Sermon (April 28) “Staying Connected” by Rev. Robert McDowell

Sermon “Staying Connected”

Rev. Robert McDowell

April 28, 2024

     Whenever I stay at my brother’s house in south central Pennsylvania, I know that calls on my cell phone are going to be a major problem. He lives in a terrible spot for cell phone coverage. 

     He acts like it’s no big deal. He says that if you sit on a particular chair at his kitchen table and stay absolutely still without breathing, you will be able to have a conversation for at least two minutes. What he doesn’t tell you is that even those specific instructions are hit or miss.

     I wish I had a nickel for every time he has ended a phone call conversation with these words, “I’m starting to pull up my driveway so I’m going to lose you. I’ll talk to you when…” There have been many a phone conversation where my brother never finishes that sentence.

     And I don’t even want to think about the places that don’t have a wifi connection or the signal is really weak. Those can be frustrating times. I know there are much bigger problems in the world, but it’s difficult to get anything done when you’re not connected.

     Penny and I have friends who went to France for vacation one year. They chose to stay at a hotel that offered free wifi according to the hotel brochure.

     When they arrived, they tried to connect to the internet but couldn’t. So, they asked someone at the desk how to access the hotel wifi. The hotel employee looked confused and told him that they didn’t have wifi. My friend was disappointed but went on with his vacation. 

     During the last night of their vacation, he finally figured out that they thought he was in need of a wife instead of WiFi. Kind of a big difference!

     Staying connected is a basic human need. It doesn’t matter if it’s cell phone coverage, a wifi signal, or our landline phone. There’s this basic need to be connected.

     I think this is what Jesus is getting at in our Gospel reading for today. He uses the image of a vine and the branches that grow from that vine. He tells his disciples, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch can’t produce fruit by itself but must remain in the vine.”

     And just in case we might not get the point he’s trying to make, he says, “I am the vine. You are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much fruit.” Jesus is saying that all we need to do is stay connected to him.

     So, what do you do when you have a weak connection or when you see the dreaded “no service” status regarding your faith? How do you get connected again in your relationship with God?

     Well, the good news is that God offers free spiritual wifi service. All we need to do is click on the little button that says, “connect.” OK, maybe it’s not as simple as that, but we often make it more difficult than it needs to be.

     The problem in having a strong connection in our faith isn’t because God doesn’t provide a strong enough heavenly signal. The problem is on our end. Sometimes, we just don’t connect when we can easily connect.

 

     The Washington Times carried a story about then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. According to this newspaper article, Dr. Rice once described to a Sunday school class at National Presbyterian Church in Washington, how she had drifted from her Christian faith and how God reached out and brought her back:

     "I was a preacher's kid," says Dr. Rice, "so Sundays were church, no doubt about that. The church was the center of our lives. In segregated black Birmingham of the late 1950s and early 1960s, the church was not just a place of worship. It was the place where families gathered; it was the social center of the community, too.

     "Although I never doubted the existence of God," Dr. Rice continues, "I think like all people, I've had some ups and downs in my faith. When I first moved to California in 1981 to join the faculty at Stanford, there were a lot of years when I was not attending church regularly. I was traveling a lot. I was a specialist in international politics, so I was always traveling abroad. I was always in another time zone.  

 

     One Sunday I was in the Lucky's Supermarket not very far from my house. I was standing near the spices section and an African-American man walked up to me and said he was buying some things for his church picnic. And he said, 'Do you play the piano by any chance?'

     "I said, 'Yes.' They said they were looking for someone to play the piano at church. It was a little African-American church right in the center of Palo Alto. A Baptist church. So, I started playing for that church. That got me regularly back into church going. 

 

     I don't play gospel very well. I play Brahms and you know how black ministers will start a song and the musicians will pick it up? I had no idea what I was doing and so I called my mother, who had played for Baptist churches.

