Love in Action

February 15, 2017 Matthew 5:38-48 Love in Action The Sixth Sunday of Epiphany The headlines from just this weekend in Chicago have been …appalling. An 11 year old shot in the head, minutes later a 12 year old shot. I saw a frantic plea on facebook to find a young activist before he committed suicide on facebook live. The 11 year old declared brain dead and taken off of life support. A two year old killed in gang retaliation. Just this morning lake shore drive was shut down for the second time in 3 days because of a fatal drive by shooting. As you listen to this every day you cant help but to ask what is going on. In 2016 there were 324 shootings involving children under 16, 36 of those were killed. In 2017 43 young people under 16 have been shot, 7 of those have been killed. In the 7 years that I have served as a pastor in Englewood, it seems that the problem is getting worse not better. It seems that the young men behind many of these shootings are being encouraged by the reporting of the statistics. It seems that they have less respect for human life, and that reporting these killings in the headlines makes the problem worse not better. As we sit in the pews of our churches, as we watch the news – Christians are asking when does it end. What can be done to stop this madness? What is the solution. When will people finally learn that violence is not the answer. When does peace prevail, and hatred cease? As Christians, many of us are searching, praying, working for peace. We look to scripture for an answer and a solution to the problems of today. On this day after Valentine’s Day during black history month- I was struck in how I found a message of radical love relevant for today. God always provides a word for every situation. For the last 3 weeks, the gospel lesson in the lectionary has been Jesus sermon on the mount. Jesus starts out his message by reminding the people that even in the midst of suffering they are blessed – loved people of God. Jesus knows that being a person of faith is not an easy task. Jesus understands the world that we live in. He understands the culture of retaliation very well. Retaliation is a form of justice. Of making things right in an unfair world. Even today, if you find the story behind each of these shootings, it is a response to something else that has happened. Jesus understood that the rule of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth was actually a law of mercy. When you retaliate, you repay someone for the act that has been committed and nothing else. Today it seems that we are all a part of this culture of relatiation – even faithful Christians. And yet in Matthew 5 Jesus gives us 6 rules of engagement for us to follow in this culture of retaliation. And with each one, he makes it harder and harder to be a Christian. The world has an understanding of doing things one way and Jesus tells us to do the exact opposite. To be Christian is to be counter cultural in a world of madness. I think puts his rules in a very effective way – you have heard it said, do not commit murder, do not commit adultery, do not take divorce lightly, watch out for your promises. But I say to you that as a Christian – you should take it one step further and do more not less. Our text for today deals with the last two of Jesus counter cultural moves. Go beyond the law of retaliation and do good those who oppress and victimize you and go beyond loving your neighbor and love all people, even those who don’t love us. Jesus makes it even harder to be a Christian in a crazy world. Many today find the message of turning the other cheek difficult. In the movie "Ghandi", the great Indian leader is walking one day with a Presbyterian missionary, Charlie Andrews. The two suddenly find their way blocked by young thugs. The Reverend Andrews takes one look at the menacing gangsters and decides to run for it. Gandhi stops him and asks, "Doesn't the New Testament say if an enemy strikes you on the right cheek you should offer him the left?" Andrews mumbles something about Jesus speaking metaphorically. Gandhi replies, "I'm not so sure. I suspect he meant you must show courage--be willing to take a blow, several blows, to show you will not strike back nor will you be turned aside." Yesterday on my facebook page, I shared a memory from 7 years ago… Nonviolent communication is not about winning, but about transforming a relationship. There are no winners and losers. - Andrew Young I wrote that post after visiting the civil rights exhibit at the field museum that year. I was struck with a video that showed the nonviolent training video for the Southern Christian Leadership conference. Where students were trained to respond to hatred by appealing to the humanity of the oppressor. By returning disrespect with respect. By showing radical love when it was not asked for. That concept of love in action has inspired me to not only strive to be in ministry to make the world a better place, but to be a better person in all circumstances. Andrew Young worked closely with martin Luther King during the civil rights movement. He says that his work for peace actually comes from the work of his wife. In the midst of negotiations with the klu Klux klan, he asked her to make sure that she pointed a gun at the head of the leader while they talked and she refused. She said that she would not threaten the life of another person. That she was a Christian and she lived a life of peace. Her attitude transformed his attitude. And he started to teach others to live according to the principles of the bible. the six rules of counter cultural engagement in a culture of relaliation. George Washington and Peter Miller were very close friends. Miller had done a great many favors for the army; he had given them spiritual nourishment and emotional strength during difficult times. When he came in to see George Washington he said, "General, I have a favor to ask of you." Washington said, "What is it?" He said, "I have come to ask you to pardon Michael Whitman." George Washington was stunned. He said, "Pastor Miller, that's impossible. Whitman has done everything in his power to betray us, even offering to join the British and help destroy us. I cannot be lenient