AfterWords: “A Story of … Moving Forward”

 

The ‘Great Commission’ passage at the end of Matthew’s Gospel (28:16-20) provides us with a plan for moving forward, for living out the Christian faith. But….

But, we often overlook something striking, surprising. Jesus has lived his life on Earth. He has ministered, taught, healed, suffered, died, and been resurrected. He is now ready to move this “kingdom of God” message from the Judean/Galilean lands to the rest of the world. The Commission sends his followers “into all the world.”

But, his followers. If we were going to start a world-wide movement, if we were looking to teach and make disciples around the world, we would want the best, the most passionate and devoted to the cause. Yet, who does Jesus have? He has “eleven” disciples. Not ten; not twelve – eleven.

Eleven is an odd number—numerically and metaphorically. The Bible reveals numbers that are special, important: three, five, twelve, forty. Forty disciples would be so much better—more to go into the big wide world awaiting them. Twelve would be the minimum, but with Judas gone, now Jesus has only eleven. If they were to go out two-by-two as he had sent out disciples before, there would be an odd man out. Ugh. Eleven…

And, not even all eleven are on board: “…some doubted.” What did they doubt? Perhaps they doubted this was really Jesus. Maybe (probably!) something seemed very different about him. Perhaps they doubted this mission to the world—doubted if it would be embraced, doubted their own ability to do this. But, they doubted. In short, Jesus has a less-than-ideal group to send out.

However, there is something about this group that does stand out. There is something about this group that speaks to Jesus and speaks to us today. In fact, we quickly realize that we are not too different from this group. We are not a ‘perfect’ group of Jesus-followers ourselves. And, if we are honest, we gather on Sunday with our own doubts: Is God going to work in my life? Can God save my marriage? Will following Jesus actually change anything in my life? We are not too different from those disciples. But, we, too, have that something that stands out in Matthew 28.

What is that ‘something’? They show up. After all they’ve been through, they show up. Even though they get the message second hand to go to the mountain (the women tell them), they show up. Even though their worlds have been turned upside-down, they show up. And, that is what you and I do each week: we show up. More than anything Jesus asks us to simply show up. When we show up, Jesus can use us to build his kingdom. When we come to worship—even with our doubts, Jesus will use us, send us, entrust his sacred message to us.

This is good news for us! We do not have to be the best. We do not have to be perfect. We do not have to have it all together in our minds. We just need to show up…and Jesus will receive us.

Sunday, August 4, 2024

“A Story of…Moving Forward”

Watch/hear sermon HERE

AfterWords: “A Story of … Love”

Would we like to change the word with one order, one command? We hear commands and orders all our lives—small attempts to change the world around us, perhaps: “Make your bed;” “Eat your veggies;” “Be at work by 10am.” In Matthew 22, we hear more commands: “Love God;” “Love your neighbor.” How in the world can someone—even God—command us to ‘love’?!?

First of all, for us English-speakers, ‘love’ is a feeling. Second, we love so many things in so many different ways: We love pizza, the new Marvel movie, that fancy car, our girlfriends/boyfriends/ spouses, our mothers, and our country. We do not have a clear understanding of ‘love’ because we use the one word to indicate our very different relationship to things, people, and country!

The Greeks of the 1^st Century used different words to describe or indicate their different relationships. Greek has four words that we usually translate as ‘love’—but maybe we shouldn’t . Eros is a feeling of attraction, physical desire, associated often with visible beauty. Phileo indicates the camaraderie among friends, a positive brotherly/sisterly relationship. Storge reveals a familial connection and commitment, that “blood bond.” And, agape is selfless behavior; putting others first; showing kindness not based on feelings; giving of oneself without expectation of anything in return. This agape is the word that we find in Matthew’s Gospel.

When we realize that we are not commanded to have a feeling but to act in a particular way—selflessly, putting others first, with kindness (in spite of feelings), self-giving—then we begin to wrap our minds around these words…and we can begin to live them out. We’re commanded to act, not to feel. I deny myself and give part of my time, part of my day, to God in prayer, devotion, Scripture reading, or worship. And, I act with kindness towards my neighbor regardless of how I feel. We do these things because when we do, we take another step towards being fully human as God intended. Wesley (founder of Methodism) says that living into these commandments is moving towards “Christian perfection”—being who and what God created us to be, living into the “image of God” (Gen. 1:27).

