April 25 -- Leeds Presbyterian Church - "The One who cares"

 

“The One who cares”

Wayne McLaughlin

April 25 , 2021

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Leeds Presbyterian Church

Psalm 23     KJV

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

John 10.11-18 NRSV

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

SERMON TEXT:

1. Caring

I read a news account about a psychiatrist and his patient. This is one of those stories that might make you grin or laugh, and then a few seconds later you feel bad for finding it funny. That’s okay. This story is both humorous and serious at the same time. It happened in Ottawa, Canada.

A woman went to her psychiatrist and began to pour out her heart to him. She spoke about her deep depression, her anxiety, and her feelings of self-loathing. The main problem, she said, is that was that no one seemed to take her seriously; it was as if she was invisible; no one seemed to care about her. When she looked up to see how the doctor would respond, she was shocked—he was asleep!

Poor woman. Even her psychiatrist didn’t take her seriously. He slept through her agonizing soliloquy. The Canadian College of Physicians and Surgeons censured the doctor for his irresponsible behavior and told him to get more sleep at home. 

[This story appeared in THE WEEK, August 7, 2020, p. 12.]

Jesus says he is the Good Shepherd. He contrasts himself with the hired hand. He says when the hired hand is doing the shepherding and a wolf comes around, the hired hand doesn’t try to protect the sheep; instead, he takes off! He skedaddles. Why? (This is the important part.) Because he doesn’t really care about the sheep (v. 13).

He’s just in it for the money. It’s just a job as far as he is concerned. Not so with the real shepherd. The real shepherd has a personal relationship with each sheep. He knows them by name. They know him; they recognize his voice. The Good Shepherd cares about the sheep.

Which is a way of saying that God cares about each one of us. Our relationship with God is a personal relationship. God is not just an idea or a concept. God is personal because “God is love” (1 John 4.16). And love is personal.

2. The Premise

People are different; therefore, the way we live out our faith may be different. Your temperament and my temperament may not be the same, which means the way I experience God and the way you do may be different.

I’m mostly “in my head.” I intellectualize faith—because that’s the way I do things. That’s the way I’m wired. So I have trouble experiencing faith on a feeling level. I very seldom feel God’s presence. There have been times in my life when I’ve said to God, “Please, give me a sign of your realness.” But no sign came. So, I continue to say to myself: I am saved by the grace of God, not by spiritual experiences or emotional stirrings. 

3. Saint Teresa

But I have found help from a Saint. We knew her as Mother Teresa. She was officially designated as a Saint in 2007. People were shocked when her private letters were published in 2007. These were letters she wrote to her spiritual advisors over many years. Here is an excerpt of one:

In my soul I feel just that terrible pain of loss—of God not wanting me—of God not being God—of God not really existing (Jesus, please forgive my blasphemies—I have been told to write everything)… What do I labor for? If there be no God—there can be no soul. If there is no soul then Jesus—You also are not true. Heaven, what emptiness—not a single thought of Heaven enters my mind—for there is no hope.

Mother Teresa had trouble feeling God’s presence. At one point she wrote: “Thank God we don’t serve God with our feelings, otherwise I don’t know where I would be.” 

[Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light, The Private Writings of the “Saint of Calcutta,” Ed. by Brian Kolodiejchuk, M.C. (New York: Doubleday, 2007), 192-3, 255.]

So, I’m grateful for the witness of St. (Mother) Teresa—for her honesty, for her determination to do God’s work even when she couldn’t experience God’s presence. She accomplished her mission by shear doggedness. Her motivation did not come from emotional experiences or spiritual feelings. Her motivation was simply a desire to serve Jesus. It was out of her spiritual darkness that she gave light to others. She endured her doubts not by thinking or feeling, but by doing. 

4. Assuming

So I take a page from Mother’s Teresa’s “faith strategy book” and allow my faith to take the form of acting out. My strategy is to act like God is present, even when I don’t feel it. I talk to God. I breathe God in and out. I sit in silence with God. I use the Psalms as my prayers, knowing that the Spirit prays through the words of the Psalmist even when I don’t have words of my own. I act out a Christlike life by cultivating love for others—trying to help other people in any way I can. And I lean on the Church—its traditions, its creeds, its fellowship, its symbolism, its inspiring examples of faith—and my friendship with my sisters and brothers in the Church.

I assume God’s presence. My faith comes in the form of assumptions. I believe by assuming. I trust God by acting on the premise that God is with me. And by acting on my premises I am standing on the promises.

5. Moses

Throughout Scripture the caring nature of God is revealed. One of the most important events in the Bible is the exodus, when God sets the Israelites free from slavery. God used Moses to execute their liberation. But before the exodus takes place Moses receives his call to be the liberator. Remember when Moses hears God speak to him from a burning bush? God says:

I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey… (Ex. 3: 7-8).

