“Opened by the Risen Jesus:
Opened Arms”
May 29, 2022
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and
peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Amen.
What do we need? That’s the question
we ought to be asking this morning, as we are gathering together after several
struggles which have taken place in our society. Today we remember the nineteen
innocent children and two teachers whose lives were so cruelly taken from them
at the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Just the past couple of weeks have
shown us how violence seems to be on the rise, as more frequent shootings and
threats of shootings have taken place. Arguments take place over how to resolve
the issue of increased violence. We remain divided in other areas, and it also
seems like it has become easier to insult people, to speak without any thought as
to the consequences of how our words may affect another person, affect our
relationships with others, or how we may be thought of. The instinct nowadays seems
to be to try to assert opinion or ideology, and to tear down, rather than build
up; to emphasize differences and divisions rather than commonality and unity;
to try to seek out our own “tribe” rather than reach out to build relationships
with others; to push away rather than embrace. But that is what the world needs
more than ever before: to be embraced. We need to be united, and to belong. We
need to be comforted as things seem to be even more fearful and uncertain.
Strange
as it sounds, we can say that what it seems like the world needs right now is a
hug. People just need to feel reassured – reassured that
eventually, even though things seem to be out of control right now, things are
going to get better. But as we know personally, sometimes when we feel like
nothing is going right, everything is out of control, and no one else seems to
care, we just need someone to give us a hug. A hug shows us that someone cares
enough about us to embrace us, and feeling someone’s arms around us helps us to
feel supported, and to feel physical touch assures us that someone real is
there to be there for us. A hug also creates a circle – a circle in which we
know we are accepted and included, and in which everyone who is part of that
hug is being held and held up.
In continuing to talk about the
various parts of the liturgy which make up our service, one which we hear without
fail every single Sunday is the Benediction. The Benediction, like many parts
of our liturgy, is taken directly from the Bible, in this case Numbers 6:24-26.
I will not recite it in full since we will be hearing it towards the end of our
service anyway, but what we can say is that it is an expression of God’s
welcoming love. The Benediction is God giving His people, and all people, a
hug. It is His way of showing who He really is: someone who is kind, and who
wants nothing more than to show how much He cares for everyone. When we hear
that God is blessing us and keeping us, we are hearing that God is giving us
every good thing, freely and without any condition; and that He is preserving
us and keeping us safe through all the struggles and trials of life. This is
also the same invitation He makes in today’s Second Reading from Revelation, where
He invites everyone who is thirsty to come and be refreshed by Him – to be
refreshed by His power and re-energized to keep going and feel encouraged. Him
making His face shine on us and being gracious to us means that He is looking
on us in love, is looking out for us, and is paying attention to us in a positive,
caring way at all times. His constantly being interested in us and watching
over us at every moment is not something we are to be afraid of, but something
we are to be comforted by – the fact that there is always someone who cares
about us, what is happening to us, and is doing something about it. Then, God
looking on us with favor means that we have His special attention – He not only
cares about all people, He cares about us personally. Everything He does is for
our good, and for our benefit. Finally, God gives us peace – peace, which, as
heard last week, comes from knowing that He, and He alone is in control, that
He is causing everything to work out according to His plan, and He will prevail
over everything else in the end. This, once again, is God’s way of giving us,
and everyone, a supportive hug, to let us know that He is not only there, He is
actively working in our lives, showing us His love and blessing in every way,
and He will always be there, no matter what. Part of the reason the Benediction
is almost always said with arms raised is to show that God is extending His arms
out towards all of us to give us a hug. God is inviting us to come into His embrace;
all are included in God’s loving embrace, and no one is excluded. His arms are
open to everyone, and He pushes no one away. Even when Jesus died on the cross,
His arms were opened wide – meaning that everyone who believes in Him, and
accepts Him as Lord and Savior, is accepted unconditionally. These are the
words the whole world needs to hear, and all people need to feel, right now. This
is the kind of hug from God we can also be giving everyone, starting with each
other.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus
prays that we would all be one. This is something we hear every year, and
something which is preached on frequently, but the actual need for us to be one
is greater than ever before. The unity Jesus wants for us is something far more
than just a vague aspiration, or even a sentimental feeling. It is a real
action and goal. It is something we are to be actively working for, by working
to break down barriers which have kept us from embracing each other. These
include any differences in political, moral, social, doctrinal, or theological
belief or opinion, which we have used to create different circles to which we
insist some belong and others do not, rather than seeking to create one large
circle, where all are included based on Jesus. It means eliminating any personal
suspicions we may have devised towards each other, and instead seeking to open
ourselves up to each other to form relationships. It further means, as we will
celebrate next week, welcoming each other and all baptized believers like us to
receive Communion, without any restrictions or exclusions, where no one is to
be kept away from receiving Communion for any reason. It ultimately means,
rather than finding reasons and excuses to push each other away, as we have
done for so long, to find ways of discovering what we share in common, what our
shared desires and goals are, and we are hoping for together. And, hopefully,
what we are hoping for together is to be responsible for each other.
