The Good Shepherd is My Lord and Savior

Acts 4:5-12
John 10:11-18

              As we journey together as a community of faith you will find that I am a bit of an academic. As I have said to you before, I love to pick apart the gospel stories word by word to figure out what they were saying back in the day.  The joke in my household is that there are biblical scholars who write fifty page articles on one word in the bible, I’m the person who reads them, what I like to call beach reading.

This week my research was all about the Greek word soteria translated as salvation and soter which means savior.  This morning we read from the book of Acts Peter telling the Jewish rulers, elders, scribes and high priests (some of whom were involved in Jesus’ trial before his execution) that salvation can only be found in Jesus.  Peter states, “This Jesus is ‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;   it has become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.’” (Acts 4:11-12)  In order to understand this passage we have to look at the previous stories in the Book of Acts.  In chapter three Peter and John are going to the temple to pray.  A lame man is carried in and laid at the gate of the temple so that he could beg for money from the people coming in.  When Peter and John are about to go into the temple, the lame man asks them for money.  Peter tells the man that he has no money to give him but he has something better.  Peter then cures him saying, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” (3:6) Peter takes the man’s right hand and pulls him up.  Immediately the beggar’s ankles and feet were made strong.  Jumping up the man began to walk and he entered the temple leaping and praising God. 

            The crowds in the temple surrounded Peter, John and the formerly lame man because they were amazed by the healing.  Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit and begins to preach about Jesus Christ, the Messiah who was crucified and now risen from the dead. His message is so powerful that he converts 5000 people into claiming the risen Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Now the Sadducees who were part of the priestly aristocratic Jewish sect were annoyed because of what Peter was teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there was resurrection from the dead.  And so the Sadducees had Peter and John arrested.  This morning we hear their testimony in front of the Jewish Church Council.  Religious historians note that Christianity began as a sect within Judaism.  Jesus and his followers were part of the Jewish religion, attended services in the Jewish temple and followed the Mosiac laws.  The only difference was that Jesus’ followers understood the risen Jesus to be the Messiah.[i]  Thus Christianity began as Jews telling other Jews that Jesus was the Savior sent by God.  In this morning’s reading we hear Peter is defending himself within his own family of faith. 

            Now in the book of Acts it says that Peter and John were arrested for their preaching and teaching, but they are interrogated about the healing of the lame man, The Religious Council asks “By what power or by what name did you do this?”  Peter tells them that the lame man was healed by the name of Jesus of Nazareth, whom they crucified, whom God raised from the dead.  Now the question that begs to be asked is this, why are the authorities more concerned about the preaching than the cure and why are they asking about power?  Perhaps because the religious authorities knew they were losing their hold on their power over the Jewish people, which was quite a dangerous predicament for them to be in.  At the time of Jesus life on earth and when this text was written Israel was occupied by the Roman Empire that ruled with domination and violence.  Anytime there was a hint of rebellion it was squashed under the boot of the empire.  Religious historians note that the crucifixion of Christ was one of those instances.  While he was on earth, Jesus was stirred the passions of the poor and pious Jews of Palestine with his messages of “God’s love, God’s acceptance of all, and the coming of a new world order under God’s rule, [what Jesus called] ‘The Kingdom of God.’”[ii]  Jesus “aroused the anger of both the Roman and Jewish authorities.  The Romans accused Jesus of [treason] for the claim that he was ‘King of the Jews’ and the Jewish leaders accused him of blasphemy for claiming to be the Messiah.”  The Romans ordered the Jewish religious authorities to stop Jesus from his rabble rousing.  The Jewish religious authorities tried to stop Jesus in order to keep the peace with the empire but they were unable to.  So they complied with the Romans who in turn executed Jesus like a common criminal by hanging him on a cross and leaving him to die.

            Another way the Roman’s wielded their power over the people was by forcing those living in the empire to give sacrifices to the Roman gods which included the emperors of Rome.  They were given the title “Son of God.”  Statutes were erected in their likeness and people were expected worshiped them just like they worshiped the statutes of the legendary Greek and Roman gods.  It is important to note that during the time of Jesus the Roman Empire was beginning to fall and the people were anxious.  The people were longing for salvation which meant to them “a release from the barriers of finitude, the misery and failure of human life.”[iii]  They wanted a personal savior who would deliver them from the difficulties of this life, protect them from all ills, heal them or guide them.  This title was given to all individuals, divine or human, male or female who “improved a situation or had prevented a perilous one, either personal, political, social or intellectual.  These saviors included the classical Greek gods, Roman gods… Roman emperors and even philosophers.[iv]   To claim someone as Lord and Savior at that time was not a theological implication, rather it was a political one.  The empire required worship of the Emperors as gods to maintain sound order and cohesion across their vast domain.  To refuse to give sacrifices to the Roman gods was perceived as a disruption of the bonds of society and be disastrous to the empire.[v]