So, back to changing the world with a command. When we give ourselves to God, when we agape God, when we say ‘no’ to ourselves and ‘yes’ to God for just a few minutes each day, we are allowing God to change us. Each encounter with God—through prayers, worship, Scripture reading—changes us somehow, shapes our lives in so way. Likewise, every time you and I speak with grace, do any small act of kindness, allow someone else to have priority, they are changed. Through agape, you and I become conduits of God’s grace and instruments of change in this world.

When we live into these commandments, you and I begin to change this world. Living out agape in our lives—towards God and neighbor—changes the world. Be a world changer today.

Sunday, July 28, 2024

Watch or listen: "A Story of ... Love"

AfterWords – “A Story of … Discipleship”

 While much of the Christian life is ‘doing,’ at times we are called to change our thinking. “Let this mind be in you…,” Paul writes. In this Sunday’s reading (Matthew 16:24-26), Jesus is calling us to think differently. After all, this is a call to discipleship, and a disciple is a student. So, time to learn to see ourselves and the world differently.

“Deny yourself.” This is a conscious decision because our natural tendency is to think of ourselves. Whether our lives are difficult (‘Woe is me…’) or we think we’re king/queen of the world (‘Woah! It’s ME!), we tend to think about ourselves. Jesus is calling us to think outside of ourselves. While the world calls us to ‘be true to yourself,’ Jesus calls us to be true to him. One way to deny ourselves is to ‘flip’ this call: affirm others. When we get outside of ourselves, what is rotten in our lives doesn’t look so rotten; our self-absorption is replaced by the joy of tending to others.

“Take up your cross.” This clause is so misread today. While we think of Jesus and his decision to go to the cross, the disciples heard something very different. When they heard these words, they were reminded of the brokenness of their world—a world where crosses were part and parcel of daily life. One school of wisdom teaches that we should see the world from the perspective of “the glass is already broken”: Everything we have or own will break, will fail, will fade, will be scratched. How freeing to realize this so that when the moment comes, we aren’t surprised. Jesus calls us to see that “our lives are already over.” When we own our own mortality, we can let go and enjoy the reality of here and now. We are set free, in a way, to live life with joy and enjoy the people and world around us.

“Follow me.” Following Jesus today is different from how the disciples did this in the 1^st Century. Today, we follow Jesus by aligning our lives with his, with his words and actions, with his way of being. Another way to think of following Jesus is to really internalize his teachings and his life by reading Scripture, participating in worship, fellowshipping with other followers of Jesus, praying, and by serving and teaching others.

All of this—denying self, taking up the cross, and following—are a way to know and lay hold of life. In doing these things, we really begin to live life as God intended. Affirming others, recognizing the transience of this life, and internalizing the life and teachings of Jesus provide the foundations for seeing the world from a truly Christian perspective. Let’s determine to think these ways….

 

Sunday, July 21, 2024

A Story of…Discipleship

AfterWords - "A Story of ... Following Jesus"

Often, when we see or hear about something, what we saw or heard becomes the standard or the pattern. If we go to a particular Thai restaurant a few times, that becomes the standard for all Thai restaurants for us. If we hear that a friend or family member has a particular experience at a new store we’ve never been to, their experience becomes the standard or pattern for what we think we should expect when we go there.

In the same way, we’ve made some of the Biblical stories patterns for the Christian life…and we may have done people a disservice in doing so. Paul’s “Damascus Road” experience, his dramatic conversion complete with ‘sound and lights,’ has become for many the pattern for how to come to Christ. But, Scripture does not bear that out. In fact, we don’t see anyone else coming to Jesus in such a dramatic way. If they had, I’m fairly confident they would have told that story somewhere along the way.

Likewise, in the Gospels, we see the dramatic response of Peter and Andrew, James and John, as they drop their nets, their work, their families—everything—and follow Jesus. While some certainly have “Damascus Road” experiences and some do leave everything to follow Jesus, the vast majority of us have relatively “tame” conversion experiences, and we follow Jesus in a very different way.