Notice what motivates the Lord in this passage: (1) The Lord hears their cry. This is a God who listens to us. (2) God knows their suffering. Which means God actually experiences their suffering. God cares about us because God listens and empathizes with us. The Lord enters into our suffering with us. God really cares. That’s the kind of God we know.

The Lord is my Shepherd. Which Lord? The one who sets the Jewish people free. The one who cares.

6. With-ness

In Psalm 23 there is a great shift that takes place. You know the shift I’m talking about? The Psalm starts off in the third person—talking about the shepherd. “The Lord is my shepherd…He leads me to green pastures.” Third person.

But in verse four it shifts to the second person: “I fear no evil, for Thou art with me.” No longer talking about the shepherd. Now David is talking to the shepherd. The idea of a shepherd has transformed into a personal relationship with the shepherd.

The with-ness of the shepherd makes all the difference. When someone who cares about me is with me, well, that’s as good as it gets.

You’ll remember that in Matthew’s story of the birth of Jesus, Joseph is told in a dream that Mary’s son would be called Emmanuel, which means “God-with-us.” 

The with-ness of God is a fact. It’s not always a felt fact. It’s a faith fact.

Since Jesus is the historical and personal expression of the with-ness of God, we look to him to learn how to perceive God’s with-ness in our lives. By reading and studying the four Gospels we get to know what the with-ness looks like.

And we learn that God is with us when someone is healed, because that’s what Jesus does in the Gospels. 

We know that God is with us when a demon is cast out of someone. Because that’s what Jesus does in the Gospels. 

Of course in our time we understand the “demonic” in a different way.

Today, when I read about Jesus exorcising a demon from a man or woman, I think of 

--the man who is gets control over his alcoholism; 

--or the woman who learns to manage her betting addiction; 

--or the person who gets counseling and is able go to work in spite of her life-long phobia of crowds; 

--or the man who finds the right kind of medication for his bipolar disorder and can now treat his wife like she deserves to be treated.

We also know that God is with us when researchers find a vaccine for a deadly virus, because that too is the healing work of God.

The with-ness of God is experienced when someone forgives me even though I’ve made a jerk out of myself—like when Jesus says to the woman: Is there no one who condemns you? Neither do I. Go and live with integrity. In the Gospels Jesus forgave people. Therefore, we can be sure God is with us when we see forgiveness take place.

I profess my faith and say, “Thou art with me.” I know that you care about me. You are the Good Shepherd. You prepare a table before me. You anoint my head with oil. You welcome me. You refresh me. I’m never left out in the cold. There is always a Spiritual Presence in my life. If I don’t feel it, I still believe it. I trust in the goodness of the Shepherd. He is not just “doing a job” like the hired hand; he really cares for me.

7. Witness 

Now we are ready to evangelize. Now, because of the second person dialogue we have with God, we can speak in the third person to others about the Spiritual Presence we acknowledge in our lives.

To use a catchy phrase, we evangelize when we witness to the with-ness of God. We bear witness to the with-ness of God 

when we love others; 

when we care about their need; 

when we offer to help; 

when we refuse to be judgmental; 

when we extend the forgiveness and grace of Christ to them.

As we witness to the with-ness of God, we fulfill Psalm 23. It is not only David’s story, it becomes our story too.

God is not a sleeping psychiatrist. As David wrote in another Psalm (psalm 121): 

I lift up my eyes to the hills—

    from where will my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

    who made heaven and earth.

The One who will not let your foot be moved;

    who keeps you and will not slumber.

The Lord who keeps Israel

    will neither slumber nor sleep.

                        [my adaptation]

God doesn’t sleep; nor does God run away like a hired hand. We can trust God, whom we know in Christ. Christ is not just a shepherd; he is a Good Shepherd. And he is a Present Shepherd. He cares about us. He knows your name. And if you listen to your thoughts and your conscience and your heart, you will recognize his voice whispering to you.

He will lead you to green pastures and enable you to work for the greening of the world.

He will take you to quiet waters which offer a calm place to rest.

He will restore your soul and energize you to fulfill your purpose.

He will walk with you through the dark valleys of life, and help you get through whatever comes your way.

He will follow you all the days of your life; he has your back.

The Lord is your shepherd; 

you shall not want for anything. 

You’ve got everything you need.

 

 

Surprise! -- sermon at Montevallo Presbyterian Church - April 18, 2021

 “Surprise!”

A Sermon by Wayne McLaughlin

April 18 , 2021

Third Sunday of Easter

Montevallo Presbyterian Church

Acts 3.12-19 CEB

12 Seeing this, Peter addressed the people: “You Israelites, why are you amazed at this? Why are you staring at us as if we made him walk by our own power or piety? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of our ancestors—has glorified his servant Jesus. This is the one you handed over and denied in Pilate’s presence, even though he had already decided to release him. 14 You rejected the holy and righteous one, and asked that a murderer be released to you instead. 15 You killed the author of life, the very one whom God raised from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 His name itself has made this man strong. That is, because of faith in Jesus’ name, God has strengthened this man whom you see and know. The faith that comes through Jesus gave him complete health right before your eyes.

