Young at Heart Message

Imagine that you receive an invitation to a wedding.

What are the first things you might do when you receive an invitation to determine if you will attend or not?

You might:

1. Look at who is inviting you. How well do you know the people?

2. When is it? Does it conflict with any other plans you already had?
 
3. If it does conflict with plans you already have, are the plans you had flexible? Do you WANT to change them?

4. If it doesn’t conflict with plans you already had, to you WANT to go?

5. Where is it? How far away is it? Do you need to fly or can you drive?

6. What else might you need to give up to attend this wedding? Will you miss out on time spent with someone else, or will you spend more money than you have or want to spend on a wedding?
 
After you have weighed all the basic questions you might have about the wedding, you can determine if you’ll attend or not and you can return your RSVP.

But ultimately, you have two options:

✅ Yes, I will attend
❌ No, I will not attend

I suppose there might be some other options, such as “I will get a gift or send a card, but cannot attend.” But for planning purposes for the people who invited you, your choices are yes, or no.
 
Now, what if we were invited to do something much more difficult to decide on?

As an example, I am going to use my invitation to come to Calgary to pastor a church.

This was a lot more complex decision to make. I won’t even be able to list all of the things I had to think about before choosing to say “yes” to coming here, but here are a few things I had to consider:

1. Do I WANT to move to Canada?

2. Do I want to leave my current church?
 
3. Do I want to give up running my business?

4. Do I want to sell the house I just bought?

5. Do I want to leave my family and friends behind and go to a place where I don’t know anyone?

6. Can my dogs – the only family who could come along – go with me?

7. Can I afford to do this?

8. What else am I giving up to do this?

9. What might I gain?

10. What am I afraid of?
 
This list could go on and on.

The point here is this:

We cannot be called to something without first being called away from something else.

Every invitation we receive – whether it’s something relatively minor like a wedding invitation or something major like an invitation to a new job – requires us to make a choice between what we had planned, and what could be.

We cannot choose one thing without giving up something else.
 
It is possible, of course, to set our life up in such a way that we reduce the number of decisions we might need to make like this.

This is why we create routines. Routines are safe, and they protect us from having to make difficult decisions.

When we set up routines, we prioritize the things that are most important to us and we choose to spend our time on those things.

But, no matter how well we might set up our routine to reduce the need to make choices, unexpected things still crop up that require thought.
 
The Message

So, that leads us to today’s scripture passage.

In Matthew 4: 18-20, we hear Jesus call his first four disciples who were all in the middle of their daily routines: Peter and Andrew were called while they were casting their net into the sea, and James and John were in a boat with their father mending their nets.

In today’s scripture passage from Matthew 9:13, Jesus sees Matthew working at a counting desk collecting taxes.
 
Matthew is in the middle of his daily routine when he is called as well.

It isn’t as though these people that Jesus called didn’t have anything else to do with their time.

None of them were sitting idly by, waiting for an invitation from someone to do something. All of these men were working – presumably to provide for themselves and possibly for their families as well.

Matthew was employed by Rome and likely risked a lot to leave his post.
 
And yet, Jesus called, and each of these men followed immediately.

They didn’t even do what most of us do, which is exactly what I did earlier – they didn’t make lists of questions or concerns they had about re-arranging their entire life in order to accept this invitation.

Matthew didn’t choose Jesus in this moment – Jesus chose Matthew.

Jesus chose a tax collector – someone who was seen as an oppressor, a traitor, and a generally “shady” human being by most standards of the day.
 
And Matthew, in obedient service, follows Jesus the moment he calls.

He doesn’t appear to even wonder what will happen when Pharisees wonder what he’s doing with Jesus. He doesn’t appear to even wonder if he is worthy of being called by Jesus in the first place.

He simply obeys Jesus’s command and follows him.

Matthew has two choices in this moment:

✅ Yes I will
❌ No, I won’t
 
Matthew doesn’t get a chance to prepare himself. The expectation here is simple: you either follow and I will teach you what you need to know, or you do not. There is no room for hesitation.

And we see that Matthew heeds the call. He accepts the invitation without hesitation.

Jesus calls this man that everyone else sees as having an unacceptable status, and Matthew doesn’t question why Jesus calls him. He simply gets up and follows.

This is quite incredible.
 
What is implied in Matthew’s choice to follow Jesus is the fact that he must leave his desk – his post presumably given to him by Rome. This desk which is a symbol of his “sinfulness” according to the local customs.

This story, then, is a reminder that God never calls us to something without first calling us away from something else.

In fact, it would be impossible not to be called away from something else, because we all have limited time in our lives and we naturally fill that time with doing things that are important, at least in the moment.
 
Some people may never fully come into discipleship because they find themselves unable to let go of commitments in which they are legitimately engaged before the call of God comes into their lives.

Any of the five disciples mentioned – Peter, Andrew, James, John, or Matthew – could have chosen not to answer the call because they could not leave their work, their families, or the lives they were living to follow.

Similarly, I could have chosen not to answer my call here for the same reasons.
 
I was already legitimately engaged in multiple aspects of life when I received the call here.

In fact, all pastors are legitimately engaged – in ministry, in their communities, in their lives, and often also in the lives of their children – when they receive a call to a new church.

So, choosing to decline a call is understandable. And we don’t actually know – maybe Jesus called others before or in between these disciples who declined to follow because they could not leave the lives they were engaged in.
 
But, the thing about a call or an invitation like this is that you can never get to the next thing that God has for you until you can let go of where you are and follow.

It requires tremendous trust and faith in a God who might be asking you to do something that feels risky, but who is also asking you to trust that the risk will pay off.

It may not always seem that way right away – the disciples, for example, had to go through some extremely difficult periods of danger, grief, and loss in order to follow Jesus.
 
I had to go through some extremely challenging periods over the last 3 years as well.

And, while the challenging moments seem to be fewer and further between, they still crop up.

And yet in both cases, the risk was worth the reward.

The disciples got to experience something that no one else in the history of time got to experience.

And likewise, I have gotten to experience things that I never would have had opportunity for had I not accepted this call.
 
The call of God is far-reaching. Most people – including the Pharisees – who saw Jesus call Matthew questioned that choice.

But Jesus saw something in Matthew that no one else was willing to see. He took a chance on him, and Matthew delivered.

Jesus saw something in Matthew that he deemed worthy.

And Jesus sees something in us that deems us worthy, as well.
 
You can’t get to the next thing that God has for you until you can let go of where you are now and follow the call.

God calls us because we are worthy of being called.

God calls us to step outside our comfortable places and see what else there is to see.

God calls us to a life of wonder and new possibilities.

So, may we each consider what God is calling us to, and may we accept the risk and rewards of following.
 
May you open your heart and your mind to hear God’s call and may you consider boldly stepping forward to accept the call.

God believes you are worthy, and the Good News we hear in scripture is that God wants you to believe you are worthy, too.

So as you leave here today, may you know with certainty that you are worthy – of God’s love, God’s call, and God’s grace.
​
Amen.
 
Let us pray:
 
Glorious and gracious God, we come before you today with hope in the future. And, we come before with deep and steady faith that you are always leading us and guiding us, even when life gets difficult or uncertain. We ask that you help us to hear and then heed your call. Help us to take the risk to accept your nudges because we know that we cannot get to the next thing you have for us if we are not willing to put one foot in front of the other. God, help us to be willing. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.

​Now it would be almost impossible to lift the original colours off the plate without getting any blended colours.

Our eyes can still tell, for the most part, what the original colours were. But we are pretty much beyond able to parse out the individual colours.
​
And in this next one…

​Now we can hardly tell what the original colours were with our eyes. We certainly wouldn’t be able to lift any of the original colours at this point from the plate.
​
And finally…

​Can anyone tell what the original colours were anymore?

If I asked you to take this plate of paint and separate out the original colours, could you do it?

Definitely not. Not without some extremely fancy tool of some kind.