with traitors, and for that reason I cannot pardon your friend." Peter Miller said, "Friend! He's no friend of mine. He's the most bitter enemy I've ever had in my life. For years he persecuted me and harassed me. He did everything he could to hurt my church and to hinder the preaching of the gospel. He even waited for me one time after church and beat me almost senseless, spitting in my face, knowing full well I would not strike him back." He said, "General, let's get this straight—Michael Whitman is no friend of mine." George Washington was puzzled. He said, "But you asked me to pardon him." He said, "I have, and I ask you to do it to me as a personal favor." He said, "Why?" He said, "Because that's exactly what Jesus has done for you and for me." With tears in his eyes, George Washington walked into the next room and soon returned with a paper on which was written the pardon of Michael Whitman. Peter Miller went personally with him to the stockade, saved Michael Whitman from the hangman's noose, personally took him back to his own home where he led him to faith in Jesus Christ. Peter Miller was right. What he did for Michael Whitman Jesus Christ has done for us, and on the cross said to us what we should say to others: "With malice toward none; with charity toward all." Showing radical love to those who show us hate, and retaliation. It worked for Jesus, it worked for the civil rights movement for a time, but will it work today? Will it work in Englewood, in Chicago? The theologican William Barclay says the key to the counter cultural resistance is the focus on personal relationships. I would tend to agree with him. The first 4 of the six countercultural rules apply to the way we treat our family, our friends that people that we meet everyday. The last two rules of engagement apply to those who are outside our circles of influence, but it is still about personal relationships. Barclay says that only a true Christian can fulfill all six of these rules of engagement. He says that the rules are not about what we do, but about what Christ can do. And only Christ can give the grace to have unconquerable benevolence and invincible good will in all of our relationships. It is only when we are solid in our relationship with Christ, that we can deal with the bitterness in the heart of people and still remain positive. Barclay goes on the say that these commandments are not about what other people do to us, it is in how we choose to respond to them. It is tuff being a Christian in such a cruel world. But he reminds us to pray in all circumstances, for all people. And it is pretty hard to hate someone and lift them up to God at the same time. A Christian response transforms the situation. (iv) It must be noted that Jesus laid this love down as a basis for personal relationships. People use this passage as a basis for pacifism and as a text on which to speak about international relationships. Of course, it includes that, but first and foremost it deals with our personal relationships with our family and our neighbors and the people we meet with every day in life. It is very much easier to go about declaring that there should be no such thing as war between nation and nation, than to live a life in which we personally never allow any such thing as bitterness to invade our relationships with those we meet with every day. First and foremost, this commandment of Jesus deals with personal relationship. It is a commandment of which we should say first and foremost; “This means me.” (v) We must note that this commandment is possible only for a Christian. Only the grace of Jesus Christ can enable a man to have this unconquerable benevolence and this invincible goodwill in his personal relationships with other people. It is only when Christ lives in our hearts that bitterness will die and this love spring to life. It is often said that this world would be perfect if only people would live according to the principles of the Sermon on the Mount; but the plain fact is that no one can even begin to live according to these principles without the help of Jesus Christ. We need Christ to enable us to obey Christ’s command. (vi) Lastly—and it may be most important of all—we must note that this commandment does not only involve allowing people to do as they like to us; it also involves that we should do something for them. We are bidden to pray for them. No man can pray for another man whom he is tempted to hate to God, something happens. We cannot go on hating another man in the presence of God. The surest way of killing bitterness is to pray for the man we are tempted to hate. Just ask…. Christ Makes the Impossible Possible A minister, Woody Garvin, spent his first years in ministry working among the Native Americans on the Hoopa Reservation in northern California. He tells the story of two young men who grew up in his congregation. Gerald Marshall was reared by his mother, Marie, a single parent. Gerald was somewhat retarded mentally, but he did all right. He worked at the post office as the night custodian, and served as a leader in the little reservation church. Pliny Doud was the other young man. His father, George, was also a single parent, and had raised Pliny. Pliny drifted away from the church. He started drinking heavily, and fell in with a rough crowd. One night, he and his friends decided to have some fun. They went to the post office to harass Gerald Marshall, the night custodian. But things did not go well. Gerald became confused, and began to resist. One thing led to another. Pushing turned to hitting. When it was all over, Gerald was lying on the floor. He didn't move. The other boys ran. When someone finally found Gerald lying on the floor, he was dead. Both the Marshall family and the Doud family had been members of the little reservation church. Both families left the church after the murder. Sometime later, Marie Marshall, Gerald's mother, began to attend church again. So did George Doud, the father of the boy who had killed Marie's son. One day, George came late to church and searched for a place to sit. The little church was nearly full. There was only one seat available. It was right next to Marie Marshall. So George sat down. It was Communion Sunday. Woody