            Now the Jews and all the sects within their tradition were not required to make sacrifices to the Roman gods because the Empire respected the Jewish thousands of years’ tradition of not worshiping anything other than their God Yahweh.  But when the Christian sect split from the Jewish religion, the Romans believed them to be a new religion and thus forced them to the point of persecution to make sacrifices to Roman emperor gods.  The Christians refused, stating just as Peter did, that they cannot find salvation in something that is human or made of human hands.  Their salvation is found in risen Jesus Christ who was sent by God to share the good news of God’s love to the world.  It is this good shepherd who willingly laid down his life for his sheep who was their Lord and Savior.  And in the same way these early Christians lost their lives by the persecution of the Roman Empire that persecuted Jesus.

            So looking at things historically it is clear to see that claiming Jesus as our Lord and Savior is not about religious exclusivism.  We know that God is a great and unknowable entity.  As hard as we might try, we cannot put God in a box.  Just as God has many paths of reaching us, God has provided many paths to reach God.  Our path is through Jesus.  It is possible to respect other religious traditions while claiming Jesus as our Lord and Savior.   You see when we state that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, we are stating that we find our salvation through a man whom we know as a son of God, whom we know as the good shepherd, whose ministry was about love and justice.  And emboldened by the promise of new life that Jesus gives through rising again on Easter morning, we find that he is our hope in this world and the world to come.  May it be so.  Amen.

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[i] Tripolitis, Antonia. Religions of the Hellenistic-Roman Age. (Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans, 2002.), 92

[ii] Ibid., 91

[iii] Ibid., 2

[iv] Ibid., 16

[v] Ibid., 101

We are Witnesses

Luke 24:36b-48

                       “You are witnesses to these things.”

This week we read another account of Jesus’ resurrection appearance, this time from the Evangelist Luke.  Just like the other accounts we read in Mark and John, the apostles react with terror, this time thinking that they were seeing a ghost.  However Jesus meets them where they are at and gives them what they need in order to see that he was not a ghost.  Jesus invites disciples to touch him and see that indeed he was flesh and bone.  He shows them his hands and feet to prove that yes, he did die while hanging on a cross.  The apostles reaction is bitter sweet, they are joyful that Jesus was with them, yet they still couldn’t believe what they were witnessing.  It hasn’t sunk in yet.  They are flabbergasted. 

            “You are witnesses to these things.”

So Jesus asks them for something to eat to prove to them that he was fully human even in his resurrected state.  They give him a piece of broiled fish, which Jesus consumes.  Then Jesus reminds them that he had predicted his death and resurrection several times before he was crucified.  Suddenly it begins to sink in for the apostles, it clicks, they start getting it, and everything that Jesus had preached finally makes sense.  “These are the words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:44)  We can imagine that as the apostles heard Jesus say this, their eyes get wide and they experience what Oprah Winfrey calls the ah-ha moment.

            But Jesus doesn’t stop there, he gives the apostles their marching orders.  They are to go out into the world and proclaim to all the nations the good news of God’s grace freely given.  That God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day to show the world that death does not have the final word and that God’s love will always prevail.  And just as the apostles were called to be a witness to the resurrection power of God, we who are Christian are also called to be witnesses. 

            The call to witness to the power of God in our lives can be quite intimidating, especially in today’s world where talk of religion in certain settings is discouraged and rightly so because in today’s pluralistic society we need to respect the diversity of the different religious faiths around us.  There is a fine line that we walk when we share our faith because we want to show respect.  The witness that Jesus is calling us to is in sharing the gospel to help people love God and love their neighbor.  Unfortunately there are those who have taken this call to witness for the sole purpose of winning souls for Christ and nothing else. Now let me unpack this for you by sharing two experiences where I was on the receiving end of Christian witness.

When I was in ninth grade I struggled to make my way through the treacherous waters of the high school popularity pool.  My father was deceased just a year and my family was still deep in grief as we adjusted to life without him.  I was living in a new family configuration, in a new neighborhood, going to new school and all this without the trappings of popularity. I was awkward, bookish and shy…I wasn’t interested in boys, makeup or clothes…I struggled to keep up with the other students and in the end I was teased and bullied by my peers because I didn’t fit in.  Now there was an adult who worked in the school office who took a special interest in me.  Nancy was a young woman who was the secretary to the two assistant principals.  Because of her position, Nancy knew that kids were getting sent to the principal’s office for harassing me.  So she took me under her wing because she could see that I was struggling.  At that time I thought Nancy had it all.  I knew that she used to be a cheerleader in high school, that she was married to her quarterback high school sweetheart and that they lived in a small bungalow in the city with a big back yard and a dog.  I was thrilled when one day she invited me to her home so we could have lunch together. 

