Category: News

Luke 24:28-35  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. 

I remember as a young boy camping with my Boy Scout Troop in many tents and cabins.  We cooked our meals on fires and used those fires to keep warm in the winter months.  Every morning we had to stir the fire and add more wood to cook our breakfast or heat the room.  The fire would inevitably die down and we would have to blow air on the coals, add more wood and perhaps even use a match to re-light the fire.  We also had many challenges trying to do this.  Trying to light a fire in the rain, or having damp wood, or having expired matches led to many a cold and foodless day. 

If you can imagine trying to stir up a fire, you can understand the disciples from the Walk to Emmaus, when they describe walking with Jesus as a burning fire, 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?’  Jesus may have not been reviving a fire to cook breakfast or heat a tent or cabin, but Jesus most certainly was stirring up the flames of faith and understanding in the disciples’ hearts.  Through his talking and explaining the scriptures, Jesus blew fresh air, added more wood, and used a fresh match to bring their faith burning strong in their hearts.

Can he not do the same to you, to us?  Jesus is still talking to human hearts and explaining the Scriptures through the Holy Spirit that lives in our hearts.  Jesus is still blowing fresh air, adding more wood, and using a lighter to bring our faith to life, burning strong in our hearts.  Even in times of difficulty, Jesus is capable of sustaining and reviving our faith when it goes out.  Cleopas and the other disciple had no faith and understanding on that first Easter Sunday, we have days and seasons where we have no faith or understanding, but Jesus talks and explains and through his Word, and they believe and so do we.   

But while Jesus’ Word is what revives our faith to burn brightly, the disciples only really recognize Jesus in the breaking of bread.  In an Instant Replay of the Last Supper, when he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. The same is with us.  We can listen and explain the Word of God in Scripture and Sermon and find our hearts afire, but only when we gather around the Lord’s Table to participate in the Lord’s Supper do we recognize Jesus.  The disciples burned with the Word and recognized through the Breaking of Bread; the same lies with us.  Our hearts burn with the Word, but we recognize Jesus only through the Lord’s Supper.

Is your faith burning?  Is your heart recognizing?  Most certainly, we will have moments and seasons where the answer is yes and yes.  But we also have days and times where the answer is uncertain, or even no.  The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus bears the responsibility for the fire in your heart.  If He could light Cleopas and the Other disciple, he can light yours.  Even when the rain of trial soaks your heart, Jesus can blow fresh air and re-kindle your faith.  Even when your heart is frozen and hard from trauma and brokenness, Jesus can melt and soften your heart to re-fuel your faith.  Even when sin and death has extinguished the spark of faith, Jesus gives you his heart and believes for and instead of you; and your faith is re-lit.  Jesus can and does revive your faith, and reveals Himself to you.

Friends, the only reason the church in every time and place comes to faith in God is through the saving work of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.  Through Word and Table, The Spirit of Jesus Christ blows, fuels, and sparks any human heart to faith and understanding in God.  In your faith is waning, if your understanding and recognition is lacking, then hear and remember that the Spirit of Jesus can take cold and dead hearts and bring them to faith and understanding.  So once again hear the good news of the Easter Message and believe in God, believe in Jesus Christ.  Through the Spirit, you can burn in faith for God.  Through the Spirit, you can burn in faith and recognize Jesus.  Now burn with faith and see. Amen. 

Mark 6:30-44 ³⁰ The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. ³² And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. ³³ Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. ³⁴ As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. ³⁵ When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; ³⁶ send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.’ ³⁷ But he answered them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said to him, ‘Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?’ ³⁸ And he said to them, ‘How many loaves have you? Go and see.’ When they had found out, they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’ ³⁹ Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. ⁴¹ Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² And all ate and were filled; ⁴³ and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. ⁴⁴ Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men. 

I went to the grocery store on my usual day and my usual time to pick up the groceries my family and I needed for the week.  One of the items on my “to buy” list was a dozen eggs.  Much to my surprise, I arrived in the dairy aisle of my grocery store and approached the refrigerated case where the eggs were supposed to be, and I found the shelves almost empty.  The store only had a few containers of eggs to purchase, and the price had increased drastically.  I did not buy any eggs.  I did not need 48 of them and I was not paying ten dollars to buy them.  Turns out the egg farms had lost most of their egg-laying chickens and the country was in a shortage.  Eggs were just scarce, even though many people wanted to buy and eat them. 

