Have You Seen the Gardener?

April 20, 2025 John 20:1-18 Have you seen the gardener Easter Sunday Year C Prelude Greeting Prayers at the Easter Garden Leader: Alleluia. Christ is risen. All He is risen indeed. Alleluia. Leader: Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away. John 20:15 All: He is Risen Indeed. Alleluia Leader: Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. To you be glory now and for ever. In your great mercy you have given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. By your blessing, may we who have prepared this garden in celebration of his victory be strengthened in faith, know the power of his presence, and rejoice in the hope of eternal glory. Blessed be God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All Blessed be God for ever. Leader: Risen Lord Jesus, as Mary Magdalene met you in the garden on the morning of your resurrection, so may we meet you today and every day: speak to us as you spoke to her; reveal yourself as the living Lord; renew our hope and kindle our joy; and send us to share the good news with others. All Amen. Leader: Alleluia. Christ is risen. All He is risen indeed. Alleluia. The Lighting of Candles The minister Lighting the Christ Candle says The light of Christ. All Thanks be to God. Acclamation Alleluia. Christ is risen. All He is risen indeed. Alleluia. Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: All he has given us new life and hope by raising Jesus from the dead. [God has claimed us as his own: All he has made us light to the world.] Alleluia. Christ is risen. All He is risen indeed. Alleluia. Once the congregation’s candles have been lit a minister leads the following Acclamation Listen to Easter Prayer When everything was dark and it seemed that the sun would never shine again, your love broke through. Your love was too strong, too wide, too deep for death to hold. The sparks cast by your love dance and spread and burst forth with resurrection light. Gracious God, We praise you for the light of new life made possible through Jesus. We praise you for the light of new life that shone on the first witnesses of resurrection. We praise you for the light of new life that continues to shine in our hearts today. We pray that the Easter light of life, hope and joy, will live in us each day; and that we will be bearers of that light into the lives of others. Amen. This video was produced by United Methodist Communications in Nashville, Tennessee. Media contact is Joe Iovino, jiovino@umocm.org. This video was first posted on March 14, 2017. Extinguish your candle one the light comes Song Christ the Lord is Risen Today UMH 302 A Sermon for all Ages Children’s Sermon Theme: Hope Unlocked. Jesus comes to us even when we are locked in fear behind closed doors. Introduction: Instructions: Designed to be pre-recorded, but can be modified for livestreaming needs. NEED: A set of keys Good Morning everyone, and Happy Easter! I’m so glad to get to share with you all on this amazing Sunday, even though we’re far away. Now, when I say ‘Christ is Risen’ I want you to say ‘Christ is Risen indeed’. Okay, ready? Christ is Risen! [ pause ] One more time! Christ is Risen! [ pause ]. Good. Bible Story: [John 20:1-20]- This morning, we are going to talk about something very special that happened on Easter Sunday. Jesus’s friend Mary Magdalene was going to visit his tomb when she saw that the stone, which meant to keep Jesus locked inside, had been rolled away. Mary was so excited that she ran to meet another of Jesus’ friends, Simon Peter, to tell him what happened. But, unlike Mary who also saw Jesus and talked to him in the garden outside of Jesus’ tomb, Simon Peter and the other disciples did not see Jesus there and went home, locking themselves inside out of fear. Object Lesson: Now, these are my keys. [Take a moment to explain what a few of the keys on your keyring do- car keys, house keys, etc ]. I’m sure your grownups all have keys that do some pretty similar things. A lot of the times, we use keys to protect ourselves and our belongings by making sure that nobody can get inside. Jesus’ disciples probably used keys like these to lock themselves indoors after Jesus’ death. We’ve probably heard people around us say that they feel like they’re locked inside too, right? Have you ever felt that way – like everything in you is squeezed tight? Like there are really big feelings trapped inside of you, locked up in your heart? And sometimes, those big feelings inside of us keep us from being friends with other people, too. They keep us locked away from others. Just like the Disciples, we feel afraid of something that feels like it is out of our control. Jesus, though, does something amazing when we are locked inside our fear. Jesus appeared to those disciples who were locked inside out of fear and said “Peace be with you!”, and they were amazed. Peace means all that wound tight stuff inside us lets go. It means we can rest and feel calm. It means we can reach out and be friends agin.Jesus didn’t have a magic key to open the door and walk inside – he IS the magic key! He simply appeared, and gave them peace. He unlocked all those big, tight, wound-up feelings inside them and made them call and joyful again. Conclusion: Because He was resurrected, we, just like the Disciples, know that we have no reason to be afraid. So don’t be afraid, and don’t feel alone. Christ is risen [ pause ] and He will appear to us(come to us), even when we’re locked behind closed doors and give us peace too. Close with prayer Jesus, thank you for coming into even our scary, locked up places. Help us to look for you when we are afraid or upset. Give us peace inside, and peace with each other. Amen. (Western Pennsylvania United Methodist Church) Scripture John 20:1-18 Sermon Have You Seen the Gardener What is so Good about Good Friday? I think that one of the main points of Good Friday is that it forces us to get in touch with the heart of our faith? Reliving the passion story forces us to ask some serious questions about our faith and to acknowledge our doubts as real. This year, here we watched the movie The Two thieves and. Were able to have an honest conversation about faith and doubt, and God’s grace. When we left on Friday, we all had a lot of questions, but I am not sure that we got a lot of answers. Things have not gotten any clearer this morning. Easter is a mystery within itself. When you think about it, Easter raises more questions than it answers. All we know is that the tomb is empty. Christ should be in there, but he is not. Growing up, I always loved to participate in Easter, but it never really made any sense to me. I loved getting new clothes, getting a new hairdo, dying eggs, looking for Easter baskets, even going to church one time a year was fun – it gave me a chance to put my best foot forward. Even as a church – we go through the ritual of renewal – putting out flowers, preparing special music, making sure the church is a little cleaner, acting on our best behavior for the visitors. We all know the routine, but we are never quite sure of what Easter is really all about, what actually happened. We are all familiar with the Easter bunny, but no one really knows quite what bunnies have to do with Christ dying and being resurrected. Easter is such a mystery, that we don’t even know what date it will be celebrated next year. (April 5th by the way.) Easter is this big question mark in our heads, and yet Easter is the defining moment of our faith. Easter has been shrouded in mystery and misunderstanding from the very beginning of the story. No wonder we are so confused about our faith, and have so many doubts. John 20 is a very familiar story, we hear it every year in some form. We know the part about the women in his life sticking with Jesus all throughout his ordeal. They were the ones who got up early in the morning to make sure that he was properly anointed. They were the first witnesses of the resurrection. John 20 features Mary Magdalene, coming to look for Jesus only to find two angels in the tomb. The gardener asks her why is she crying. I hear this story every year – but it was only this year that I realized that Jesus was present all along – Jesus was the gardener – Mary just didn’t realize it. Mary is so preoccupied with grief, that the miracle that she was looking for was right there in front of her in plain sight, and plain clothes, doing a plain job. How many times in my life, am I stuck in my grief, crying about being alone. Convinced that God is not answering my prayers. God is silent in my life. Caught up in my circumstances, when all along the gardener is present in plain clothes, working harder than ever, I just don’t recognize him or her as God. A colleague tells the story of being at a point in her life when everything was dark. She had lost her job, she was going through a divorce, she had not idea of how she was going to get by in life. She felt that her prayers were unanswered, she started to doubt whether God really cared about her. She started to ask questions about where was this Jesus? If Jesus us the messiah, who doesn’t he come and save her? Is it that he can’t or wont help her out of the situation. (These were the same questions that were asked on Good Friday by the way). Jesus didn’t say anything now, and he often does not say anything now. In the midst of her faith crisis, she started to experience grace in small unexpected ways- friends who bought her food and helped her with her rent. Unexpected checks that came in the mail, opportunities that started to arise. As a person of faith, she realized that the gardener was there in her life taking care of her all along. She just didn’t recognize that it was Jesus. In our minds eye we are expecting Jesus to be the bright spiritual figure dressed in white, and instead he has dirty fingernails and work overalls. He is working miracles, showing grace shedding light while hidden in plain sight. It makes a lot of sense that Jesus would appear in resurrection as the gardener, and that the tomb would be placed in a garden. Jesus is a gardener, like Adam. The story of our faith begins in the Garden of Eden. Before sin took over our lives, God placed Adam in the garden to tend to life. So now Jesus comes to tend to new life and resurrection. Sin drove us out of the garden and away from our purpose. Jesus died for our sins and in resurrection opens the gates for us to return. The world can be a dark dreary lonely place to be. Just living in the world can sometime cloud our vision and distort our expectations. All along the gardener is working to bring us grace. This Easter Sunday I thought it was important for us to spend some time in the garden – looking for the gardener in our life. More Hope than We Can Handle Earlier this week, an old couple received a phone call from their son who lives far away. The son said he was sorry, but he wouldn’t be able to come for a visit over the holidays after all. "The grandkids say hello." They assured him that they understood, but when they hung up the phone they didn’t dare look at each other. Earlier this week, a woman was called into her supervisor’s office to hear that times are hard for the company and they had to let her go. "So sorry." She cleaned out her desk, packed away her hopes for getting ahead, and wondered what she would tell her kids. Earlier this week, someone received terrible news from a physician. Someone else heard the words, "I don't love you anymore." Earlier this week, someone’s hope was crucified. And the darkness is overwhelming. No one is ever ready to encounter Easter until he or she has spent time in the dark place where hope cannot be seen. Easter is the last thing we are expecting. And that is why it terrifies us. This day is not about bunnies, springtime and girls in cute new dresses. It’s about more hope than we can handle. Craig Barnes, Savior at Large, article in The Christian Century, March 13-20, 2002 p. 16. Let us pray…… Song Up From the Grave He Arose UMH 322 Prayer of the Day On this Easter, as on that first day long ago, you come, Steadfast Love, continuing to walk with us on this strange pilgrimage of worry, fear, and loss, showing us the good news of the empty tomb, calling us to run and tell everyone of the new life which is ours. On this Easter morning, as on that early first morning, you wait and watch, Gardener of the seeds of love, hope, and grace you planted deep within us, as we stand amazed at the harvest of hope and life which is handed to us this day as you call us by our names. In those early morning moments, Spirit of the broken hearted friends, you whispered of that love which cannot be held behind the stones of our fears and doubts, of that hope which puts grave clothes into bandages for the hurting, of that grace which turns cartwheels in the gardens of our hearts, even as you whisper them to us. On this Easter, as on every day, your grace, your peace, your love gives us new life and hope, God in Community, Holy in One, and so we pray as we are taught, saying, (Thom Shuman, Lectionary Liturgies) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment (You don’t have to print this) An Offering of New Life Resolutions This can include, or not, any passing of plates or announcements about monetary offering. Friends, you received a cup on your way in today. Those of you who are visitors, this is not just one of those “give a visitor a mug” things… this is new for everyone here. If you consider yourself a Christmas Eve and Easter church-goer, you might be interested to know that Easter isn’t just one day. It is a “week of weeks” and so we will celebrate Easter until the Day of Pentecost, which is another seven weeks! I’m kind of kidding you about being an Easter church-goer, but I do want to invite you to think about traveling on this journey into new life, which we all know takes a bit more than one day to accomplish. We might not consider Easter the beginning of a “new year,” but in many ways, it is a symbolic moment to consider starting with a clean slate. What would you like to move forward away from and into a new lease on life? If you could leave something behind, what would it be? We aren’t going to answer that question right now, but I just want to invite you to consider it this week. Resurrection is not just a story about Jesus; it is a rejuvenation that can happen within us, anytime. Today we are going to bring forward the flowers that are in your cups/mugs and place them on our flowering cross, filling it with more signs of beauty and life and love and fresh beginnings. Song Thine Be the Glory UMH 308 Sending Forth We could just return to our homes, slipping back into pandemic mode, but we will go to rebuild communities, to care for those who are still so lonely. We could stand looking around, wondering if Jesus has left us on our own, but we will turn and, seeing our neighbors, we will call them by name and embrace them with hope. We could keep our lips sealed, not telling anyone of what we have heard and seen, but we will run to tell others, grabbing them by the hands to go and meet the Gardener of grace. (Thom M. Shuman, Lectionary Liturgies) Additional Illustrations My Soul Is Rested Martin Luther King used to tell the story of Sister Pollard, a seventy-year-old African American woman who lived in Montgomery, Alabama during the now famous bus boycott. One day, after walking significant distances daily for several months, Sister Pollard was asked if she wanted a ride. When she answered, “No,” the person responded, “But aren’t you tired?” To which Sister Pollard answered, “My feets is tired, but my soul is rested.” Resurrection living, moving beyond our fears and trusting that God is fashioning a way out of no way, celebrating the promise that a new world is unfolding — this leads us to affirm as well that our souls are rested. We will continue to face all kinds of challenges and struggles along the way; “our feets will be tired,” but our spirits will be strengthened through the presence of the risen Christ. This is the good news we celebrate this Easter morning: There is no tragedy that God cannot redeem, no dream — even the elusive dream of peace on earth — that the God who raised Jesus from the dead cannot energize and advance. Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed! Joel D. Kline, Frightened Out of Our Wits ___________________________________ Yes, There Is Hope In the early part of World War II, a Navy submarine was stuck on the bottom of the harbor in New York City. It seemed that all was lost. There was no electricity and the oxygen was quickly running out. In one last attempt to rescue the sailors from the steel coffin, the U.S. Navy sent a ship equipped with Navy divers to the spot on the surface, directly above the wounded submarine. A Navy diver went over the side of the ship to the dangerous depths in one last rescue attempt. The trapped sailors heard the metal boots of the diver land on the exterior surface, and they moved to where they thought the rescuer would be. In the darkness they tapped in Morse code, "Is there any hope?" The diver on the outside, recognizing the message, signaled by tapping on the exterior of the sub, "Yes, there is hope." This is the picture of our dilemma as we worship this glad Easter Day. Humankind is trapped in a dreadful situation. All around we are running low on hope, and we look for a word from beyond offering it to us. This world in which we live is plagued with war and famine, mounting debt and continual destruction. The more we try to rescue ourselves the more we seem to fall behind. We wonder: Is there any hope? Bill Self, Is There Any Hope? _________________________________ The Easter Formula In April 2002, the well-respected Oxford University philosophy professor Richard Swineburne defended the truth of the Resurrection at a high-profile gathering of philosophy professors at Yale University. Swineburne used Bayes Theorem, a broadly accepted mathematical probability theory and tool to defend the truth of Christ's resurrection. In a New York Times interview, Swineburne said, "For someone dead for 36 hours to come to life again is, according to the laws of nature, extremely improbable. But if there is a God of the traditional kind, natural laws only operate because he makes them operate." Swineburne used the Bayes Theorem to assign values to things like the probability that God is real, Jesus' behavior during his lifetime, and the quality of witness testimony after his death. Then he plugged the numbers into a probability formula and added everything up. The results? There's a 97 percent probability that the resurrection really happened. That's nice to know. It's one more tool in the tool kit of ministry. But the truth is that you and I don't really need that. The church doesn't really need that information. Because we have our own formula. It's the Easter Formula: R+ET+F=LE. The Resurrection plus the Empty Tomb plus Faith equal Life Eternal. That's the Easter Formula. Billy D. Strayhorn, From the Pulpit, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. ____________________________ Graveyard Wreaths If you had been living in the Roman Empire in the first century, you would have noticed a strange custom practiced by the Christians. They would go out to their graveyards with laurel wreaths, the wreaths that had been used in Greek and Roman culture to crown the victors of athletic contests. They would take those laurel wreaths and place them on the graves. If you had asked them why, they would say, "Because we believe that in Jesus Christ we have received victory over the power of death." Mark Trotter, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com I Want to See Your Resurrection Father Basil Pennington, a Roman Catholic monk, tells of an encounter he once had with a teacher of Zen. Pennington was at a retreat. As part of the retreat, each person met privately with this Zen teacher. Pennington says that at his meeting the Zen teacher sat there before him smiling from ear to ear and rocking gleefully back and forth. Finally the teacher said: “I like Christianity. But I would not like Christianity without the resurrection. I want to see your resurrection!” Pennington notes that, “With his directness, the teacher was saying what everyone else implicitly says to Christians: You are a Christian. You are risen with Christ. Show me (what this means for you in your life) and I will believe.” That is how people know if the resurrection is true or not. Does it affect how we live? King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com ____________________________________ We Believe You I ran across a beautiful story recently about a woman named Rosemary who works in the Alzheimer’s Unit of a nursing home. Rosemary and a colleague named Arlene brought the residents of the home together one Good Friday afternoon to view Franco Zeffirelli’s acclaimed production Jesus of Nazareth. They wondered whether these elderly Alzheimer’s patients would even know what was going on, but they thought it might be worth the effort. When they finally succeeded in getting everyone into position, they started the video. Rosemary was pleasantly surprised at the quiet attention being paid to the screen. At last came the scene where Mary Magdalene comes upon the empty tomb and sees Jesus’ body not there. An unknown man, in reality the risen Christ, asks Mary why she is looking for the living among the dead. Mary runs as fast as she can back to the disciples and tells Peter and the rest with breathless excitement, “He’s alive! I saw Him, I tell you! He’s alive.” The doubt in their eyes causes Mary to pull back. “You don’t believe me . . . You don’t believe me!” From somewhere in the crowd of Alzheimer’s patients came the clear, resolute voice of Esther, one of the patients. “WE BELIEVE YOU,” she said, “WE BELIEVE YOU!” Well, Esther, I believe it too. The evidence is overwhelming, and life makes no sense without it. Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Rosemary Kadrmas in Jeff Cavins, et.al, Amazing Grace for the Catholic Heart (West Chester, PA: Ascension Press, LLC, 2003), pp. 211-212., adapted by King Duncan ___________________________ Famous Because It Is Empty! If Easter says anything at all to us it is that Jesus will always be with us. The pyramids of Egypt are famous because they contained the mummified bodies of ancient Egyptian kings. Westminster Abbey in London is renowned, because in it rests the bodies of English nobles and notables. Mohammed's tomb is noted for the stone coffin and the bones it contains. Arlington cemetery in Washington, D.C., is revered, for it is the honored resting place of many outstanding Americans. The Garden Tomb of Jesus is famous because it is empty! Don Emmitte ____________________

Preparing to Meet Jesus

Easter Sunday April 9, 2023 Year A Matthew 28:1-10 Opening Song Welcome Call to Worship (Psalm 118, John 20) Christ is risen! God’s steadfast love endures forever. Death never gets the final word. God’s steadfast love endures forever. Rejoice in this day of salvation. God’s steadfast love endures forever. Alleluia! (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Judith Bartlett) Opening Prayer (Psalm 118, John 20) Living God, rejoicing in this day of resurrection, we have come to celebrate the strength of your love— a love that triumphs even over death. As we exult in the miracle of your incarnate love, we thank you for the opportunity to encounter the Risen Christ here in our midst. Amen. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Judith Bartlett) Song Christ the Lord is Risen Today UMH 302 Children’s Sermon Easter Children’s Sermon (John 20:1-18) Colors of Hope Greet the children, and have a bag of jelly beans and/or several plastic eggs filled with jelly beans. Make sure that all colors are in each egg. Hello, children of God! He is risen! Happy Easter! What a special and joyous day this is. Easter is truly the most wonderful event we can celebrate in the Bible. What do you like to do at Easter time? (Take possible responses.) Those are fun things…maybe you’ve enjoyed an egg hunt, too! It just so happens I have some Easter eggs here. Would you like one? (Pass out one egg per child, filled with jelly beans.) What do you think might be in these eggs? Why don’t we take a little peek…open your egg carefully, but don’t touch what you find inside just yet… Jelly beans! Jelly beans are another item we see frequently at Easter time. Here’s an important question though: what are we talking about with the story of Easter? With all of the candy, the eggs and bunnies and flowers, what does it all mean? Well, we are going to go through the story, and these jelly beans will help. I want to look at one color at a time. Find the color as I discuss it, and we’ll think about what it represents in the events of Easter. (If desired, allow children to eat the jelly bean after reviewing the color; or wait until the end of the message.) Let’s begin with the green one. Can you find the green jelly bean? This one reminds me of a garden. Actually, there are three gardens in this story. The first one is the Garden of Eden. That’s where God first created the plants and animals and people and everything…but Adam and Eve sinned, and things got messed up. God had a plan, though, and Jesus was at the center of that plan. The other garden is the Garden of Gethsemane. That’s where Jesus prayed on the night before He was killed. He prayed that God might spare Him the pain of crucifixion if possible, but ultimately He surrendered to God’s will. And the third garden, well, let’s wait to talk about that one…After that prayer in the garden, Jesus was arrested. Let’s look at the orange jelly bean. This represents coins. One of Christ’s friends and disciples, Judas, betrayed Him, and sold Him for just a few coins (technically, they were silver, but we’ll use our imaginations). The people who arrested Jesus put Him on trial and beat Him with whips! *Note: orange could also be used to reference the fire outside the courtyard and/or rooster for Peter’s denial of Jesus. Next, why don’t we look at the purple jelly bean. The people who arrested Jesus and were doing cruel things to Him made fun of Him. They teased Him, and they hit Him. They made a crown out of sharp thorns, because He was called “king”, and they took a purple robe and put it on Him. They were mocking Him because they didn’t think He was truly a king. But we know that Jesus is truly royalty. He is the Son of God, and the king of all things! Well, Jesus was put to death on the cross. The red jelly bean (hold up red) makes us think of the blood of Jesus. His blood was spilled out, and by that blood our sins are covered. Look at the black jelly bean. Black reminds us of our sins, dark and black and awful. The bad things we do are as black as night…and black also reminds us of the darkness of night. When Jesus was killed, the sky grew dark like night, even though it wasn’t nighttime. Well, Jesus did die on the cross. That was also part of God’s plan, and Jesus knew that His blood would wash away our sins and make us clean and new. Look at the white jelly bean. It reminds us of a fresh new start. White also stands for the linens that wrapped around Jesus’s body when He was placed in the tomb. People put Him in a tomb in a garden—that’s the third garden. But that isn’t where He stayed… Look at the yellow jelly bean. On the third day, the sun rose as some women went to the tomb where Jesus was. They learned that He was not in the tomb! That’s because not only had the earthly sunrise come; the SON of God had risen, too! He was alive! And this gives us great delight and hope. Finally, take out the pink jelly bean. Pink is a joyful and happy color. It reminds us of the hope we have in Jesus. He lived, died, and came back to life! He did this for you and me. Because we have joy in Jesus, we know our black sins are washed away, we have new life and new hope in Him. So any time you look at an array of colors, eat jelly beans, or hear about Easter, think about these important events, and remember what Jesus did for you. He is risen indeed. Alleluia! Let’s give God a prayer of thanks for all that He did for us through Jesus: Prayer (Have kids repeat each line) Dear God, Thank you for your marvelous plans Thank you for sending Jesus and giving Him important purpose Help us to trust you and remind us you are near Thank you for forgiveness Thank you for your love We love you, God! In Jesus’s name, Amen! (Children’s Ministry Kristen Schmidt) Prayer in Song This is the Day that the Lord Hath Made UMH 658 Passing the Peace of Christ I invite you to exchange signs of peace with one another using these traditional words that have been spoken by Easter Christians throughout the centuries: Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia! (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Judith Bartlett) Prayer of Preparation (John 20) Open our ears to hear your Word proclaimed in this place. Open our hearts to know your Love offered in this congregation. Open our eyes to see your Presence blessing us in this moment. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Judith Bartlett) Matthew’s Easter Story Matthew 28:1-10 Risen from the Dead 28 1-4 After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God’s angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn’t move. 5-6 The angel spoke to the women: “There is nothing to fear here. I know you’re looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed. 7 “Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.’ That’s the message.” 