I’m sure it exists… somewhere. But it’s not something we could do on our own for sure.

This final photo is essentially colour chaos. Well, really, it’s a totally new colour.
 
But if we look at where we started and where we are now, this image is pure chaos of blended colour. It is impossible to discern what colours we started with, and extra impossible to separate out those colours if we were given this task to do.

And yet, this is exactly the task that our Creator God set out to do.

“When God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth was complete chaos…”

In other words, God started with our blended colour photo and set out to try to separate the chaos into some kind of order.
 
This is a task that, to us, would seem utterly impossible.

And yet God simply had to say “let there be light” and the light separated from the jumbled chaos.

If I had our blended, chaotic colour plate here in front of me and I said “let there be turquoise,” absolutely nothing would happen. You would look at me like I’d lost my mind.

So it would be helpful for us to take a brief moment to recognize the magnitude of God’s ability to create order from chaos.
 
The Message

Scholars have written an abundance of theories and analyses of Genesis 1-2. You could spend your entire life reading and analyzing these two verses if you wanted to.

But, for our purposes, it might be useful to think about the enormity – the gravity – the magnitude – of this passage and of what this creation story might mean for us on a practical level in our lives today. 
 
It’s easy to assume that this passage is some cosmic story written to impress us, or to emphasize some theological fact or perspective.

But what if the purpose is simply to help us understand just how amazing it is that we are here in this time and place in the first place?

I’d like to share with you a couple paragraphs from John O’Donohue’s Anam Cara. John O’Donohue was an Irish poet, author, and priest, and many would say he was a prolific Christian mystic as well.

He has written many blessings, poems, and deeply spiritual passages.

Today, I want to share with you two paragraphs from the section of his book called “To Be Born Is to Be Chosen.”

He says,

“To be born is to be chosen. No one is here by accident. Each one of us was sent here for a special destiny. When a fact is read in a spiritual way, its deeper meaning often emerges. When you consider the moment of conception, there are endless possibilities. Yet in most cases, only one child is conceived. This seems to suggest that a certain selectivity is already at work.
 
“This selectivity intimates a sheltering providence that dreamed you, created you, and always minds you. You were not consulted on the major factors that shaped your destiny: when you were to be born; where you would be born; to whom you would be born. Imagine the difference it would have made to your life had you been born into the house next door. Your identity was not offered for your choosing. In other words, a special destiny was prepared for you. But you were also given freedom and creativity to go beyond the given, to make a new set of relationships and to forge an ever new identity, inclusive of the old but not limited to it. 
 
“This is the secret pulse of growth, which is quietly at work behind the outer façade of your life. Destiny sets the outer frame of experience and life; freedom finds and fills its inner form.

“For millions of years, before you arrived here, the dream of your individuality was carefully prepared. You were sent to a shape of destiny which you would be able to express the special gift you bring to the world. Sometimes this gift may involve suffering and pain that can neither be accounted for nor explained. There is a unique destiny for each person.
 
“Each one of us has something to do here that can be done by no one else. If someone else could fulfill your destiny, then they would be in your place, and you would not be here. It is in the depths of your life that you will discover the invisible necessity that has brought you here. When you begin to decipher this, your gift and giftedness come alive. Your heart quickens and the urgency of living rekindles your creativity.”

- John O’Donohue, from Anam Cara
 
I think some would hear this and believe it is a nod to the concept of predestination. That is not where we are going today, but I don’t read that here.

Instead, I read this in light of our Genesis passage and the amazing feat that God undertook to separate out light from darkness, heaven from earth, night and day, plants and animals, and ultimately, humans.

And even if you aren’t fully convinced of the creation story and lean instead toward the scientific explanations of creation, the fact of the matter is that our being here is incredible.
 
The complexity of biological and environmental circumstances that had to manifest themselves such that each one of us could be born into this time and place is uniquely special and important.

I think John O’Donohue emphasises the enormity of this perfectly.

To simplify it all, none of us should take our lives for granted because we have been gifted something amazing.

Yes, life throws us curveballs sometimes. Yes, life is hard sometimes.
 
Yes, some of us grew up in difficult or traumatic homes. Some of us have been through incredibly difficult circumstances or life experiences.

I am not discounting those things, and I am not saying that we shouldn’t feel the emotions or the pain, the grief or the longing, the shame or the regret that come along with those things.

But what I am saying is that in order for each of us to be here now, not only did the biology of our parents’ reproductive systems have to mingle perfectly, but so did the systems and circumstances of every one of our ancestors before us.
 
We know that many movies and stories throughout history have played with this concept.

Back to the Future, for instance, plays with the idea of time travel and the notion that even one small change to the past could make it such that we couldn’t exist in the present.

In short, we are just one of many examples of order being created out of chaos.

Each one of us was created to be here in this time and place.
 
And often, when we think of the magnitude of this reality, we may struggle with our sense of purpose or our reason for being here.

We are inclined to think that we must do something grand and memorable with our life. We must live our life with purpose, and if we don’t feel that we are fulfilling that “duty,” then we feel a weight of failure fall upon our shoulders.

But I don’t think Genesis or John O’Donohue is telling us that we are failures if we don’t fulfill some grand purpose.

What if our purpose is simply to live a life of wonder, or to love and care for our family, or to create art of some kind, or to impact another person’s life in some way?

We don’t need to stress over this, but neither should we take our lives for granted.

We were each uniquely and wonderfully chosen to be here. Somehow, God separated us from the chaos and created us for this time and place.

And, we have each been brought to this community – in some way or another – for a reason.
 
We were created from the “dust of the ground” as a reminder that our calling is always toward the flourishing of life in the world.

Made from the dust of the ground, we are designed to return to the earth, for the replenishing and renewal of the world.

It is a vision of the past and future that can transform our present.

We are in humble service to a God who can do the impossible and separate order from chaos. 
 
We are each unique and this fact should leave us in absolute awe and wonder of a God who created us and chose us for this time and place.

So, may we leave here with a sense of assurance that God loves us and chose to separate us from the chaos – to combine our unique DNA and life circumstances such that we are capable of being here now, together.

You are a wonder. You have been chosen. You are loved beyond measure and beyond human comprehension. Amen.

Let us pray:
​
Gracious and loving God, we are in absolute awe at your creation, and our existence here in this world. Not only are we in awe, but we are filled with deep and unending gratitude for our lives and your presence in them. We are grateful for this community and the love and care we experience from, with, and for one another. Be with us as we move through our day and our week ahead. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.

The Message

*Note: There is no sermon recording today because we will be spending most of the sermon time in discussion groups.

Does it ever feel to you like our society has shifted from a “we” society to a “me” society?

It should. A while back, Google released a searchable database of 5.2 million books published since 1500.

Researchers quickly discovered that, between 1960 and 2008, individualistic words increasingly overshadowed communal ones.

The usage of “kindness” and “helpfulness” dropped by 56%.
 
The words “modesty” and “humbleness” dropped by 52%.

Our language is a reflection of our lives. Phrases like “community” and “common good” have been overshadowed in popularity by phrases like “I can do it myself” and “I come first.”

In essence, we’ve moved from “we” to “me.” And I suspect that many of you have noticed this shift throughout your lifetime.

It is not overly surprising.
 
Today’s scripture passage from 1 Peter says, “be humble in the presence of God’s mighty power, and he will honor you when the time comes. God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him.”

The virtue of humility seems to be increasingly lost in our “me, me, me” society. And along with it, compassion seems to be reduced, as well.

For those who are wondering, humility can be defined as “the quiet, powerful practice of recognizing one's own limitations, valuing others, and putting ego aside.”
 
What I would like to do today, since it’s been a while since we have had a chance to have some dedicated conversations with one another, is I would like to share a short story with you and then have you break into discussion groups.

I know that some of you really enjoy this – especially those of you who find fellowship time to be overwhelming and prefer 1:1 conversations.