            I had thought that it was going to be a friendly visit, but I was wrong.  After we ate, she plopped a bunch of books and a Bible in front of me.  She opened the Bible and told me to read the verse that she was pointing to.  I read it reluctantly.  Then she opened one of the books and had me read a passage that essentially said that if I took Jesus Christ into my heart and became born again that my life would magically change and that I would get everything that I desired.  This text implied that the struggles that I was experiencing were due to my unwillingness to become a “true Christian.”  It didn’t matter that I was raised Catholic. 

            My friend went on to tell me that when she was in high school, she became born again and that all she had to do was pray and God would give her what she wanted because she was on the true path of faith.  When she prayed to God to make her popular, she became popular, that when she prayed to God to make her a cheerleader, God put her on the cheerleading squad, when she prayed to God to be able to date the quarterback, God handed him over to her.  I felt broadsided by her Christian witness.  I didn’t feel like she understood what I was going through.  Her profession of faith felt like a conversation stopper.  While I know that her intentions were good, I felt even more alone after our meeting because she was disappointed that I had my doubts that her magical God would make all of my struggles disappear if I just became born again. 

            Now many years I experienced another kind of Christian witness from my dear friend John.  We went to college together and a few years after we had graduated from college, my life had hit rock bottom.  John had heard I was struggling and asked me to go out to lunch with him.  During lunch he told me how much I meant to him, how our relationship had helped him through struggles of his own and that he wanted to be there for me just like I had for him.  He told me about this wonderful church that he found, that had helped him sort out his spirituality.  He talked about how this UCC church had changed his life by giving him a beloved community to be a part of.  He then invited me to go to church with him some Sunday when I was free.  I politely turned him down, thinking that church was the last thing I needed in the midst of my struggles.  But John gently pushed, he offered to drive me there and drive me back.  I again declined but he pressed on.  He offered to take me out to lunch his treat after church.  Well, that got me because we all know that I’ll do anything for a free meal.

            So that Sunday we went to Spirit of the Lakes, UCC, a just peace, open and affirming church whose members were predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender.  Like the disciples in the presence of the risen Christ, I felt joy while sitting in the sanctuary, but I also had disbelief and wondering.  Could this be real, my whole life I struggled with my faith because of my sexuality and now here I am worshiping God in a roomful of gay people.  And then came communion, as the pastor broke the bread and lifted the cup, I could feel Christ’s presence at the table.  When the pastor invited us to the table with these words, “All are welcome to share in this bread and this cup, because Christ is the host, Christ sets the table, and Christ welcomes all.” I finally got it, I had my ah-ha moment, I realized that I was and always will be a beloved child of God.

            Being a witness to the resurrected Christ is not about shoving our faith down someone’s throat or promising them a magical solution to all their struggles.  It’s simply sharing others where you think God is working in your life and in your world. (1) Bearing witness means meeting people where they are at and sharing the good news in a way they can hear it.  Bearing witness is extending an extravagant welcome to others to join us in this community of faith where they can be witnesses the transformative power of God’s love and grace within in the life of this congregation.  We have seen the power of resurrection in our lives and we are called to be witnesses to these things.  May it be so.  Amen.

(1) David Lose "Witnesses" www.workingpreacher.org/dear_wp.aspx?article_id=579

Who Will Roll Away the Stone

Mark 16:1-11

            This morning we gather to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We remember the story leading up to his rising from the dead.  How he was betrayed by one of disciples and abandoned by the rest, how he was arrested like a common criminal and put to trial, first by the religious officials and then the Roman authorities.  Then there was the long walk to Golgotha, the grisly death on the cross and Jesus being laid to rest in a borrowed tomb for three days.  The story is quite believable as we hear of Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome walking to the tomb saying to each other “Who will roll away the stone for us from the tomb?”  But what comes next is quite unbelievable, they find an empty tomb.

            We are taught to believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead, but it stretches the limits of our rational thoughts.  How many of us really really believe that this was what really happened?  How many of us have had that uncomfortable thought that the bodily resurrection is just too preposterous to believe in?  Well to those who come here this morning with a bit of skepticism, who may be feeling a bit out of place sitting here in this sanctuary with these thoughts on Easter morning, I have these words for you today, “Welcome!  You are in good company here.”