If you can imagine a scarcity of eggs, you can imagine the scarcity of having a crowd of 5000 men, not including women and children in a deserted place, and all of them needing to eat.  Food was scarce enough in a large crowd for everyone to eat and be satisfied but add in the wilderness where the local wildlife has barely enough to survive on, and you truly have scarcity.  It might not be eggs, but the people needed food to eat and there was none.

This is why the disciples ask Jesus to send away the crowd.  This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.  They knew that everyone needed to eat, and food was scarce.  Is there some selfishness in the disciples, knowing that the few loaves of bread and fish were needed for them, and they had no intention of sharing?  Whatever the motivation, the crowd needed to eat, and food was scarce.  Send them away so they can eat, the disciples ask of Jesus. 

But Jesus flips the script, he not only does not send them away, but he also commands the disciples to feed them.  Talk about on the job training.  The disciples are about to get a crash course not in plumbing a sink or installing a dryer, but a crash course in the abundance of God.  But, but, but the disciples respond, we would need 200 denarii or about 200 days of wages to pay for enough bread for everyone?

Here is perhaps where we find ourselves in this story.  How many times have we seen the enormity of our needs and our problems and thought to ourselves we don’t have enough?  How many times have we seen the size of the scarcity of resources and tell ourselves and Jesus, we don’t have enough?  For smaller churches this is the great struggle with church life together; not enough people, not enough money, not enough officers, not enough time, not enough energy, not enough commitment, not enough….  We are exactly like these disciples, we don’t have enough of anything to fight for justice, feed the hungry or visit the sick, we would need 200 denarii for that.

What do you have? Jesus asks this of his disciples, then and now.  Five loaves of bread and few fish.  What do we have?  We do have a core group of people committed to following Jesus Christ, which is a blessing.  We do have a pool of money, which is a blessing.  We do have a pool of time, which is a blessing.  We have a pool of energy, which is a blessing.  We do have people with the gifts and skills to lead, love and serve, which is a blessing.  What would it look like instead of seeing the 200 denarii we don’t have; we start looking at the 5 loaves and few fish we do have?

Because in the hands of Jesus Christ, the little that we do have is not only always enough, but in His hands, plenty will be leftover.  The few loaves and fish feed the over 5000 people with baskets leftover aplenty.  In the hands of the Great Shepherd, God will always provide daily bread for all those in need.  In the Kingdom of God, the idea or reality of scarcity does not exist; because the life God gives in Jesus’ Kingdom is one of abundance, one of always having more than enough even when what is at hand is not much.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, while we live in a world where communities at times face the scarcity of resources, even eggs; in the Kingdom of God’s Son Jesus Christ our Lord, God always provides for His people, and what resources they do have, will always be more than enough.  Instead of worrying about what we don’t have, we can begin looking and seeing what we do have and finding that in the hands of Christ, we will always have enough, we will always be satisfied, and we will always have plenty leftover for all those outside our churches.  For that the Church has always said Thanks be to God.  May it be so.   

3 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, ³ for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

If you have travelled for work or vacation, you could have taken a ride in an airplane.  You probably have also packed a bag or bags with clothes, a toothbrush or even equipment necessary to finish your job.  But those luggage bags don’t sit with you on the airplane, they are placed into the hold underneath the airplane.  The luggage goes with you on your trip, but it is placed and kept in the hold with all the other luggage.  When you transfer to another plane, the luggage goes with you.  You cannot see the luggage, but the luggage is in the hold of the plane (most of the time).

Perhaps then we can understand the idea of being hidden in Christ.  If the plane takes off, the luggage takes off with the plane.  If the plane lands, the luggage lands with the plane.  If we are hidden in Christ, like luggage in the plane, then we have been raised with Christ and seated with him at the right hand of God.  We are the luggage hidden in Christ and Christ has been raised and seated in the highest heavens; and we are where he is: above.

But the whole point Paul is trying to make to the Colossians is that if we have been raised and seated with Christ above, then we should be seeking and setting our minds on above things and not below things.  Things like passion, lust and greed are the things below and things like compassion, kindness, humility, and patience are the things above.  Since we have been hidden in Christ above, we should pay attention to above things and let go of the things below. 

But Paul reminds them and us that the only reason we can do these things, is not because of our ability to be moral or because of our commitment to being good.  The only reason this transformation is possible is because the “sinner” in us has died and the “saint” in us has been resurrected.  Only because we are hidden in Christ can we even answer the call for the things above and avoid the things below.  This isn’t an achievement we push hard for, nor a success or accomplishment of our wills and strengths.  This is the gift from God to us, something we receive and not achieve.