8-10 The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. “Good morning!” he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Jesus said, “You’re holding on to me for dear life! Don’t be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I’ll meet them there.” Sermon Preparing to Meet Jesus Yesterday I was crucified with Christ, today I am glorified with him. Yesterday I was dead with Christ, today I am sharing in his resurrection. Yesterday I was buried with him; today I am waking with him from the sleep of death. Gregory of Nasianzus The Power of Belief in a World of Lost Hope Eric Butterworth tells about a young soldier who lost his legs in battle. Something died within this young man when he found he would never walk again. He lay in his hospital bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He refused to talk to anyone who tried to help him. He refused to cooperate with doctors or nurses who wanted to help him to adjust. One day another inmate of the hospital strolled in and sat down on a chair near the bed. He drew a harmonica from his pocket and began to play softly. The patient looked at him for a second, then back to the ceiling. That was all for that day. Next day the player came again. For several days he continued to come and to play quietly. One day he said, "Does my playing annoy you?" The patient said, "No, I guess I like it." They talked a little more each day. One day the harmonica player was in a jovial mood. He played a sprightly tune and began to do a tap dance. The soldier looked on but was apparently unimpressed. "Hey, why don't you smile once and let the world know you're alive!" the dancer said with a friendly smile. But the legless soldier said, "I might as well be dead as in the fix I'm in." "Okay," answered his happy friend, "so you're dead. But you're not as dead as a fellow who was crucified two thousand years ago, and He came out of it all right." "Oh, it's easy for you to preach," replied the patient, "but if you were in my fix, you'd sing a different tune." With this the dancer stood up and said, "I know a two-thousand-year-old resurrection is pretty far in the dim past. So maybe an up-to-date example will help you to believe it can be done." With that he pulled up his trouser legs and the young man in the bed looked and saw two artificial limbs. The tap-dancing fellow with the harmonica was not simply a Pollyanna. He once lay where that young soldier now lay. He himself had known the power of a resurrection. He had learned to live life abundantly--even without his legs. Needless to say, the young soldier's own resurrection began that moment. Easter isn't just about dying. It's about the power of belief in a world of lost hope. It is about knowing that no situation is beyond God's redeeming power. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Hope is the word that God gave me to reflect on this Lenten and Easter season. Jesus came into the world so that we can have hope and have it abundantly. In his Easter vigil the pope said encourages us to have hope amidst the icy winds of war. I always find his messages encouraging and full of mission. I loved his message yesterday for the Easter vigil. And he and I agree that Matthews’s story of the resurrection has a very special message of its own. I don’t have to talk about the meaning of Easter hope – the scripture already lays it out. Each version of the story speak of the witnesses who came to the garden expecting to face death and instead encountering the resurrection. I always look forward to the years that we look at Matthew, because it has some very key differences. For Matthew – only 2 women come to the tomb, Mary Magdalene and another Mary. But they don’t have any spices, so they were no concerned about treating the body, they just wanted to come to pray. Also there is the earthquake that awakens everyone that is unique, and for Matthew the guards are not just mannequins standing there – they are a key part of the story. They are stirred into action to prevent the disciples from stealing the body. And finally in Matthew – Jesus is there at the tomb and speaks and interacts with the two witnesses. Scripture says that the guards are witnesses too – but they are frozen stiff unable to talk, move or do anything. They had no idea of what they were looking at, and couldn’t process it at all. They never experienced the resurrection, because they had either lost hope or they never knew what it was. A lot of us are like that – frozen and stuck in life because we have either lost the hope of Jesus, or never had it in the first place. We are at the scene of all of the action in life, but we can’t seem to move forward. Maybe we are here to find that hope to move us. The women on the other hand, knew exactly what was happening, they were able to find Jesus. They even talked with him and carry on a conversation with hope itself. Jesus gives them a hope, a promise, and a command. Hope that there is a way through even our deepest pain. A promise that the mission continues and a command to go – he tells them to go and meet him in Jerusalem. In that encounter with Jesus – they learned the point of their faith – have hope and keep moving forward. He tells them to meet him in Galilee. Galilee was the place that Jesus did his ministry. He developed a relationship with each of the disciples. He had hope and dreams for that place. Jesus tells them to go back to their life, the place where they found faith. To come home back to God. I truly believe that nothing in life is an accident or a coincidence – we are all here in this moment for a reason. We are here for a reason and that God has a plan and a purpose for each of us. There is a next step for each of us. But in order to understand that plan we have to return to the place where we found our passion. We have to be inspired to overcome our fear. Galilee is the place where we found love and peace. When is the last time that you have been to the place? Jesus’ message this morning – go and meet him there. Jesus message to us on Easter - go and find me. Where can you go to find Jesus? We can find Jesus in a place, a person, at a certain time. Usually in a mission. God has worked all night in this place, and God is still at work. Easter is the holiest time of year. We reflect on our faith. We reflect on the miracles that we have experienced in our life. When we encounter the resurrection – we take in the power to turn things around and help us to move forward. And God works in complete silence. If he can resurrect Jesus and make things right – there is a silent revolution going on for each of us right now, and we don’t even realize it. Easter is a little different for all of us. We are here for many different reasons. God speaks to each of us a little different, so our search for Jesus is different. With that rather earthy illustration, I would suggest to you that on that first Easter Sunday, those who were the followers of Jesus had a variety of needs as well. And further, I believe that the diversity of needs remain yet today. We’re not all drawn to this place for the exact same reason today. Some of you are here because you are curious. Others have come to keep peace in the family. Still others walked in because they have worshipped on Easter every year, and they cannot imagine being anyplace else. One size does not fit all. But the story of Easter is such a gripping story that it ultimately meets the need of every person in this place. Steven Molin, Passion, Proof, and Purpose That is the goal toward which the ongoing Easter draws us and transforms our dark, gloomy mornings into a shining doxology. We say with all the faithful of all of the ages, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. By His great mercy, we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable, unfailing and undefiled, kept in heaven for you. Though you must go through various trials, all this is so that your faith may redound to the praise, glory and honor of Jesus Christ. Without having seen Him, we love Him, and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. The outcome of your faith is the salvation of your souls. F. Dean Lueking, Ongoing Easter Easter is the first day of the rest of our lives. It is the first day of many for us to get out there and go find Jesus. We have to have faith that Jesus is here to bring us forward. The church is the place were for to gain support and to know that we are not alone on the journey. God has a plan and a purpose for us all. The key to Easter is to have hope in the midst of our situation. The same power that raised Jesus is alive in you. It lives out in your mission. What does Easter compel you to do next? Go find your place in God’s universe. Go out in the world and make a difference. It is time to come out of your comfort zone and live. Make a name for God, not for yourself. There are people out in the world who are hungry for hope. How can you give it to them? Don’t be afraid – just look for Jesus. When we find Jesus – we learn that Jesus was there all along – we just have to adjust our hope in order to see. Easter is all around us – and it is not about spring, or warm weather, easter eggs, jelly beans, ham or even gathering with family. It is not even about going to church – it is about having hope and living our lives. Fulfilling our mission. When we go and find Jesus – every Sunday is Easter. Dear brothers and sisters, let us follow Jesus to Galilee, encounter him, and worship him there, where he is waiting for each of us. Let us revive the beauty of that moment when we realized that he is alive and we made him the Lord of our lives. Let us return to Galilee, to the Galilee of first love. Let each of us return to his or her own Galilee, to the place where we first encountered him. Let us rise to new life! (From Pope Francis) Amen. Song The Day of Resurrection UMH 303 Response to the Word (John 20) The stone was gone, so Mary assumed that Christ had been taken away. The tomb was empty, so Peter assumed that Christ had been taken away. The angels had come, so Mary assumed that Christ had been taken away. The linens were discarded, so Peter assumed that Christ had been taken away. And yet . . . [pause] Christ was risen. Christ was alive. Christ was in their midst. They saw the Living Christ. When our lives seem empty, we assume that Christ has been taken away. When our lives are full of pain, we assume that Christ has been taken away. And yet . . . [pause] Christ is risen! Christ is alive! Christ is in our midst! Let us open our eyes to see the Living Christ here with us today! (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Judith Bartlett) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment The greatest offering comes from God, whose love is unending, and whose love we see clearly in Jesus raised up from death into Life. The work of ministry to which our congregation is called is not to build a shrine to a dead Lord, but to spread this Good News: Jesus Christ, ALIVE! invites us to demonstrate our desire to follow him by sharing our lives (including our tithes and our gifts) today. Our offerings help us shout out the news of resurrection, so all who long to encounter the LIVING GOD may join in the Way of Jesus Christ. Give, that we might share the great news of abundant life. Prayer of Thanksgiving God of the empty tomb, your grace astounds us, your generosity fills us to overflowing. Accept these offerings as signs of our gratitude and bless our work on Christ’s behalf. May we love as Christ loved. May we serve as Christ served. Call us forth into your world, guided by Christ’s Spirit. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Terri Ott) Announcements Benediction Like the disciples on the day of Resurrection, Like the disciples on the day of Resurrection, May we go toward the tomb A place seemingly devoid of life, May we find life in all its glory And spread the news that life prevails, that life redeems, And that love never fails. God in peace with resurrection purpose to love God, God’s children, and God’s creation. Amen. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Rev. Dr. Cheryl Lindsay) Additional Illustrations Ongoing Easter Ongoing Easter gets us finally home at last, for life is not an endless circle but life is moving to an end point. The crowning achievement of the risen Lord is to bring us finally home together with the whole family of God in that transition from time into eternity. It is a great privilege to witness that transition in the lives of people and I think of one this Easter day. Her name was Augusta. She lived 100 years, raised in the prairies of South Dakota, faced every manner of hardship and heartache, but was buoyant and lived on the resurrection side of the cross, raised a family. In the last hour of her life standing with her daughters around her in the hospital room, I heard her bless her daughters. Being a mother to the very end and with a twinkle in her eye, looked at the faces of her daughters around her and pointed to them each one and said, "Too much lipstick," and then closed her eyes in peaceful death. Yes, There Is Hope In the early part of World War II, a Navy submarine was stuck on the bottom of the harbor in New York City. It seemed that all was lost. There was no electricity and the oxygen was quickly running out. In one last attempt to rescue the sailors from the steel coffin, the U.S. Navy sent a ship equipped with Navy divers to the spot on the surface, directly above the wounded submarine. A Navy diver went over the side of the ship to the dangerous depths in one last rescue attempt. The trapped sailors heard the metal boots of the diver land on the exterior surface, and they moved to where they thought the rescuer would be. In the darkness they tapped in Morse code, "Is there any hope?" The diver on the outside, recognizing the message, signaled by tapping on the exterior of the sub, "Yes, there is hope." This is the picture of our dilemma as we worship this glad Easter Day. Humankind is trapped in a dreadful situation. All around we are running low on hope, and we look for a word from beyond offering it to us. This world in which we live is plagued with war and famine, mounting debt and continual destruction. The more we try to rescue ourselves the more we seem to fall behind. We wonder: Is there any hope? Bill Self, Is There Any Hope? Don't Be Afraid of the Future - Matthew 28:1-10 Occasionally I fly back to South Carolina for a trustee meeting at a wonderful Methodist institution called Wofford College. On a recent trip I had an extra hour or two, so I decided to take a sentimental journey back to the little town of Greer. My father was pastor there when I was a little boy. Right away I noticed so many things that had changed. Our old house has been torn down and replaced. The yard has shrunk. I saw the tree from which my little cowboy friends almost hung me, accidentally, and I thanked God for my mother’s quick reaction and handy kitchen knife. The memories were fun, but thirty minutes was enough. I was ready to leave. Thomas Wolfe was right when he observed that you can’t go home again. You can’t turn back the clock. A woman named Mary Madgalene learned that lesson early on the first Easter morning. She wanted nothing more than to go back to the good old days, to pretend that the terrible crucifixion had never happened. When the risen Christ confronted her, she fell to her knees and clutched his feet, almost pleading with him to stop this crazy chain of events. She thought: perhaps the past few days were all a dreadful nightmare. Can we wake up now and go back to the good old days when Jesus taught by the Sea of Galilee, performed healing miracles, and