Garvin, the pastor, wondered what would happen when the communion elements were passed. What he saw was this: When the bread was passed, George Doud handed Marie Marshall the bread and said, "The love of Christ be with you!" And Marie responded, "And also with you!" When he handed her the cup, he said, "The peace of Christ be with you!" And she replied, "And also with you!" Christ always challenges us. He always calls us to be better than we are. He loves us too much to leave us the way we are. Sometimes he asks the impossible. But then he makes it possible. Richard Niell Donovan, Peacemaking As we continue to read the headlines of the day – we will continue to ask when does it stop. What is the solution, what is the answer. Well at this moment, we don’t have an answer, there seems to be no solution. But I don’t think that it is our job as Christians to find solutions, but to develop personal relationships. To love and understand those who don’t understand and love us. TO appeal to the humanity in all situations. And to follow Christ 6 rules of engagement : control your anger, watch your thoughts, take responsibility for your own actions, watch your words, have not need of retaliation, and love those who consider themselves your enemies. The "peacemakers," therefore, are not simply those who bring peace between two conflicting parties, but those actively at work making peace, bringing about wholeness and well-being among the alienated. Robert A. Guelich, Sermon on the Mount: A Foundation for Understanding (W Publishing Group, 1991) SERMON ILLUSTRATION Martin Luther King's Greatest Achievement Not long before his death, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to the congregation at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church: If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don't want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. Every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize; that isn't important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards; that's not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school. I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to love somebody. William Willimon, Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry, (Abingdon Press, 2002), p. 53; submitted by David Slagle, Wilmore, Kentucky [ read less ] Let us pray….. Amen. Extra illustrations…….. SERMON ILLUSTRATION Many Think Jesus Overstated Commands "Most people really believe that the Christian commandments (for example, to love one's neighbor as oneself) are intentionally a little too severe—like ... [ read more ] Save "Many Think Jesus Overstated Commands" SERMON ILLUSTRATION Freed from Greed When a fourth-century desert Egyptian monk named Macarius returned to his monastic cell one day, he found a thief stealing the few possessions he owned. ... [ read more ] Save "Freed from Greed" Not rated SERMON ILLUSTRATION Painful Revenge The mother ran into the bedroom when she heard her seven-year-old son scream. She found his two-year-old sister pulling his hair. She gently released ... [ read more ] Save "Painful Revenge" SERMON ILLUSTRATION "The Jackie Robinson Story": Turning the Other Cheek The Jackie Robinson Story is the 1950 movie about the life, challenges, and achievements of baseball star Jackie Robinson. With the help and vision of ... [ read more ] Save ""The Jackie Robinson Story": Turning the Other Cheek" SERMON ILLUSTRATION Students Battle Over Who Jesus Would Vote For In the 2004 presidential election, partisan fervor visited the University of North Carolina. Two students—one supporting George Bush, the other supporting ... [ read more ] Save "Students Battle Over Who Jesus Would Vote For" SERMON ILLUSTRATION Pastor Punched, Continues Sermon A pastor in Tulsa, Oklahoma, recently had an opportunity to practice what he preaches regarding turning the other cheek and showing forgiveness. The pastor ... [ read more ] Save "Pastor Punched, Continues Sermon" SERMON ILLUSTRATION Author Anne Lamott on Forgiveness Forgiveness means it finally becomes unimportant that you hit back. [ read more ] Save "Author Anne Lamott on Forgiveness" SERMON ILLUSTRATION The Bloodiest Century The 20th century was the bloodiest in human history. In Humanity: A Moral History of the 20th Century, Jonathan Glover estimates that 86,000,000 people ... [ read more ] Not rated Save "The Bloodiest Century" Not rated SERMON ILLUSTRATION Our Role as Peacemakers In his book Sermon on the Mount: A Foundation for Understanding, author and professor Robert A. Guelich writes of the role Christ-followers play as peacemakers: The peace intended is not merely that of political and economic stability, as in the Greco-Roman world, but peace in the Old Testament inclusive sense of wholeness, all that constitutes well-being… When Martin Luther King, Jr. began to stand up for the civil rights of black Americans, many who were full of prejudice subjected him to incredible injustice. His home was bombed. For thirteen years everyday of his life he lived under constant threats of death. He was accused of being a Communist. He was stabbed by a member of his own race. He was jailed more than twenty times. Most of his sermons were written in jail cells. Yet, Martin Luther King said, "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. I would add only one word to Dr. King's words, and that is the word-divine. Divine love can indeed turn an enemy into a friend. The only way we can even begin to have that kind of love is to look to the Father. Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Stockholm, Sweden, December 11, 1964. Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Stockholm, Sweden, December 11, 1964. Later Martin Luther King, Jr. would take this principle from the Sermon on the Mount and use it to revolutionize America. King used to say, "No man can pull me down so low as to make me hate him." The real goal, said King, was not to defeat the white man, but to awaken a sense of shame within the oppressor and to challenge his false sense of superiority. "The goal is reconciliation, redemption, the creation of the beloved community." These words of Jesus are totally out of step with the world. The real world believes in retaliation. 