What does it mean “to follow Jesus”? For the first disciples, it meant getting in line physically behind the Master and walking the roads of Judea. For 21^st Century disciples, it more often means getting up in the morning, breathing a prayer of gratitude and asking God how we might live as Christians in our families, at work, in the classroom, at the park, or wherever it is we find ourselves that day. Following Jesus is not so much about walking a geographic path as it is aligning ourselves with Jesus and all he showed us through his life and teachings. For us today, following Jesus is living daily lives of goodness, kindness, and gratitude; speaking words of hope, grace, and peace; taking time to listen, help, and serve others.

How will you respond to Jesus’ call today: “Come, follow me”?

Sunday, July 14, 2024

A Story of…Following Jesus

AfterWords – “Writing New Stories”

 

    Our lives are stories. Some chapters move and flow; some chapters seem stuck or slow. We write characters into our lives, and we write characters out of our lives. Our parents wrote the early chapters of our lives, taught us how to write along the way, and by the time we moved into adolescence, we were taking the pen from their hands and beginning to write our chapters. Once we had the pen in our own hands, our lives were our own…for better or worse.

     We have written some really nice scenes or chapters into our lives—some things we did well, some conversations that were fun, thoughtful, life-giving. We discovered some good characters to include in our stories. But, we also have chapters of regret. We have woven some damaging scenes into our lives, and we have written some bad characters into our lives. Inevitably, we come to points in life when we realize that past scenes and actions have captured us and hold us back. We recognize that some of the characters we’ve written into our lives need to get out, and we don’t know how to write them out. All is not lost.

     The writer of Hebrews refers to Jesus as “the author and finisher of our faith” (12:2). Could it be that now is the time to invite the Author into our lives again, to share the pen with him, to allow him to guide us into writing new and better scenes, fresh conversations, and to write the bad characters out of our lives? We already know what kind of tale we get when we do all of the writing ourselves. Now, today, let us invite Jesus, author and finisher of our faith, to join us in our life-story, to help us write new stories…stories of meaning and purpose and direction, stories that others can watch unfold and can celebrate when we’re gone.

"Writing New Stories" 
 Sunday, July 7, 2024

La Resurrección - el momento decisivo de la fe cristiana

 

Cuando pasó el sábado, María Magdalena, María la madre de Jacobo, y Salomé compraron especias aromáticas para ir a ungir el cuerpo de Jesús. Muy de mañana el primer día de la semana, apenas salido el sol, se dirigieron al sepulcro.  Iban diciéndose unas a otras: « ¿Quién nos quitará la piedra de la entrada del sepulcro?»  Pues la piedra era muy grande.

Pero al fijarse bien, se dieron cuenta de que estaba corrida.  Al entrar en el sepulcro vieron a un joven vestido con un manto blanco, sentado a la derecha, y se asustaron.

—No se asusten —les dijo—. Ustedes buscan a Jesús el nazareno, el que fue crucificado. ¡Ha resucitado! No está aquí. Miren el lugar donde lo pusieron. Pero vayan a decirles a los discípulos y a Pedro: “Él va delante de ustedes a Galilea. Allí lo verán, tal como les dijo.”

Temblorosas y desconcertadas, las mujeres salieron huyendo del sepulcro. No dijeron nada a nadie, porque tenían miedo.   (Marcos 16: 1-8, NVI)

¿Lo que da la fe cristiana su razón de ser? ¿Que hizo lo que es la fe cristiana? ¿De dónde viene el raison d’être de la Iglesia—el pueblo de Dios?

Imagine conmigo por un momento lo que habría pasado si las dos Marías y Salomé se habían ido temprano esa mañana para ungir el cuerpo... y el cuerpo todavía estaba allí. ¿Qué habría pasado entonces? Ellas habrían aplicado debidamente las especias para el cuerpo, en honor a la muerte él que tanto había afectado a sus vidas. Habrían ido a casa, experimentó una temporada de luto, y vivió sus vidas. Los discípulos... bueno, ya sabemos lo que Pedro, Santiago y Juan habrían hecho, habrían ido a pescar... y se quedaron pescando. O, habrían hablado del Nazareno que tanto cambió sus vidas, tal vez recordando algunas de las enseñanzas y de los momentos más increíbles.