 

     "'Mother,' I said, 'they just start. How am I supposed to do this?' She said, 'Honey, play in C and they'll come back to you.' And that's true," says Dr. Rice, "If you play in C, people will come back. I tell that story," she goes on, "because I thought to myself, 'My goodness, God has a long reach.' I mean, in the Lucky's Supermarket on a Sunday morning."

 

     This is a story about reconnecting in our faith even if you are at the grocery store like Condolezza Rice. God is always available to us. God is always reaching out to us. God is always extending his love and grace to us. It doesn’t matter what we have done or what we have left undone, God’s grace signal is always at full strength for us. There’s zero chance for a dropped call. 

     God can always get through to you even if you are walking through the deepest valley of your life. Just ask the person who wrote Psalm 23. He’ll tell you the same thing.

     While God’s signal strength is always at full strength, sometimes we are the ones who don’t stay connected in our faith. The good news is that there are many ways for us to stay connected to Christ.

     John Wesley, the founder of Methodism referred to these ways as “Means of Grace.” 

     We call these ways of staying connected, “Means of Grace” because these are tried and true ways that people over the centuries have been able to stay in a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

     So, here’s a quick list. Prayer, reading and meditating on scripture, fasting from meals, attending weekly worship, sharing our faith with others, group bible study, share groups, classes, serving through the church, seeking justice, Christian conferencing, healthy living, visiting the sick and the imprisoned, being a generous giver, doing good, baptism renewal, receiving the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

     John Wesley, who was the founder of what we know today as the United Methodist Church, emphasized the importance of staying connected to Christ by participating in these means of grace on a regular basis. Yes, God can meet us in chance encounters in a grocery store, but God also will meet us through the holy spiritual practices of our faith.

     When we worship here in church, know that the risen Christ is with us in the reading of scripture, in our prayers, in the singing of hymns, when we listen to an anthem, and yes, even through the sermon.

     That devotional booklet that you will read tomorrow will serve as a means of grace to help you begin your day with God. When you share a little of your faith story with a next-door neighbor, don’t be surprised if you are drawn closer to God yourself. When you help serve a meal or visit someone who is feeling lonely, it’s amazing how these small acts of kindness will not only bless the people we serve but will bless us as well.

     The means of grace are what help us to have a strong connection in our faith. When we drift away from God, they help to bring us back. When we lose a signal, these are the ways that we get connected again.

     Our family has a cottage in the mountains of Central Pennsylvania. My dad had built this place to stay during the deer hunting season many years ago, but today it’s a place where we can get away for a few days.

     It’s a beautiful place that is nestled at the base of a mountain range. It’s a secluded area with a state park nearby. When you wake up in the morning, you can see the mountain fog hovering over the valley right in front of the cottage. I always feel close to God when I go there.

     In a place like that, you really shouldn’t care about getting on the internet, right? You shouldn’t worry about making calls on your cell phone. But I can’t help it. I do.

     There is absolutely no cell phone coverage where the cottage is located. The mountains around the cottage will not allow any phone calls to be made. When I’m there, I get that dreaded “No Service” message at the top of my cell phone. 

     My brother and I spent a weekend there a few years ago. We enjoyed the quiet and much slower pace of what we like to refer to as God’s country.

     Near the end of our time there, my brother and I decided to go find the place where dad liked to take us for deer hunting when we were teenagers. It was about a twenty-minute drive from the cottage. 

     We found the little one lane gravel road at the base of the mountain and up we went to the very top. When we got out of the car, my brother said, “This is it. This is where dad liked to go hunting. Remember it?”

     We went down a path where dad would set up camp and wait patiently for the deer. It was a holy moment for us as we remembered how much dad loved to hunt and be out in nature.

     I took out my phone to take a picture of the beautiful scenery of the valley below and that’s when I noticed that I now had full cell phone service. All of my cell phone bars were showing. I was at full strength.