fellowshipped with his friends over supper? Can’t we turn back the clock? You and I should be able to empathize with Mary. We have lots of schemes designed to slow down or reverse the clock. We are part of a youth-glorifying, death-denying culture. After about the age of 29, we try not to get any older, or at least not to look like it. Rather than looking forward to the future, we try to fend it off. My purpose this morning is to so fill us with the Easter Good News that we will embrace the future rather than running from it. Easter proclaims that the future is good because the risen Christ owns it and guides his followers through it. God awaits us not only in heaven… Easter Fits All In the spring of 1981, the president of national hotel chain was speaking at a conference in Atlanta Georgia, and while he was there, he decided he needed a haircut. While sitting in the chair of a neighborhood barber, he struck up a conversation. “What are you doing for a vacation this summer?” The barber’s face brightened, “My wife and I are taking a road trip, and we’re driving to Phoenix.” “Really” the hotel president asked, “and where are you going to stay while you’re on this road trip?” The barber said “Well, on the way out there, we’re going to stay at the cheapest hotels possible, so that when we get there we can afford to stay in something really nice.” And the hotel president thought to himself, “This guy is never going to stay in my hotel, because when he’s driving to Phoenix, we’re too expensive, and when he gets to Phoenix, we’re too inexpensive.” He immediately flew back to his office in Silver Spring Maryland, called his Board of Directors together and announced “One size does not fit all! We need to diversify to meet the different needs of people.” And the result was a company that began to offer four different levels of hotels; The Sleep Inn, The Comfort Inn, The Quality Inn, and The Clarion. The name of the company is “Choice Hotels.” Time for Easter Dreams In a world of Good Friday nightmares, it is time for Easter Dreams. After the completion of Disney World, someone remarked, "Isn't it too bad that Walt Disney didn't live to see this!" Mike Vance, creative director of Disney Studios replied, "He did see it that's why it's here." Everything in life that we use or hold, eat or watch, wear, sit in or listen to in other words, everything that is a creation of human ingenuity started out as a dream. Before anything can become tangible, it must first become a reality in the mind of its dreamer. Only when the dream is real for one can it become real for all. Not until the dream is real for me can it become real for you. Zippers, Christmas tree lights, quadruple bypass heart surgery, combustion engines, cotton candy, x-rays, air conditioning, flush toilets, matches, eyeglasses, espresso all these things were once dreams in some person's mind. The dreams of others make our lives tasty, pleasant, sometimes even possible. So why is it that we live in a world furnished with the dreams of others, yet there are so many nightmares stalking the land? Why did we first nightmare up nuclear weaponry instead of dreaming up world peace? Why did we nightmare up high-tech security systems and gated communities instead of dreaming up communities of trust? Why did we nightmare up fast foods instead of dreaming up a way to feed every hungry child? Why did we nightmare up apartheid and slavery and Jim Crow instead of dreaming up societies of justice and equality? One member of the "buster generation" (those born between 1964 and 1983) put it this way: "I had a dream." Writing to his church's newsletter, this young man expressed the despair, cynicism and pessimism of his "buster generation" by speaking about the "death of idealism, of passion and dreaming ... of transforming vision." He spoke of an almost ubiquitous death of dreaming among his peers (as referenced by Sharon Dawn Johnson, "Vision in Mission," The Gospel and Our Culture 5 [September 1993]: 5). Because the Good Friday nightmare was transformed into the Easter Dream, the way has been opened for ending all nightmares and incarnating all dreams. The Resurrection means that Christians can expectantly: - dream of plenty in the midst of poverty; - dream of compassion in the midst of poverty; - dream of justice in the midst of inequity; - dream of holiness in the midst of hell; - dream of love in the midst of hate. Leonard Sweet, Easter Dreams, www.Sermons.com ___________________________________ Anticipation: What Is Going to Happen Today? In Winnie the Pooh, Pooh and Piglet take an evening walk. For a long time they walk in silence. Silence like only best friends can share. Finally Piglet breaks the silence and asks, "When you wake up in the morning, Pooh, what's the first thing you say to yourself?" "What's for breakfast?" answers Pooh and then asks. "And what do you say, Piglet?" Piglet says, "I say, I wonder what exciting thing is going to happen today?" You and I can't really plan to meet the Risen Christ because we never really know when or where He's going to show up. But you can be sure of this, He will show up. If you believe, He will show up. And the attitude you need to meet him is the attitude of Piglet, "I wonder what exciting thing is going to happen today?" Billy Strayhorn, Easter Heart Burn, www.Sermons.com

The Afterglow

April 24, 2022 Easter 2 Year C Afterglow Opening Song Welcome to the Easter season. Easter lasts for 50 days until Pentecost. But every Sunday is Easter. Call to Worship L: Happy Easter Season! Today is the first day of the week. P: The joy of Easter still sings in our hearts. L: Breathe the breath of new life in your spirits! P: We open our hearts to all the wondrous work God has for us to do. L: Welcome to worship this glorious day! P: Let our lives be testimony to God’s redeeming love! AMEN. (Nancy C. Townley – Ministry Matters) Song – Breathe on Me Breath of God - UMH 420 Prayer of Reflection and Growth Spirit of Serenity- You tell us “peace be with you,” but we set that peace aside to live with drama and chaos. We are drawn to highly emotional situations instead of the peace that only comes from you. How can we set aside turmoil to live within your realm of peace? When we cannot sense your holy tranquility surrounding us, open our souls to your warm and calming presence. May we embrace your peace and scatter serenity into our world. Amen. (Rev. Michelle Torigian – UCC Worship Ways) Assurance of Grace The God who walks with us scatters the seeds of grace behind us and before us, allowing us to understand the future with healing and hope. Amen! (Rev. Michelle Torigian – UCC Worship Ways) Scripture John 20:19-31 Sermon – afterglow It is Easter….again. Easter is not just a day- but it is a season. Easter is a way of life. Every Sunday is Easter. I look forward to the 50 days of Easter – because the scriptures this time of year challenge each of us sitting here with our faith. – Why are we even sitting here in the first place? All of the rest of the year- we follow the life of Jesus. Jesus is a nice person who teaches us how to live right. His advice is good for us, whether we actually believe that he is the son of God, whether we actually believe in miracles, we can go along with the story. But this time of year, people can really struggle with the whole Easter story. Did a man really die and then raise from the dead? And yet Easter is the crux of our faith. Easter, not Christmas is the beginning of our story. Easter is where the rubber meets the road. The lectionary scriptures help us to think for ourselves and to come up with our definitions of church, faith, Christianity, and resurrection. What is it that you actually believe about these words? And how do your definitions affect your life. Easter is something that should live in each of our hearts. I listened to a webcast this week featuring my favorite theologian – John Dominic Crossan. Crossan has done a lot of work on the history of the resurrection. He is my favorite theologian, because when I served in Aurora, the ministerial association paid for him to come and teach a weekend class for us. Theologians are good at defining faith, but don’t always have faith. Crossan says that for us Easter is a metaphor. He says the whole bible is a metaphor – a symbol for a deeper meaning which may or may not have happened in history. But before we decide that the resurrection did not happen – let me say that Crossan points out that everything in our life is a metaphor. A metaphor is the way that we define reality. The question is not if we believe in the resurrection, the question is do we live the resurrection. When we live in the resurrection, it becomes truth. It is not about the life and death of a man 2000 years ago, but how does that story affect our actions today? How did this story affect the people who heard it? Are we still willing to tell that story today? Does the resurrection story create a better world? Our Easter scriptures are all about how witnesses responded and felt called to create the church – a community of believers. You know that bible never does say what happened to the body that was laid in the tomb. But the New Testament is full of stories of how Christ appeared to the disciples after the resurrection. If there was one set of stories, that could be someone’s opinion. But these stories are widespread in all of the gospels. It is these appearances that convinced them to write down these stories for everyone else to hear. Luke tells the story of the walk to Emmaus. We don’t look at that story this year. This year, John will be the gospel all throughout Easter. Our story today, the story of doubting Thomas appears every year. Jesus comes into a locked upper room and talks with the disciples. Thomas was not there, and refuses to believe it until he sees it himself. Thomas forever has the reputation of being a doubter. And yet the resurrection stories are double stories – there is a part of the story that we can follow easily and have faith, and some parts of the story don’t make any sense. In life, faith and doubt go hand in hand. Ants in The Pants of Faith Whether your faith is that there is a God or that there is not a God, if you don’t have any doubts you are either kidding yourself or asleep. Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving. Frederick Buechner Doubt is like a front porch. All of us go through it before we get into the house of faith. William L. Self, The Prelude to Faith, ChristianGlobe Networks All of us have to decide if we really believe the resurrection story. Is it a convenient metaphor that we tolerate, or is it the reality that we live? Encountering the Crucified Risen Lord In a Lecture Series given by D. T. Niles, he finished by saying, "Let me conclude with a story told by a famous French bishop to his congregation. Three university students of Paris were walking along the road one Good Friday afternoon. They noticed crowds of people going to the churches to make their confession. The students began to discuss this custom of the ‘unenlightened,’ and talked in rather cynical terms about the survival of religion, which they described as superstition. Suddenly two of the students turned to the third, who was the leader among them, and said to him, ‘Will you go into this church and tell the priest there what we have been saying to each other?’ ‘Sure, I will,’ he said, and went in. He stood in the same queue of those who were going to their confession, and when his turn came, he looked at the priest and said, ‘Father, I have come here merely to tell you that Christianity is a dying institution and that religion is a superstition.’ The priest looked at the young man keenly and said, ‘Why did you come here, my son, to tell me this?’ And the student told him of his conversation with his friends. The priest listened carefully and then said: ‘All right, I want you to do one thing for me before you go. You accepted the challenge of your friends and came here; now accept my challenge to you. Walk up to the chancel and you will find there a large wooden cross and on it he figure of Jesus crucified. I want you to stand before that cross and say these words: ‘Jesus died for me and I don’t care a damn.’ The student looked defiant but, to save face, agreed. He went up and stood before that cross and said it: ‘Jesus died for me and I don’t care a damn.’ He came back to he priest and said, ‘I have done it.’ ‘Do it once more,’ said the priest; ‘after all, it means nothing to you.’ The student went back and looked at the cross for some time and the figure on it, and then he stammered it out: ‘Jesus died for me and I don’t care a damn.’ He returned to the priest and said, ‘I have done it; I am going now.’ The priest stopped him. ‘Once more,’ he said, just once more and you can go. The young man walked up to the chancel and looked at that cross again, and at the Crucified. He stood there for a long time. Then he came back to the priest and said, ‘Father, can I make my confession now?’ The bishop stunned the congregation when he concluded with these words: ‘My dear people, that young man was me.’" D. T. Niles, Preaching the Gospel of the Resurrection. ______________________ We all have a personal story of why we are sitting here right now. I am here because Christ has revealed himself to me time and time again. I can believe in this story and let it center my faith. Our stories are different, our faith is different. For some of us our faith is based in signs, some of us don’t need any signs, some of us are questioning, some of us are certain, some of us have a shallow faith, some have a deep faith, some of us are faltering in faith, some are seeking , some are growing. But it is the Easter story that draws us all together in one place, on one community. As a matter of fact, each of the disciples has a different story of how they were affected by Christ’ story. You notice in today’s scripture Jesus didn’t chastise Thomas for doubting, he understood. We don’t know a whole lot about Thomas situation. He is named in the other 3 gospels, but nothing is said. John only briefly mentions his twice. Some think he may have been John’s brother, or even Jesus brother. He becomes a missionary to India, and is reportedly killed by a Hindu priest who didn’t appreciate him converting people. December 21st the traditional day that he is remembered. There is a gospel of Thomas that is not included in our bible. John is the only disciple who was not killed while spreading the gospel. John’s message to us – Jesus was the messiah, we can believe his story and form our faith around it. Beleiving is not just about reading the bible, or praying a certain prayer, or a set of actions to do to guarantee going to heaven. Believing is a way of life that feeds your soul and gives you the strength to go forward. Believing is living a life that radiates and helps others to see God clearly. When Jesus tells Thomas that he is blessed, but those who believe without actually seeing the nails in Jesus hands are even more blessed – Jesus is inviting us to become a part of the Easter story. We today can live the Easter story and become witnesses to the resurrection. We can believe in a way that truly changes circumstances. You know, your can only believe in something that you belove. Easter in Us The Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote an ambitious poem entitled 'The Wreck of the Deutschland.' It commemorates the death of five Franciscan nuns drowned on the German ship Deutschland at the mouth of the Thames in the winter of 1875. One half-line especially intrigues me: 'Let him Easter in us.' Let Christ 'Easter' in us. A rare verb indeed, but it suits this sacred season, ... How does Christ Easter in us? In three wondrous ways: (1) By a faith that rises above doubt. (2) By a hope that conquers despair. (3) By a love that does justice. Walter J. Burghardt, Let Christ Easter in Us, Dare to Be Christ: Homilies for the Nineties (Mahwah, NJ.: Paulist Press, 1991), 51. Amen. Let us pray…. Prayer Patient God, you know us better than we want. We like to think that we can fool you with our bravado and high-flung phrases of faith. We hear the story of doubting Thomas and think “What a fool he was!”