Wandering Heart: And I Hope
Easter Sunday
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Happy Easter! It is a blessing to worship with all of you this joyous Easter morning. It has also been a blessing to journey with many of you through the last 47 days of Lent. Our wandering hearts have been making their way toward God, learning about ourselves and discovering more about our faith together. And it has been a blessing. Today we continue to do more of the same! The Easter story is full of mystery, grace and wonder. A Pastor was doing a children's sermon when a young boy, four or five, raised his hand to ask a question. "Pastor," he asked, "if they dusted the stone that was rolled away from Jesus' tomb, would they find God's fingerprints?" And the Easter story has God’s fingerprints all over it!
First, let’s start with the women because that’s where the gospel starts today. I think it’s a pretty good place to start too. In the Gospel of Luke, the women come to the tomb where Jesus’ body had been laid just a few days before, and to their surprise, instead of finding Jesus, they find angels. The angels tell the women, “Jesus is not here,” and when that answer is met with confusion, the angels say, “Remember what he told you.”
Remember. It’s one of the words Jesus used at his last supper, and it’s one of the first words we hear at the empty tomb. Remember. I can’t help but wonder, there in that garden as the sun rose over the trees, if they remembered it all.
I wonder if they remembered Jesus telling 5,000 people to sit together in the grass, passing out baskets of fish and bread.
I wonder if they remembered how he stopped in the middle of the crowd to ask, “Who touched my robe?”
I wonder if they remembered how he ate with Zacchaeus or scooped up the children onto his knee.
I wonder if they remembered him teaching in the temple, telling people, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
I wonder if they remembered how the wind stopped with the sound of his voice.
I wonder if they remembered how he washed their feet and said, “This is my body, broken for you.”
I wonder if they remembered it all. . .
The women returned to where the rest of the disciples were and told them everything---Jesus was not there. He had been raised from the dead (just like he told them). This might come as a surprise but the men didn’t believe them. It seemed like an idle tale---and that saying it nice. The actually word in Greek is rubbish—garbage. It seemed like garbage. But Peter knew better. Perhaps Peter, remembered all that Jesus had said and despite all odds.
“Could it really be true?” is the question I think Peter asked himself, and with hope on his heels, he ran to the tomb to see for himself. (Dr. Karoline Lewis, A Sanctified Art Commentary)
And that is resurrection hope. The hope of an empty tomb even when one hasn’t encountered the risen Christ yet. (That story is for next week!)
The last 6 weeks we have been following Peter-one of Jesus’ disciples. We have been figuring out faith with Peter. Peter has shown us that a life of faith isn’t perfect-it’s a journey with twists and turns. It is a journey that will have some highs and lows. It is a journey where we are constantly learning and growing. During Holy week we journeyed with Peter and his guilt (denying Jesus-abandoning Jesus) and his immense grief. That is where we left Peter just 2 days aga on Good Friday. I have to say, I heard the Good Friday readings in a different light this year. Maybe you did too. I feel like I know Peter a little more than I did before Lent began. All this time trying to understand him and his faith, really made me hear his story in a new and powerful way on Friday. And as I heard the gospel read and I heard the way he denied knowing Jesus and being one of his disciples---my heart broke. Did yours?
Peter—the Rock on which Jesus would build the church.
Peter—the one with enough courage to walk on water---and to ask Jesus for rescue.
Peter—the one boldly proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah—Son of the Living God.
Peter—who has been following Jesus for 3 years witnessing miracle after miracle—healing after healing—including his mother-in-law---watching Jesus retore life where there was despair, isolation and death.
Peter—who saw Jesus transfigured.
Peter—who watched Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem—and not turn back.
Peter—who had his feet loving washed by Jesus.
Peter—who drew his sword, denied Christ three times, who was not there when Jesus died.
Maybe the reason my heart broke because I can see a lot of myself, my faith, my journey in Peter’s story. Maybe you too?
We might expect that, after denying Christ, Peter would cower in shame—or perhaps even run away in an attempt to leave his past behind him. Instead, when he hears the news from the women, he doesn’t dismiss them like the other disciples. He gets up and runs to the tomb. I wonder, really, if Peter runs to the tomb because he believes the women or because he doubts the women’s story? And then maybe it doesn’t matter why he goes—for the tenacity of hope drives him there.
Even after the biggest failures, even after the worst-case scenario has happened, can we run toward hope? Like Peter, will we keep going? Will we keep looking for God in our midst?
Just when we think that Peter’s story might be a tragic one—one that maybe he won’t bounce back from—we hear that Peter ran to the tomb.