     All of the sudden, emails and text messages starting flooding into my phone after having absolutely no service the past few days. I told my brother that I was connected again. And that’s when he told me to turn around.

     And there, right behind me at the top of that mountain was a ginormous cell phone tower. I couldn’t have been more connected than I was in that moment.

     You know, sometimes, all we have to do is turn around to see that we are already connected to the creator of the universe. Sometimes, all we need is that one person on top of a mountain or that stranger by the spices in a grocery store to simply point out that God is already there.

     Jesus says, “I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much fruit.” 

     Just look over your shoulder. God is closer than you think.

Sunday (April 28) Pastoral Prayer

April 28, 2024

Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC

O Jesus, come and fill your lambs. Fill us with the awareness of your presence, especially during those times when we feel disconnected from you. Fill us with daily reminders that we belong to you. Fill us with a desire to stay connected with you through prayer, the scriptures, worship, serving, giving, and sharing our faith.

 

Fill your lambs, as we lift up to you those are facing challenges with their health, their finances, their relationships, and in need of your direction and guidance. We lift up all who are on our church’s prayer list as well as others who are on our hearts and minds this day.

 

Fill your lambs, as we lift up to you the lay and clergy delegates from all around the world who are representing our denomination at this week’s General Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. Grant them open hearts and minds as they seek to be faithful in their prayerful deliberations at this gathering. May your Holy Spirit continue to fill them with wisdom, guidance, boldness, and humility in the important work they are doing on our behalf.

 

Fill your lambs, especially since we are not all of one mind on so many complex issues that are facing the church today. And even though we may not all think alike, may we always remember to love alike. And may we all remember our main purpose for being your church which is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

 

And whenever we become disconnected from you, from each other, and from your presence in our lives, remind us to abide in you, for you are the vine and we are your branches. Draw us closer to you even now as we pray the words that you taught us to pray together…

 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Sermon (April 21) “Go Green!” by Rev. Robert McDowell

Sermon “Go Green!”

Rev. Robert McDowell

Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC

April 21, 2024

     Every year around the month of March, Penny and I will be driving somewhere during one of those first warm and sunny days, and I will exclaim with joy, “everything looks so green!”

     I always look forward to that day when I become overwhelmed with the signs of spring and new life all around us, especially after the winter season.

     Today is what has become known as “Shepherd’s Sunday.” It’s around this time every year that the shepherd’s psalm, Psalm 23 is paired with the Good Shepherd scripture reading from John, chapter ten. 

     This Good Shepherd Sunday and my “everything looks so green day” always lifts my spirit and restores my soul. 

     In a bible commentary that I was reading about our Gospel reading for today where Jesus refers to himself as the “Good Shepherd,” it said that a more fitting word would be “beautiful.” Jesus is our “beautiful” shepherd. By the word, “beautiful” this bible scholar was not referring to the shepherd’s physical appearance but to what this shepherd offers his sheep. 

     We are drawn to the shepherd’s unconditional love, mercy, forgiveness, wisdom, protection, hope, strength, companionship, and of course, the shepherd’s saving grace. This is what makes Jesus so beautiful and why people are so drawn to Jesus.

     Thinking of Jesus as our Beautiful Shepherd in this way helps us understand why Jesus says in our Gospel reading, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.”

     Where does Jesus as our beautiful shepherd lead us? Think of Psalm 23. “He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters.”

     Green pastures! Our shepherd invites us to “go green” which refers to that place where our souls can be renewed and replenished. 

    When Jesus calls our names, he calls us to “go green,” and to find that space where our souls can find peace. Where is your green space that Jesus is calling you to follow him so that you can find that sense of peace, security, and protection? 

     I served a church near Dayton, Ohio and while we were there, they built an outdoor shopping area like and it’s called, “The Greene.” 

     Everybody couldn’t wait to go to “The Greene” to go shopping and we did on a number of occasions while we lived in that area. During our time there, I came across a young pastor who felt called by God to begin a new church start in the middle of that new outdoor shopping center. 