75 percent of Christians believe in capital punishment because they think we can stop the killing by killing the killers. That's retaliation. CHRISTIAN LOVE 2. The Reason for it Matthew 5:43–48 (continued) WE have seen what Jesus meant when he commanded us to have this Christian love; and now we must go on to see why he demanded that we should have it. Why, then, does Jesus demand that a man should have this love, this unconquerable benevolence, this invincible goodwill? The reason is very simple and tremendous—It is that such a love makes a man like God. Hebrew is not rich in adjectives; and for that reason Hebrew often uses son of … with an abstract noun, where we would use an adjective. For instance a son of peace is a peaceful man; a son of consolation is a consoling man. So, then, a son of God, is a godlike man. The reason why we must have this unconquerable benevolence and goodwill is that God has it; and, if we have it, we become nothing less than sons of God, godlike men. Childrens sermon…… Object: A bandage. Good morning, everyone. I hope this is a good day for you. Things are almost always good for you, aren't they? I suppose that the only really bad times you have are when you get hurt while playing. Is that right? Has anyone been hurt this summer? [Let them respond ... look for leg or arm cuts.] Boy, that must have really hurt! Did you cry? I suppose if it was that serious you had to quit playing. [Now work for the answer that they had to stop what they were doing and go home to be fixed up.] If you had to quit playing because of the cut, I suppose you went home to be helped. What kind of help do you get for a cut like that? Do you ever have to use a bandage? I thought so. By putting some medicine and a bandage on it we know that it soon will be better and then we can start playing again. Right? Well, God said that sometimes we need to use another kind of medicine that will help fix us up just like the bandage we use when we are hurt. Let me tell you what I mean. Sometimes we think about going to church on Sunday, but we remember that we have had a bad fight with one of our friends. It may even have been his fault because he started it. Still, we really hurt because we are not friends anymore. God says we need a bandage -- a special kind of bandage that will help us to stop hurting. This bandage is called "forgiving love." When we go to our friend and tell him that we are sorry and that we don't want to fight anymore, then our hurt begins to feel a lot better. God then says when we have used that kind of a bandage on ourselves we should come to church and he will make us completely healthy again. Do you know what I am talking about? You remember when you had a fight or an argument with your friend and how badly you felt. Just think how good it would have been if you had gone and told him that you forgave him and that you were sorry that it ever happened. That's called reconciling. That's a big word, but that's God's medicine for making peace here on earth. Now the next time you see a bandage, remember that God wants you to make peace with all who are not happy with you.

Feed my Sheep

April 10, 2016 John 21:1-19 Feed My Sheep 4th Sunday of Easter Year C SERMON ILLUSTRATION Fish Heaven Four-year-old Danny was fascinated with a dead fish floating in the river. After studying it for hours, he asked his mother, "Will the fish go to heaven?" Knowing she was out of her theological league, she said, "We'll ask Pastor Dave when we get to church." "Does he know lots about fish?" Well today I want to talk a little about fish, sheep, the resurrection and love. We are going to think about the lesson of John 21 –the last chapter of the gospel. This book is the lesson after the lesson. John 20 is the resurrection story. But in each of the gospels, an interesting thing happens, in each of the gospels, there is always one more chapter. In each of these chapters, Jesus returns as the resurrected Christ, in order to teach his disciples one more lesson. In each of the gospels, the disciples were not expecting Jesus and did not recognize who he was until after he had taught then a lesson. I would encourage you in this Easter season to expect Jesus to appear in some way in your life. Most likely when he appears, he will be a stranger to you- someone who you don’t recognize until after that fact. But once you have learned the lesson he is present to teach – you can be grateful for the blessing. The disciples had went fishing in order to deal with his death. That is what you do when in doubt and don’t know what to do – you go fishing. But they were not catching anything. Until this strange man told them to switch their nets from the left to the right. Then they caught all kinds of fish. Scripture says that Peter pulled the net to shore and there were 153 fish in the net. Now you need to bear in mind that there are no coincedences in John. Everything in John happens for a reason, and everything in John has a meaning. So it is no accident that they caught 153 fish that day. Cyril of Alexandria in the 5th century said that the 100 represented the fullness of the gentiles. Remember, 99 sheep means that the shepherd still has to look for one. The flock is not complete unless there are100 sheep. the 50 symbolized the remnant of Israel and the three of course was there for the Trinity. Augustine’s theory (5th century) was a little more complicated. He said, there are 10 commandments and 7 is the perfect number of grace and that’s 17 right? Now if you add all the numbers from 1 to 17 together, you know 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 all the way up to 17 you’ll get 153. And not only that but if you were to arrange them with 17 fish in the first row, and 16 in the next row, and 15 in the next row, all the way down to a row of 1 you get a perfect triangle which of course symbolizes the Trinity. Jerome, he also lived in the 5th century, suggested that there were 153 different types of fish in the sea and it was symbolic of the church reaching all the people in the world. This verse always stands out to me because that was the combination to our key box at a former church. When we would give out the combination, we wouldn’t say 