Our theme song/hymn this Lent has been: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. We’ve used phrases from there to parallel Peter’s story---and our story. There’s a line in the 2nd verse---- “Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by thy help I’m come; and I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.”
And I hope. And I hope.
Peter shows us that we can always begin again. We can add an “and” when we think our stories have come to an end. Friends, the end is never the end. Not the way we think. The story didn't end for Peter at the courtyard, nor for Jesus at the cross. Not for us. We can always begin again.
Peter was in awe at what he saw. What he experienced. Peter goes home wondering and it’s in that wondering that the meaning of the resurrection lies.
The resurrection only makes sense when we remain amazed, marveling and wondering at the love of God that reversed death itself. We are not asked to explain the resurrection, offer proof for the resurrection, or make a case for the resurrection. Instead, like Peter, we live in wonder—for how belief in the God of resurrection truly can change the world. (Dr. Karoline Lewis, A Sanctified Art commentary)
Can truly change us. Perhaps that is what resurrection is all about. The holy “and”. A new beginning? A new life? New beginnings. Transformation. The end is not the end. The resurrection shows us that is true –for Jesus, for Peter and us.
May the words/song on our hearts and our lips this Easter be…And I hope. “And I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.”
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Wandering Heart: Songs of Loudest Praise
Palm Sunday
Gospel Reading: Matthew 18:15-35
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Today marks the beginning of Holy Week. The final week of Jesus’ life. It begins here, on what we call Palm Sunday—the Sunday we hear about Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey and crowds shouting their hosannas. Some of you may celebrate Palm Sunday every year so this story is familiar but for some of you, you are hearing this story for the first time. So, maybe some context will be helpful.
The big event on the Jewish calendar was the celebration of the Passover. So, many Jewish people were making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Jesus and his disciples---and a growing crowd that was following him were on their way too.
There is a crowd walking with Jesus down the Mount of Olives, and up into the city gates. He’s been gaining followers. Then there are people already in Jerusalem who wanted to see Jesus—they may have heard about Jesus or saw Jesus perform miracles in Galilee—and we read that they all spread their cloaks before him and shout “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” But it is also important for us to understand that they aren’t the only people in town. And this crowd coming with Jesus isn’t the only crowd in town.
In the book, The Last Week, by John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg they start with this powerful image that I’d like us to think about this morning:
“Two processions entered Jerusalem on a spring day in the year 30. . . One was a peasant procession, the other an imperial procession. From the east, Jesus rode a donkey down the Mouth of Olives, cheered by his followers. . . On the opposite side of the city, from the west, Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Idumea, Judea, and Samaria, entered Jerusalem at the head of a column of imperial calvary and soldiers. Jesus’s procession proclaimed the kingdom of God; Pilate’s proclaimed the power of empire.”
Two very different groups of people.
Jesus’ procession carries no weapons. They wave branches in the air, signs of peace, and yet they appear to proclaim a revolution. “Blessed is the king! Hosanna!” Those words sound nice to our ears. They certainly don’t sound very revolutionary. But the really were. They really are. They are calling Jesus, King! There was already a King. And that King-King Herod. And Jesus was associated with John the Baptist, whom Herod had imprisoned and eventually executed because of John's criticisms of his illegal marriage to Herodias. Tensions are high. Can you start to understand the complexity of the political climate?
I wanted to start our scripture passage this morning with a scene right before the traditional Palm Sunday reading because I think it is important to hear about Lazarus and Mary.
Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead, which intensifies the plots to arrest and kill him—to the point that he retreats into the wilderness with his disciples (John 11:54). The crowds begin to question if Jesus will attend the Passover festival and then, as it draws near, Jesus comes out of the wilderness and travels to Bethany. He stays in the home of Lazarus where he is lavishly anointed and cared for by Mary, an act that Judas questions. Plots to kill Lazarus as well begin to stir. (Karoline Lewis, Commentary for Palm Sunday, A Sanctified Art)
And as the week unfolds Jesus isn’t making any friends. We will hear about Jesus driving out the merchants who were selling and buying in the temple, overturning the money changers' tables, and said, "It is written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it 'a den of robbers'". He isn’t arrested because the authorities fear the normal Passover crowd. The authorities feared Jesus’ crowd. The crowd calling Jesus, King. Those who were shouting “Hosanna” knew they were making a risky scene. See, Hosanna is often thought of as a declaration of praise, similar to hallelujah, but it is actually a plea for salvation. The Hebrew root words are found in Psalm 118:25, which says, “Please, Lord, please save us!” The Hebrew words yasha (“deliver, save”) and anna (“beg, beseech”) combine to form the word that, in English, is “hosanna.” Literally, hosanna means “I beg you to save!” or “please deliver us!” (https://www.bethlehemhampden.org/blog/hosanna)
Between calling Jesus, King—and then asking him to save them was brave and courageous.
