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The Second Sunday of Easter is the Son fully risen. The
New horizon has been established, and now truly the light is to dawn within
us. Several things pop out from the scriptures we have this morning: God
is light, and in him there is no darkness. We are to be of one heart and one
soul. Praise the Lord, Praise Him. Do not doubt but believe. If you can't walk
the walk, then don't talk the talk. Grace comes as a gift from God. God's work
through our voices hands and feet.
These are wonderful juicy little thought nuggets that you
should think about this morning, in regards to what just exactly is
discipleship. Why do we gather as a church? This morning's lesson from the
first Epistle of John challenges us to declare what we have seen, what we have
heard and what the Word of life is revealing to us. There's actually a very beautiful
verse in there that is used in other Traditions as a form of their time of
reflection beginning worship. The pastor turns usually towards the altar and
says: if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us…
but if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive us our
sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Those are profound thoughts from
John, that should never be taken lightly.
We can't escape that side of reality though, it is a
mystery, sin, that is. Why does it exist beyond the reason of the Fall with
Adam and Eve…? What we do continually deal with is a fine balancing act between
choosing sin and choosing God's will. It's part of being human. That's not to
be an excuse mind you, but this is our reality. It is unfortunate to hear many
social media commentaries that the Second Sunday of Easter is often very poorly
attended because people felt like they have OD'd on Easter with all the Holy
Week activities. I would say this Sunday is no less more important than Easter
Sunday itself, because it is the beginning of realizing the truth of the
Resurrection, and now the ball is in our court basically.
Discipleship and unity, discipline in heart, mind and
action are always going to be a part of our journey together in learning,
living the scriptures. As I had said last week, and I say again, you can't
circumvent the cross and you can't sugarcoat the Gospel's truth. Poor Thomas...
he always gets a bad rap this Sunday because it's him who must see proof to
believe or understand… but really, he's just expressing Human Nature. 2000
years later it's probably even more difficult for us to wrap our hearts around
the Resurrection, but we must to see just how powerful the gift of Grace Christ
gave us is, towards our lives’ formation.
Spiritual formation though, caring for the spirit, caring
for others' spiritual well-being… kind of gets put on the back of burners in
our current culture. This week I was involved in a lot of pastoral care
situations some that wrench your heart with tears in wondering why things have
come to be the way they are. Many of times though, putting things on that
back burner of what we consider lesser priorities is our great indifference to loving
God and loving neighbor. Indifference is one of the structural pillars of
sin. The other pillar is greed.
It can be in those little things too, that people neglect
either because they're in a hurry or they just don't feel it's worth the
effort. One person I visited this past week was almost killed by an overdose of
pain medication. This mistake was caused by someone not taking the time to look
at her records to note their allergies. meanwhile she still is waiting for her
surgeries and is in horrible pain. How can you turn an indifferent eye to
that? Another person I visited this past week didn't survive his illness.
Yes, I do have a big heart of compassion. I do grieve for people I have cared
for. I feel what their families are feeling, and I cry with them as well...
it's a hard road. I do these things not just because these are people or family
members of our church, but I do them for God, period.
My spiritual priorities are finely tuned by God's direction
and that is discipline. If you notice many of the letters in the word
discipline, are similar to disciple. It's not willfulness that we are to cater
to, but a willingness to let go and let God lead us to where we need to be in beginning
the lifestyle of Grace. One of the commentaries I read, looking at the book of
Acts’ little tiny lesson we have this morning, is that these were St. Luke's
discipleship ideals for the church. In fact, the way that this passage reads
almost sounds too surreal. Face it, we're probably way too selfish to share everything
with one another. We're probably too wound up with looking at our watches and
wondering what we need to do next and how much time we have, etc. This passage
sounds very alien to us. This scene from Acts, was about the early church
though, this was the beginning of church planting.
I have mentioned this before and it is something profound
to remember, but Luke, Paul, Barnabas, Peter and many others were busy planting
churches in the first century. And these churches were for the most part,
little house churches. Not too much unlike our rented room here, the early
church had their meetings in catacombs, in living rooms, and dining rooms of
other disciple’s homes. I'm sure this is hard for us to imagine though, without
the steeple, there’s only people! It's delightful at times to touch base with
friends that I have in Europe, who are missionaries and are church planters
themselves.