. We think that we would never have doubted. And in our arrogance we preen and strut about. But you know us fully. You know that we all have our moments of doubts and fears. We all wonder where you are. We want to know that everything is going to turn out for the best. We are frightened. And in our fear we cannot even face our own doubts. Help us to understand your forgiving grace. Help us to know that you understand our weakness and confusion and that your love extends to us in spite of that weakness. Strengthen our faith and our commitment to you. As we have offered prayers for those near and dear to us; as we have lifted situations of darkness and fear before your throne of grace, help us to be people who truly believe that you hear our prayers and answer them. Where we have not seen, give us faith to believe in all you have said and done. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. AMEN. (Nancy C. Townley – Ministry Matters) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment The risen Christ appeared to his disciples a week after his resurrection. John tells us Thomas was there (along with the others), and Christ gave them all new energy as he spoke simple words: “peace be with you.” Today, we have opportunity to follow the Christ, giving new energy and hope to those struggling with fear, despair, scarcity, hunger or loneliness. We share the peace of Christ with our neighbors, our sisters and brothers, through offering our time, our talents and our treasure. Your gifts today help provide (use specifics from your own congregation, as you can…or fill in with this general statement:) “hope, abundance, food, relationships and deep peace.” In the coming weeks, our offering will be translated into resources, sharing Christ’s peace with our own community and beyond. As you have been blessed, so now you are invited to become a blessing for others as we receive our morning offering. Offertory Doxology Prayer of Thanksgiving God of Life and Love, we rejoice in the new life the risen Christ continues to bring to a weary world. So receive these gifts, and allow them to be multiplied and translated into all that will become PEACE for our neighbors, near and far. Build us up, that we might grow in our capacity to give, and to live out Christ’s love for each and for all. AMEN (Center for Faith and Giving) Song I Love to Tell the Story - UMH 156 Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Peace to you from the One who is and was, and is to come. Grace and peace to you from the One who loves us and frees us, the One who gives us repentance and forgiveness. As God sent Jesus into the world, so the Spirit now sends us to continue God’s holy work. To God be glory and dominion forever and ever! Amen. (Bill Hopp – Ministry Matters) Community Time Benediction Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed! We are an Easter people! Live into the hope of Christ’s resurrection! May the grace, hope, peace and love of God our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer be with you now and always. Amen. (Terri McDowell Ott – Presbyterian Outlook) Children’s Time John 20:19-23 describes Jesus' first postresurrection encounter with the disciples. His appearance tells us two things about his resurrected body. First, he appears inside a locked room; his "new" body is not like the physical body he had before death. Second, his body bears the wounds of crucifixion; his body is still the same. Children will be curious about this. During this encounter, Jesus reassured his disciples that he was indeed alive, and then he put them to work. The message to children is that Easter is not an ending; it is a new chapter in God's work. On Easter evening, Jesus is already looking ahead. He gives his disciples the gift of the Spirit and sends them out, saying, "As the Father sent me, so I send you." To help the children identify what the Father sent Jesus to do, explore key stories about Jesus' ministry. Their challenge is then to find ways to do that kind of work today. Just as Jesus fed the hungry crowd, children can work to help relieve hunger. Just as Jesus befriended the friendless, children can make friends with the lonely people they meet, and so forth. The story of Thomas reassures children that the Risen Lord is still the kind, understanding Jesus. Thomas, who was left out of the first encounter with Jesus, raises the kinds of questions any child might raise. Jesus is not offended by the questions, but honors them and offers to let Thomas touch the wounds, if that's what it takes to answer his questions. In so doing, Jesus blesses all our questions. No honest question is too silly, disrespectful, or unworthy to be asked and answered (or at least discussed). 1. These texts and those for the following Sundays suggest a sermon series about Easter People. Explore who the Easter People are, what they do, and what they are like. Challenge worshipers of all ages to see themselves as Easter People. Consider giving each worshiper a small token, perhaps a plastic or metal cross to carry in a pocket each day during the coming weeks, as a reminder that each of them is one of the Easter People. Ask the choir to sing Avery and Marsh's song, "Every Day Is Easter Day," today and several times during the series. From today's texts we learn that Easter People experience God's peace (John), praise God (Psalms), obey God first (Acts), and are sent to serve (Revelation and John). Additional Illustrations If I were to mention the names of certain disciples to you and ask you to write down the first word that comes into your mind, it is unlikely you would come up with the same words. If I were to mention the name of Judas many of you would write down the word "betray" but not all of you. If I were to mention Simon Peter, some of you would write down the word "faith," but not all of you. If I were to mention the names of James and John, some of you would write down the phrase "Sons of Thunder," but not all of you. But when I mention the word Thomas, there is little question about the word most everyone would write down. It would be the word doubt. Indeed, so closely have we associated Thomas with this word, that we have coined a phrase to describe him: “Doubting Thomas.” You may be interested to know that in the first three gospels we are told absolutely nothing at all about Thomas. It is in John’s Gospel that he emerges as a distinct personality, but even then there are only 155 words about him. There is not a lot about this disciple in the Bible but there is more than one description. When Jesus turned his face toward Jerusalem the disciples thought that it would be certain death for all of them. Surprisingly, it was Thomas who said: Then let us go so that we may die with him. It was a courageous statement, yet we don’t remember him for that. We also fail to point out that in this story of Thomas’ doubt we have the one place in the all the Gospels where the Divinity of Christ is bluntly and unequivocally stated. It is interesting, is it not, that the story that gives Thomas his infamous nickname, is the same story that has Thomas making an earth shattering confession of faith? Look at his confession, “My Lord, and my God.” Not teacher. Not Lord. Not Messiah. But God! It is the only place where Jesus is called God without qualification of any kind. It is uttered with conviction as if Thomas was simply recognizing a fact, just as 2 + 2 = 4, and the sun is in the sky. You are my Lord and my God! These are certainly not the words of a doubter. Unfortunately history has remembered him for this scene where the resurrected Christ made an appearance to the disciples in a home in Jerusalem… ________________________ We Know Where We Are Going The story is told about Albert Einstein, the brilliant physicist of Princeton University in the early 20th century. Einstein was traveling from Princeton on a train, and when the conductor came down the aisle to punch the passengers’ tickets, Einstein couldn’t find his. He looked in his vest pocket, he looked in his pants pocket, he looked in his briefcase, but there was no ticket. The conductor was gracious; “Not to worry, Dr. Einstein, I know who you are, we all know who you are, and I’m sure you bought a ticket.” As the conductor moved down the aisle, he looked back and noticed Einstein on his hands and knees, searching under the seat for his ticket. The conductor returned to Einstein; “Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don’t worry. I know who you are. You don’t need a ticket, I’m sure you bought one.” Einstein arose and said “Young man, I too know who I am; what I don’t know is where I am going.” And that is the good news of Easter; that we know where we are going. We have been told by the Savior that his life and death has promised us life eternal. And Low Sundays don’t change that promise. And unemployment doesn’t change that promise. Neither does divorce, or bankruptcy, or cancer, or depression, or felony, or failure. Through elation and deflation and every emotion in between, this truth remains; we know whose we are and we know where we are going, because the Son of God has promised. And this, my friends, is faith. Steven Molin, Elated....Deflated Peace Be With You...It Already Is! Theologian Karl Barth once remarked that to say the old line from the creed, "I believe in the Holy Catholic Church" does not mean that we believe in the church. It means rather to believe that God is present and at work in the church, that "in this assembly, the work of the Holy Spirit takes place. ... We do not believe in the Church: but we do believe that in this congregation the work of the Holy Spirit becomes an event." Barth's words rang true for me some years ago, when I was invited by a church in a nearby town to be the worship leader at a special evening communion service. The church staff had planned this service to be educational as well as worshipful. The idea was that, first, the congregation would gather in the sanctuary and I would give a brief talk about the meanings of the Lord's Supper. Then, we would go into the fellowship hall and be seated around tables for the service itself. At each table there would be the flour and other ingredients to form the dough for the communion loaves. The plan called for each table to prepare a loaf and, while the loaves baked in the ovens of the church kitchen, the people at each table were to engage in various exercises designed to get them talking about their experiences in the faith. It was a good idea, but like many well-planned events, things looked better on the drawing board than they turned out in reality. There were problems. Children at many tables began to play in the baking ingredients, and white clouds of flour floated around the room coating everybody and everything. There were delays in the kitchen, and the communion bread baked with agonizing slowness. Some of the tables ran out of things to say; children grew weary and fussy; the room was filled with commotion and restlessness. The planners had dreamed of an event of excitement, innovation, peak learning, and moving worship. What happened was noise, exhaustion, and people making the best of a difficult situation. In other words, despite the rosy plans, it was the real church worshipping down there in the church basement. Finally, the service ended, and, with no little relief, I was able to pronounce the benediction. "The peace of Christ be with you all," I said, and just as I did, a child's voice from somewhere in the room called out strong and true, "It already is." Just that -- "It already is" -- but with those words the service was transformed into an event of joy and holy mystery. That small voice captured what the Gospel of John is trying to say. In the midst of a church that can claim nothing for itself, a church of noise, confusion, weariness, and even fear, the risen Christ comes to give peace. The peace of Christ be with you? Because the risen Christ comes to inhabit our empty places, then, as the child said, "It already is," and the church with nothing becomes the church with everything. Thomas G. Long, Whispering The Lyrics, CSS Publishing Watch and You'll See This story is about three accountants who doubted their three engineer friends. They were traveling by train to a conference. The accountants bought three tickets, but the engineers only bought one. "How are three people going to travel on only one ticket?" an accountant asked. "Watch and you'll see," said an engineer. They all boarded the train. The accountants took their seats, but the three engineers crammed into a restroom and closed the door behind them. The train departed the station and soon the conductor came through the car asking for tickets. He knocked on the restroom door and said, "Ticket, please." The door opened a crack and a single arm emerges with a ticket in hand. The conductor took it and moved on. The accountants agree that this is a rather clever idea so after the conference, they decide to duplicate the engineers' feat. They buy only one ticket, but are astonished when the engineers buy no ticket at all! "How are you going to travel without a ticket?" the accountants ask. Watch and you'll see, reply the engineers. When they boarded the train, the accountants crammed into a restroom with their ticket while the three engineers did the same in a nearby restroom. After the train departed the station, one of the engineers left the restroom and walked over to the restroom where the accountants were hiding. He knocked on the door and said, "Ticket, please." Author unknown Just Because We Can't See It A junior high school teacher was telling her class about evolution and how the way everything in the world was formed proved that God doesn’t exist. She said, “Look out the window. You can’t see God, can you?” The kids shook their heads. “Look around you in this room. You can’t see God, can you?” The kids shook their heads. “Then our logical conclusion is that God doesn’t exist, does He?” she asked at