And I know that some of you grin and bear it. ☺ 

But, I hope you will find some value in being in conversation with one another today as we talk about compassion and humility in community.
 
I’ll share a short story with you, and then I’ll keep the questions on the screen for you to discuss.

I encourage you to find a person to talk with who you do not talk with often.

You can get into small groups of 2-3 for this conversation so that you can have some good time to discuss together.

Please be back in the sanctuary in 15 minutes if you choose to go elsewhere to talk.

I’ll ring my singing bowl to bring us back together.
 
Here is the short story I’d like to share with you:

“In the late 70s, two Buddhist monks -- Rev. Heng Sure and Heng Chau -- began a mind-blowing bowing pilgrimage along the California coastline.

For 900 miles, they would walk three steps and take one full bow to the ground.

Their practice was to meet everything as a reflection of their mind and rebound it with a heart of love.
 
One day, crossing through a rough neighborhood in LA, they found themselves surrounded by a bunch of gang members.

One of them threw down a trash can, removed the rod connecting the can with its lid, and threateningly started screeching that rod around the side of the trash can.

It was as if he was sharpening his blade and signaling the impending fate of the monk’s head. Other friends egged him on with a menacing chant.
 
As Rev. Heng Sure would later write in his journals, “All the hair of my body stood up in fear.”

Yet his commitment was to unconditional compassion: no matter what you bring to this moment, I bow to the goodness in you. May you be blessed.

And so he humbly went for that final bow at the teenager’s feet.

His would-be attacker’s fist was raised in the air poised to strike, but he froze.
 
Completely froze.

Others around him fell silent.

Imagine if you’re about to pummel someone and he bows to you with great compassion.

The monks continued bowing right past the dumbstruck gang.”

So, my questions to you today are these:
 
Considering our definition of humility: the quiet, powerful practice of recognizing one's own limitations, valuing others, and putting ego aside.

AND,

The story of the monks and their incredible humility and compassion,
​
What does having humility and compassion mean to you, and how can you apply these lessons to your life? Do you have any stories to share about humbling yourself in your own life? What does it mean to humble yourself before God?
 
Let us pray:
 
Loving and gracious God, help us to humble ourselves before you. Help us to understand what that means. Help us to set aside our own egos - the personas we have created to protect ourselves - such that we can open ourselves fully to a relationship with you and with others. God, help us to bring more compassion into the world, and help us to work toward a “we” society instead of a “me” society. In your holy and loving name, we pray. Amen.

Young at Heart Message

Most of us are familiar with the traditional ways that people handle saying the words, “I love you.”

Usually, one person will say “I love you,” and the other person will respond, “I love you, too.”

It’s a very familiar and routine response.

In fact, it can become so automatic and routine that we don’t put much thought into it most of the time. Someone says, “I love you,” and we automatically say, “I love you, too.”
 
It can be so automatic for some of us that we become accustomed to saying “I love you” every time we do certain things, like leave the house, for example.

I remember once when I was a kid that I had gotten a ride home from one of my friends from basketball practice.

As I got out of the car, I said, “bye, love you!” without thinking. It was such an automatic, routine thing for me to say to my parents as I got out of the car that my brain ended up saying it to my friend and their parents.
 
Of course, I was embarrassed at the time, but it speaks to our tendency to allow the words “I love you” to become ordinary and routine.

But, I wonder what would happen if, instead of automatically saying “I love you” and “I love you, too,” when one person says “I love you,” we responded with “why?” Or, “what are your reasons?”

First of all, it would give us pause to think, wouldn’t it? If I said “I love you” at the end of a phone call with my mom and she said, “why?,” I would be thrown off, for sure.
 
Of course I have lots of reasons that I love my mom, but I rarely, if ever, articulate them to her.

In fact, recently my mom was telling me something and I said something along the lines of, “you are amazing and you deserve it.”

She stopped abruptly and said, “wow, thank you so much, that’s a really nice thing to say.”

It made me realize just how infrequently I actually tell my mom why I love her, or that I think she’s an incredible person.
 
In some ways, our automatic “I love you,” and “I love you, too” responses don’t actually always convey our love very well.

Asking, “what are your reasons” forces someone to think about what they are saying while they are saying it, and challenges them to make the “why” of their love more concrete.

The assurance that comes with being loved and knowing that there are reasons for it has the power to breathe new life into a person. It can sustain and uplift us through even the worst of times.
 
In many ways, telling a person specifically what reasons we have for loving them can be far more meaningful than just saying the words “I love you.”

And, demonstrating that love in physical ways can also be deeply meaningful for people.

If you haven’t told someone in a while (or ever) why you love them, it would be worth trying. They may be surprised at first, but how might our worlds change if we began offering more specific expressions of our love?
 
The Message

Jesus is very aware of the human need for more than a simple “I love you, too.”

When Jesus tells us he loves us, we ask for concreteness. We want reasons. We want demonstrations. (Well, the disciples say what we would all be thinking on our behalf.)

When Phillip said last week, “If you show us the Father, we will be satisfied,” we said it right along with him.
 
We don’t ask for these demonstrations or reasons because we are faithless. We ask because we are human. Phillip asks on behalf of all humanity.

Jesus giving us more – reasons and demonstrations instead of just words – helps us feel more secure and stable in times of anxiety and uncertainty.

If he wanted to, Jesus could get frustrated with this insistence on wanting more from him. Especially because he has already given us so much.

However, Jesus knows that getting frustrated would not be helpful. A different approach is needed.
 
Last week, we heard the first half of John 14, in which Jesus calls us to have faith and to believe in God and in him.

Today, in the second half of John 14, Jesus tells us just how much we are loved.

Actually, he doesn’t just tell us. He shows us. He makes that love concrete.

He makes a promise that there is not a need to worry or be anxious, because an Advocate – a Helper or Comforter – is coming.
 
The Spirit certainly brings help and comfort, but the idea here is slightly different.

The Advocate defends us, stands by us, and makes a case for us before others. Not just now, but forever.

Jesus is basically providing proof of his love.

If we demand reasons – if Jesus says “I love you” and we respond with “what are your reasons,” he provides them now.
Jesus basically says, “you want me to show you? OK, I’ll show you.”
 
How about an Advocate who will be with you always? How about an empty tomb that announces across time that not even death can stop the plans and purposes of God?

Is that enough for you?

God gives us reasons to love and works to teach us how to love. One of the ways God does that is through Jesus, who demonstrates for us how to love.

Deep relationships are built on trust and reciprocity.
 
A new friend will tell us what we want to hear. A best friend will tell us what we need to hear.

Jesus demonstrates this reciprocity, but he wants more than a simple “I love you, too” in response.

We can’t hear Jesus say “I love you,” and then respond by saying “why?” but then expect that when we say “I love you” to Jesus, that he wouldn’t also respond with “what are your reasons?”

At the beginning of today’s scripture Jesus says, “If you love me, you will do as I command.”
 
And, at the end of the passage, he reiterates, “If you love me, you will do what I have said, and my Father will love you. I will also love you and show you what I am like.”

Jesus is setting the expectation for us that he will demonstrate his love for us, but he expects it to be a two-way street. We must also demonstrate our love for Jesus.

And, one of the ways we can do that is by demonstrating Jesus’s love to others.
 
Jesus isn’t necessarily asking us to sit back and be admirers. Admirers stand in awe and appreciation, but do not take any action.

Disciples, on the other hand, follow in love and obedience.

Jesus is saying, “so, you say you love me? Show me.”

Just like we say to Jesus. Show us.

The relationship is mutual. There is give and take on both sides. Jesus loves us and is willing to show us.
 
He also wants us to show him that we love him.

How do we make good on this promise, then? Certainly, we can receive the Advocate – the Holy Spirit – with grace and appreciation for the magnitude of the gift.

But, I think more importantly, we can use that gift to do good in the world.