One of my friends in France has just planted his own
house Church and he has something like 12 people coming weekly and he is more
than overjoyed. It's the 21st century.... and he's doing a house Church? I
don't know how much it's known, as well but Europe has grown to be more and
more secular and many Christians have started going back underground, returning
to this ancient model of gathering. My missionary friend and doctoral cohort,
who lives in Finland, has both his own house Church and travels around leading
workshops, teaching and preaching. He is really taking to heart, the idea of –we
have seen, we have heard and now we are called to go out and Proclaim and
declare the Good News.
Sometime in the merry, merry month of May, we are going
to be replanting that steeple. What’s important though, is that the building
doesn't make us church, we are church right now. And living into that notion of,
“we are church right now,” we do have to look at those ideals that sounds so
surreal to us today. Can we be unified, and of one heart and soul as the Body
of Christ in the world? Can we truly stretch ourselves and not only sharing our
ideas on growing as a church family, but can we stretch our capacity to give in
more ways than one? It is God's work through us to use our voices hands and
feet, to not only as mentioned proclaim the Good News, but be a faith-filled
Witness.
The wonderful joy we experienced last week with that
baptism should really make us think of New beginnings and endings, to things
that God needs us to move on from and forward into. What is amazing, that we
don't hear of, after the Gospel and the book of Acts, is the the journey of
Thomas, the apostle. It's probably very alien for us to think of writings that
did not make it into the Canon of what would become our Bible, but there are
several books that are now called apocryphal. The Roman Catholics have some
apocryphal books in their Canon. The reformers didn't feel it was very helpful to
the overall message and mission of Christ, so that is why Protestant Bibles,
for the most part, do not include or separate apocryphal writings. The Gospel
of Thomas was even more obscure. Thomas got to go to India. Here was this
skeptic, very challenged person, who needed proof, and needed to declare things
for himself… sent out into the Wilderness of India to bring them the Good News
about Christ.
All the disciples have written letters or other Biblical
writings, many have not been included in the Canon for different reasons or
another… The biggest thing to think about is that they made an impact, they
were faith-filled, faithful Witnesses. It's sort of a nice pleasure to have two
readings from John of Patmos, for he was, yes, the Beloved disciple of Jesus,
the author of the most mystical Gospel about Jesus, wrote the Book of
Revelation and wrote two very small letters that were full of faith, and full
of Mystery. We take it for granted today, how many statements of Faith have
been established and that the ecumenical Creeds took centuries to create. Even
in John's letter here, we have him evangelizing the truth of Christ that he is
both fully human and fully divine. John saw Jesus as the Living Word of God,
the logos. The logos, the Word, is also the place of light and we know for sure
that Jesus shined quite a bit of light into our lives or we wouldn't have even
gathered here this morning.
We give off our own light though, and it can be in the
little things that we do. I'm recalling this past summer where Norma and Bear
had a wonderful Church picnic in their backyard with lots of little homemade
gifts, great food, and many other things… their generosity was overwhelming.
Fairly soon before the weather becomes too volatile, too hot, we will be
enjoying our big backyard at our new church building. Who knows how many things
we could do there together as a church family? These are moments we need to
think more beyond ourselves: how can we begin to really invite others to share
with us in what we have experienced as a family of Christ, on the Eastside of
Las Vegas?
One of the things that stick out from this past week with
tears, as well, has been to receive a letter of transfer for someone we were
looking forward to include in joining our church family, this May. Now
early, this coming week, he will be going into hospice instead. Truth be
told, one of my very first experiences as a pastor was to do a memorial service
within the church that both myself and the former pastor left to go plant the
Gathering for Christ and the Gathering North Church. The woman who insisted
upon me doing this memorial service, in their Fellowship Hall, was in some
senses making a beautifully sad statement about when Fellowship is broken, and
when Fellowship is renewed. I did not know the lady that I was saying prayerful
words for and comforting those mourning her loss, on that day, but I thought
about the love of God and the love of neighbor, none the less.
For some people there, I was not welcome. It was very
awkward to be officiating this memorial service, in a place people thought I
had abandoned, for selfish reasons. What may be selfish seemingly for others,
is definitely not the reality of God's priorities versus ours. God's
priorities were also in the heart and thoughts of Pastor Dawson, as well. Both
he and I saw something profound in the book of Acts, about quote: what is church?
Church is the steeple and the people. Church is a hospital for sinners. Church
is a nice social club for retirees and other old people, just kidding! No—
church is a place, where we are to gather together. We are gathering together
to grow to be in the know, with the Gospel. We are gathering because we are
called and commissioned to go forth. After the gathering, we're supposed to be
scattering and not necessarily back to our household chores, football games and
cooking.