last, certain that she had won her audience over. But one girl from the back of the classroom said, “Miss Smith, just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. We could do brain surgery and investigate the parts of your brain and we could do a CAT scan and see the brain patterns in your head. But we couldn’t prove that you’ve had a single thought today. Does that mean that you haven’t thought anything today? Just ‘cause you can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.” Seeing is believing, right? But, “just ‘cause you can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.” C. T. Powell, "Seeing Is Believing" What’s the Good Word? A student from Korea was complaining about how difficult it is to learn the English language. He felt that American idioms were particularly difficult to comprehend. He said that he had studied English for nine years in preparation for attending the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. On his first day at the school, as he was walking across the campus, an American student casually greeted him with, "Hi, What's the good word?" The Korean boy stopped dead in his tracks. He thought to himself: "I don't know the good word! You would have thought that after nine years of studying English, someone would have told me what "˜the good word' was!" Later, trying to solve this puzzle, he decided to turn the tables and ask an American, "What's the good word?" and listen to his reply. So, approaching a fellow student, he repeated, "Hi! What's the good word?" The quick response was, "Oh, not much. How about you?" It was obvious that neither of these students knew what the good word was. It's a rather plastic greeting. But I can tell you the good word for today: Christ the Lord is risen. That's the Good Word. And because it is; it says a great deal about our lives. Brett Blair and King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com I Just Have Questions Some of you are familiar with Jerry Kramer—he used to play professional football—now he writes. In one of his books he reflects on his own mortality. He says: "I think a lot about death these days, which is funny too, because I’ve never been healthier. I’ve had only one serious illness in the past ten years—only one near-death experience. I haven’t broken a bone, not even a finger, since I stopped playing football. And yet, now more than ever, I sense that I’m mortal." He confesses: "A year ago, I lost my father to cancer, and I don’t think I’ll ever get over his death. In some ways, I think it was more difficult for the family than it was for him. Dad was a very religious man and he was ready to go. Sometimes I wish I had that kind of faith—but I don’t. I just have questions." "Taking Their Word for It," by Dr. Leigh Bond Joy I recently saw a news report about an Army veteran named John Crabtree who had been receiving benefits from the government. Evidently he had been wounded in Vietnam and was now on permanent disability. One day, out of the blue, he received an official notification from the government of his own death. Needless to say, this was quite a shock! Mr. Crabtree wrote the government a letter stating that he was indeed very much alive and would like to continue receiving his benefits. The letter did no good. He then tried calling the government. (Have you ever tried to call the government? This required the patience of Job and the persistence of Noah!) The phone calls didn't change the situation either. Finally, as a last resort, the veteran contacted a local television station, which ran a human-interest story about his situation. During the interview, the reporter asked him, "How do you feel about this whole ordeal?" The veteran chuckled and said, "Well, I feel a little frustrated by it. After all, have you ever tried to prove that you're alive?" That's a pretty good question for all of us. Could you prove that you are alive? Really, genuinely, deep-down alive? When was the last time you had an alive moment? Not the last time you took a breath or had your heart beat inside your chest, but the last time you felt yourself alive to your living, alive to your loving, deeply present with the gift of life itself?" R. Scott Colglazier, Finding a Faith That Makes Sense, St. Louis: Chalice Press, 1996, 116-117. A Seeking Doubt Someone described Thomas' doubt as a "seeking doubt, a doubt that wants not to continue to doubt but to come to believe." Thomas makes it clear to us that there is more than one kind of doubt. There is the kind of doubt that does not want to believe, that reaches for arguments in order to deny the affirmations of the faith. But there is also that "seeking doubt." This is a person who earnestly wants to believe but honestly admits that he struggles to understand. This kind of doubt actually energizes and expands faith. Mickey Anders, A Doubt That Leads to Faith, ChristianGlobe Networks __________________________ Bereavement Visions vs. Resurrection Visions I was traumatized by a tragic death several years ago, so I am personally familiar with the phenomena that bereaved people experience. I can speak out of personal experience. Right off the bat I can see very significant differences between bereavement visions and the resurrection accounts. I was the only person who saw my bereavement visions, and I was very much aware at the time that they weren’t part of the reality I live in. I saw them out of the corner of my eye, in a flash, in a dream, or in the foggy moments while awakening from sleep. The vision went away as soon as I looked at it directly or became fully awake. The visions were momentary and fleeting, but they were comforting and helped me make peace with what I had witnessed. From what I have read, my experience was normal and typical for a person who had witnessed a tragic death. The resurrection accounts do not fit this pattern. There were multiple witnesses who were all wide awake at the time, the duration of the incidents was too long, and skeptics, such as Thomas, could see them. Thomas was not an exceptional case. All of the disciples were skeptical of the resurrection until they saw the Risen Jesus, only then were they convinced, and the resurrection appearances did not comfort them, they emboldened and energized them. Bereavement visions comfort the bereaved; they do not end the bereavement, as the resurrection appearances did. Bereavement visions certainly do not charge up a person to the degree that they can evangelize the world and march fearlessly into death! There is no doubt in my mind that the disciples must have experienced the same sort of bereavement phenomena as I did. However, the resurrection accounts in the gospels are something entirely different. Whatever the resurrection accounts are, they are not the phenomena that accompany bereavement. I have heard a lot of Thomas-bashing in sermons and in Sunday school, but notice it does not occur in this passage. No one criticizes or rebukes Thomas for his lack of faith or for his skepticism. The passage does not tell us about how they put Thomas in his place, rather it tells us how Thomas was surprised! Thomas says he won’t believe until he can see for himself that Jesus is alive. What happens next? Do they heard Jesus’ voice booming through the room, rebuking Thomas and imposing some penalty on him? No! Jesus immediately appears and meets his demands! Jesus did not criticize Thomas for wanting physical evidence, but rather blessed those who believe without it. So if Jesus didn’t penalize Thomas for doubting the resurrection, He certainly won’t penalize you if you have misgivings about it. You are not saved by your beliefs but by your faith; by your reliance on Jesus Christ. Ken Collins, A Surprise Appearance _____________________________ No Substitutes Sometime back a writer at the web site www.TheOnion.com published a fake press release. The press release was touting an imaginary snack food meant to ease what the writer called, the "hideously bleak emptiness of modern life." The writer described this snack like this: "We're proud to introduce T.C. McCrispee's as the antidote you've been reaching out for. Our tasty new snack cracker will, if only for a few lovely moments, significantly lessen the aching, gnawing angst that haunts your very soul." According to this press release, participants in taste tests testified that the "satisfying crunch distracted them from the parade of tears that is life." A fictitious spokesperson summed up the campaign by saying: "We're selling the salty, unctuous illusions of happiness." And, of course, it is an illusion. Peace is not found in a snack food. Or a chemical. What are drugs--or alcohol, for that matter--but an inferior way to chemically induce peace of mind? Jesus said, "Peace be with you." But how and where do we find that peace? King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com ____________________________ Doubt is not the opposite of Faith, but a part of it. As the poet Tennyson put it: “There lives more faith in honest doubt, Believe me, than in half the creeds.” It is significant that the English word “belief” is related to the word “love”. Originally, the things that people “believed” were what they held “beloved”. For too long the dogmas and doctrines of the Church have effectively locked the doors to keep out the doubters. Thomas’s doubt is not non-belief in some credal statement or other, but a lack of confidence to trust in the present reality of the Love of God. Keith Whyte

Stewardship as a way of Life

April 11, 2021 Stewardship Sunday Acts 4:32-35 Psalm 113 A Celebration of our Gifts Opening Song Lighting the Christ Candle Welcome Opening Prayer One: Welcome to this hour of worship, one week after our Easter celebration! Many: Tho’ the flowers have faded and the balloons are deflated, we’re here to rejoice, for Christ is RISEN! One: Christ is risen, indeed! Many: Together, we welcome the peace of Christ in our lives and in the world. One: May the peace of Christ be with you! Many: And with you, also Stewardship Moment The second Sunday of Easter is usually low Sunday. Usually the pastor takes off, and there is nothing happening to top the energy of Easter. But this year that is not so, this yr we will have pledge Sunday the day after Easter. And the fun continues as we do things to get in touch with our mission as a church. You can turn in your pledges in the offering plate with your offering. If you have not filled out the pledge card – there are some outside to fill out. If you are not able to turn it in today, there are envelopes in the narthex so you can send it back into the church. After the sermon we will have say a prayer over our pledges to the ministry of the church. We will talk about the mission of the church over the 50 days of Easter. Moment for Stewardship Although the emotional “high” of Easter has ebbed for many of us, the joy of being a disciple of the Resurrected One continues! Have you heard this description of joy from Katharine Hepburn, adapted from her own words? “Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. There was one other family between us and the ticket counter, with eight children, all probably under the age of 12. The way they were dressed, you could tell they didn’t have a lot of money. The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about all they would see that night. By their excitement you could sense they had never been to the circus before. Their mother was holding her husband’s hand, looking up at him as if to say, “You’re my knight in shining armor.” The ticket lady asked the man how many tickets he wanted? He proudly responded, “I’d like eight children’s tickets and two adult tickets, so I can take my family to the circus.” The ticket lady stated the price. The man’s wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, the man’s lip began to quiver. Then he leaned a little closer and asked, “How much?” The ticket lady again stated the price. The man didn’t have enough money. Seeing what was going on, my dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill, and dropped it. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word!) Then, he bent down, picked up the $20 bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, “Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket.” The man understood what was going on. He looked straight into my dad’s eyes, took my dad’s hand, squeezed the $20 bill, and replied; “Thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family.” The $20 my dad gave away is what we were going to buy our own tickets with. Although we didn’t get to see the circus that night, we both felt a joy inside us that was far greater than seeing the circus could ever provide. Followers of the risen Christ know a deep joy which comes from reaching out with acts of compassionate care for others. Today, with our offering, we have opportunity to tap into that joy as we not only care for the regular needs in our congregation, but as we ________________ (name what outreach, mission or special need this offering can help meet). The definition of Joy - Jesus first, others then you. Your gift may be precisely what gives others the opportunity to experience more abundant resurrection life! Prayer of Thanksgiving With hearts filled with gratitude, God, we offer these tithes and gifts. Thank you for the amazing gift you provide each of us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We rejoice in the ways we can make a difference in lives of those near by and those on the far side of the earth. AMEN Special music Scripture Acts 4:32-35 Sharing among the believers 32 The community of believers was one in heart and mind. None of them would say, “This is mine!” about any of their possessions, but held everything in common. 