As, once again, we are reminded
in the Benediction, God assumes a special responsibility towards us: to watch
over us and care for us in every way at all times. As believers in Jesus, we
have a responsibility to each other. As people who, in acting like Jesus, act as
Jesus towards each other, we are to have the same responsibility towards each
other that God has towards us. We are to be concerned about each other’s needs.
We are to show compassion to each other, accepting each other’s struggles, and
providing whatever support we can to each other. In various ways, we are even
to give each other hugs, hugs of support, and hugs of acceptance. We are to open
our arms to everyone, and encourage everyone by embracing everyone freely. We
are called to live together not only in unity, but in community – living in one
place together at peace with each other. Even though living under pandemic
conditions has probably caused us to forget what it is like, we are still
called to live in community. One of the most encouraging things I witnessed yesterday
at the dedication ceremony for the Hometown Heroes Banners was how many people
were there. I have to admit I was a bit surprised, since I was expecting maybe
a handful of people, but there turned out to be a large crowd. I was reminded
that, for the past couple of years, with the pandemic, our community hasn’t
really had much of a chance to gather together to celebrate all that often, and
Farmersville hasn’t really had anything to observe Memorial Day for a long
time, so this was a perfect opportunity to be able to do so – for us to be able
to celebrate the weekend in a special way, and for us to be able to see and
visit with each other. Opportunities to celebrate together in this way help us
to feel like a community – and when we feel like a community, we know that we
have a group of people we can count on for support. In the same way, when we
seek to be at peace and in unity with each other, we know that we are part of a
group, or, more importantly, a family, which we can count on for love, care,
and support. When we are at peace with each other, our witness to what we
believe, especially about God’s love, is a lot more effective and believable –
it is easier for other people to accept what we have to say as true if we are
living what we believe towards each other.
Today, in Revelation 22:17 God
gives us an invitation: “Come.” If you are struggling and in need of any kind
of help or encouragement; if you are in need of healing in your mind or body; if
you need to get rid of something which has been keeping you from living your
best life; if you need a fresh start for your life; if you need guidance and
direction; or, if you just need to know you are loved, come to Him. If you need
to feel included, that you belong to a loving, supportive family, come to Him,
and come to us, His family. And, we all are to come to God, and, in being
united together in His loving embrace, be united to each other, as we accept
and embrace each other as members of one family. May we be one, and may we be
able to give each other, and the whole world, a hug.
Now may the peace of God, which
passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
“Opened By the Risen Jesus:
Opened Hearts”
May 22, 2022
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and
peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Amen.