In our first reading today, 1 Peter 3 says, “Even if you have to suffer for doing good things, God will bless you… You are better off to obey God and suffer for doing right than to suffer for doing wrong.”
 
Jesus demonstrates his love for us, and wants us to do good in the world. We cannot control how other people respond to us.

Nor can we control the less-than-good things that others do in and to the world.

But we can control what we do. We can accept Jesus’s love with grace and then extend that love outward toward others.

Even if others do not respond in the way we might expect. We cannot control other people.
 
We can only manage our own responses to the world.

So, may you receive Jesus’s gifts – his demonstrations of love for you – and may you recognize those demonstrations as proof of his love.

May you use those gifts in your own life to do good in your world – in whatever ways you are capable of and comfortable with.
​
And, may you know, without question, that you are loved and cared for so deeply that you do not even need to ask why Jesus loves you. Amen.
 
Let us pray:
 
God of all time and space, you initiated the relationship of love and generosity with creation at a time before and beyond all knowing. Through the Word and the Spirit, you continue in eternal love for all beings. Fill us with a deep and abiding awareness of your presence, your call, and your grace in our lives and in our world. Shape us to into the people you have made us to be – poured out in creative mercy for the sake of Jesus Christ in all creation. Amen.

Young at Heart Message

For anyone who has ever moved to a new town or city, or even simply to a new part of the city, you know that it can be difficult to navigate your way at first.

Until you get to know the area – the roads, the turns, the landmarks – it can be quite a challenge.

When I first moved to Calgary, I had only been here one time previously.

And, that one time, I did not drive myself anywhere.
 
Many kind people from our church board drove me around town when I needed to be somewhere. But, being driven around an unfamiliar place doesn’t lend itself well to learning the area.

So, when I arrived here officially and crossed over that threshold into the city of Calgary, I had no idea what to expect – not really, anyway.

I was not only learning a new city, but I was learning how to understand kilometres instead of miles, new road signs, and a city much larger than any city I’d been in before.
 
I had no idea what a “playground zone” was, and those darn signs aren’t very noticeable if you’ve never seen anything like them before.

Also, similar “school zones” where I’m from were marked more obviously, and you only had to slow down if children were present.

Here, I learned quickly that I needed to pay attention to those areas, and slowing down was mandatory, unless I wanted a hefty fine. Luckily, I didn’t get caught speeding through those areas when I didn’t know I was supposed to slow down!
 
When Erick and I met, I had not been here quite one year yet. I had become somewhat more familiar with the city, but I still relied heavily on my GPS.

One of the things he was excited about was showing me all around town. He also lived in the South, and I was just getting to know the North part of the city and relying on my GPS a bit less in that area.

The South was mostly an entirely new area for me.
 
One of the benefits to me of meeting someone who is intimately familiar with Calgary is that he knew his way around. It came easily to him, and because he knew his way, it made it much easier for me to learn my way, too.

Having someone to help gently navigate a new world is helpful! It was also helpful to have someone who wanted to show me some of the cool things this city had to offer.

I no longer had to figure out what might be fun to do here in Calgary. I didn’t feel like a tourist as much anymore.
 
Instead of bumbling around by myself, trying to learn about the things there are to do here, I had someone who was proud of knowing the city well enough to be able to suggest fun things to do together.

What a joy to have a “guide!”

Now, two years later, I feel like I know the city pretty well. Certainly not perfectly, but there are lots of places I can get to now without using my GPS. I just “know” the way!
 
“Knowing” the way is nice when it comes to navigating a new city or a new place. And, having a guide who knows the way is even better.

But, there are other aspects of our lives that we can better navigate when we have a guide. Specifically, I am talking about our spiritual life.
 
The Message

You may or may not know that I have been working toward a graduate certificate in Spiritual Direction over the last two years or so.

I submitted my final paper for this program on Friday, and I technically graduate this coming Friday.

And one of the things I have learned through this program is that navigating our spiritual world can become much easier with a guide. And we are all quite familiar with the most famous spiritual guide.
 
Jesus was a spiritual guide, and Jesus is one of our spiritual guides.

There are many others throughout Christian history who have been spiritual guides, and many of us consider people we know to be our spiritual guides as well, but Jesus ranks pretty darn high on the list!

Jesus is our equivalent of a person familiar with a new place who can help us get where we are going, spiritually speaking.

Today, we heard a passage that is likely quite familiar to many of you.
 
Jesus tells his disciples that he is going to his Father’s house to prepare a place for each of them. And, they know the way to where he is going.

And the disciples, in true disciple fashion, say “How can we know the way?”

And Jesus responds with “I am the way, the truth, and the life!”

Jesus is the way.

In the program I just finished, we were introduced to a beautiful song called “The Way Knows the Way.”
 
In this song, Lyndsey Scott sings:

You don’t have to know the way
The Way knows the way.
You don’t have to plan the way
Trust the way
Feel your way
The Way knows the way.

This became a mantra for us throughout our program, and we were often reminded, especially when faced with uncertainty or doubt, that we don’t have to know the way or the final outcome.
 
The Way knows the way.

Jesus is the Way, the truth, and the life.

Jesus knows the way.

Jesus is our guide when we are in unfamiliar territory. When we are uncertain. When we are facing something new, something unexpected, or something scary.

We spend a lot of time in our life worrying about what’s to come.
 
We worry about outcomes of our health, our finances, and global events, just to name a few examples. In essence, we are constantly worrying about the future.

But Jesus reminds us that we don’t need to worry, because the Way knows the way. All we need to do is trust the way.

Much like all I needed to do when I met Erick was trust that he knew the way. I no longer needed to worry about how to get around the city, because he knew. He was my guide.
 
Similarly, when we try to navigate the twists and turns of life, we only need to trust that the Way knows the way.

Jesus knows the way.

It’s simple, right?

Or is it?

Even the disciples struggled with this, as we can see from our scripture today. They say, “How can we know the way?”
 
Phillip isn’t actually asking how they can know the way. He knows the answer already.

What he is asking Jesus is how can they trust what he says – trust that Jesus knows the way. How can they surrender their own control and their own worry about what the future holds?

These are the same questions we find ourselves wondering as we try to navigate our own lives and our own spiritual journeys.

How can we know the way?
 
How can we trust the Way?

How can we surrender completely to our Guide - to the Way, the Truth, and the Life?

I often do a Yoga practice that’s made specifically for runners. Toward the beginning of the video, the instructor says, “find your breath… bring a sense of you, a softness to these active postures.” Then she asks, “how can we do that? I think by staying conscious with the breath… and with practice!”

So, how can we surrender completely and allow Jesus to be the Way?
 
With practice.

I know that many of you have been practicing this surrender – this total trust that Jesus knows the way – for a very long time.

And some of us are new to this idea of surrender.

Even those among us who are seasoned and practiced and could act as guides for the rest of us still need to continue practicing.

It is not something we ever fully “arrive” at.
 
Trusting that Jesus knows the way – surrendering to the Way – is not something to achieve. It is not the destination.
It is the journey.

Our path is always going to be uncertain. We can not know the future.

But we can trust that the Way knows the way so that we don’t ever have to know the way or the future.
We can focus instead on the present moment.
 
We can’t know what will happen to a loved one who is in the hospital, or to our retirement accounts if the economy starts to turn downward, or to the world as climate changes increase.

We can certainly do whatever is within our power in the moment to try to set ourselves up for future outcomes. We take steps to protect ourselves – emotionally, financially, physically.

But once that work is done, all we have left is to trust that the Way knows the way, so we don’t have to.
 
We don’t need to worry about the future beyond what is within our ability to control. Instead, we can focus on the here and now.

We can laugh with our loved ones, share memories and stories, and enjoy their presence.

We can monitor our finances, tighten the belt when it’s needed, and make the next best decision for the moment.

We can try to reduce our carbon footprint, we can vote, and we can stay up-to-date on the newest science around climate change.
 