153, we would ask how many fish did the disciples catch in John 21:11. That way if we were going to get robbed, at least the thief would have to pick up the bible first. But if you read the story in verse 11,you will notice that the disciples caught big fish, and the net was very heavy for Peter to pull to shore. But the net was first of all big enough to hold all of those fish, and second – the net did not break from the weight. The net is the church of Christ, and we are the fish. The church should be big enough in thought to catch and hold all kinds of fish- big fish, little fish, black fish, white fish, smooth fish, prickly fish, fish of all kinds. It takes all kinds to fill the net, it takes all kinds to make a church. The story continues and says that once the net was pulled to shore, a fire had already been made. Jesus was cooking breakfast for them. In those days, a meal was not complete unless you served someone fish and bread. You had to make sure that everyone had enough fish to eat. Even the servants were to be given fish. I remember on our trip to Israel, we went to the sea of Galilee, and whenever you go to the sea, your tour is not complete until you eat at this restaurant, and of course you have to have Peter’s fish. It is interesting that in each gospel story, in these stories of the appearance of the risen Christ, Jesus sits down to have a meal with the disciples, and then he teaches them a lesson. The lesson he teaches us as we prepare to take communion and to have a meal with Jesus. Is the lesson of love. I said that today I would talk about fish, sheep, the resurrection and love. I already talked about the fish. This is where sheep, love and the resurrection come in. Remember Peter denied Jesus three times. So three times Jesus asks Peter if he loves him. Jesus is giving Peter a chance to redeem himself and to be the person Jesus called him to be. Jesus had already declared that Peter was the rock upon which he would build his church. And yet time after time, Peter messed up. He fell into the water as he was trying to walk on water. He denied Jesus in his time of need. And yet Jesus still believes in Peter. He asks Peter – do you love me? And what does he tell Peter to do if he really loves Jesus? - he says feed my sheep. It is not about what you say – it is about what you do. People don’t care whether you love to preach, they want to know if you really love them. SERMON ILLUSTRATION How Much You Care Those to whom you minister may not always perfectly understand what you say, but they will soon know whether you love them or not. The secret of many a successful Christian worker is not that he is skilled, knowledged, and has endowments which are superior to others, but that those to whom he ministers know that he really cares about them, not in some abstract way, or from sense of duty, but wanting with all his heart the best that God wants for them. Love Isn't Love Till You Give It Away One night in New York, on Broadway, the great star Mary Martin was preparing to go on stage, as she had a 1000 times before, in Rodger & Hammerstain's South Pacific. Just before she took stage a note was handed her. The letter was signed by Oscar Hammerstein who was that evening on his death bed. The note was short. It simply said: “Dear Mary, A bell’s not a bell until you ring it. A song’s not a song until you sing it. Love in your heart is not put there to stay. Love isn’t love till you give it away.” When the play was over the cast rushed her backstage and asked, “What happened? We’ve never seen you perform that way before?” Mary read to them Hammerstein’s note and said, “Tonight, I gave my love away.” I can hear Jesus' words to Peter in that: Peter do you love me? Feed my sheep. Jesus was saying, Peter you know the song. Sing it! Peter you've got the bell. Ring it! "Peter, love isn't love till you give it away." Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com So there you have it – fish, sheep and love. And my final thought is on the resurrection. That is the point of this whole story – the power of the resurrected Christ. That is why John ended his gospel with chapter 21. The resurrection of Christ is just a fact, an event in history, until you are touched with love, and you know how important it is to touch someone else. Jesus is alive and well in the world today. Jesus is still traveling the world as a stranger, blessing people, making their lives easier, opening their awareness of the presence of God, teaching valuable lessons. Look for Jesus to appear to you in your life in some way. Listen as Jesus ask if you really love him. And when you answer, make sure that you do something about it! Feed his sheep! Amen Children’s Sermon…. When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. Object: Some charcoal and a loaf of bread. Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you ever thought about Jesus cooking breakfast? (Let them answer.) Did you think that Jesus could cook? (Let them answer.) You probably knew that he was a carpenter, but there are not many places in the Bible that tell you about Jesus as a cook. I don't know how often he cooked, but the Bible tells of one time that he did, and it was one of the most exciting events in the Bible. First of all, you have to know that Jesus had been dead and had come back to life. This story happened during one of the times that Jesus visited with his disciples after he was risen from the dead. As you can imagine, the disciples were lonely without him, and some of them had decided that they would go fishing rather than just sit around and think about the good times they used to have with Jesus. They fished all night and did not catch anything, but I guess they really did not care about catching fish. Then, as it became morning, they saw a man on the beach waving to them and asking them how they had done with their fishing. Some of them thought right away that it might be Jesus, but they were not sure. He told them to put their nets down on the other side of the boat to catch some fish. They told the man on the beach that they had fished all night, but that they would cast their nets once more the way he told them to. As you might guess, they caught more fish than the nets could