As long as I have been in ministry, I
have had the privilege of being able to meet, and serve, many unique and memorable
individuals. I frequently think of one man in particular, whom I had the
pleasure of being able to know in Northern California, and who went to be with
the Lord just last year. He was someone who had served in the Army, during the
Korean War, and had been a Drill Sergeant, mostly training new soldiers stationed
in Japan, as well as being in charge of North Korean prisoners in a prison
camp. He would tell stories about how he would be rough and tough with both the
soldiers under his command, and the prisoners under his charge. By the time I
met him, however, it would have been impossible to know anything about his past
without him telling anything. Over the years, he had become both a gentle man,
and a gentleman, in every sense of the word. His wife had passed away not long
before I first met him, and he still cherished her memory fondly. Together they
had raised a family, which had grown by leaps and bounds by the time he passed
away, including fifteen great grandchildren. He was also an avid baker, and
would frequently deliver homemade banana breads and cookies to various people
and groups around the neighborhood. But what he was particularly remembered
for, and what I remember him for the most, was having a large heart. He had a
genuine care and concern for everyone he knew, and made sure to provide them
with the best he had to offer. Practically everyone he knew was family to him: at
one point, he was even taking care of at least three single-parent families who
were not related to him, but he still took on the responsibility of caring for.
No matter what anyone needed, he was willing to go above and beyond to provide
it for them. He was someone whom God had truly blessed with a large and open
heart. And it was evident that not only was his heart open to other people, but
his heart was open to God: he was also a man who demonstrated great faith and
trust in God. He was committed strongly to following God, and could always be
counted on to be a positive encourager: he certainly was a positive encourager
for me on many occasions. He had faced many challenges in his life, but he
trusted God to keep him safe and bring him through. He also did not let the
challenges he faced cause his heart to grow small in any way: one of the families
he provided for unfortunately ended up stealing from him at one point, but he did
not let that incident interfere with his desire to care for other people in any
way. He simply trusted God to keep giving him the ability to have an open heart
to everyone. Since his heart was open to God, his heart was able to be open to
everyone he knew.
In today’s Gospel reading, in order
to have our own hearts become large, we are encouraged to open our hearts to
God, and so have our hearts be opened to each other. Jesus says that whoever
loves Him keeps His word: in this case, keeping our hearts open to Him, so He
can come and make His home in our hearts. By doing so, He changes us every day
to become more like Him. He also promises that He will send someone to help us
keep our hearts open to Him: the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. In Greek, the Holy Spirit
is called the Paraclete, which literally means someone who is running
alongside us at all times, who we can count on for help and support in any
situation. The word Paraclete also means someone who speaks up on behalf of
someone else: whenever we are in any kind of trouble, or in any kind of
conflict, the Holy Spirit speaks up for us, and asks God for help in solving
our troubles – which God always does. The Holy Spirit also leads us in the life
Jesus wants for us, and encourages us to keep living that life.
In John 14:27, Jesus tells us the
life He wants for us: a life of peace. Usually when we think of peace, we think
of the absence of violence, which we certainly do hope and pray for as the
fighting between Ukraine and Russia continues without any sign of letting up,
or after the recent shootings in Laguna Woods, California, and Buffalo, New
York. However, peace is not simply just the absence of violence, but it is the
absence of conflict. Unfortunately, conflict is inevitable. The events of the
past couple of years have created quite a bit of conflict. Conflict, as we have
also seen, frequently comes from fear. Fear comes from feeling as though we’ve
lost control – that we should be in control and able to deal with whatever it
is we’re facing, but we don’t know what to do. This means that we try to regain
control in whatever way we can – which causes us to be frustrated, even angry,
because we feel helpless and powerless, that we’re not in charge, and in turn
leads to more conflict. Conflict is also caused by a lack of understanding,
which, again, comes from a desire to control, rather than either accept the
situation for what it is. So the only solution to fear is peace. However, the
peace Jesus promises us is not peace which we can somehow create for ourselves.