Then let me tell you, there's so many resources out there
it's obnoxious… “How To Be A Renewed Church.” How to build up those “butts and
bucks” in the pews… How to influence enemies etcetera and so forth. You
probably can find about a quarter of a million of them on Amazon for $0.50 or
less. Why they're not read, is because of what I said earlier: “if you can't
walk the walk, then don't talk the talk.” It's nice reading other people's
ideas on church planting, and building, and stewardship and so forth… but in
reality, it starts and end with you. That's why it sounds like Jesus is giving
poor Thomas a hard time. He says: “… do not doubt but believe. He continues to
say to him: “have you believed just because you've seen me? Is that your
only reason Thomas?” I don't know but, if I was in Thomas shoes, I think I'd
almost have tears in my eyes! We can't help it though, we're human right? Everything
comes down to that... our so-called perfect excuse.
Ministry isn’t something that is 9 to 5, it is, and can
be 24/7 truly. This past week saw a lot of things being juggled, a lot of
hours being looked at, and arranged and stressed over. It's hard when we live
in a world that has to have deadlines or periods of time. In so many ways, we
are too “finite” of a people. What do I mean by that, that sounds like a huge
Pandora's box of meaning, right there, by itself. We are ruled by time, not
just literally, but we have allowed it to run our commitment as well. We have
moments of wonderful things being done, such as when Chris went all the way to
San Francisco to pick up our new church chairs. God wants us to stretch
ourselves every day, and it can be in the smallest things as well. That is that
light that John is talking about. This is the light of the kingdom of God. It
is in moments we might not even realize, that we find ourselves living
selflessly for others as a gift of love, in time, service and Witness.
But Ministry is a vocation, it's not a job. Our Lives
shouldn't be thought of as just “jobs” but be thought of as vocations.
Vocations living into the spiritual fruits, gifts God has given each and every
one of us to share with one another. Just like how I mentioned for Norma and
Bear, it is giving gifts of time in serving others. Norma & Bear, did that
both for our church as well as for those on the retreat. And it is as I have
been saying, living into a resurrected life each and every time you realize who
you are, and whose you belong to, so then you're able to let the past die and
move forward into the future selflessly for the sake of a greater goal, purpose,
mission.
Some things that are from the past will truly be gone. We
may miss them, what they have meant to us. But we are called to let the healing
light of Jesus transform us and move onward. The Gospel writer John,
concludes his reading this morning by telling us and assuring us that Jesus
continued many things and is continuing many things through His disciples, even
today. It is through our believing, our journey, that we find life in His
name. One of the things that has been delightful to see incidentally,
seemingly all over town, are these billboards. There are several on Charleston,
on Sahara, and a few other streets I can't think of right now, that make you
think about Jesus. You'd probably call that guerilla evangelism. But that guerilla
evangelism is sometimes needed.
Fairly soon we are all going to have to join, in
spreading the Word. and I'm not wanting you to get big nets to rope, tackle and
tie people up to drag them to our church... But I'd like you to really put an
effort in, not just with the little paper flyers but picking up the phone, and
calling friends, going to your sport games and talking to them about
Jesus. That little statement you see at the end of every bulletin, should
be our work together every time we scatter. We need to go out there and make
friends for Christ, bring them to Christ. Be a real friend to them and yes,
bring them to our church, First Congregational! That New horizon has dawned,
and we are called to take the reins of the day and lead. This is discipleship.
Now if anyone recalls that scene from The Blues Brothers, I ask: have you seen
the light? I say, have you seen the light? Now go, and live into it!
Let us pray,
Loving and gracious Lord Jesus
Help us to see what we need to learn from Thomas as well
as all the other disciples.
Help us to come realize how important it is for us to
witness, for us to be the voices hands and feet of Your Good News. Keep us
encouraged for the future and all the wonderful things we will have ahead.
Help us to keep encouraged with one another as we grow in
faith under Your Grace and Promise. Amen
April 8th,
2018; Second Sunday of Easter; Year B; SOLA Lectionary
Sermon by:
Reverend Nicole A.M. Collins, OSST
Psalm 148; Acts
4:32-35; 1 John 1:1-2:2; John 20:19-31
The link below is to this sermon's delivery at First Congregational Church at 9:30am
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