And then, we can rest assured that the Way knows the way.

This is the Good News of our scripture passage today. Jesus gives us the answers, and we can rest assured in this knowledge.

May we allow Jesus to be our gentle, loving Guide.

May we surrender. May we trust. May we breathe.
​
And then let it be. Let Jesus be the Way. Amen.
 
Let us pray:
 
God of compassion, we come before you today in gratitude for the gift of your son, Jesus. Thank you for sending Jesus to teach us to trust. Help us to allow Jesus to lead the way so we don’t have to worry or fret about the future. Help us to settle into the here and now and to enjoy this beautiful life we have been given. In your holy and precious name, we pray. Amen.

The Message

Today’s Gospel passage is one of the most famous post-resurrection passages in the Bible.

At first glance, what we witness in this passage is two of Jesus’s disciples walking along the road to Emmaus when a stranger approaches.

We as the readers know that this stranger is Jesus, but the two disciples do not recognize him.

It isn’t until Jesus breaks bread in their home later that they finally see him for who he is.
 
I want to explore this passage a little deeper today.

For those of you who have been coming to church for a long time, you have probably heard sermons on this passage many times before.

Most sermons on this passage focus on either the idea of doubt or hospitality for the stranger. Certainly either of these themes are important and valid themes!

But today, I want to focus on grief and longing. These things don’t have to go together necessarily, but in this passage, they do seem to fit together.
 
But first, let’s use our imaginations to determine some of the details that have been left out of this story.

The scripture tells us that the two disciples were talking and thinking about what happened.

I wonder what their conversation might have looked like?

Maybe Cleopas says to the other disciple, “did you see all the people who were there, yelling for him to be crucified?”
 
“Yeah, it was awful. It was like they forgot about all the miracles he did for them and all the times he fed them when they were hungry.”

Cleopas then says, “right, did they forget about all of that? It just doesn’t make sense. And now, this man who taught people the scriptures, shared his wisdom, performed miracles, and broke bread with people is gone.”

“Doesn’t scripture say he will rise from the dead, though, if he was truly the Messiah?”
 
Cleopas: “Yeah, but is that even really possible? I know the women found his tomb empty, but isn’t it more likely that someone robbed the tomb?”

“I suppose that’s more likely. I guess I’m not really sure. But either way, it was a loss of a great man who didn’t deserve to die like that.”

Cleopas: “Agreed. Do you remember when he healed the bleeding woman and the blind man? That was incredible! Those people received a tremendous gift from him.”
 
“Yeah, or the day when he’d been teaching us all day, and people were starting to get hungry and we tried to send the people home so he could eat? I can’t believe he asked us how much food we had, and we said a couple of fish and some measly loaves of bread. And then he told us to feed everyone with just that!”

Cleopas: “Oh my gosh, yes – over 5000 people got fed that day. I still can’t wrap my head around that! If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I couldn’t believe it. I barely believe it after having seen it!”
 
“No kidding! Jesus was truly a gift to us all. Honestly, I miss him. I wish he was still here, breaking bread with us. I wasn’t ready for him to go so soon. I mean, I know he told us that’s how it would have to happen. But, couldn’t he have saved himself?”

Cleopas: “I wondered that too. But I guess he couldn’t. It kind of makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Was he really the Messiah? I mean, I think so. Either way, I miss him, too. I wonder if he truly will return?”
 
“I hope so.”

Cleopas: “Me, too. Oh look, someone’s coming…”

At this point in the story, Cleopas and the other disciple meet Jesus, but they don’t recognize him.

There has been a lot written on why they don’t recognize him – much of it focused on their own doubt.

Pope Gregory I (the 64th Bishop of Rome from 590-604), also known as Saint Gregory the Great, said:
 
“They did not, in fact, have faith in him, yet they were talking about him. The Lord, therefore, appeared to them but did not show them a face they could recognize. In this way, the Lord enacted outwardly, before their physical eyes, what was going on in them inwardly, before the eyes of their hearts. For inwardly they simultaneously loved him and doubted him; therefore the Lord was outwardly present to them, and at the same time did not reveal his identity. Since they were speaking about him, he showed them his presence, but since they doubted him, he hid from them the appearance by which they could have recognized him.”
 
In other words, Pope Gregory believes their doubt clouded their vision.

But I also wonder if their grief and longing clouded their vision.

I have lost some very important people in my life. When those losses happened, of course I was grief-stricken. And the deep longing in my heart, at least initially, was that I wanted the person back.

We miss the people we lose. Often, we wonder if we told them we loved them enough, or if they knew how much they meant to us.
 
If only we could have one more day, we’d make sure they knew!

And there is often regret – regret that maybe we didn’t handle things the way we would have if we’d known we were going to lose the person.

So I wonder if these disicples were in a similar place with their grief?

They witnessed what had to be an incredibly traumatic event, watching Jesus – someone they loved – being tortured to death on a cross.
 
Then, they watched him buried in the tomb, only to learn the next day that the tomb was empty.

And at this point, they didn’t know Jesus has been resurrected. So their grief was compounded by this new development.

Not only that, but their grief was accompanied by a deep longing which they were hesitant to believe possible.

Jesus had told them he would return from death. But, that seemed impossible at the same time.
 
So they long for his return, but their longing is accompanied by grief and also some natural disbelief in something that seems impossible.

So when they encounter Jesus on the road, their longing overshadows their ability to truly know that Jesus was standing before them.

Yes, there is some disbelief in the impossible, but they also long so deeply for his return that they are unable to see that he is right in front of them.

I have been struggling with this recently, too, but for a different reason.
 
I have been longing so deeply for warmer weather that I have completely overlooked the beauty of the recent snowfalls.

No matter how much I want the snow to be gone, I cannot deny that spring snowfall can be beautiful, and that I can completely miss the beauty because of my longing for no more snow.

Similarly, when I go to hike in Banff, I could be longing so much to see a Moose that I miss all of the other amazing wildlife that is right in front of me.
 
I think this is what is happening for these disciples. Their longing for Jesus to return – for his promise to be true – is so strong that they cannot see anything else clearly.

They may even have a vision in their head of what his return would look like, so they cannot see him when he is right in front of them.

Jesus even attempts to explain the scriptures to them, and they still cannot see him for who he is. It isn’t until he does something they recognize that they can finally see and know who he is.
 
When Jesus breaks bread with them, they can finally recognize him.

Their deep longing and thirst for the truth is finally quenched when Jesus does something that fits within their expectations of the Risen Christ.

So, they finally see Jesus for who he.

And, so do we.

This story begs the question for us: what are we longing for that might be clouding our ability to see what is right in front of us?
 
Are there times when our longing for something is so strong that we become blind to everything else around us and we forget to live in the moment and notice the other amazing things about our life?

As you go about your day and your week ahead, may you ponder these questions.

May you wonder if there is something you long so deeply for that it is clouding your ability to see the many other wonderful gifts God has provided in your life.
 
And, if you do notice something that is creating a barrier for you, may you become aware of it and begin to work on unclouding your vision so you can see what is in front of you, ready and waiting to show you just how amazing your life is.

May you be fully aware of God’s presence in your life, seeing God in all that is around you with fresh, clear eyes. Amen.
 
Let us pray:
​
God of mercy, forgive us when we allow our longing to cloud our vision so that we cannot fully see all of the gifts you have provided in our lives. Sometimes it is easier for us to focus on the things we so desperately want than it is for us to see the things we actually have. Open our eyes, O God, so that we can see your grace, your mercy, and your love in our lives. Amen.

Young at Heart Message

Many of you have heard me ring my singing bowl before – we have even used it during church occasionally.

For those of you who have heard it, you have heard me hit the side of the bowl – usually three times.

But, would you believe me if I told you that I can actually make the bowl sing?

If I don’t show you that I can make it sing after I just told you I can, would you be as likely to believe me?
 
