One Little Word

 You Will Be My Witnesses

Lessons:
     Acts 1:6-14
     Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35
     1st Peter 4:12-17, 5:6-11
     St. John 17:1-11

Prayer of the Day
     O God of glory, your Son Jesus Christ suffered for us and ascended to your right hand. Unite us with Christ and each other in suffering and in joy, that all the world may be drawn into your bountiful prsence, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forver. Amen.

^1.6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” ^7 He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. ^8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ^9 When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ^10 While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. ^11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

^12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. 13 When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.

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The Acts of the Apostles 1:6-14, New Revised Standard Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

It was a roller-coaster ride for those disciples of Jesus. Early on, he seemed to be a wise and insightful rabbi. Eventually the miracles and healings revealed that he was far more than that. Towards the end, they began to suspect that he was the Messiah – the Christ of God. Holy Week, and his humiliating death on a cross between two criminals, was an experience that crushed their hopes. But come Sunday morning, in an unexpected turn of events, it was reported that he had come back to life. Eventually he was standing in front of them, raised from the dead, and poised to fulfill his role as the restorer of God’s kingdom. They were ecstatic with anticipation. Perhaps he was the Messiah. Perhaps God had sent him to institute a new order on earth. Perhaps they had been fortunately born – present on earth at the exact time when the Messiah would come to the people of God who had been waiting for so many years.

Without hesitation, they blurted the question out: “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” Is this the time when you will rally God’s people around a new and dramatic beginning? Is this the time when you will throw the occupying forces of Roman soldiers out of Jerusalem? Is this the time when you will put these earthly rulers in their place? Is this the time?

His response, as was often the case, was far different than what they might have expected. Rather than announce what he planned to do for them, he announced what he planned to do through them. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

It is interesting to note that he didn’t ask them to be his witnesses. He didn’t declare that there was a pretty good chance that they would (or wouldn’t) be his witnesses. He said, clearly and definitively: “You will be my witnesses.” With this commissioning, he set the course for the next couple thousand years. How would the word continue to go out about the good news that stands at the heart of his life and his ministry? It would happen through those faithful ones who had experienced the presence of the risen Christ, and whose hearts had been touched by the power of the Holy Spirit. As this word was proclaimed, the kingdom was being restored. Through them and for them. They would, indeed, be his witnesses.

And so it continues to be the same in our day. The kingdom is restored as our hearts are touched by the power of the word, and the presence of the risen Christ, and the movement of God’s Holy Spirit. Empowered in this way we, like them, become his witnesses. With our words and our actions we, like them, are the vehicles through which he works to restore the kingdom.

May we draw near to his presence as it comes to us in word and sacrament and, like our first century ancestors, be faithful in the calling to make a witness to the world of his love and his grace.

David J. Risendal, Pastor  (April 28, 2008)

Exploring This Week’s Text:

1. What must the disciples have expected from Jesus, as God’s Messiah?
2. How did the events of Holy Week change the way they thought of him?
3. How was their ensuing devotion to prayer a response to his promise of the coming Spirit?

Connecting with This Week’s Text:

1. When have I sensed the presence of Christ in my life?
2. What opportunities have I missed to offer a witness of my faith, and the presence of God in my life?
3. When have I been able to witness to someone, in a way that encouraged their faithfulness?

The Hope that Is in You

Lessons:
     Acts 17:22-31
     Psalm 66:8-20
     1st Peter 3:13-22
     St. John 14:15-21

Prayer of the Day:
     O Almighty and ever-living God, you hold together all things in heaven and on earth. In your great mercy receive the prayers of all your children, and give to all the world the Spirit of your truth and peace, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

^3:13 Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, ¹⁵ but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; ¹⁶ yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. ¹⁸ For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹ in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. ²¹ And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you – not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