            When I taught confirmation class last year, I played a game with my teenaged students called, “Questions in a bag.”  Now I knew that these young people had big questions burning in their hearts, but I also knew how shy they to ask these questions in public.  So in order to make them feel comfortable, I had them write their burning questions on a slip of paper and then put them in a bag of which I would draw them out of.  I assured them that I would try to answer their questions to the best of my ability and that if I couldn’t answer it right away that I would research it and get back to them.  The questions ranged from silly, “Is my younger brother an alien?” to which I answered “I will have to ask your mother and get back to you.” to serious “Is God meaner in the Old Testament than in the New Testament?” “Nope, God is forgiving and merciful in both..”  Most of the questions were quite thoughtful and challenging.  However, there was one question that stood out, “How do we know that Jesus really rose from the dead?  I mean, he was nailed to a cross and all, but how do we know that he didn’t just lose consciousness and just woke up in the tomb.” Out of the mouths of babes I tell you.

            The Gospel of Mark’s account of the resurrection story shows the same honesty and integrity of this student’s question.  The resurrection stories of Matthew, Luke and John all have the women reacting with joy when they found out about Jesus’ resurrection, but Mark’s resurrection account is abrupt and awkward.  Instead of feeling joy, the women feel terror and amazement. Instead of running to tell the disciples that Jesus was back from the dead, they ran away from the tomb and told no one of what they saw.  The Gospel of Mark gives us the most realistic response to the resurrection which really is fear.  The tension of Mark’s story thickens as he takes us with the women walking to the grave wondering who will roll away the stone, and we become perplexed as the women see that the stone rolled away.  And we are right with the women alarmed as they hear the young man, dressed in a white robe telling that that Jesus was not dead, but waiting for them in Galilee just as he told them.  But the question begs to be asked is this, were the women terrified because of the empty tomb and the angel or was the thing that really frightened them that Jesus said that he would rise, and guess what, HE DID!  And what about everything else Jesus said, about the cost of discipleship and building the kingdom of God that must be true too.  And if all these things are true, then they have a lot of work to do. 

            In real life resurrections do happen, but when they happen they are down right scary.  Why, because resurrection means that life will change as we know it, and change good or bad always causes anxiety.  For example, many of us have had a loved one recover from an addiction from alcohol or drugs.  While they are in the throes of their addiction we obsess about them worrying about the consequences of their chemical abuse.  We worry about their reputation and subsequently ours, we worry about their safety and ours.  We spend much time and energy trying to work around their addiction to have some semblance of a normal life in the midst of the craziness that addiction brings.  And while we cry out “who will roll away the stone of this addiction that is entombing my husband, my wife, my child, my parent” we have strangely gotten used to living dysfunctionally with the addiction.

            When our loved one does stop using and goes into a treatment program, we feel relieved at first, but eventually fear does rear its ugly head.  When the addict gets out of treatment, the dysfunctional life as the family knows it will change dramatically.  We are told that when the addict comes home, that a new normal begins to set in, where once family life once rotated around the addiction, it will now become all about recovery.  Strangely, we may feel uncomfortable with the removal of the obstacle of the drugs and alcohol because now we have to deal directly with the issues that started the addiction in the first place.  The newly recovered person almost becomes a stranger to us as they begin using new ways of communicating and processing feelings that they had previously masked with chemicals and alcohol.  We may find ourselves frustrated at how some things have stayed the same, our loved one’s drinking buddies have been replaced by AA buddies, but they are still not home because now they are spending all their spare time at meetings.  Then there is the all encompassing fear that wonders what if this isn’t for real.  What if treatment doesn’t stick and my loved one starts using again.  This anxiety seems even more overwhelming than any fear we may have had while our loved one was using.

            For those of us staring into the empty tomb, wondering if this is all for real, if we can deal with the changes, we can take comfort in the real-ness of Mark’s story.  Mark shows us that God reveals the good news precisely at the point where things seem to be at their worst.  God hears our cries, “who will roll away the stone?” and gives us the courage to turn what looks like an ending into a new beginning and take what looks like a lack of faith into a new opportunity to believe.

            Yes resurrection is a hard and scary thing to believe in, but my brothers and sisters in Christ, the resurrection is a very real and beautiful thing.  Because within each resurrection lies our hope and dreams, so that no matter the amount of obstacles, no matter how dark it may get, no matter how difficult life can become, we know that in the end God will always roll away the stone and break us open so that new life can pour forth.

Alleluia—Christ is risen Indeed—Alleluia.  Amen!