This is what He means when He says the peace He offers is not as the world gives:
it comes from us giving up control. This is what Jesus means when He encourages
us to not let our hearts be troubled: the more we struggle to gain control, the
more troubled we become. But true peace comes from waiting patiently for Jesus
to act. It is peace which, in Hebrew, is described as Shalom, the peace
that comes from letting go of our own desire to be in charge, and letting God
be in charge instead. It comes not through our own brainstorming, but instead
through open and honest prayer: by describing our fears and struggle to Jesus in
as much detail and in whatever words we want to, asking for His help, and then letting
go of our struggle – trusting that Jesus is taking care of it, and it is not up
to us to work hard to find a solution any longer: Jesus Himself will reveal a
solution at the right time.
At this point, I wish to continue
the promise I made at the beginning of this month, to talk about the various
parts of the worship service. This week, we’re going to be talking about one
part which we frequently take for granted, but which is a lot of the reason we
gather together each week: prayer. The reason we are here is to be able to pray
to God: to bring our praises and what we’re thankful for, and to bring our
worries and conflicts to God, to place in His hands to resolve, so we can be at
peace. I can tell all of you, with absolute honesty, that some of the most
rewarding experiences I have been able to share with many of you the past few
years have been when I have been able to pray with you. I greatly enjoy being
able to listen to you as you’ve talked about your joys and struggles, and then
together we’ve been able either to thank God for what He’s blessed you with, or
be able to turn your struggles and conflicts over to God to take care of. I’ve
also enjoyed being able to pray with others in our community in other places,
whether it’s been out on the street, in people’s homes, over the phone, at
CAMP, or even at the Village Inn. Notice also in our Second Reading from
Revelation that in heaven there is no temple – Jesus Himself is the temple.
This means that since Jesus is everywhere, in both heaven and on earth, we can
pray to Him any time, anywhere – and take advantage of every opportunity we
have to pray. When we offer our prayers for various needs in the world, as we will
do in just a few minutes, we will both be calling to mind the needs of many
people both here and around the world, and turning those needs over to God to
take care of. Furthermore, when we pray the Lord’s Prayer together, we are not
just reciting ritual words: we are asking God for certain things, both from Him
and for each other. We are asking Him for His help in living in such a way
where we bring honor and maintain a good reputation for His name; to live as
His Kingdom here on earth, where He reigns supreme among us; to provide us, and
everyone else, with what we need to be able to survive each day; to be forgiven,
and to forgive; and, finally, at all times and in every moment, good and bad,
to praise and thank God for who He is and how wonderful He is to us. The reason
we pray the Lord’s Prayer is we are praying for what God wants for us, and for
everyone. In fact, the most effective prayers are the ones where we pray for what
God wants: specifically, He wants us to live in peace with each other, support
and encourage each other, and show compassion to each other because of our
common struggles. So if we pray for these things, that is what we will be given
– but the key is always to ask what God really wants for us, and then pray for
it to happen. When we pray for each other, we are also acting on behalf of the
Holy Spirit: just as the Holy Spirit is someone who runs alongside us to
encourage us at all times, we are also going along with each other to provide
encouragement. We can be paracletes to each other. Praying for each
other is also a wonderful way of showing that our hearts are open to each other;
that we are willing to respect and honor each other’s struggles; and that we
are there to support each other through every kind of struggle. In the past few
years, we have had to deal with many things – but many of these are experiences
we have shared and struggled with together. Which means that we can show
compassion, and understanding, to each other because we have these shared
experiences in common. Praying for each other helps us be able to understand
each other better, because we have to listen to each other in order to know
what to pray for. When this happens, the more at peace with each other we can be.
Being at peace with each other means we can continue to have an open heart for
each other, and so have our hearts be open to where God is leading us together.
So let us be large-hearted encouragers, as we pray for and support each other
and everyone else, and let us live with Jesus in control of us.
Now may the peace of God, which
passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Amen.
Opened by the Risen Jesus: Opened
Ears
May 8, 2022
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and
peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ, Amen.