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1st Peter 3:13-22, New Revised Standard Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Old Snowmass, Colorado is home to St. Benedict’s Monastery, a Cistercian (Trappist) monastic community. I had the privilege of staying with them for a few days in the summer of 2006. It was a time of prayer and study – framed by the quiet and inspired worship life of that community. I hope to return one day, and I encourage you to make a visit with them. They are gracious hosts, the views are spectacular, the accommodations are sparse but comfortable, and I expect that you’ll feel as blessed to be there as I did. (For those of you who like to toss a fly now and then, there is an additional bonus: it is only a short drive from St. Benedict’s to the Frying Pan and Roaring Fork Rivers…)

In the retreat house at St. Benedict’s, there is a FAQ sheet. One of the frequently asked questions has to do with the long-term viability of monasteries, in a time when few adult men are considering the call to monastic life. The answer, which took the challenge seriously, and considered the possibility that a number of monasteries in the United States may well have to close before too long, included this line:

The future is not assured, but we remain hopeful.

Given all the changes they are facing, it seems to me that this is a remarkably faithful way to consider the future. As the brothers of St. Benedict’s look to an uncertain future, they do so with hope – a hope placed not in the particulars of their circumstances, but in the power of God, which has been revealed to them in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In the first letter ascribed to Saint Peter in our New Testament, the Apostle offers us this advice:

Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. (First Peter 3:15-16)

There is a significant difference between hope and optimism. Optimism views the circumstances at hand, and sees within them the possibility of great things. Hope views the circumstances at hand, and even in the most dire of situations, trusts that God will have the final say. As Christians, we hold on to the hope that is ours, not because we believe in our own abilities, or in the fertility of our own situation, but because we believe that our God, who raised Jesus from death, can bring to new life even that which the rest of the world deems to be “hopeless.”

In the 1830s, Edward Mote, Baptist minister and pastor of the Horsham Church in Sussex, England, wrote words that have become familiar to so many of us:

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
No merit of my own I claim,
But wholly lean on Jesus name…
His oath, his covenant, his blood
Sustain me in the raging flood;
When all supports are washed away,
He then is all my hope and stay.
On Christ the solid rock I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

Edward Mote, St. Peter and the brothers of St. Benedict’s all testify to the power of God’s presence, the significance of the resurrection, and the hope that comes from Christ – a hope that conquers all. Despite the uncertainty of our own lives, may we experience that hope, and discover how to share it with others, in gentleness and reverence.

David J. Risendal, Pastor  (April 22, 2008)

Exploring This Week’s Text:

1. What realities in Saint Peter’s world threatened to make Christians give up hope?
2. Why was Saint Peter hopeful, despite the difficulties he faced?
3. What is the connection between Saint Peter’s hope (verse 15) and the resurrection (verse 21)?

Connecting with This Week’s Text:

1. When has my faith given me hope, even though my circumstances have seemed bleak?
2. What faith practices (or discipleship habits) help to strengthen my hope?
3. If asked about why I am hopeful, what would my “gentle and reverent defense” be?

The Way that Is Jesus

Lessons:
     Acts 7:55-60
     Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16
     1st Peter 2:2-10
     St. John 14:1-14

Prayer of the Day:
     Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. Give us grace to love one another, to follow in the way of his commandments, and to share his risen life with all the world, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

14.1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe  in God, believe also in me.  2  In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

⁸ Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. ¹¹ Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. ¹² Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

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St. John 14:1-14, New Revised Standard Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

What is the way of Jesus?

This week’s Gospel lesson is a familiar one to preachers and those who frequent funerals. “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” The usual application of this text is that there is a heavenly place appointed for the faithful dead. When we’ve left this life, there is no need to worry about us. Jesus has gone ahead of us to make sure of that. Our bed is made up and there is a light burning in the window.

That is a valid interpretation of this text. I have turned to it many, many times as I‘ve tried to share a word of hope and peace with bereaved loved ones. And I pray that my efforts have not been in vain.

However, today’s Gospel lesson is not just about the life to come. Remember that it is set in the context of Maundy Thursday. Jesus gathered his disciples together to eat one last meal with him. He girded himself with a towel, knelt before each of them, and washed their feet. He commanded them to love one another as he loved them. And then he taught them that they would soon be without him, at least in a physical sense. But if they wanted to know truth; if they wanted to know life; they would have to learn what it means that he is the way.