17 “Brothers and sisters, I know you acted in ignorance. So did your rulers. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he foretold through all the prophets: that his Christ would suffer. 19 Change your hearts and lives! Turn back to God so that your sins may be wiped away.

1 John 3.1-7 MSG

3 What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to.

2-3 But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus’ life as a model for our own.

4-6 All who indulge in a sinful life are dangerously lawless, for sin is a major disruption of God’s order. Surely you know that Christ showed up in order to get rid of sin. There is no sin in him, and sin is not part of his program. No one who lives deeply in Christ makes a practice of sin. None of those who do practice sin have taken a good look at Christ. They’ve got him all backward.

7-8 So, my dear children, don’t let anyone divert you from the truth. It’s the person who acts right who is right, just as we see it lived out in our righteous Messiah. Those who make a practice of sin are straight from the Devil, the pioneer in the practice of sin. The Son of God entered the scene to abolish the Devil’s ways.

Luke 24.36-48 CEB

36 While they were saying these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 37 They were terrified and afraid. They thought they were seeing a ghost.

38 He said to them, “Why are you startled? Why are doubts arising in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It’s really me! Touch me and see, for a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones like you see I have.” 40 As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 Because they were wondering and questioning in the midst of their happiness, he said to them, “Do you have anything to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of baked fish. 43 Taking it, he ate it in front of them.

44 Jesus said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law from Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. 46 He said to them, “This is what is written: the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and a change of heart and life for the forgiveness of sins must be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.

SERMON TEXT:

1.

Let me give you a quick retelling of the Easter Story…

Jesus was arrested and sentenced to death. They hung him on a cross for all to see. Judas had already killed himself. The other Eleven disciples ran away and hid because they didn’t want to be caught and put to death as one of his associates. 

They all knew, of course, that Jesus would rise from the dead because he had told them at least three times that he would go to Jerusalem, be rejected, would suffer and die, and then, three days later, rise from the dead.

So they waited with baited breath for him to show up. They didn’t know if he would simply knock at the door and say, “I’m here; I’ve risen from the dead.” Or whether he would float down from the sky like an angel and appear in bright clothing outside the house for all to see. But they were ready to see him again.

And sure enough, on the third day they heard a knock at the door. They all looked up with anticipation. Peter got up and went to the door. He was excited. He opened the door and there he was—the risen Lord. Peter hugged him, saying, “We were waiting for you.” As Jesus walked in they all got up and embraced him. And with wine glasses held high, they toasted his arrival. There were tears of joy. Just as they expected, after three days he had returned.

2.

What’s wrong with that version of the appearance of the resurrected Jesus? Did it happen that way? No. If you have paid attention to any of the post-crucifixion appearances of Jesus (of which there are at least seven), you will see the problem with the way I’ve just told the story.

Let’s look at the actual story in Luke’s Gospel. 

Verse 36: Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

Jesus doesn’t knock at the door. He doesn’t walk into the house. He simply appears. He materializes. He has not returned as the “old” Jesus. He is now a different kind of person. It’s still Jesus, but Jesus with a different mode of being. He just appears out of nowhere.

Verse 37: He said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought they were seeing a ghost.

Startled and terrified. Jesus surprised them! No, they weren’t expecting him to return. They thought his death was the end. They thought that their hope had turned into hopelessness. They were startled! Surprised! And terrified!

Encountering the Risen Lord was a terrifying event. 

But, you say, hadn’t Jesus told them that he would be rejected, he would have to suffer and die, and then he would rise again on the third day? Yes, exactly. At least three times he told them about his coming death and resurrection. So why were they surprised?

3.

There are two possible answers to your question. First, the disciples were not very good students. They didn’t listen to their teacher very well. Remember when Peter said that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God—and Jesus complimented him on his profession of faith? It was right after that that Jesus told his students that he would have to go to Jerusalem and be rejected, suffer, die, and then rise again. And at that very moment Peter took him aside and scolded him, saying, No, Master, you can’t die, you’re the Messiah! The Messiah doesn’t die!

Why didn’t Peter mention his resurrection? Because all he heard was “die”; the other part about resurrection didn’t even register with Peter. It’s like when a person goes to the doctor and she tells him that he has cancer. She goes on to say that it’s curable, but he doesn’t hear that part. After the word “cancer” his hearing shuts down. Perhaps that is what happened to Peter and the other disciples. The resurrection part got lost in the dying part.