"Oye, Pedro, ¿recuerdas cuando él fue en el templo con el látigo de cuerdas que hizo?! Nombre, la gente volaban en todas direcciones! Pelo, dinero y personas estaban saltando y rebotando por todas partes! Ja, ja….”

Quizás iban a tratar de compartir con otros lo que Jesús había dicho… relatos que ya sonaría un poco hueca. Porque no sólo habían oído la buena sabiduría y la llamada a las buenas obras, sino que también habían escuchado promesas de ‘resurrección’ y ‘retorno’. Al final, que irían de nuevo a las redes, días o noches en el mar de Galilea… y ellos habrían muerto los hombres y mujeres en su viejez, feliz para los días que tenían con el Maestro, pero de alguna manera decepcionados todo había ser tan efímera….

Pablo habría continuado sus estudios, subido a través de las filas de los fariseos, se sentó en el Sanedrín. Incluso podría haber hecho “sumo sacerdote” en algún momento de su vida. Su vida pudo haber quedado muy centrada en Judea. No hay viajes a Éfeso, Corinto, Tesalónica, Roma, España….

Nada habría sido escrito. No hay Evangelios, no hay cartas a las iglesias, no hay cartas a líderes comunitarios. Imagínate, nunca hubiéramos leído o escuchado palabras como….

Venid a mí todos los que estáis trabajados y cargados, y yo os haré descansar….

Hecha tus cargas sobre Dios porque él tiene cuidado de vosotros….

El amor es paciente, amable,….

Si confesamos nuestros pecados, él es fiel y justo para perdonar….

Padre nuestro que estás en los cielos….

Porque tanto amó Dios al mundo….

Estos tres permanecen la fe, la esperanza y el amor. Y el mayor de ellos es el amor….

Ninguna de estas palabras se habría escrito, ninguna de ellas escuchado por el mundo. Jesús, al final habría sido otro buen hombre, sabio maestro, incluso hacedor de milagros… sólo uno de los muchos en la historia del mundo.

Pero algo inclinó la balanza, algo cambió todo….

“Ustedes buscan a Jesús el Nazareno, el que fue crucificado. ¡Ha resucitado!

¡Esto cambió todo! Debido a que Jesús fue resucitado de entre los muertos, porque él volvió a la vida, debido a que la tumba no lo contiene, la historia cambió para siempre.

Sus discípulos valentías viajaban por todo el mundo conocido para contar la historia de Aquel que había cambiado sus vidas... y en cada generación desde entonces, los discípulos han hecho lo mismo. Sus palabras y sus acciones fueron recordadas y cuidadosamente registradas. Su vida atraía y inspiraba generación tras generación para llevar su mensaje de las Buenas Nuevas de Dios a todos los rincones de la tierra. Su fe... su confianza, su creencia en Dios como un Padre amoroso cambiaron todo para el siglo primero... y por todos los siglos después. La esperanza ahora en una vida después de la muerte se movió y mueve a los hombres y mujeres, jóvenes y viejos, a tomar la fe de Jesús. El amor que él nos enseñó—un amor nuevo, de auto negación que honra a Dios, al prójimo y a sí mismo—ya se cambió el mundo y nos cambió. A causa de la resurrección, se preservó la vida de Jesús, grabado, proclamado... a causa de la resurrección, la gente de este Jesús—la Iglesia—se reunieron y encontraron apoyo y fortaleza en su unidad... y ellos conservaron y vivieron la fe, la esperanza, el amor que encontraron en Jesús de Nazaret.