What is the way of Jesus? Or perhaps to be truer to this week’s text: “What is the way that is Jesus?” It is an alternative way. It is not the way of the world. It is not the way of fame and fortune and achievement and victory. It is not the way of anger and violence and retribution – the ways that many in this world commend to us. No, it is the way of the cross. It is the way of love. It is the way of sacrifice. It is the way of service.

Saint Stephen is one of the seven men chosen in the sixth chapter of Acts to serve as a caregiver in the early disciple community. He is described as “full of grace and power, [doing] great wonders and signs among the people.” (Acts 6:8). He is also one who comes to know very clearly the alternative way that is Jesus. As he goes about his duties, caring for widows and others who are vulnerable, he is bold and articulate about his faith in Jesus; so bold, and so articulate, that the High Priest and other leaders of the church (who do not believe that Jesus is Messiah) become enraged. Blasphemy is the charge, and in their rage (and desire to get “it” right) these noble leaders of the first century church drag him out of the city and stone him.

That day, a group of believers dealt with blasphemy the way it had always been addressed in the church. But while they hurled stones at this first century diaconal minister and disciple of Jesus, he died on his knees with words of forgiveness for them on his lips. Stephen understood the way that is Jesus. Stephen understood the alternate reality that Jesus presents to believers. Stephen understood that it has nothing to do with anger and violence and retribution, but with love and sacrifice and service.

“I am the way,” Jesus said. Not the destination. Not the reward. Not the goal. The way. Holy Jesus, help us to see you as the way. And with Stephen, help us to walk the way that is you, no matter what the world around us chooses to do.

David J. Risendal, Pastor  (April 15, 2008)

Exploring This Week’s Text:

1. What does it mean to experience Jesus as the way, the truth and the life?
2. How is Saint Stephen’s life an example of one who experienced that first-hand?
3. How is the way of the world different from the way that is Jesus?

Connecting with This Week’s Text:

1. What ways of the world does my faith in Jesus call me to renounce?
2. How would I describe “the way that is Jesus?” What does it require of me?
3. How does the way that is Jesus help us to experience truth and life?

The Shepherd of the Sheep

Lessons:
     Acts 2:42-47
     Psalm 23
     1st Peter 2:19-25
     St. John 10:1-10

Prayer of the Day:
     O God our shepherd, you know your sheep by name and lead us to safety through the valleys of death. Guide us by your voice, that we may walk in certainty and security to the joyous feast prepared in your house, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

^10.1 “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. ² The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

⁷ So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹ I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

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St. John 10:1-10, New Revised Standard Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America).

The image of the shepherd is a familiar one to anyone who has studied the Hebrew Bible – the Christian Old Testament. The word is used some eight-five times, from the final words of Israel (in Genesis 48) who professes that God has been his shepherd all of his life – to some of the most well-known words of the Bible, the words of Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” – to Ezekiel, who describes Israel as sheep without a shepherd, vulnerable to those who would destroy them – to Zechariah who rails against the “worthless shepherd who deserts the flock.”

The Hebrew prophets kept a close eye on the leaders of Israel. They were aware that over the years Israel was served by many different kinds of shepherds. Some of them were good shepherds – striving to be faithful to God, concerned about the well-being of the people, committed to doing what is right, no matter the cost. Others of them were unfaithful shepherds – primarily interested in themselves and their own fortunes, willing to forsake the people for private gain, unconcerned about righteousness or justice. When the people of Israel were led by good shepherds, the whole nation prospered. When they were led by unfaithful shepherds, the whole nation suffered.

In this week’s Gospel lesson, Jesus describes himself as the good shepherd. He knows his sheep by name. He goes out ahead of them, and they follow him (because they know his voice). He is the source of their salvation. He gives them the gift of abundant life. In describing himself this way, he identifies himself with the best of those who led Israel throughout the years. He also offers himself to us as our shepherd, if we should choose to follow him today.