On this Mother’s Day, one of the many
memories I have of my mom growing up was that, during the worship service every
Sunday, she would make sure I was always singing the hymns, and the different
parts of the service, and doing so out loud. It’s largely because of my mom,
and her insisting that I actively participate in the liturgy and the worship
service, that, even to this day, I pretty much have the entire LBW memorized,
especially the different parts of the worship service we use on certain
Sundays, like today.
Last week, I also promised to continue
talking about the different parts of our worship service and where they come
from. And as it happens, our Hymn of Praise, “Glory to God,” is also a perfect
illustration of what we hear in today’s Second Reading in Revelation, because
it is the same sort of song the multitude is singing around Jesus’ throne as
they sing His praises. The opening line, “Glory to God in the highest, and
peace to His people on earth,” like many parts of our worship service, is
actually from the Bible, in this case, from Luke 2:14 – the song the angels sang
to the shepherds the night Jesus was born. The text of the actual song we sing
dates from about the third century, but, again, takes a lot of images directly
from the Bible, especially with the descriptions of who God the Father and Jesus
are: God the Father is our heavenly King, with His “base of operations” being
in heaven. Every blessing we receive, good thing that happens to us, rescue
from bad things that happen, promise to help us and be with us at all times, comfort
in sadness, healing from sickness, providing us with what we need to live: all
of these things come directly from heaven. Our Father treats everyone equally
the same, without any thought of who we may think is deserving or undeserving. In
the song, we also praise Jesus for being the Son of the Father: in fact, in
today’s First Reading from Acts, Paul even shows that Jesus is the Son of God the
Father, both by quoting Psalm 2, and by reminding us that even though Jesus was
put to death, He we raised to life again by the Father – something God had
promised for centuries before. Jesus is our Lord, and the Lamb of God who takes
away all our sins, and everyone’s sins. We ask Him to have mercy on us as a reminder
that, even without our asking to be, He is still merciful to us. He
gives us more than we expect, and does so without us having to prove our
deserving or worthiness to receive it. We also ask Him to receive our prayer, asking
Him not out of desperation, but out of confidence: confidence that that He does
receive our prayer. He alone is also the only person, the only human being, who
can truly be called “holy,” because He alone was set apart to live a sinless
life, to be able to offer Himself as a sacrifice. He alone is the Most High: no
other power on this earth, no other authority, can claim any power or authority
over Jesus. Also, this song shows who Jesus claims to be at the end of today’s Gospel
reading: He is the Christ who is one with His Father. He and the Father are one
in being divine, immortal, all-glorious, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing,
almighty over everything. Then, at the very end, we sing, “Amen,” an ancient
word which means, “Yes, all this is true.” This is who we believe Jesus is, and
in singing all this, this is what we believe Jesus does for us every single
day. Our song of praise is united with the great crowd of people from all over
the world, both on earth and in heaven, with whom we share one faith in Jesus
as our Lord and God.
And, notice that this multitude is indeed
made up of a diverse group of people: people from all over the world, of every
background, language, experience, and class. People who all have one thing in
common: being believers in Jesus. These are people who are all saved in the same
way: by being washed in the blood of the Lamb. Nothing they have done has
caused them to be saved: Jesus has accomplished it all. In fact, these are
people who, by the standards of the world, are considered losers. Probably
the majority of people in this crowd were people who hadn’t really accomplished
anything out of the ordinary in life, and weren’t all part of a special group. They
weren’t all part of God’s original chosen people. Instead, they all were saved
only by Jesus. They had even been put to death because they refused to give up
their belief in Jesus. It is a great comfort for us to know that nothing we do
in any way affects our being saved: no good works, good behavior, accomplishments,
or following rules or laws makes us worthy or deserving to be promised eternal
life. God’s love for us, and our being destined to live with Him forever, has
nothing to do with how we are, but everything to do with who God is. Nothing we
do even now affects Jesus’ desire to care for us: Jesus is still with us and is
on our side, and nothing will ever change that.