But the more important element is that we are now hidden with Christ.  Christ will be revealed and us with him, but now who we are is hidden in Christ.  This quite simply means that we must wait, and we must wait a long time, suffering until we get there.  We will be revealed along with Christ, but now we are hidden in Christ.  And this is a good thing, because it means that every hour of every day, every season of trial and difficulty, every period of spiritual drought and physical infirmities, we are surrounded by Jesus Christ.  Even while we must deal and suffer with and from the things below, we are also surrounded by the grace and power of Jesus Christ.  Even when surrounded by difficult crisis and difficult people, we are hidden in Christ, we are safe and secure in Him.

But if our only comfort in this world is that God has hidden us in Jesus Christ, then as disciples we must learn that we have already died to sin and have been resurrected to God.  The challenge of the Gospel is that we can live a new life, here and now.  The life of Christ now lives in us his body.  We can live in humility, forgiveness, and justice.  This is who we are because we have been hidden in Christ; let us let it out of us and share it with those around us.  If God has hidden us in Christ, then let us live Christ-like lives, because God can do so, we can do so.  Amen. 

Matthew 21 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them immediately.’ ⁴ This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, ⁵ ‘Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you,   humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; ⁷ they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!’ ¹⁰ When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’ ¹¹ The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’

My first car was the family Mustard Yellow Chevette with Bright Red vinyl interior.  Please don’t misunderstand me, I was grateful at sixteen to have a car to drive to school, work, and play.  Many young people my age were not able to have a car; so, I was thankful to have a car.  But, the bright yellow color of the Chevette stood out among all the other cars in the school parking lot.  While some were driving more expensive, cooler cars, I was driving a humble one and at times ashamed to claim it as mine.

Perhaps then we can understand the story of Palm Sunday a little more when we realize the significance of Jesus riding a donkey.  When armies return to the capital city to celebrate the victories of conquest, the general rides in on a chariot or perhaps a warhorse.  Jesus is riding a donkey.  Donkeys were beasts of burden, to carry supplies from place to place.  They were neither glorious like the highly decorated chariots nor imposing like the finest horses bred for war.  Jesus enters Jerusalem in humility.

But the significance of Palm Sunday lies not just in the donkey but in the armies he leads.  Jesus does not enter with the Roman Legions, or the Greek Hoplites, or Persian Immortals, or Scythian Cavalry.  Jesus enters Jerusalem with crowds of people, perhaps too poor to throw flowers, so they cut branches from the trees and place them on the road.  They throw their cloaks, perhaps not able to afford cloth.  Jesus leads a victory parade of poor, weak, and ordinary people, shouting Hosanna or “save us.” Not an army coming in victory or conquest, but crowds of people needing freedom and power.  Jesus enters Jerusalem in humility.

But of all the details we are familiar with this story, the most important is that the crowds believe Jesus to be the Son of David.  Now David was the great king of Israel after God’s own heart.  To be a Son of David is to be a blood descendent and heir to the throne of David.  The crowds believe Jesus to be King, protector, provider and shepherd of the people; and he is.  But he arrives on a donkey, among an army of needy people, to save and deliver, to be crowned with thorns and to ascend to a tree as a throne.  Jesus enters to be coronated as king: in humility.

And here is what scandals us; we stumble over that humility.  Thankful for a savior, but why did it have to be a donkey and not a Abrams Tank?  Grateful for mercy, but why an army of needy, poor people and not an army of Marines?  Appreciative for grace and freedom, but why a Cross for a Throne?  Not a Son of Man and Son of God that we can be proud of, but one that comes in humility to destroy the power of vanity and arrogance.  This is why the world and many people cannot accept Jesus as King and Lord, because He does not dominate, conquer, or compete.  He is dominated, destroyed in total Crucified failure.  And that makes all the difference in the world.  Jesus enters in humility to serve and by this obedience creation is forgiven and all things can now be made new.

Friends, as we once again hear the story of Holy Week, may we look at the story through a new perspective.  Not a piece of our history to be ashamed of as a Mustard Yellow Chevette with Bright Red interior.  Not a scandal to hide and be ashamed of, but as the one perfect act of the one perfect person to procure our freedom and our life.  Let us not be ashamed of the Crucified Jesus, but let us come to bear witness in public of His Cross and His Victory: in humility.  Amen.