There is another probable reason Jesus’ statement about his rising from the dead did not prepare them for his appearance. Most Jews believed that there would be a resurrection from the dead at the end of time--the General Resurrection. His disciples believed that too. But a resurrection before the end of time was unheard of. So they weren’t prepared for his immediate appearance after dying.

They were shocked. Surprised. And his showing up scared them to death!

In Luke's account, they weren’t happy to see him. They didn’t run to hug him. They couldn’t move. They were struck with terror!

Verse 38: Jesus said: Why are you frightened. It’s me. Look, I’m not a ghost. Come here and touch my hands and feet.

4.

The next verse (41) is interesting:

While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”

Listen to their mixed emotions and thoughts: While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering…

If we’re honest, I think that sentence could describe some of us and our attitude toward the resurrection of Christ: Joyful… disbelieving… wondering. There is a bumper sticker that says: 

The Bible says it—I believe—and that settles it.

Of course there are a lot of people in our time coming out of the closet as atheists. Their bumper sticker might say:

The Bible says it—I don’t believe—and that                 settles it.

I have the feeling that there are a lot of people in the Church who read about the Resurrection, and if honest, would have their bumper sticker say:

The Bible says it—I’m joyful, yet still have some disbelief, and I keep wondering about it—and I’m not exactly settled about it.

Some of us Church folk are stuck at verse 41; we haven’t moved beyond the terrifying surprise. We believe, but don’t believe one hundred percent; or we don’t know exactly what to believe. Yet, we feel the joy and the hope of the Biblical witness to the Resurrection. Maybe some of us as we say the Creed and get to the part about “on the third day he rose from the dead,” sort of mumble the words. We aren’t silent, but we are still wondering with joyful disbelief.

5.

In Matthew’s Gospel Christ’s appearance is described like this:

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When the saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted.

Even in Matthew’s account there is room for doubt. They saw him. But some doubted. They were taken aback. They couldn’t believe it. His resurrection was incredible—without credibility, even as they stood  right in his presence. 

According to the Gospels, he resurrection of Jesus was a shock. A divine surprise. Some were not ready to face it.

6.

I’ve been reading Barack Obama’s memoir titled A Promised Land. On page 385 he writes:

Every job has its share of surprises. A key piece of equipment breaks down. A traffic accident forces a change in delivery routes. A client calls to say you’ve won the contract—but they need the order filled three months earlier than planned… The presidency was no different. Except that the surprises came daily, often in waves. [1]

Life is full of surprises. We never know what will happen tomorrow. Some surprises are not pleasant ones. We get a diagnosis we weren’t expecting. A friend or relative betrays us. The wrong person is elected. But many surprises are good. Our theology has to leave room for surprises.

7. 

The Jewish scholar, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, who was the Chief Rabbi of London, spoke these words in an interview with Krista Tipper:

The Bible says to us the whole time: Don’t think that God is as simple as you are. He’s in places you would never expect him to be. When Moses at the burning bush says to God, “Who are you?” God says to him three words: “Hayah asher hayah.” Those words are mistranslated in English as “I am that which I am.” But in Hebrew, it means “I will be who or how or where I will be,” meaning, Don’t think you can predict me. I am a God who is going to surprise you. [2]

In today’s reading from Acts, Peter has healed a man who couldn’t walk. 

Peter grabbed his hand and helped him up, and he began to walk and jump and shout “Hallelujah!” As our reading begins, Peter says to all the people looking on: “You Israelites, why are you amazed at this?” Another translation says, “Why are you surprised at this?”

Just when we think we have God all figured out—just when every element of our theological system falls into place—Surprise! God cannot be logically explained. The Biblical Story cannot be put in the cage of scientific categories. Christ cannot be cooped up in a tomb in Jerusalem. There is more of the power of life in our existence than we can imagine. 

It is easy to become anesthetized to the wonder of life. Every morning should be a surprise. Every person we meet should be a surprise. Every flower we smell should be a surprise. Every piece of music we hear should be a surprise. We shouldn’t take anything for granted. 

To believe in the resurrection of Christ is to be terrified. It is to be filled with wonder. It is to wrestle with doubt. It is to listen for the call of the incredible-but-credible living Christ. It is to join Christ in serving the poor, the powerless, the forgotten. To believe in the Risen Lord is to wake up every day not knowing how the Holy Spirit will surprise that day. 

The latest book by Pope Francis (Let Us Dream) ends with this sentence: “Ours is a God of Surprises, who is always ahead of us.” [3]

Listen—don’t be surprised if God surprises you this week. Because She is full of surprises. Yes She is. Yes She is.

___________________________

NOTES

 1. New York: Crown, 2020.

 2. Krista Tipper, Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and the Art of Living (New York: Penguin Books, 2016), 189.

 3. Pope Francis [in conversation with Austen Ivereigh], Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2020), 93.