As we hear in today’s Gospel reading,
Jesus is our shepherd. And as our shepherd, He treats every one of His sheep –
each one of us, and everyone in the world – equally the same, with the same amount
of loving care. Jesus is watching over each and every one of us closely, and, so
long as we are alive, nothing can separate us from Jesus. Nothing can snatch us
out of His hands, because His power is greater than anything, and so we remain
in His hands. We are secure in His care: He is someone we can always depend on
to be there for us, to support us, and to lead us gently. Our status remains
the same: we are under Jesus’ protection, under His constant watchful eye. This
is not something that is meant to make us afraid, intimidated, or paranoid – it
means He is always paying attention us and whatever’s going on with us. Deep
down inside, we all want someone to pay attention to us: we just want to know
we’re not being ignored, and our struggles are acknowledged as being real. We
don’t want to be dismissed, to be told to get over it or get used to it, be
told we’re making too big a deal out of what we’re going through, or be told
that there is something wrong with us because we’re suffering what we’re suffering.
We want someone to take us seriously, to meet us where we are, and actually
help us by taking control of whatever we’re going through. That’s exactly what
Jesus does for us: He takes us, and all our worries and problems seriously, and
takes control of them. Just as He took on the sins and sufferings of everyone
in the world and died on the cross to wash them away with His blood, He takes
on all of our present sufferings and heals them. He hears and answers our
prayers, even when we don’t know exactly what to pray for, or how to pray for
it. Whether we pray out loud, or pray silently in our hearts, Jesus still hears
us, even listens to the deepest thoughts of our hearts, and understands what we
are trying to say. Even if we don’t ask for anything specific, Jesus still
knows what we need, and He answers us.
Whenever we wonder in what
direction we are headed, we can look once more at the vision of the great
multitude of people, surrounding Jesus’ throne, singing His praises day and night
– the great multitude of which we all will someday be a part: each one of us
will be part of that crowd, living with Jesus forever, and singing His praises.
Jesus is bringing us to a place, to His home, to heaven, where we will be free
of suffering, where all the tears we have to cry because of fear, anxiety,
frustration, or sadness will all be wiped away. There will only be joy and
happiness in heaven, because we will all be with Jesus. Every conflict we are
going through will be resolved, and every illness we are having to suffer will
be healed. Those who hunger and thirst, especially those who lack food, drink,
or anything needed for this life, will be provided for and will be satisfied. Those
who hunger and thirst for freedom from addiction, rescue from abuse, healthy
friendships and relationships, unity in families and communities, will be
satisfied. And even so, we pray in the Lord’s Prayer that God’s will would be
done on earth as it is in heaven: these are not things which we have to wait
until we get to heaven to experience. These are things which can happen here
and now, because Jesus answers our prayers. He takes us seriously, resolves our
problems, satisfies our needs, comforts us, and wipes away our tears and
everything which is causing them now.
But the key is to be able to listen.
Communication goes both ways: Jesus hears us, but we are also to hear Jesus. I
have talked before about certain messages which are the voice of Jesus, and
which are the voice of the devil, and how important it is for us to be able to
listen carefully and figure out which one is which. Just to review, any voice
which comforts us, encourages us, and reminds us that we are loved unconditionally
is the voice of Jesus. Any voice which does or says the opposite is the voice
of the devil. Unfortunately, there are many voices which sound logical and
reasonable, which try to force us to focus on the seeming hopelessness in front
of us now, but which are ultimately destructive: these voices are from the
devil. So whenever we do feel beaten down or discouraged, we can pray to Jesus:
we can pray for the ability to block out all other voices, and zero in on Jesus’
voice instead. How can we do that? By stopping, taking a deep breath, closing
our eyes, and asking Jesus for help. A prayer doesn’t have to be in a long
paragraph or using multisyllabic words: it only has to be a genuine cry for
help from the heart. Even though we still face trouble every day, we can still
believe Jesus is both reigning supreme in heaven and is with us here and now. We
know where we’re going, because Jesus has already made us ready to get there.
