wounds in Jesus’ hands and side; after walking for miles with the Lord, Cleopas and his friend would finally realize who he was when the bread was broken at dinner. And now, Jesus’ identity is revealed when the men follow his instructions.
Do you see a pattern developing? Jesus acts, speaks, calls, teaches, and we respond – it isn’t the other way around! God doesn’t respond to our desires – we are to respond to his.
Read John 21:9-14
Have you noticed that Jesus has made all of the preparations for the disciples’ breakfast? He arrives at the seashore at just the right time, he provides the hot coals to cook the meal,he already has fish on the fire, and bread ready to eat, he tells them exactly where and when to catch even more fish – and it would be the most incredible harvest of fish they had ever seen, he makes the net strong enough so that it didn’t break, and he even offers the invitation to join him in the meal. He did it all! And all the disciples had to do was to do as he told them.
There was no question as to who this was. Who else could have put this incredible experience together - at just the right place, at just the right time, and in just the right way? And what did the men have to do? They had to show up and follow!
Jesus provides. But when we put so much of ourselves into an effort that we become exhausted and discouraged, it just might be that we are doing far more than what God ever intended for us to do!
Now don’t get me wrong – I’m not suggesting that we can just sit back, doing nothing, expecting that the Lord will do it all! Not so. The disciples didn’t just sit back, waiting for breakfast to be prepared – they had to be on the lake, they had to cast their net in just the right spot, they had to drag that heavy catch to shore, and they had to accept the invitation to eat. They didn’t have to row all over the lake searching for just the right fishing hole, they didn’t have to devise some plan to get that excessive number of fish to swim into their nets, and they didn’t have to prepare the fire. Jesus brought it all together for them, but they had to be there, and had to accept some responsibility, if it was all to work out to God’s glory.
The disciples, and we, are called to join with the Lord in ministry. They, and we, are called to share in bringing others to salvation in Jesus’ name. Jesus’ ministry has become a joint effort between Almighty God and us. Remember the words “Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. [You] will do even greater things than these …” (John 14:12) We are called to do the things that Jesus did – never alone, but always together with him.
Read John 21:15-19
The three questions that Jesus asks of Peter seem to irritate him. As well they should. We remember that night not so long before when Peter denied even knowing Jesus, let alone confessing that he was a believer. (Mark 14:66-72) And now Peter is being asked, not just if he loves his Lord, but he is told that if he truly does, he is to show that love to others. Over and over, Jesus describes his followers as his sheep, and that there are many folds but one flock. (John 10:14-16) Peter has just been called to care for them all.
If he had really thought about it, he would probably have wondered what Jesus was up to. He had not yet to come to the realization that the gentiles might become part of this Great Flock that we know as the Church. But he was more concerned with the last part of Jesus’ statement – that in the years to come, there would be a time when others would have control over his movements. Jesus wasn’t referring to his leading, but rather to Peter’s arrest and crucifixion. But regardless of what was to come in the future, Peter was to care for Jesus’ “flock” wherever and whenever he could.
Jesus never taught just for the people of that day – his word is for all time. This passage isn’t about the Lord’s call on Peter, James John and the other’s lives – his call is for all, throughout time, who believe in him. These words aren’t meant to only challenge the men who had breakfast with him that morning – they are the challenge for the people of yesterday, today and beyond.
Do we trust the Lord enough to follow wherever he leads us, to do whatever he asks of us, to love whoever he places in our care? Matthew 11:28-30 tells us that we are yoked with Christ – that means that we must work together to accomplish the will of God, and that where one goes, the other must also go. A yoke allows the load to be distributed between the workers to the extent that each is able to carry. And since God is always infinitely able - he leads, we follow, and we can trust his words that “[his] yoke is easy and [his] burden is light.”
And that is an offer that we all must accept, and serve in, and live with.
Sunday, April 3, 2016
“The Responsibility of Easter”
Scripture: John 20:19-31
How many things in our lives never get done because “I just don’t have the time!”? When I worked at NYSEG, the company would sponsor “Time Management” courses from time to time. The classes would generally take 3-4 days, and some would actually last an entire week. I took a class once, and the focus, as I remember, was primarily on situational analysis (or figuring out what was wrong so you could correct some adverse condition) and delegation of responsibility. The first was more of a common sense approach to observation, and the second was fine if you had enough subordinates that you could assign your work to!
The problem, though, is not actually about managing time! Have you ever tried to make time go more slowly so you could get more done? Or increase the hours in the day by another 100 to 200 minutes? Time moves ahead at a given pace, regardless of what we do to slow it down!
The issue that we should focus on is taking responsibility for our own lives – which actually is about managing our self and setting reasonable priorities upon our life’s activities. Oh sure – there will always be those times when our priorities will get turned on their ear, and our efforts to “Manage Self” becomes an exercise in futility, generally because of others, but that doesn’t mean that “Keeping the Main thing the Main thing” shouldn’t be our everyday endeavor.