And WHERE IS PETER!!??
Given the swelling emotional intensity of these events, how do you imagine Peter feels as he stands among the crowds? Does he feel exuberant to witness their praise? Does he feel skeptical and scared of anyone who might be trying to arrest Jesus? Is he thinking about when Jesus rebuked him (Matthew 16:13-20), still wishing that Jesus’ words will not come true? (Karoline Lewis)
Throughout the last 5 weeks we have been figuring out faith with Peter—one of Jesus’ disciples. I don’t know about you but this Palm Sunday story leaves me imagining where Peter might be and how he is participating as part of the crowd.
I think it is important for us to remember all the events that have led up to this point. Let us take a moment to look back on Peter’s journey before we move forward into the next few days when his faith will be tested and stretched—and then restored. Let us remember how this all began: with an abundant catch, and a calling to drop everything and follow. Peter has walked on water and clung to Jesus for rescue. He has pronounced his faith confidently and been told to get out of Jesus’ way. He has asked questions and learned about the expansiveness of grace. And now, the end is near. He stands among the crowds as they sing songs of loudest praise.
I imagine him to be caught up in the midst of the celebration. Singing praises with everyone else. Did he…did they…fully understand all that was happening at the moment? Probably not. We barely do and we know the whole story. They were in the thick of it. At the end of the scripture reading today we hear: "His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him."
“Then they remembered.” When they look back on this experience, perhaps they will remember the songs. Their singing is courageous.
For many years, I’ve preached this passage as a tragic story: look at all those people who misunderstand… they just don’t get it: their hosanna is fickle, and soon will turn into crucify him. They eventually remembered (and understood) what they had gotten all wrong here.
But what if we read this “remembering”, as a positive: they remembered this moment in time when they got it really, really right! They remembered how good it felt to join the cry for liberation. Their soul was able to breathe, and they were not afraid.
I think it’s so tempting, to disregard or even ridicule our failed beginnings, or our own well-meaning attempts in this liberating work. This was the beginning of a week of many wrongs---specifically by Peter. And even if he didn’t understand fully everything that was going on—in the singing, in the praising, at least in that moment he got it right, he is brave, he is courageous. What about us?
Two processions entered Jerusalem on that day.
The same question, the same alternative, faces those who would be faithful to Jesus today.
Which procession are we in? Which procession do we want to be in?
This is the question of Palm Sunday and of the week that is about to unfold.
— John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg, The Last Week
Courage
We summon every ounce of courage.
We give ourselves pep talks
and we call our friends.
We dig deep within.
We practice the words out loud,
rolling them around in our mouths,
imagining the response.
We deal out every “what if” card our brain holds on to
and spend absurd amounts of time
imagining all the ways it could go wrong.
And then finally, blessedly, we say it:
I love you.
To speak the truth of your heart takes courage.
It always has.
But please,
summon your courage,
join the parade,
and speak with conviction.
For God has been saying to the world since day one:
I love you.
What is your response?
Overall Series and Poem from : A Sanctified Art
Wandering Heart: Teach Me
Gospel Reading: Matthew 18:15-35
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For those of you who are just joining us this week—we are spending this season of Lent with Peter—one of Jesus’ disciples. We are looking at his faith journey---one that was filled with lots of up and downs since Jesus first called Simon Peter from his fishing boat (week 1). Since then, we’ve seen Peter show great courage at times and also falter with lack of trust. We’ve seen him answer some questions right and we’ve seen him completely miss the mark (even if his heart was in the right place).
Peter is kind of like each of us, isn’t he? He’s in the process of learning what it means to live life as a disciple of Jesus. He’s seen some pretty amazing miracles, healings, and has committed to follow Jesus and learn—about himself, others and God. If we are honest with ourselves as we try to follow Jesus--- his teachings, his way of life—it is hard. It certainly is not easy. Some of us are all in and some of us just getting our toes wet! Some of us are in way over our head---or at least it may feel like that. I wonder where Peter is right now? He’s definitely gotten his feet wet (actually his whole body!). But emotionally and spiritually, where is he right now? Where are you? Where do you find yourself this Lent? Only you will know where you are right now abut we can turn to our text for today to look for some clues as to where Peter may be.
So, let’s take a look at Peter this week and last week for some clues!