     He explained that he wanted to provide a church presence in that shopping area for store managers, retail workers, groundskeepers, and shoppers and to provide a sense of community and spiritual support for the people of that retail community.

     For this young pastor, to “go green,” meant to go to “The Greene” and to be a blessing to the people in that retail community. If going green can lead us to a shopping center, what about a hotel room?

          Fifteen years ago, in a church I was serving, I officiated for the funeral of an elderly church member. She didn’t have a lot of surviving family members, but her brother who drove up from South Carolina met me at the church to help me prepare for the funeral service.

     He was very nice and told me a lot about his sister. And then I asked him if there was any particular scripture that he wanted me to read during the service. 

     And he said to me, “Yes, my favorite scripture is Psalm 23. I’d like you to read that during the service. It has special meaning for me.” And so, I asked him what he liked about this psalm, and he told me the most amazing story.

     He said that he was in a hotel room in Philadelphia many, many years ago. He said that he couldn’t get to sleep because he was feeling very nervous and anxious that night. 

     He said that he opened the nightstand drawer in his hotel room and found a bible. He opened it to Psalm 23 and after he read it, it really helped him to feel at peace and he was able to get some needed sleep that night so that he would be rested for the next day. 

     But he wasn’t done with his story. He said that the reason he was so nervous that night was because he was going to be the starting pitcher for a baseball game the next day. 

     And he said that he ended up pitching one of his best games he ever pitched. He said that they beat the Philadelphia Phillies that day and that he was able to strike out Richie Ashburn to help win the game.

     And it was at that point when I said, “Excuse me? What did you say? Were you a major league pitcher?”

    To make a long story short, I discovered that I was talking to Jim Waugh who was a starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1950’s. He grew up in the town where I was serving as pastor. 

     He told me that he had the record for being the youngest pitcher to win a game for the Pittsburgh Pirates when he was just 18 years old.  Joe Garagiola was the catcher for that game.

     And he said that’s why Psalm 23 has so much meaning for him. It helped him to know that the Lord was his shepherd, and he didn’t have anything to fear. For this young Major League Baseball pitcher, a bible in his hotel room was the green space that he needed to calm his nerves and place his trust in his loving shepherd.

     My family has a cottage in the mountains of central Pennsylvania. My mom and dad bought this as a vacation home back in the 1970s. They would take us there during the summer. It was about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from where we lived. 

     The cottage is located along a mountain range that’s very secluded and near a beautiful state park. Even though mom and dad are no longer with us, I feel their presence whenever I visit there which is about once a year. 

     My mother’s bible is still there in the cottage near one of the windows where she would enjoy looking out at the beautiful green trees surrounding her. I can still picture her reading that bible with a cup of coffee next to it. 

     Sometimes when I’m there visiting, I’ll open her bible and see where she highlighted some verses and scribbled some notes in the margin. That was where my mom and dad “went green,” in that little escape to the mountains of Central Pennsylvania.

     Our shepherd has many green spaces where we our souls can be restored. 

     When one of my uncles died several years ago, my family asked me to read Psalm 23 during the funeral service which was held in northern Maryland near where he lived. My uncle was a farmer all his life and that small country church was packed with other farmers and their families. 

     I began reading this Psalm like I usually do, using the King James Version which is the common way this psalm is read and the way most of us have learned it. It’s the version we read together earlier in our worship service. 

     And so, I started reading Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures…”

     I stopped reading it after that first line of the Psalm because I realized in that moment that Uncle Bill’s whole life was about spending time in green pastures on his farm. I think people at that funeral were wondering if I was OK because I just stood there for a few moments of silence thinking about that line from Uncle Bill’s perspective. He literally spent his whole life living out Psalm 23 by working on his farm.

     My green space is in the study of our house. Every Monday, I have an all-day appointment with Jesus and I spend that time in prayer, listening for the shepherd’s voice, and writing sermons. I refer to this as my “Mondays with Jesus” time. I’ve been doing this for the past 27 years. 