hold. Peter knew by now that the man was Jesus. He jumped into the water and swam ashore. The others followed him in the boat, and when they got there, they saw that Jesus had already started a fire with some charcoal and had some bread ready for them to eat. (Show them the charcoal and the loaf of bread.) It may not have looked like my charcoal or my loaf of bread, but it cooked and tasted pretty much the same. I suppose you can imagine how glad they were to see Jesus. They were thrilled to share breakfast and tell stories about all of the good times they had spent together. Most of all they were glad because they knew once more that Jesus was alive and well, and that he remembered them as people whom he loved and cared for every day, whether he was eating or walking with them. Jesus is that way with us today. He doesn't have to cook for us to show us that he cares for us. We know it anyway, but for the disciples, who had spent so much time with him on earth, it was one of the best things that ever happened to them. Maybe the next time that you have a cookout and you put the charcoal on the fire, you will remember the day that Jesus cooked breakfast for his disciples, and shared some bread and fish with them. I hope you remember it, because it was one of the best moments in the disciples' lives. CALL IN THE CLOWNS! by WESLEY T. RUNK Additional illustrations…… Pulpit Helps. Leadership, Vol. 1, no. 4. SERMON ILLUSTRATION How Much You Care Those to whom you minister may not always perfectly understand what you say, but they will soon know whether you love them or not. The secret of many a successful Christian worker is not that he is skilled, knowledged, and has endowments which are superior to others, but that those to whom he ministers know that he really cares about them, not in some abstract way, or from sense of duty, but wanting with all his heart the best that God wants for them. Pulpit Helps. Leadership, Vol. 1, no. 4. Humor: 153 Fish It is so easy to get caught up in trivial interpretations of scripture and miss the point. Take a look at John 21:11: "Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn." Now, why in heaven's name was there 153 fish? Have you ever wondered about that? No? Well others have. . Personally I have my own theory, want to hear it? I think that it’s mentioned because there were 153 fish in the net. Here's another theory of mine: they had to divide them somehow, and so Peter being the Skipper he got 21% or 32 fish, and John being mate got 16% that’s 25 fish, and the other five got 10.5% each or 16 fish.... You see we can get so caught up in really trivial stuff and miss the point that we need to be obedient to Christ, today. Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com, Adapted from the sermon "Live for Today" by Denn Guptill. Missing Fish Children's books with names like One Fish, Two Fish; Red Fish, Blue Fish. Screen savers on our computers that pretend to be an aquarium. Long weekends in the north woods, on silent lakes waiting for the first nibble on the line, or sea stories about "the one that got away." It seems like fish turn up everywhere. Maybe that's because fish are such fascinating creatures. Fish come in an amazing variety of shapes, sizes and colors, and they move so gracefully through the water. Watching them can be soothing or entertaining. They can be eaten in any setting, from around a campfire to the finest restaurants. Fish just never seem to be boring. From early childhood to old age, fish seem to be a source of wonder and delight for so many people. Maybe that's why, in today's gospel passage, the words that really stand out are Jesus' first words to the disciples: "Children, you have no fish, have you?" Such sad words. After trying all night, the disciples still have no fish. The people Jesus loves like his own children have no source of wonder or delight. They can't even make a decent meal. In the ancient Middle East, for a meal to be considered complete, you had to have bread and fish. Fish weren't just part of a heart-healthy diet, fish were essential. No decent host would let even his guest's slaves go without fish; to do that was to treat them as less than human, and risk being thought of as a poor host. So, without fish the disciples weren't even human beings. No fish. A whole night's work, and nothing to show for it. Just an empty boat. No wonder, no delight, and no breakfast. Wendy Dackson Who Are The Sheep? Jonathan Kozol has written several books about the plight of children in blighted areas in the United States. An educator of international distinction, he speaks passionately about the grotesque inequities which exist in our society today, and which are especially evident in public schools, often in the same cities. Kozol speaks to all kinds of audiences but when he speaks to church leaders he asks for their support on behalf of children echoing the words of Christ saying, “When Jesus said to Simon Peter, "If you love me, feed my sheep," he didn’t say only the sheep who dwell in the green pastures. He didn’t say only the sheep whose mothers please us by acceptable behavior. He didn’t say only the sheep whose fathers have good jobs and mothers come to PTA. He didn’t say only the sheep whose parents make smart choices. He didn’t say only the sheep that have two parents in the pen. He just said, "If you love me, feed my sheep." Brent Porterfield, www.eSermons.com. We Are the Fish There is a classic story that comes out of humorist Robert Benchley's college days. For one of Benchley's final examinations, he was to write an essay on fish hatcheries. He hadn't cracked a book all semester. Undaunted, he started his final something like this: "Much wordage has been devoted to fish hatcheries. No one, however, has ever covered this subject from the point of view of the fish." And this he proceeded to do in what is probably the most entertaining final exam in Harvard's history. We've looked at this Bible passage from the perspective of the disciples. Now let's look at it from the point of view of the fish. Because that's who we are. That's right, we are the fish. The nets represent the unity of the disciples and of the church. And the fish represent all the souls who will be brought to salvation by the witness of the disciples. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.eSermons.com