This is one of those things that most people would need to see to believe, especially because it’s not something I have ever done before.

I could tell you, but considering you haven’t experienced it before, you may or not believe me.

And even if you did believe me, you still might want proof that I can do it before you go telling everyone that your pastor can make a bowl sing.

So, do you want me to prove it?
*****
 
The Message

As humans, we are naturally inclined to be skeptical when people tell us something that seems unlikely, too good to be true, or impossible. Sometimes we are skeptical of things that are totally plausible and we need to see it to believe it.

I know that Thomas has gotten a bit of a bad reputation. He’s the 1st-century equivalent of a meme.

When someone doubts the truth of something, they might even be referred to as a “Doubting Thomas.”
 
And yet, the truth is, most of us would want some kind of proof too.

For example, imagine we were all doing something here at church, and a group of you said “Pastor Jamie, we are going to go for a quick walk. Would you like to come?”

I say “no thank you, I have a few things to finish up here.”

The group leaves, and a few minutes later, someone comes running back in and says, “Jamie, you’ll never believe what we saw…”
 
“A MOOSE! Standing just along the side of the building!”

Do I believe this at face value, or do I need to see it for myself?

Of course I need to see it for myself. How do I know this group isn’t just perpetuating the Canadian practical joke that moose actually exist in the wild?

Of course, this is a silly example. But, when the disciples tell Thomas that Jesus returned from the dead, appeared among them, and showed them his hand and side wounds, it makes sense that he would be skeptical.
 
And, it makes sense that when Jesus appears again while Thomas is there, that Thomas would want to see his wounds too considering the others had received that proof.

Jesus allows Thomas to receive “proof” too, although he does then ask him if he believes only because he has seen Jesus.

In other words, would he have believed if he had not had the opportunity to receive proof?

Thomas is in a bit of a conundrum, honestly, and I don’t think we would necessarily respond differently.
 
All the other disciples got to see Jesus’s wounds. Thomas was not there at that time.

Despite the fact that they told him, it is an incredibly unlikely, seemingly impossible reality.

So it makes sense that Thomas would also want the same proof.

I appreciate that Jesus doesn’t reprimand him for his “unbelief” or “disbelief,” but instead allows him to receive the same proof that the others received.

His reminder that others will need to believe without proof is still valid.
 
And actually, we see this truth in the 1 Peter passage we heard today.

Peter was one of Jesus’s 12 disciples – also known at the Apostle Peter.

Peter is speaking to a group of people who have never seen Jesus. He says:

“You have never seen Jesus, and you don't see him now. But still you love him and have faith in him, and no words can tell how glad and happy you are to be saved. This is why you have faith.”
 
If, when the church group saw the moose outside and came in to tell me, by the time I went outside it was gone, I would have no choice but to believe their story.

I could remain skeptical, but why would someone go through the trouble of running inside to tell me there’s a moose outside?

Similarly, people could have remained skeptical about Jesus, his story, and especially his resurrection. But, it would be a pretty big and well-orchestrated lie for all of the Apostles to tell if it was not true.
 
And, the story likely never would have persisted as long as it has if it was a grand scheme the Apostles made up.
So, Peter is reminding us that even though we have not personally seen Jesus “in the flesh,” our faith in him, his ministry, and his story makes sense.

And, we know that we do see Jesus! Perhaps not in the flesh, but we see Jesus in our lives all the time.

We talk to Jesus through prayer, and Jesus responds, although sometimes not in the way we expect or in the time we expect.
 
We look around us and we see Jesus in the people we love, in small acts of kindness, in the beauty of the natural world, and in so many other parts of our lives.

When we are metaphorically out in the boat, just off-shore and unable to make it home, Jesus is right there in the boat with us.

He is also on the shore, ready to welcome us home and encouraging us to just keep rowing.

He is in all things, in all people, in all circumstances – ready and waiting for us.
 
He is ready to show us his wounds if that’s what we need to know he is there.

Sometimes, I think Jesus is waiting for us to be ready. Are we ready to have total faith in him? Are we willing to accept his resurrection without “proof?” Are we ready to allow Jesus to change us?

As you leave here today, you are being invited to overcome doubt. You are being invited to believe. You are being invited to witness all the ways in which Jesus shows up in your life.

May you know, without a doubt, that Jesus is with you.
 
May you feel unconditionally loved, and may you experience that love on a daily basis.

May you come to Jesus with open hearts and open minds, ready and willing to accept the truth of his life, ministry, and resurrection and ready to allow that truth to change you.

To open you, to comfort you, to support you, and to offer you the kind of love that only Jesus can.

May you know this truth with your whole being. Amen.
 
Let us pray:
​
Gracious God, thank you for sending your Son Jesus to earth so that we have living proof of your love. Thank you for allowing him to teach us with such grace and love. We are endlessly grateful for the love you show us, and we pray that you would continue to demonstrate your love over and over again from generation to generation to generation. Amen.

The Message
 
I want to begin my sermon today by sharing a story with you, but it’s a story that my sister would probably be angry with me for sharing, so let’s just keep it between us… ok?

My family was on vacation, heading back home to Wisconsin from Yellowstone National Park. We’d been in the car for a long road trip, and we were getting weary (and probably just a little bit sick of each other).
​
We stopped for breakfast at a Perkins (kind of like Denny’s for those of you who aren’t familiar).
 
The host seated us at this strange little booth in a secluded little area of the restaurant, and there was no one else around.
 
We ordered our food and had just gotten our drinks.
 
My sister – ever the “fidgeter” – was playing with one of those little plastic creamers. It had a miniscule hole in the bottom of the plastic part, and she was squeezing the cream out onto the table and writing something with the cream.
 
My dad and I both took a swig of our drinks, and at that exact moment, the top of the creamer packet popped open and the cream that was left in the packet splatted right into my sister’s face. It was a slow motion cartoon! My dad and I both spit our drinks out and went into fits of laughter, while my sister sat there stunned.
 
My mom was horrified and embarrassed.
 
The server stopped to take our food orders, not having seen any of what just happened.
 
All she saw was a table full of creamer, hot chocolate, and soda, and half of us unable to breath from laughing so hard.
 
My mom apologized profusely and the server said, “don’t worry, it happens all the time.” As she walked away, I managed to say “I bet this exact thing doesn’t happen all the time” in between fits of laughter.
 
We went on to have an uneventful rest of the trip.
 
But, the point in sharing this story is to say that mealtimes tend to be one of the favorite settings for us to create and share memories and stories.
 
Many of you will probably be heading off to various family meals after church to celebrate Easter.
 
When we gather at tables and relive shared family memories, we create links between past and future. We pass these stories on from generation to generation.
 
Likewise, part of the Christian identity was formed around the table – particularly in the breaking and sharing of bread.
 
The last meal that Jesus shared with his disciples was a Passover meal – a ritual meal of celebration and remembrance.
 
The purpose of this meal was to remember God’s mighty act of leading Israel out of slavery and into freedom.
 
However, by the time Matthew’s Gospel was written, Passover was becoming what it is for Jews today: an in-home celebration retelling the story of God’s deliverance even in the face of disasters and defeat.
 
And we of course hear many different stories in which Jesus shares meals with his followers and disciples.
 
Always, at the centre of the shared meal, are four gestures:
 
Jesus takes bread. He blesses it (or gives thanks). He breaks it, and he gives it to them.
 
Much like we still practice during Holy Communion today.
 
Whenever we eat bread, we are to remember that we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from God.
 
And when we eat bread and share a cup in remembrance of Jesus, we are to take in the mystery of God’s amazing grace and self-giving love.
 
We get to experience this grace today. And, we get to remember that there is so much for us to be grateful for as we receive this grace.
 
Even in a world that sometimes feels like it is crumbling around us, we have much to be grateful for.
 
And, on today of all days, we get to experience this meal in community. Not only do we get to receive God’s grace, but we are also reminded of Jesus’s sacrifice for us, and his resurrection.
 