Read John 20:19-23
Mary has reported her encounter with the Living Jesus, and Peter has confirmed the emptiness of the tomb, and yet, these faithful followers are still hiding out in abject fear of the authorities. You would think that they would be celebrating; you would think that they would be out telling everyone they meet that Jesus is alive! And yet, where are they? Cowering in a hiding place, with the door locked and bolted shut, shaking in their boots. Were the Jews out looking for them? Probably, but more likely, they expected that this would be the end of all the nonsense involving this Jesus. Were the Romans out looking for them? Absolutely, but not so much because they were believers, but because they were trying to find out who took the Body!
They had a message that the world just had to hear, and what were they doing? They were locked away, scared stiff! Much to their surprise, though, Jesus comes to them, right where they are. And he greets them with “Peace be with you.” This would become a fairly common greeting, especially in many of the letters from the apostle Paul, but it would also become a confirmation of a promise that Jesus had made some time before. In John 14:27-29, he offers his followers these very words, and calls them to believe. That had been a pretty difficult thing to do - until now that is. For 3 years, Jesus had been preparing his friends for this very day, and now he was preparing them for the days to come.
The Lord’s Peace is being offered to the very people who will soon begin to experience the same level of hatred and persecution that Jesus did, and his gift of “Peace” to these frightened men and women is his promise that they will not face the world and their animosity alone – that his Peace will sustain them and accompany them - wherever they go, and in whatever they experience. And in addition to his peace, he breaths his Spirit upon them. The Peace of Christ will sustain them in their upcoming ministry, and the Spirit of Christ will empower and enable them to continue to serve in his name.
This can almost be seen as a commissioning ceremony – a time when the people are given God’s blessing to act on his behalf and in his name. They are now even allowed to forgive sin – remember that the Jews believed that only God could forgive sin, and that this is what got Jesus into trouble several times! But the Risen Jesus tells them that their forgiveness is binding in heaven, and the lack of their forgiveness is also bound securely.
And remember that by faith in Jesus Christ, we, too, have that commissioning and blessing. But in receiving the authority to do these things, there is a tremendous responsibility that comes along with it. Matthew 7:1-2 tells us that we aren’t to judge others, because when we do, that is how we will be judged. In Matthew 5:19, we read that when we follow the Lord’s law and teach others to do the same, we will be honored in heaven, but if we fail to follow the law, and teach others to disregard it, too, we will know the Father’s anger.
Faith in Christ, and all that this faith brings, can give us both a great blessing for our lives, as well as a heavy cross to bear!
Read John 20:24-25
Poor Thomas! Because of this statement, he would be dubbed “The Doubter”, when actually, the others were no less doubtful than he was! What did they do when Mary came running with the news of Jesus resurrection? THEY DOUBTED! What did Jesus do to reassure them when he appeared in the locked room? HE SHOWED THEM HIS HANDS AND SIDE! Thomas is no different than the others - he is simply seeking tangible proof for his faith, just as they did.
Are we any different? Do we ever doubt? Do we ever seek proof of Christ’s call on our lives? How often do we, in faith, look for justification for what we believe? Thomas isn’t such a strange guy, is he? Or perhaps, we aren’t any stranger than he was!
So how did Jesus react to his questioning?
Read John 20:26-31
Two issues that we need to be especially cognizant of:
First, note the absence, in this instance, of any words indicating that the believers continued to “fear the Jews”. The doors were still locked, but had the fear left them?
Second, Thomas’ presence is specifically noted, possibly as an indication that he is about to receive what the others already had.
But did Jesus actually have to return to this room to grant Thomas the gifts of Peace and Spirit? Certainly not, but I believe that there was a specific reason that he did return. His purpose was to complete the transformation of these peoples’ lives, from that of “follower” to that of “believer”. This change is all that Jesus and Thomas talk about. He offers himself to the man, not to embarrass or chastise him, but to solidify his believe in who Jesus is for him. We don’t read that Thomas ever took Jesus up on his offer, but probably the very offer itself was enough. And Thomas believed.
And the Evangelist writes that all of these words were written so that we might believe in Jesus as the Son of God and that those who believe will have eternal life through him. But if we truly believe, and receive that eternal life in Christ, what will that require of us? Well, it led these disciples, and that includes many more than just the 11, to carry the Good News of Jesus throughout the world!
And what does all of this mean for us? First, it means that the Spirit of fear will no longer have control over our lives. We will have the courage to carry the gospel, perhaps not as far as the early apostles did, but as far as God needs us to. Second, we, too, receive the power of the Spirit – to forgive sin, to be the means that heal broken bodies and broken lives, to be able to discern the truth of God over the lies of the world, to carry the Gospel message to those who are still living in the darkness of worldly thought, and to do all of the other things that the Lord has yet to reveal to us.
In Romans 10:13-15 – we read that our calling is not one to be lived out in an easy-going, stoic existence! The responsibility that comes to those who are Easter people is summed up in our texts for today. We are to know and claim the Peace of Christ for our lives; we are to trust the leading of the Spirit and follow wherever he might take us; we are to have voices that sing the praises of Almighty God and his Son Jesus Christ everywhere we go; and we are to rejoice in the feet that take us into the opportunities of service in the name of Jesus Christ.
No fear. No doubt. No apprehension. No denial of God’s call. Just to believe and trust and accept and go in his Name, to bring praises and honor and glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! That is the blessing and the responsibility of Easter for all who believe.
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