However, it is not easy to allow him to be our shepherd. There are so many others who vie for our allegiance. A Christian speaker recently claimed that, “every television commercial is an argument that the Gospel is not true.” That may have been a bit of an exaggeration, but there is an element of truth in what he said. Most commercials that reach our eyes and ears claim that if we purchase that particular product, or take advantage of that particular service, our lives will be immeasurably better. Many of these pitches are very appealing, but if we step back and look at them for what they are, we realize that they have only one purpose: to make money.

Jesus has a different purpose. He is interested in us. He is interested in our well-being. He wants us to receive forgiveness for our sin. He wants to redirect our lives, and help us live in the most meaningful way. He wants us to be at peace with God, with the world, and with ourselves. And so he says: “Follow me. Listen to my voice. Go where I go, and you will be well.” Not because he has anything to gain if we accept his invitation and take advantage of his services. But because of his deep and abiding love for us.

Let us, this Easter season, be aware of the many ways in which the presence of Jesus enriches our lives. Let us do our best to follow only his voice – seeking forgiveness when we fail, and living gratefully when we are able. He is indeed the Good Shepherd, and his deepest desire is to lead us into abundant life.

David J. Risendal, Pastor  (April 8, 2008)

In the Breaking of the Bread

Lessons:
     Acts  2:14a, 36-41
     Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19
     1st Peter 1:17-23
     St. Luke 24:13-35

Prayer of the Day:
     O God, your Son makes himself known to all his disciples in the breaking of bread. Open the eyes of our faith, that we may see him in his redeeming work, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. 

^24.13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴ and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, ¹⁶ but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷ And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸ Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” ¹⁹ He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. ²¹ But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. ²² Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, ²³ and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. ²⁴ Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” ²⁵ Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! ²⁶ Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” ²⁷ Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

²⁸ As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. ²⁹ But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. ³² They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” ³³ That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. ³⁴ They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread,

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 St. Luke 24:13-35, New Revised Standard Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America).

It is hard to identify with the first century believers who knew Jesus. We know the end of the story. We’ve been reflecting on it for 2,000 years now. We spend most of our time deliberating the nuances of what his life, passion, resurrection and ascension mean. After all this time, every aspect of the story seems to make perfect sense to us.

On the other hand, they were stunned by the loss of their teacher and lord. They were numbed by confusion and pain. They were like accident victims in shock: even the parts that made sense weren’t making sense to them any more.

That’s the state of mind of Cleopas and his traveling companion, as they make their way towards Emmaus on the afternoon of that first Easter Day. A stranger falls in step with them, and begins to explain it all. His words make so much sense. He explains everything in a way that ties up all the loose ends. It is exhilarating. They don’t want it to end. When it appears as though he will continue on beyond Emmaus, they beg him to come in and have dinner with them. It never occurs to them who he is.

Not, that is, until they are seated at the table. In language that is hauntingly familiar to those of us who know his story, he takes bread, blesses and breaks it, and gives it to them. Immediately their eyes are opened, they recognize him, and he vanishes from their sight. They race back to announce to the others that he has been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

He has been made known to them in the breaking of the bread… as he is to us today. Every time we gather around the Eucharistic table and receive his body and blood, he is made known to us. Every time we recall the words “Do this in remembrance of me” he is made known to us. Every time we hold dear his promise that this meal is given “for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin” he is made known to us. And what is it that we know? We know a God who is willing to die for us, who delights in forgiving and renewing us, and who promises to bless us whenever our Lord is made known to us in the breaking of the bread.

As we spend time in the presence of Jesus today, may we know the same thrill and delight they experienced at the table that evening in Emmaus. May our eyes be opened to the wonder of his presence in the meal. May our hearts be healed, and our faith be strengthened.

David J. Risendal, Pastor  (March 25, 2008)

Exploring This Week’s Text:

1. Why were Cleopas and his traveling companion unable to recognize Jesus?
2. Why did they invite him to stay the night with them?
3. What are the similarities and differences between this meal and Maundy Thursday?

Connecting with This Week’s Text:

1. What family or community meals have been meaningful for me?
2. What special memories do I have of Holy Communion?
3. What could I do to be more aware of the presence of Christ in the meal?