Last week we learned that Peter just couldn’t wrap his head and heart around some of Jesus’s teachings, Peter tells Jesus—“No way will that every happen to YOU”. Jesus then calls Peter out (actually calls him Satan) and a stumbling block because Peter was fixed upon the wrong things. He didn’t want to face the hard truth about what was going to happen to Jesus. It didn’t make sense to him and he knew it would be really hard.
Since then--Jesus has been transfigured high on a mountain, has healed a little boy, and continues to speak of his death and resurrection. The disciples are now in Capernaum, where Jesus is teaching about living in community and addressing sins and forgiveness.
So, a lot has been taught and experienced---once again.
And Peter, as Jesus is teaching about many things regarding how to live and love in community-asks Jesus a clarifying question “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
It’s a GOOD question isn’t it? I mean forgiveness is a pretty big deal. It is also a hard to do. So, I think I can understand why he asks Jesus this question.
But Jesus’ response is not what Peter (I’m guessing) thought it would be-straightforward. And it is not what most of us want it to be- with limits.
What we have next is a powerful lesson on grace:
Jesus’ response to Peter’s question about forgiveness highlights the ambiguous math of grace. Peter learns about abundant grace. It’s about letting go of rigid limits and embracing the limitless possibilities of forgiveness and repair. (Dr. Terrance Lester, guest commentator-A Sanctified Art-Wandering Heart)
Forgiveness is one of the cornerstones of our faith. We have been forgiven. And we are to be forgiving people—receiving and giving it—a lot. We are told that building relationships and communities is part of our work and what goes hand in hand with forgiveness.
What we see in this interaction with Peter and Jesus---is Peter’s willingness to dig deeper—earnestly seeking the right answer—because he does…he does want to get this whole kingdom living right. I have to believe that! His name has changed to Peter---from Simon—to reflect Peter’s future calling---the rock on which I will build my church—as Jesus says. Peter is the rock. He’s got to make sure he knows All The Things!
But I’m wondering what is going on in Peter’s head when he hears the answer—Not seven times---Seventy-Seven—or seventy times seven (depending on the translation). That is not a straightforward answer. And that is frustrating. Just give me a plain answer!
Forgiveness is hard business. And tricky, messy, complicated. And if we learned anything from last week’s sermon is that our faith sometimes calls us to embrace complexity.
I read an interview in Sojourners about Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes----who has published a five-part series on forgiveness, in which she addresses harmful myths of forgiveness and describes the ill-effects of unforgiveness. She describes forgiveness as an ongoing process, saying:
“Part of what my Christian identity calls me to do is to decide to forgive and to be committed to the process of forgiving others as often as I possibly can. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that I will always reach whole and complete forgiveness—that’s part of my humanity. The question is: Have I intentionally worked on developing a forgiving disposition?”
How incredible is that? That, to me is pretty mind blowing and honestly, a relief. I wonder if that is what Jesus is meaning when he talks about forgiveness in this passage? She goes on to say
“That’s one way I read the ‘77 times’ or ‘70 times seven,’ I read it as Jesus tipping his hat to the fact that forgiveness is repetitive. It is cyclical. It takes time. We’ve often treated forgiveness as if it’s supposed to be a magic wand that restores everything. But even Jesus is saying, ‘You might have to forgive him again and again.’ ( “Why Are Christians So Bad At Forgiveness?” by Mitchell Atencio. SOJOURNERS. October 31, 2023.)
On the Top 10 list of most asked questions I receive as a pastor would include: “Am I am bad Christian---or person—if I can’t forgive someone?” And “do I need to forgive and forget?” My quick answer is: NO!
Christians often have a “forgive and forget” attitude or have the mentality that forgiveness is this “one and done”. We don’t forget-We can’t. We don’t just do it once. It’s a lifelong spiritual discipline. It is about having a forgiving disposition. Are we trying?
Maybe forgiveness is hard for Peter. Maybe that why he needs more clarification. Perhaps it is Peter’s way of saying—Teach me.
I’d like to share a poem: Teach Me by Sarah Speed.
When was the last time we were open enough to say those words? In saying “teach me” we admit that we don’t know it all. In saying “teach me” we express a level of humility.
Perhaps the prayer of our hearts this day could be- Lord, teach me to forgive.
Even when it is hard.
Even when it is incomplete.
God’s grace will help us.
God’s grace is abundant.
Thanks be to God. Amen
Questions for Discussion
Do you think forgiveness is a process?
How open are you to being taught? Is being open to learning an act of humility?
What part of Peter's story inspires you?