And, with confidence, we can truly sing that all glory belongs to God, and we
have peace and comfort because He is our loving, caring shepherd.
Now may the peace of God, which
passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Amen.
“Opened by the Risen Jesus:
Opened Eyes”
May 1, 2022
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and
peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ, Amen.
If you think about it, we spend a lot
of time looking at things. Probably more so than ever, we spend much of the day
looking at screens, be they phones, devices, televisions, or other ones. We see
a lot of things, and we absorb a lot of information as a result, but is it really
helpful for us? What are we really focusing on with everything we’re looking
at? Though we celebrated Easter Sunday just a couple of weeks ago, we are still
in the Easter season. We are still remembering how, after Jesus rose from the dead,
He appeared to His disciples both to give them comfort and reassurance that He
was actually alive, and to tell them what their new purpose was now that He was
alive. Their new purpose, as we hear in today’s Gospel reading, was to go and
tell people about Him. Today, as we begin a new month, we will also be
beginning a new sermon series about how, in order for His disciples to carry
out this new purpose, which is also the same purpose we also have, Jesus opens us
up, to open us both to the greater purpose we have for life, as well as to open
us up to be able to hear, see, and understand those to whom we tell about Him.
Now earlier this week, someone made
the suggestion that I also preach a series talking about the different parts of
our worship service, and how they actually have their roots in the Bible. The
reason we recite or sing certain things as part of our worship service is
because they actually either come directly from the Bible, or summarize what
the Bible teaches us. So, I’m actually going to be combining and connecting these
two series together, and talking about both how Jesus opens us up, as well as
how we express our praise and worship of Him each week in our worship service. Today
is actually a perfect opportunity to begin doing that as well, because, as it
happens, in our Second Reading from Revelation, we hear about what John sees in
a vision: he sees a great multitude of angels surrounding the throne where Jesus
is seated, reigning supreme. And as they fly around the throne, they praise
Jesus by singing these words:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”. Then, not just the angels, but every creature, in both heaven and on earth, sings joyfully, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and power, forever and ever!”. These are the same words we sang just a moment ago, as part of our Hymn of Praise, “This is the Feast.” So we are actually singing the song the same song the angels and all creatures are singing right at this very moment: believe it or not, every animal we see even praises Jesus in their own way. We, along with the angels and all creatures, thank Jesus for who He is, that He is almighty, all-powerful, and supreme; and to remember what He did – that He was slain for us, to defeat the power of sin over us, and then to rise again to conquer death for us. It is also a reminder to us of what our whole life ought to be – one, just like the angels, of praising Jesus for what He did for us, and what He does for us. But it is something which we know about because of what someone saw – in this case, John, seeing it in a vision.
What John was seeing was also
something that was meant to be something comforting and encouraging for his
time, as it is to be for us today. The believers of John’s time were doubtless
afraid because of being persecuted by the Roman Empire, and it was hard for
them to see the bigger picture, and see that Jesus was still alive, and was
going to bring them victory. John’s vision was both of Jesus reigning supreme on
His throne, as well as being worshipped and praised. And really, especially
today, that is what we also need: we need more of that kind of vision. Like
John, and like the people to whom he originally wrote, we need to be able to
see the bigger picture. We see a lot of disaster, with little hope. For
example, we were told not long ago that we were out of the pandemic, but then
were told that we were actually still in the pandemic. We hear reports and see
images of the destruction and slaughter continue to take place in Ukraine, with
seemingly no hope of an end to the war. We see prices going up at the grocery
store and the gas pump. We hear and see conflicts in our society, in neighborhoods,
and in families. Like the followers of Jesus to whom John was writing, it’s
easy for us to focus only on what is happening right now, and think that we’re
doomed: that whatever disaster we’re going through right now is going to be
what our fate is, and nothing good is going to happen. We can’t let any of the
things we are afraid of keep us from taking our eyes off of Jesus on His throne.