33 The apostles continued to bear powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and an abundance of grace was at work among them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. Those who owned properties or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds from the sales, 35 and place them in the care and under the authority of the apostles. Then it was distributed to anyone who was in need. Sermon Stewardship as a way of life When asked what makes your church special – most churches would respond – our church is like a family. We love each other, we stick together, we take care of one another. At our clergy meeting this week our district superintendent gave us an article to read which suggests that it is not a good idea to describe your congregation as a family. I have not had a chance to read the article yet, but I do know that families don’t choose one another, they don’t always get along, they are no always on the same page. And you can love a family member, and yet intentionally keep your distance from that person. Usually people that we call family are those who think like us, or live near us, that we get along with. We are all willing to expand our definition of family – but we all have our boundaries – there are always people who are still outside our circle that we are not willing to reach out to. Jesus came to encourage people to reach beyond their boundaries to understand, work with, to include in church. Yes, church is like a family – but it is so much more. We are not held together by blood, or commonality – but by the mission of Christ to help others. So during the Easter season, instead of looking at the Hebrew bible – we look at the book of acts. Luke wrote the book of acts as a continuation of his gospel. The gospel of Luke tells of the life of Jesus, the book of acts is the story of the disciples after the resurrections. This is the story of the birth of the church as we know it today. This is such an amazing story of the power of conviction. The disciples were able to overcome the persecution to get the message out to the public. The holy spirit was so powerful that over 3000 people joined the church in one day. The church became a community that was so united that they owned everything in common and shared everything. It is easy to read the book of Acts and to feel that our modern day church is so far behind – we are lucky if we reach 5 people in a year. There have been times when even I have been tempted to preach a bible study on acts and to say this is what we should be doing. But that does not take into account the fact that the church in our scripture today proved not to be sustainable. The scripture today talks about how the church was so united they shared everything in common. That did not last long. It is sort of like the book of Deuteronomy talks about the year of jubilee. The year of Jubilee comes every 50 years – it is a year where you let servants go, you forgive the debts of your family, and financially you start all over again. You read about it in the bible, but no one tells you that the year of jubilee has never ever ever happened in reality. The year of jubilee has never been economically feasible. A church where there is no personal property and everything belongs to the church – just was never economically feasible. The point of these stories is first – they are a model for us to strive towards in our lives, they teach us a valuable lesson in stewardship and the economic concepts are part of a bigger picture on what it means to give the Lord our whole mind, body and spirit. These stories help us to understand that stewardship involves money, but they are not about money. Stewardship is about our relationship with God, and how that relationship influences our relationship with those around us. It is a cross shapes faith – vertical with God, horizontal with others. Our story in Acts is a story of two different responses to God. In chapter 4 we hear of the story of Barnabas. Barnabas was so inspired by the mission of the disciples that he sold a field and gave all of the money to the disciples to use to help others. We don’t get into chapter 5, but it tells the story of two other followers, Ananias and Sapphira who wanted what Barnabas got by giving. They wanted the recognition and acknowledgement of their peers. They too gave money to the disciples mission – but it was obvious that they were giving, but they had also put aside some money for themselves. Soon after giving to the church half heartedly – they were killed. That is the end of their story. However, Barnabas story is told throughout the book of acts as an example. Barnabas remained just a faithful lay person all of his life. But he goes on to not only give to the mission, but he encouraged Paul to become a disciple, he took Paul to Jerusalem to meet the other disciples, he and Paul were partners in spreading the gospel, and he nurtured a young man John Mark to tell his story by writing the gospel of Mark. Barnabas was a foreigner in the Hebrew community. His real name was Jospeh, but the disciples called him Barbabas – which means son of encouragement. For barnabas, encouragement become more than a single act, it became a lifestyle. That one decision to sell his farm and give the money to the church led to stewardship as a way of life. What would happen if our economic decisions led us to a deeper place in the mission of Christ? What can we do to become sons and daughters of encouragement. A man complained to his pastor, "I've been listening to your sermons and to our leaders at church and what you are asking us to do here and in our community is getting to be just one continuous 'give, give, give.' " To which the pastor replied, "Say, that's one of the best descriptions of Christianity I've ever heard!" Giving is our response to God. As the Cadillac owner walked to his car, he saw a boy about ten years old staring intently through the windows. Wondering what he was up to, the man put his hands on the youngster's shoulders, pulled gently and asked him what he was doing. The boy said he was interested in cars and had read a lot about different models. The owner talked with the boy for a while explaining to him details about this particular model and style. After a little while, the boy asked, "Mister, how much did you pay for this car?" The man replied, "Nothing. My brother gave it to me." The boy responded, "I wish ..." but stopped without finishing. The man chuckled, "You were going to say, 'I wish I had a brother like that.'" "No, I was going to say, 'I wish I could be a brother like that.' You see, sir, I have a brother who is crippled and I'd like to do a lot of things for him." So, that leads us back to the notion of a church being a family, but a family grounded in the mission and purpose of the gospel. The scripture in acts says that the community of believers were one in heart and mind – they loved the lord with all of their mind heart and soul – and they lived together as one body. Their strength as a community deeper than family was in their unity. Perhaps you have been out to California and seen these gigantic huge redwood trees. They are some of the most amazing trees in all of the world. As a matter of fact, they are the largest living things on earth and the tallest trees on this planet. Some of them are 300 ft. high and over 2,500 years old. The inside of some of the trunks are so huge that two or three people can stand inside of them. Now you would think that trees this large must have a tremendous root system that reaches down hundreds of feet into the earth; but not so! The redwoods have a very shallow root system unlike the palm tree, whose taproot goes down into the ground as deep as the tree is tall. In other words, a 30 ft. palm tree has a 30 ft. root. The redwood has no taproot at all. That's why you will never see a redwood standing alone—never. They are always in clusters, groups, and groves. Do you know why the might of the redwood tree is not in itself? The secret of its strength is this: For every foot in height, the redwood tree sends its roots not down, but three times that distance…out! In other words, if a tree is 300 ft. tall, its roots go 900 ft. out. If you could look underground you would find all of the roots of all of those trees intertwined and intertwist so that one tree is not holding up itself, but every tree is holding up the other. These trees are literally locked to each other so there is no way that one tree can fall down; it is held up by the strength of the other trees. Psalm 133 begins by saying how good it is when families live as one. It is in our unity that we find the blessing of Eternal life. What makes the church community different from other communities? The Christian community is the place where resources and gifts are shared. "No one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common" (v. 32). Furthermore, they sold their lands and houses and "laid (the proceeds) at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need" (v. 35). Somebody said, "Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; but working together is success." Well, why should we come together? Why should we work together? How can we stay together? The community model embedded in Acts 4 stood on the two pillars of proclamation and loving one another. There is a small congregation in eastern Arizona in a mining town that saw its glory days pass about a half-century ago. The parish has about 125 members and there are usually at least 125 people at Sunday services. When the pastor announces that the choir will sing, about half of the congregation stands up and approaches the altar. When the offering looks a little meager, the president of the congregation stands up and tells the ushers to pass the plate again. Closing prayers are long and detailed and cover those facing surgery to those who are worried about the kids to those who are about to go on a trip. The "refreshments" after the service include cakes, sandwiches, hot dishes, meatballs, gelatin dishes, and several kinds of beverages. In other words, it's a Sunday lunch and it's time to visit with one another and catch up on the latest happenings within the community. If someone should mention that they resemble the community described in Acts 4, they would be embarrassed. What if a stranger would confront the people? "What is the meaning of this city? Do you huddle close together because you love each other? Or do you dwell together to make money from each other?" The people in that community would say, "There's not much money to make from each other. We just enjoy each other's company. We share our mutual woes and joys. And by the way ... we meet up there on the ridge at 5 a.m. to greet the Son on Easter morning." That community is an Easter community. It is a sharing community. Enough said. Amen. Prayer Pastoral Prayer: Lord of mercy, it has been a week since the Easter celebration. Our church was beautified with flowers, lovely decorations, banners, lots of people, beautiful music. It was the kind of Easter in which we could celebrate. But during this week we have slumped back to our old ways. The world, which seems to be too much with us, has claimed our souls. Our resurrection faith has become dim. Let the story of Thomas who wanted more than anything else to see the risen Lord, pour into our hearts, reviving our spirits, giving assurance to our souls. Let fear subside! Replace our doubts with certainty in your love and healing mercies. As we have brought names before you this day, asking for your healing touch, be with us as we also receive that same healing love. Give us joy and courage for all the times ahead; for we offer this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord. AMEN. We have been inside the sanctuary for 4 weeks now. Things are slowly returning back to normal. But we all know that this is a new normal. There are a lot of things that we lost during pandemic, there are some people who were important to our gathering who are not with us anymore. As we move forward into purpose, next week our service will be a memorial service where we take a moment to acknowledge our loss. Song for Reflection We are Called TFWS 2172 Stewardship may look a little different this year. But this is not the end of our conversation, but the beginning. Stewardship starts with us giving an offering, but it like the story of barnabas it continues and spreads to all of our life, where we are living it everyday. As you turn in our pledges this is the beginning of the story of our future as a church. Our opportunity to be in ministry to God. That opportunity is open to all of us to live our lives with the mission of Jesus at the center of all that we do. Prayer over pledges One: Creator of all, the earth is yours, the world and all who live in it. All: You have entrusted us with gifts— time, talent, energy, money— and asked us to use them to build your kingdom. With thanks and praise we respond to your call. One: We bring these gifts you have given, returning your generosity, paying it forward. All: We offer ourselves, our lives, our hopes and fears, our dollars and our hours. We commit ourselves to work for your world, to love and serve wherever you call. One: We ask your blessing on this, your church, as we seek to follow you with heart, mind, and soul. All: Bless also these gifts, our investment in your future, that they may multiply in faith, hope, and love. Amen. Announcements Benediction Lord Jesus, I give you my hands to do your work. I give you my feet to go your way. I give you my eyes to see as you see. I give you my tongue to speak your words. I give you my mind to think as you think. I give you my spirit so that you may pray in me. I give you my self so that you may grow in me. So that it is you, Lord Jesus, who lives and works and prays in me. Amen. Children’s Sermon Additional Illustrations A sermon on giving at Easter time? I thought that was an emphasis for fall. Why not now? Giving should be our response to Jesus' life, death, and life again. Not just replanting lilies in the garden, dry-cleaning your suit to store for next year, or finding places to store egg baskets and that elusive green and pink grass. The grave is open; so also are our hearts and hands! There's an old story, familiar, perhaps, but it illustrates what the church is all about. It concerns a newly ordained minister who arrived in a country parish somewhere in a mountainous state. After his first service, an older lady approached him and said, "My husband is a good man, but he refuses to attend church. Would you pay him a visit?" Now experienced pastors know how useless such an effort nearly always proves to be. But this young fellow didn't know about such failure. He agreed, and the next day drove up the mountain to a small home and knocked on the door. A middle-aged man greeted him and wordlessly invited the new pastor in. The gentleman was not much of a talker. "Sit a spell," he said, apparently knowing who his visitor was. It had all been tried before. The two of them sat staring into a blazing fire in the fireplace for some time. At last, the older man said, "Reverend, I know my wife asked you to come. But I don't need no church. I think I'm as good as most of those people who go there. I'm a Christian." Finally, the young pastor wordlessly picked up a pair of tongs and removed a blazing coal from the fire, placing it aside. After a bit, the coal grew dim, then turned to brown ash as it grew cold. Only then, the pastor picked the dead coal up and thrust it into the fire. Soon it was bright and blazing once more. With that, the pastor started for the door. The older man followed him and, as the young man headed for his car, the man called out, "I see what you mean, Reverend. I'll see you in church." This is the root of authentic Christian stewardship—to realize that I am, in fact, a "steward," a caretaker of the bounty God has entrusted to me. And in that light, "things" become more important than ever since, in fact, they come from God. 2. Barnabas found the way to generosity. You see, the problem is that troubling times, difficult economic realities, or upheavals in our industries can sometimes push us in exactly the opposite direction. Instead of teaching us new appreciation for material things, they can drive us to selfishness and greed, hoarding and holding, narrowing our lives to the point that "things" take on even less value. The antidote is a spirit