The concept of the resurrection is not always easy for us to wrap our heads around.
 
We could have an entire sermon series (or an entire academic lecture series, honestly), on the resurrection. But today, let me try to put it as simply as possible:
 
Resurrection is something we can see and know in this world.
 
It is a family that stays up all night after a death, keeping memories alive as they share stories and laugh over old jokes.
 
It is the power behind social movements and activism and protest, where people name and claim that injustice and oppression and death will not have the final word but that life exists just on the other side.
 
It is the grace of a loved one returning from the brink of death by the miracle and love of God.
 
And resurrection is the power of remembering that we are deeply loved, and Jesus proved that love to us over and over again.
 
It is the power of knowing that we serve a purpose here in this world, that our time is limited, and we get this time here to live into the gifts God has given us out of tremendous love for us, exactly how we are in this moment.
 
So, as we come to the table today to receive Christ’s grace, we come just as we are, and Christ meets us there.
 
May we seek to live as resurrection people in this world that knows so much death.
 
May we be resurrection people of hope, of compassion, of justice and,
 
Above all,
 
May we be resurrection people of love. Amen.
 
Let us pray:
 
Living God, who came to this world and entered human pain, come and be in every painful place in our lives, be in every painful place in our world.
 
Living God, who in the secret darkness rose from the grave, come and be in the secret, dark places in our lives, be in every secret, dark place in our world.

Young at Heart Message
 
Every Palm Sunday, we hear the same story. But I wonder how often we really think deeply about Jesus, the disciples, and the crowd?
 
So, I want to try a little exercise.
 
Those of you on the left side of the room, I want you to imagine that you are part of the crowd that is shouting praises to Jesus on his entry into Jerusalem.
 
You are excited! You are shouting “Hooray! God bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord! God bless the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!”
 
You are ready to believe that this man is Immanuel – “God with us.” He is hope for the future, and you believe in this moment that he is the Redeemer.
 
You don’t know it yet, but in just a couple days, you are going to completely change your tune. Instead of shouting praises, you are going to be condemning Jesus to death by crucifixion.
 
And on the right side of the room, I’d like you to imagine that you are Jesus. Today, you are entering Jerusalem to the praise of these people who, just a few days from now, will condemn you.
 
You probably know these people will condemn you. And yet, you enter Jerusalem and allow them to welcome you and shout your praises anyway.
 
Now, each side of the room, imagine how you feel as either the crowd, or as Jesus.
 
Really take a moment to put yourself in their shoes. Let us take 30 seconds of silence for you to explore how you might feel if you were in their shoes.
*****
Now, those of you in the crowd, imagine that you get a moment alone with Jesus to talk with him. He knows you praised him today, but will condemn him on Friday.
 
What do you say to Jesus? How do you feel standing before him, knowing that he knows?
 
Likewise, those of you who imagined you are Jesus, how do you feel talking 1:1 with someone who praises you today but will condemn you on Friday? What might you say to this person?
 
Let’s take another 30 seconds to think about this and imagine this conversation.
*****
If anyone from the crowd is willing to share – how did it feel to stand before Jesus?
*****
And, what about those who imagined you were Jesus? How does this conversation feel to you?
 
The Message

Today, we are witnesses to the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem surrounded by a crowd shouting praise and celebrating his coming.

And, as we know, just a few days later, those same people shouting praise and celebrating Jesus will condemn him on Good Friday.

And, every year we are reminded that we are a part of both crowds, at least symbolically.
​
We confessed during our Palm Sunday liturgy:
 
“Although we welcome you today with the multitude… we confess we have also stood with the condemning crowd on Good Friday. Our thoughts, words, and deeds have cried, ‘Crucify!’”
 
Of course, we are not talking about our literal participation in the condemnation and crucifixion of Jesus.
 
But symbolically, we were there. We have been there on and off throughout our lives – perhaps not with Jesus, but with others.
 
How many of us have echoed over and over in church on Sunday that we are called to feed the poor, shelter the homeless, and forgive those who have sinned against us, but then turned around and refused to offer cash to someone begging on the street? Or refuse to offer a spare room to a homeless person?
 
How many of us have struggled to forgive someone, perhaps to the point where it haunts us throughout our lives?
 
Palm Sunday - the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem to shouts of praise by the same people who will shout to condemn just a few days later - is an invitation.
 
It is an invitation to look at our own lives and recognize the ways in which we might say one thing but do something different.
 
It is not an invitation to feel guilt or shame. Rather, it is an invitation to experience God-given grace.
 
Jesus is well aware that these people shouting his praises today will condemn him a few days later. And yet, he enters Jerusalem anyway.
 
Jesus knows Peter will deny him three times, and yet he continues to love and forgive Peter anyway.
 
Jesus knows Judas will betray him, but he forgives anyway. And, he allows Judas to come to the realization that Jesus knows what he’s going to do. It doesn’t stop Judas, but Judas knows that Jesus knows.
 
All of these people – the crowd and the disciples – they all receive Jesus’s forgiveness and his grace.
 
On Easter morning when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, we know for certain that even though the crowd condemned him and the disciples denied him, Jesus returned and forgave them.
 
And Jesus died for all of them, and for us, too.
 
Jesus wants us to know that he knows that we might be among those who would shout praises one day and condemn or deny him the next.
 
He wants us to know this because he wants us to feel so deeply loved and forgiven that we could extend that to every corner of our being.
 
He wants us to know because he wants us to radiate his love outward – to know so fully and deeply that we are loved that we extend that love fully and completely to everyone we meet.
 
And he wants us to know that we are forgiven.
 
There is no need for shame or guilt because we are wholly loved and forgiven. We bear all to Jesus and he says, “I know, and I still love you.”
 
So, as we enter into Holy Week and look inward to become more aware of the ways in which we might be like the crowd, we also go into this week knowing that Jesus loves us. Jesus loved us before we were born, he loves our past selves, our present selves, and our future selves.
 
He loves us when we are shouting praises and he loves us when we are shouting condemnations.
 
He loves us when we are happy, and he loves us when we are down, depressed, uncertain, or anxious.
 
He loves us when life is going our way, and he loves us when life is hard and we aren’t sure where to go next.
 
May we remember how deeply loved we are.
 
May we remember that Jesus loved us so much that he was willing to enter Jerusalem knowing that his death was just days away.
 
For us. Jesus did all of this for us. That kind of love is deep, abiding, and ever-lasting. We are loved.
 
You are loved.
 
Let’s say it together: I am loved.
 
Amen.
 
Let us pray: God of grace, thank you for allowing us to choose – to choose to be in the crowd shouting praises and in the crowd shouting condemnation. And thank you for forgiving us and offering grace when we choose condemnation. We don’t intend to hurt you or hurt others, and we are grateful that you know our hearts and our intentions. We pray that you would continue to guide us, and we pray that you continue to forgive us and offer us your grace when we stray. Thank you for your endless love. In your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Young at Heart Message

I don’t know about you, but today’s Gospel reading leaves me with a couple of questions.

So, to help us think about this story in a new way, I want to imagine the story for us a little differently.

This portion of the sermon is adapted from a Children’s sermon published on Gary Neal Hansen’s website, GaryNealHansen.com.
​
He does give permission for this to be used broadly with credit to his page.
 
One night, Jesus and his friends had camped out on the Mount of Olives. The next morning, Jesus got up and said. “I’m going for a walk. See you later.”
 
“Where are you going?” they asked. 
 
“To the Temple,” he said.
 
When Jesus got near the Temple doors, people crowded around him. So he started teaching them about the Kingdom of God, as Jesus tended to do when he was at the Temple.
 
But then a noisy group of men came down the road. When they got closer everybody moved out of their way.
 
Jesus noticed that they were bringing a woman with them, holding her tightly by the arms. She looked really upset, like she wanted to get away.
 