They will know we are Christians by our Love

April 28, 2013 Acts 11:1-18 John 13:31-35 Fifth Sunday of Easter Year C They will Know we Are Christians By our Love Updated version of 5/2/10 – Sharing our Differences The sandwich swap as a story of how food separates us Salma and Lily were best friends at school. They drew pictures together. They played on the swings together. They jumped rope together. And they ate their lunches together. But just what they ate was a little different. Lily ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day for lunch. Salma ate a hummus and pita sandwich every day for lunch. And although Lily never said it out loud, she thought Salma's sandwich looked weird and yucky. She felt terrible that her friend had to eat that icky chickpea paste every day. EW. Yuck. And although Salma never said it out loud, she thought Lily's sandwich looked strange and gross. She felt just awful that her friend had to eat that gooey peanut paste every day. EW. Gross. That is an excerpt from a childrens book coming out by the Queen of Jordan called the “sandwich Swap”. It is about her experiences as a child, where she at one type of food and her best friend ate another. Both felt uncomfortable with what the other was eating. But it was through food that they came to understand one another and developed a closer relationship in the process. It is a cute little story that talks about how food separates us, and keeps us apart. The realize that their feelings about food is deeper than that, our feelings about food oftentimes harbor our personal predjudices about certain people. In the end, as they come together as friends and agree to try each other’s food, they get the whole school involved in a sandwich swap, in order to learn to be more accepting of each other. This story is a perfect example of how what we eat is one of the greatest expressions of who we are. Food can divide us and tear us apart. And food can bring us together in a very special way. When God says that we will come together in heaven with him, he says that it will be around the table at a great feast, where we share each other’s food. Scripture says that God’s greatest expression of love and care for us is to feed us. This is a perfect story for our scriptures this morning. Peter prided himself on being a good jew and making sure that everything that he ate was kosher. He considered that to be a part of what God called him to do – that is until he heard from God – which told him something different. That in the name of trying to understand others, he was free to eat whatever god’s people ate. There was nothing wrong with it But not everyone of the disciples heard that same voice, and they criticized Peter, until he explained it for them. Once again this is a demonstration of how the holy spirit works in our lives It takes something that makes sense to us (in this case food- we all understand food) in order to explain something that doesn’t make sense to us. (in this case how to get along with other people) This fits in with the gospel lesson which talks about love- Jesus tells his disciples to strive to love one another as you have been loved. – we know that there are 10 commandments – many say that this is the 11th commandment from God – to love. Love is not a concept unique to Jesus – because there are many commandments to love – love the lord the god with all of your heart, mind body and soul. Love your neighbor as you love yourself, there is even a commandment for Esau and Jacob to love one another as brothers. Jesus is just trying to get them to follow the law of love in a brand new way. Not to love because you are supposed to, but to love because you have been loved. Not to guess what love means, but to know what love means. To realize that love is not about what you do – it is about the relationship that you have. In order to love somebody, you have to identify with that person, get into their lives and know what it going on, and be willing to eat with them. For instance Peter could very well have refused to eat with the gentiles and kept his kosher habits. But somewhere along the way he realized that his relationship was more important than his beliefs. And that it was the relationship that changed him and transformed the situation. The gentiles became a part of the family, the outsiders became insiders. All because the holy spirit took something that made sense and used it to teach something that they otherwise would not have understood. Commentators point out that the story of how Peter met Cornelius and baptized his whole family is one of the longest stories in the book of Acts. It shows just how close Christianity came to being just another faction of Jews. If Peter had not had the dream, if Peter had not listened to God to try something different, If Peter had stuck to his tradition – we would have no access to the good news of Jesus. This is an important story in my own faith life also. I have been intentional about following in Peter’s footsteps. One of my values has been not to set up any restrictions on things that I eat. As a minister of God, I want to make sure that wherever I am in the world, when I an invited to someone house, to make sure that I can eat whatever is put in front of me. One of the greatest expressions of someone’s love is to invite you to their house to eat. I want to make sure that I am always in a position to accept that love, and eat what is put in front of me. Doesn’t scripture say that it is not so much what we put in our mouths that pollute us, but what comes of our mouths that causes the trouble. Even though I do have to say that I am grateful that McDonalds shares my philosophy. It is great comfort to know that whatever I may have to eat, and wherever I may be in the world, if all else fails, I can find a Mcdonalds – and know that they have an American hamburger on the menu. Learning how to accept love and be loved is an important mark of what it means to be a Christian. If you read and listen to the book of Acts this Easter season, you will learn the marks of a true Christian as one who follows Jesus, who trust in