of generosity. Barnabas found the way—the way to generous living. He found the way to use what he had received from God to encourage, to console, to refresh. If you track the journey of Barnabas through the book of Acts, he always shows up in the same frame: - Following the conversion of Saul into Paul, he is the one who makes the way of welcome, who introduces him to the community of the faithful. (Acts 9:26-27) - In Judea, he is the one who carries the relief offering to the suffering Christians…a symbol of the open hearts of the disciples. (Acts 11:29-30) - In Antioch he serves with Paul, assisting others in their ministry, opening minds to the Gospel. (Acts 11:22-26) - In Jerusalem, he is there at the first conference, arguing for the inclusion of the Gentiles in the community…opening the doors for the outsiders. (Acts 15:1-31) So Barnabas sells a field and brings the proceeds for the ministry of Christ. And when Ananias and Sapphira see it, they think they will try it, too. But instead, they hold something back for themselves—deceptive, greedy, clutching, lining their own pockets. Call them the Jack Abramoff of the first century church, I suppose—wanting to look good rather than do good; doing for others, but doing for themselves first. They wanted, like Barnabas, to be known for their generosity, but didn't want to pay the price. And when the truth comes out, they are so shocked, they drop down dead! Because, you see, when you grab and clutch and hold, your life shrivels and your soul dies. A bully in a small town resented the man everyone looked up to as the wisest man in town. He decided to teach the wise man a lesson. He held a chicken behind his back and asked the wise man, "Is this chicken dead or alive?" Of course, if the wise man said, "Dead" the bully would show him a live chicken. If the wise man said, "Alive" the bully would strangle the chicken and show up the wise man by producing a dead chicken. "Well," said the impatient bully, "Is the chicken dead or alive? Let's hear your answer." At a much deeper level, that same question is asked of each of us on this first Sunday after Easter. "Is Christ alive or dead? Let's hear your answer." Last Sunday, Easter Day, with an enthusiastic crowd in church, we heard a sermon about Christ's resurrection. In prayers and songs we asserted that Jesus is alive. Today, a week later, we need to ask the question, "For us, is Jesus alive or dead?" The truth, of course, is that whether we believe it or not, Jesus is alive. Whether the living Christ makes a difference to us today is the question behind the question of the truth of the resurrection. These early followers had the right idea, namely that our purpose in life is not to gain possessions for self, but to glorify Christ by giving sacrificially. The apparent failure was in fact a monumental example of one of the basic principles of the Lord to put others before ourselves. The early Christians bore witness to the principle: Jesus first; others second; and yourself third. That creed spells j-o-y. That creed means joy. A. His name was really Joseph. Barnabas was a nickname given to him by the Apostles and the Christian community. In the passage we learn that Barnabas means "Son of encouragement." He was a blessing wherever he went. And everyone recognized that. And it held true in all of his life and ministry. As we read further in Acts, we see Barnabas was the one who introduced Paul to the Apostles in Jerusalem when they didn't want to have anything to do with him. Paul was the great persecutor. But Barnabas had heard Paul preach Jesus with great power while in Damascus. Barnabas used his status and influence to tell Paul's story and tear down the walls of suspicion, so Paul could be accepted. And so the early church could hear and be touched by the power of Paul's preaching. And if any introduction ever paid off. It was this one. We all know how incredibly successful Paul was in spreading the Gospel and starting churches. Barnabas also accompanied Paul on several Missionary journeys. Acts 11 recounts how people in Antioch began to believe and Barnabas was sent to help them get a church started. Verses 23-24 read: "When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord. B. So, what can we learn from Barnabas. We have to remember that Evangelism isn't about us. It isn't about how we feel. It isn't about our comfort. It's about Good News that God has for people who don't know God's love. It's Good News. That means it's encouraging news. And if anything, what we learn from Barnabas is that we can all be Sons and Daughters of encouragement. A. His name was really Joseph. Barnabas was a nickname given to him by the Apostles and the Christian community. In the passage we learn that Barnabas means "Son of encouragement." He was a blessing wherever he went. And everyone recognized that. And it held true in all of his life and ministry. As we read further in Acts, we see Barnabas was the one who introduced Paul to the Apostles in Jerusalem when they didn't want to have anything to do with him. Paul was the great persecutor. But Barnabas had heard Paul preach Jesus with great power while in Damascus. Barnabas used his status and influence to tell Paul's story and tear down the walls of suspicion, so Paul could be accepted. And so the early church could hear and be touched by the power of Paul's preaching. And if any introduction ever paid off. It was this one. We all know how incredibly successful Paul was in spreading the Gospel and starting churches. Barnabas also accompanied Paul on several Missionary journeys. Acts 11 recounts how people in Antioch began to believe and Barnabas was sent to help them get a church started. Verses 23-24 read: "When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord. Being a Barnabas is also about living an inviting lifestyle. I may have already told this story before, I don't remember. But the story was told by the wife. It illustrates the spirit of being a Barnabas. That's how we're supposed to live. We're called to be like Barnabas and be Sons and Daughters of Encouragement. And that encouragement is needed. There are so many people whose outlook on life is negative. They've been wounded or alienated. There are folks who think no one cares, not even God. There are folks who are consumed with guilt and they don't know where to turn. You and I have great news. We have the Good News of a God who is loving and forgiving. We have the Good News of Savior who can give us meaning and purpose in life. We have the Good News. But how will others hear it if we don't share it and be encouragers. Be a Barnabas. Be a Son of Daughter of Encouragement. What I want to talk to you about today is something that God desperately desires for his people. It is one thing that Satan fears and works day and night to undo. It is something for which Jesus himself prayed for just before He went to the cross. It is the one thing the bible says that will convince people that the church has something the world does not. It is the one thing that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is meant to accomplish. What is it that I am talking about?—UNITY. sallust once said, "By unity the smallest states thrive; by discord the greatest are destroyed." Our national motto is e pluribus unum, which means "out of the many, one." Again, our founding fathers knew that we must forever be "The United States of America." I read about a man one time who went out on a boat deep-sea fishing who couldn't swim. He caught an enormous fish, and in his excitement to pull it into the boat, he fell overboard. He cried out, "Save me, I cannot swim!" Well, the captain of the boat very calmly reached out, grabbed the man by the arm, and gave a big pull; but he didn't know it was an artificial arm, and the arm came off! Well, the man continued to kick and splash around crying for help. The captain reached out again; this time he grabbed his leg and gave a tremendous pull, but the leg came off because it was a wooden leg. The man in the water went under again and he came up yelling for help. The captain, still calm, this time grabbed the man by the hair of his head and gave a gigantic pull. But the man was wearing a toupee and it came off. At that point the captain looked at the man in the water and said, "Mister, if you won't stick together, I can't help you!" Even God cannot help a church that is not going to stick together. I want to tell you if we are going to be victorious as a church and accomplish all that God wants us to accomplish, and be all that God wants us to be, we must come together, we must work together, we must stay together. So I want to talk to you today about the vastly important subject of unity. Somebody said, "Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; but working together is success." Well, why should we come together? Why should we work together? How can we stay together? What is the basis of unity in the church? May I suggest three things that should form the basis of our unity. That is the real secret of the strength of a country, of a state, of a community, of a church. The reason why we are to be so united is, as Jesus said in v.21, "that the world may believe that You sent Me." The greatest advertisement for the gospel of Jesus Christ is not a billboard, a newspaper advertisement, or even a television program; the greatest advertisement for the gospel of Jesus Christ is a church that is unified in the Holy Spirit. In his book Telling Secrets author Frederick Buechner tells about sharing a pleasant dinner with his mother one evening when they were interrupted by a telephone call from a friend of his. This friend’s family had been visiting another part of the country and had been in an awful accident. The friend asked Buechner if he would come wait with him at the airport where he was to catch a plane to where the accident had happened. Buechner said he would. Buechner’s mother was furious. She said Buechner was a fool to think of ruining their evening together for such a ridiculous reason. For a moment, he says, he was horrified to find himself thinking that maybe she was right. Then the next moment, says Buechner, he saw more clearly than he ever had before that it is on just such outwardly trivial decisions as this should I go or should I stay that human souls are saved or lost. He also saw for what was maybe the first time in his life that we are called to love our neighbors not just for our neighbors’ sake but for our own sake. (4) Sharing with one another was how these early Christians testified to the resurrection of the Lord. In his book Telling Secrets author Frederick Buechner tells about sharing a pleasant dinner with his mother one evening when they were interrupted by a telephone call from a friend of his. This friend’s family had been visiting another part of the country and had been in an awful accident. The friend asked Buechner if he would come wait with him at the airport where he was to catch a plane to where the accident had happened. Buechner said he would. Buechner’s mother was furious. She said Buechner was a fool to think of ruining their evening together for such a ridiculous reason. For a moment, he says, he was horrified to find himself thinking that maybe she was right. Then the next moment, says Buechner, he saw more clearly than he ever had before that it is on just such outwardly trivial decisions as this should I go or should I stay that human souls are saved or lost. He also saw for what was maybe the first time in his life that we are called to love our neighbors not just for our neighbors’ sake but for our own sake. (4) Sharing with one another was how these early Christians testified to the resurrection of the Lord. We need to be converted to the reality that we need each other. Simply because autonomy and independence rule today should not mean that these concepts are the ideal. Maybe we can learn something about teamwork from the Four Horsemen and Seven Mules, the understanding of the ancient Greeks, and especially those first followers of Jesus. The common good of all believers must be the ideal we strive to reach in our lives. Our work is the work of Christ for we are his body, as Saint Paul reminds us (1 Corinthians 12). We act most strongly as teammates when we become the Christ to others. Saint Teresa of Avila, the sixteenth century mystic and church reformer, expressed this idea powerfully in a famous prayer: "Christ has no hands but yours, no hands no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes with which Christ looks with compassion on the world. Christ has no hands but yours." My friends, may we believe, act, and profess the same! A New Testament scholar describes it in this fashion: No one before Luke and no one after him took this daring step and told the story of the church as the continuation of the story of Jesus ... we are justified in calling his work a History of Salvation, with the subtitles "From Jesus to Paul," "From Jerusalem to Rome," and "From Jews only to Gentiles Also."2 Luke is not only a physician but a historian. For him history is the story of the living God guiding the histories of all people and nations to their fulfillment in Christ. Here we have the story of a giving, sharing congregation, living under and by the power of God’s grace ... a congregation united together because God had brought them together, and because of that they had obligations toward one another. This was a radical change. In this congregation they looked at things differently. A new relationship between possessions and people developed. They saw hurting people. They saw peopie who were beaten down. They didn’t say, "that’s your tough luck!" No, they responded in love; and love says, "when you hurt, I hurt." Love shares what it has with those who have even less. Some biblical scholars see this event as an unrealistic idealized picture, or as an unsuccessful experiment in communism. We could reason that if all the houses had been sold, then the congregation would not have had any homes to meet in. It is also hard to understand how a community could live indefinitely by using up their capital. So perhaps the picture is somewhat idealized, but the challenge remains nevertheless. Christians are to look at their wealth in a new way. In 1 John we read, "Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action." In the book of James we read this stern warning: If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. (2:15-17) In the Bible there is no divorce between spirituality and social responsibility. The vertical dimension of the community of believers - that is, our prayer life, worship and study, produces a horizontal expression. This sharing is not forced, nor is it a condition of entrance into a congregation. Sharing our resources is not to be looked upon as the result of some law, but as a consequence of our faith. We Christians in our giving are not preaching a certain economic philosophy, but we are expressing our Christian love. Due to the spirit of God, a new social unity becomes visible among the members of God’s congregation.