Whenever we honor and praise Jesus, especially when it is difficult for us to
do so, we are able to see the bigger picture; everything else loses its power
and importance. Jesus, and Jesus alone, deserves our honor and praise. So whenever
we are tempted to give into fear, we can honestly ask: why am I even honoring something
that’s obviously hurting me, when there is someone I can be honoring instead –
someone who wants to help, heal, and comfort me? We can pray, and ask Jesus, to
help us, even when everything else overwhelms us, to see Him, and see Him where
He actually is: victorious and almighty over all in heaven, but at the same
time, here with us. He is not just far away on His throne, but He is here with
each one of us, to help us with His almighty power. He, and He alone, is the
solution to all the world’s problems, and our problems. In fact, whenever we
are tempted to let fear take our eyes off of Jesus, we can say, along with all
creatures who praise Jesus in Revelation 5:13: “To him who sits on the throne
and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!”. In
fact, I encourage every one of you to look up Revelation 5:13 and write it down
– or even put it on your phone. Keep it with you, and whenever you are facing a
crisis, or feeling helpless in any way, read it to yourself, as a reminder of
who the real power in this world is – your real power is Jesus Himself.
Jesus also reminded His disciples of this in today’s Gospel reading. In the story, the disciples are going back to what they are familiar with: being fishermen. Now that Jesus is risen from the dead, they figure everything is already done. Jesus came what He said He would do, and so life can go back to normal, and they can take their eyes off of Jesus. Maybe even there is some doubt involved, because now that Jesus is risen they’re not sure what their purpose is any more. But then Jesus appears to them again, and shows them that He has something better for them now. He actually does this by doing the same thing He did when He called them in the first place: He made them catch so much fish that they couldn’t even haul it all in. He allowed them to catch enough fish for their families to be able to be supported while they now devoted themselves full time to going and telling people about Jesus. It was His way of reminding them that they now had to leave their old life behind, and come follow Him again. Nothing can ever be the same now that Jesus is risen. Nothing can also be the same for us. We may want to go back to how things used to be, and we may think things were better before certain things happened. We want to go back to what is familiar, what we’re comfortable with. But Jesus has something better for us. Because, as we talked about just a few moments ago, He reigns supreme, He is leading us into something even better. What that is still remains to be seen – but we can always trust that wherever Jesus leads us is where is best for us to go. We simply are to keep focused on Jesus, and honor Him as our true power.
We also see this with Paul, in
today’s First Reading: how he too was taken from what was familiar for him, in
this case, being zealous for his religion, and put in a different direction.
The problem with Paul was that he was blind – he was blinded by what he thought
was the truth, and what he thought he had to do to live out that truth. He thought
that his purpose was to be angry at Christians, hate them, and persecute them. But
then, Jesus had to remove his blindness by making him physically blind. Blinded
in this case by appearing to him in a great light, and showing him that He,
Jesus, was actually alive. But instead of trying to fight against Paul to destroy
him, Jesus instead had compassion on him, and called him to follow him. Jesus
was also able to use the talents Paul already had, especially his intellect and
learning, and use them to accomplish His good purposes. Paul realized all this
once his blindness had been healed, and that now life was never going to be the
same for him either. He now realized that his purpose was to proclaim Jesus as
the one true power, and that everyone was to honor Him alone.
So the question for today is, what is your focus on? Whatever you are honoring is what you are focusing on. Are you honoring fear, anger, or doubt, and what kind of power are you giving them? Remember who your real power is – Jesus, who reigns supreme. Ask Jesus to open your eyes today, to help you focus only on Him. Also, ask Jesus to take your focus off of anything which is keeping you from seeing and concentrating on Him. Trust that where He leads you when you keep your eyes on Him is where He wants you to go. When you do so, you are also able to accomplish your true purpose: following Jesus, and telling people about Him, just like Paul and the disciples. So keep your eyes focused on Jesus – and remember to praise and honor Him every day.
Now may the peace of God, which
passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