La Iglesia de hoy en día, el cristiano de hoy en día, se encuentra su razón de ser en el momento, el caso, el acto de resurrección. Como un "pueblo de la resurrección", ahora reunimos todos los domingos ("...el primer día de la semana, apenas salido el sol....") para recordar y celebrar la fe, la esperanza, el amor lo que encontramos en Jesús, para animarnos y prepararnos vivir el reino de Dios ya. Aquel que murió por nosotros, que venció a la muerte, que se levantó de la tumba ofrece a todos las Buenas Nuevas de Dios, la relación con Dios, el don de la vida eterna con Dios, un lugar en la increíble familia de propósito de Dios. La resurrección... cambia todo.

 

 
Jon A Herrin is a minister and writer living on the US/Mexico border in south Texas. Find out more about him and his writings here: www.jonherrinwriter.com .

The Resurrection – the Defining Moment of the Christian Faith

             

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.  As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. (Mark 16:1-8, NIV)

 

What gives the Christian faith its raison d’être? What made the Christian faith what it is? Where does the Church—the gathered people of God—get its reason for existence?

Imagine with me for a moment what would have happened if the two Marys and Salome had gone early that morning to anoint the body…and the body was still there. What would have happened then? They would have dutifully applied the spices to the body, honoring in death the one who had so affected their lives. They would have gone home, experienced a time of mourning, and lived out their lives. The disciples…well, we know what Peter, James and John would have done—they would have gone fishing…and stayed fishing. Oh, they would have talked about the Nazarene who had so changed their lives, perhaps remembering some of the teaching and the more amazing moments.

“Hey, Peter, remember when he went in the temple with that whip of chords he made?! Man, people were flying every which way! Fur, money and people were jumping and bouncing everywhere! Ha,ha….”

They may have even tried to share with others what Jesus had said…but it would sound a bit hollow now. Because not only had they heard the good wisdom and the call to good works, but they had also heard promises of ‘resurrection’ and ‘return.’ In the end, they’d go back to the nets, days or nights on the Sea of Galilee…and they would have died old men and women, happy for the days they had with the Master, but somehow disappointed it had all been so short lived….

Paul would have continued his studies, risen through the ranks of the Pharisees, sat on the Sanhedrin. He might even have made ‘high priest’ at some point of his life. His life may have stayed very centered in Judea. No journeys to Ephesus, Corinth, Thessalonica, Rome, Spain….

Nothing would have been written. No Gospels, no letters to churches, no letters to community leaders.  Just imagine, we would never have read or heard words such as….

 

Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest….

Cast all your cares on God for he cares for you….

Love is patience, kind, long-suffering….

If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive you….

Our Father, who art in heaven….

For God so loved the world….

These three remain—faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love….

 

None of these words would have been penned, none of them heard by the world. Jesus in the end would have been another good man, wise teacher, even miracle worker…just one of the many littered throughout history.

But something tipped the balance, something changed everything….

“You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen!

This changed everything! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, because he came back to life, because the tomb did not contain him, history was forever changed.

His disciples courageously scattered throughout the known world to tell the story of the One who had changed their lives…and every generation since, disciples have done the same. His words and his actions were remembered and carefully recorded. His life engaged and inspired generation after generation to carry his message of God’s Good News to all corners of the earth. His faith…his trust, his confidence, his belief in God as a loving Father changed everything for the 1^st Century…and for every century after. The hope now in a life beyond death moved and moves men and women, young people and old, to embrace the faith of Jesus. The love that he taught us—a new, self-sacrificing, honoring love for God, neighbor and self—changed the world and changed us. Because of the resurrection, the life of Jesus was preserved, recorded, proclaimed…because of the resurrection, the people of this Jesus—the Church—gathered and found support in their unity…and they preserved and lived out the faith, the hope, the love they encountered in Jesus of Nazareth. 

The Church today, the Christian today, finds her raison d’être in the moment, the event, the act of resurrection.  As a 'resurrection people,' we now gather every Sunday (“…early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise….”) to remember and celebrate the faith, the hope, the love that we find in Jesus...the One who died on our behalf, who conquered death, who rose from the grave to offer to ALL the Good News of God, relationship with God, the gift of eternal life with God, a place in the amazing, purpose-filled family of God. The resurrection…changes everything.

Jon A Herrin is a minister and writer living on the US/Mexico border in south Texas. Find out more about him and his writings here: www.jonherrinwriter.com .