the teachings of Jesus, one who looks for the presence of the holy Spirit in their lives and is willing to follow it, and one who puts Christ as the center of their lives, allowing the spirit of Christ to dwell and live in them. Love is the 11th commandment. Moses gave the 10 commandments to the children of Israel so that they could live together in a community of peace. Jesus gave the 11th commandment to his disciples. – love one another as I have loved you. Love can be painful – but it still makes a difference, it still transforms people – one relationship at a time. Love is a way of speaking, a way of doing, love is who you are in Christ. Love is the one mark of a true Christian. And yet it is hardest thing in the world to love one another. Have you noticed that as Christians, we are like the two girls in the sandwich swap story – we claim to like each other and yet we find things to continue to keep us apart. And what is Jesus doing with his disciples as he is teaching them love – he just fed them as the host of the Passover. Eating is such an important part of our faith. WHEN WE COME TOGETHER Dr. J. Vernon McGee told a story about a little community where there were three churches on the same corner, a Presbyterian church, Methodist church and Baptist church. One Sunday night, all the windows were open and they could hear each other singing. They didn't get along very well. The people in the Presbyterian Church were singing this song, "Will There be Any Stars in My Crown?" When they finished, the Methodist church sang, "No, Not One." Then the Baptists sang, "Oh That Will be Glory for Me." Dr. McGee said that all three of those churches ought to sit down together and sing the doxology of praise to God. That's what the world needs to see. They need to see us together. Jesus said, "When we come together, that's when the world knows that God has sent us." (From a sermon by Bob Joyce, Like Lucy, 8/4/2011) But seriously, we truly have to be careful about how we treat one another as Christians, especially within these walls. We forget that the world is watching us. they are watching how they treat one another, and coming to a decision about whether they want to be associated with us. Love is not about who we feel about one another. It is a commandment. It is an act of obedience. Jesus had some reason for pointing to the disciples and telling them that if you don’t learn anything else from me, you need to learn how to love one another. Love is not a feeling it is an action. You cant tell someone how to feel about a situation, but you can tell then what to do and how to act. Jesus commanded us to love one another – to pay attention to our actions toward one another. A woman got a divorce and lost her family. She sank into a deep depression, and was in desperate need. The people in her church only shook their heads and pointed their fingers at her failure, so she left and began frequenting a bar. One day the preacher came and asked why she had done this. She replied, “The people at the bar smile when they see me.” We have to do the same when we come to church. Finally I just want to say – that learning to love one another is not a new commandment. We are all taught from an early age to learn to love. As jews the disciples would have been taught the importance of love for others in your community. Even as Jesus was talking – he didn’t say that you needed to love the whole world – he just said love your fellow disciples. There is nothing new about love- it has been around from the beginning of love. What is new about the commandment to love is that Jesus says to love as I have loved you. Jesus gave everything he had, so that you would know how to love. You may not have to love everyone in the world, but The world is watching us, so that they can see that example. What is it that they see – Let them know we are Christians by our love. Let is pray…. ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬____________________________________________________ WE REQUIRE LOVING A little girl was making but poor progress toward recovery, though the ailment had been checked and there seemed to be no reason why she should not rapidly improve. But it didn’t happen, and the doctor in charge was keenly interested to know why. She was a very sensitive child, easily scared, responding quickly to kindness. Perhaps she was afraid of Nurse or Sister or her unfamiliar surroundings. The doctor decided it was the lack of understanding which was retarding recovery, and so wrote a directive upon the temperature chart: "This child requires loving every four hours." God is even better than that: He says, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love." (Winship Storey in his Methodist Recorder. From a sermon by Bill Butsko, God’s Infinite Love, 12/25/2010) ATHERINE LAWES: A STORY OF COMPASSION Max Lucado relates this story. When Catherine Lawes’ husband, Lewis, became the warden on Sing Sing prison in 1921, she was a young mother of three daughters. Everybody warned her never to step foot inside the walls. But she didn’t listen to them. When the first prison basketball game was held, in she went, three girls in tow, and took a seat in the bleachers with the inmates. When she heard that one convicted murderer was blind, she taught him Braille so he could read. Upon learning of inmates who were hearing impaired, she studied sign language so they could communicate. For sixteen years Catherine Lawes softened the hard hearts of the men of Sing Sing. The prisoners knew something was wrong when Lewis Lawes didn’t report to work. Quickly the word spread that Catherine had been killed in a car accident. The following day as the acting warden took his early morning walk, he noticed a large gathering at the main gate. Every prisoner pressed against the fence. Eyes awash with tears. Faces solemn. No one spoke or moved. The warden made a remarkable decision. "All right, men, you can go. Just be sure to check in tonight." These were America’s hardest criminals. But the warden unlocked the gate for them, and they walked without escort or guard to the home of Catherine Lawes to pay their last respects. And each one returned. Real love changes people. That’s genuine love. That’s true love.