“Jesus!” said the man leading the group. “We were hoping to find you here. We brought this… this woman!”
 
“I see that,” Jesus said. He tried to catch the woman’s eye, but she wouldn’t look at him. She just looked at the ground.
Jesus got down on his knees and started writing something in the dirt. She was looking down, so she could see him writing.
 
“Well?” said the man. “We caught this woman!”
 
Jesus didn’t look up. As he kept on writing, he said, “Well maybe you should let her go. I think you are hurting her arms.”
 
The woman couldn’t quite see what he was writing, but she was curious and kept trying to see more clearly.
 
The men eventually let the woman go. They gave her a shove, so she stood between Jesus and their group.
 
“I said,” the man went on, “we caught her with the man who lives next door to her. They were doing something God’s law forbids. The Law of God says we should kill her by throwing rocks at her. That’s what we are gonna do!”
 
Jesus said, “You said she was with the man who lives next door to her. Where is he?”
 
The men shrugged and looked at their feet.
 
“Well, he’s a friend of some of the guys here,” said the leader. “But this woman is guilty. We caught her.”
 
“Yeah, you mentioned that,” said Jesus. “Seems like you only want to obey God if the person you punish is not a friend.”
 
Nobody spoke.
 
“So did you bring the rocks?” Jesus asked.
 
The men looked at each other and shrugged. Their leader said, “No. We, um…”
 
Jesus interrupted. “Well if you’re going to do what that law says, you’re going to need rocks. It seems like you are wanting me to do it for you. Why don’t you go away and come back when you’re really ready.”
 
All the men shuffled off. But someone shouted “We’ll be back!”
 
And Jesus got back on his knees and started writing, slowly, in the dirt again. The woman watched him write, mesmerized and wondering.
 
The woman said “Are you going to let them throw rocks at me?” He didn’t speak. She started to cry.
 
Then he said “Maybe they won’t come back. But tell me: did you do what they said you did?”
 
She sniffled, but before she could answer, the men returned, with big rocks in their hands. “We’re back!” the leader said. “And we’re ready to do what God’s law says we should do!” 
 
Jesus stood up, dusted himself off.
 
He said, “I’m afraid you will have to wait a minute. I’ve got a question for you. Is this maybe the first time you’ve tried to obey God’s law?”
 
“Why do you ask?” said the leader. 
 
“Because it sounds like maybe you’re new at this,” Jesus said. “Anyway, we need to make sure you’re the right people to obey this particular law.”
 
“Oh come on,” said the leader. “Everyone should always obey God’s law. And we never broke the law she broke.”
 
“Think about it,” said Jesus. “If you knew someone stole a lot of money—say he’d already been convicted in court—would you let him decide who gets arrested for stealing?”
 
“What does this have to do with us?” said the leader. “It’s time for us to stone this sinful woman.”
 
Jesus stood up again. The woman tried so hard to see what he’d been writing. She tried to look subtle, but couldn’t quite see it.
 
Jesus dusted himself off once more. He said. “Okay, how about you arrange yourselves in three groups. If you’ve broken a whole lot of God’s laws, make a group over there.
 
If maybe you used to break God’s laws but you don’t do it much any more, stand in the middle. And if you always try to be good and hardly ever break God’s laws, make a group right over here.”
They grumbled, but they did it. They made three groups. Then Jesus said, “Okay, so now let’s go one at a time. Whoever here has never ever broken even one of God’s laws, that person gets to go first.”
The group close by all looked at each other. But nobody stepped forward.
 
So Jesus started writing in the dirt again.
 
One by one, the men drifted away. They dropped their rocks by the roadside and they left.
 
Eventually he looked up and caught the woman’s eye. “Oh, so isn’t anyone going to stone you after all?”
 
“No sir,” she said.
 
“Well,” Jesus said, “I’m certainly not going to.”
 
“But…” said the woman. “What should I do now?” 
She was holding her face in her hands and weeping.
 
“My daughter,” Jesus said. “Go and live your life—But from now on, live the way God teaches you to live.”
 
The woman nodded tearfully. With her path clear of men surrounding her, she could finally see what Jesus had written:

The Message

While that story is a reimagining of many of the details that are left out of the Gospel, it does help highlight some of the questions that we might have as we read this passage.

The first, and perhaps most important, is who is considered guilty of sin.

When these men brought the woman to Jesus, they said, “this woman was caught sleeping with a man who isn’t her husband.”
 
This naturally implies that another party was involved in the “transgression.” So why only bring one of the people who broke the Law of Moses rather than both?

This would be like if they brought the woman to Jesus and said, “this woman was caught robbing the local bank with a man who lives in town.”

Why would they only bring her, and not him as well? Shouldn’t they both technically be stoned for breaking the law, if that is the required punishment?
 
The second question, of course, is what was Jesus writing in the dirt? And why was he doing this?

The Bible doesn’t actually tell us, which has led to many different interpretations and speculations over the years.

But it’s an intriguing question – was this akin to Jesus texting on his phone instead of engaging directly with the accusers of this woman?

Almost as though he intended to seem distracted so as to diffuse the situation and make it clear that he was not going to get worked up like they hoped he would?
 
We won’t ever know for sure.

It’s certainly easier to speculate as to why only the woman was brought to Jesus and not the man. That we can guess simply based on how women were treated at the time verses how men were treated.

But even today – do we find it more problematic when women commit adultery, or men?

I am sure we’d get a lot of different answers to that question if we asked different people, but I think often the initial reaction of most people would be to feel more upset about a woman than a man.
 
But speculating about what Jesus was writing is much more difficult.

And, it’s largely unimportant for our purposes.

What IS important is finding the Good News in this passage.

We see Jesus offer tremendous compassion to this woman. Jesus is not immune to the cultural norms of his time so he could have easily gotten swept up in the anger of the men who brought the woman to him.
 
But he didn’t. He saw a woman in front of him with all the complexities of humanity – no different than anyone else standing before him.

Who knows why this woman was with a man she wasn’t married to? Maybe she was abused at home, maybe her husband died, maybe she was being blackmailed, maybe she didn’t have a husband at all.

Jesus doesn’t assume one thing or another. He simply sees her for who she is and meets her where she’s at.
 
And, he does the same for the crowd.

He offers compassion by demonstrating for them what compassion can look like.

And he also offers compassion while also teaching them something.

We have to be careful here not to imply that the Law of Moses isn’t important or that Jesus is superseding it somehow because that’s not the case.

What he is doing is showing them that they are equally as guilty of breaking the law.
 
Maybe they haven’t committed adultery, but adultery isn’t the only thing they could do to break the law.

His point is that they have all broken the Law of Moses at some point.

So who are they to accuse someone else when they are equally as guilty?

In other words, if stoning is the punishment for breaking the law, then go ahead and throw stones as long as you are completely innocent yourself.
 
The men in the crowd, humbled by Jesus’s words, realized that they are no less guilty than she.

And yet, Jesus offered compassion and forgiveness to everyone. He didn’t argue that they should all be stoned.

And the Good News here is that Jesus offers that same level of compassion and forgiveness to all of us.

Yes, Jesus also encourages the woman to live the way God teaches us to live, and if the men were still around I am sure he would have said the same to them.
 
And, likely, to us too.

But Jesus suggests this out of love and compassion for the humanity in each of us.

And this is the beauty of this passage.

There is no need for guilt or shame, because we are wholly loved, cared for, and forgiven.

So, may you leave here today knowing this Good News.
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May you allow Jesus to show you compassion, and may you show others that same compassion, each and every day. Amen.
 
Let us pray:
 
Merciful God, thank you for your loving kindness and compassion. Thank you for meeting us where we are. Thank you for forgiving us and understanding that our humanity and the complexities of life in community make us vulnerable. Thank you for sending your son Jesus Christ to show us a better way. Continue to walk with us and guide us and help us see your love all around us. Amen.