     I have other green spaces as well, but those Mondays in my study are a time for me to not only work on sermons, but to invite God to restoreth my soul. And depending on how it went on Monday, sometimes, I also need to have Tuesdays with Jesus, and Wednesdays with Jesus and maybe even Thursdays with Jesus in order to finish the sermon.

     Actually, Jesus calls us to go green every day, to find those green pastures and still waters where our souls can be renewed. 

     This sanctuary is a green space for us. Sanctuary. It’s a word that means a place of refuge and safety. It’s also interesting that it’s used to describe a nature reserve like when we refer to a bird sanctuary. That’s what this place is meant to be. 

     This is holy space for us where we worship, fellowship and encourage one another as we listen for the shepherd’s voice calling our names. Going green means going to those places where we allow ourselves to hear the voice of our beautiful shepherd. 

     What would lead a young pastor to begin a new church in an outdoor shopping center?  What would lead an anxious young man to open a bible in a hotel room because he can’t sleep? What would lead a mother to always have a bible next to a window looking out toward the trees along a mountain range? What would lead a farmer to spend his whole life taking care of green pastures? What would lead a pastor to escape from the world for a day each week to see what God might want to say through him? And what would lead some people every Sunday morning to meet in this place to have their souls restored?

     I know what would lead us to do such a thing. The voice of a good shepherd, a beautiful shepherd who calls each one of us by name, who leads us to green pastures, and who restoreth our souls.

     Go green!

Sunday (April 21) Pastoral Prayer

April 21, 2024

Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC

Lord, you are our shepherd, our beautiful shepherd; and we shall not want. What are those things that we might want today? An answer to prayer? A relationship to be restored? A job opportunity to open up? Enough money to pay for an unexpected car bill? Lord, you are our beautiful shepherd, and we shall not want.

 

Lord, you make us to go green and you lead us beside the still waters. Where are those green places where we can find renewal for our souls? Why not go there more often?

 

Lord, you restoreth our souls and you lead us in the paths of righteousness for your name’s sake. Are you ready to follow the Lord to that path that helps you to be the most loving, caring, gracious, and generous person that God has created you to be?

 

Lord, even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil: for you are with us; your rod and your staff, they comfort us. What loss have you been grieving lately? The loss of a dear loved one? The loss of a relationship? Maybe it’s another kind of grief like the loss of something from your past that you still miss not having. Remember that even in your darkest valley, your shepherd is right there with you to guide you into a new reality that is filled with hope.

 

Lord, you prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies and you annointest our heads with oil; and our cups runneth over. How has God blessed you during a time when you were feeling anxious and fearful? That’s why we call him, our Shepherd, because his blessings are more than our cups can hold.

 

Lord, thank you for being our beautiful shepherd whose goodness and mercy follows us all the days of our lives. And thank you for this prayer that Jesus, our shepherd taught us to pray together…

 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Sunday (April 14) Pastoral Prayer

April 14, 2024

Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC

O God, we are only two weeks into the Easter Season, and you continue to reveal yourself to us in ways that remind us that Jesus really did rise from the dead. The Risen Christ truly is present in surprising and mysterious ways. And so, we continue to sing our Easter alleluias and celebrate your victory over sin and death through the cross and the empty tomb. And like our prayer hymn says so beautifully, “O may our love to thee, pure, warm, and changeless be, a living fire.” Thank you, O God that not even a solar eclipse can keep us from seeing your light and having a living fire faith.

 

We pray today for those who are going through a time of darkness. We think of friends and loved ones who are facing medical challenges. May your resurrection light surround them with your healing love.

 

We think of those who are grieving the loss of a loved one and have heavy hearts. May your resurrection light surround them with your comforting love.

 

We lift up to you those who are experiencing financial problems and are finding it difficult to care for their basic needs. May your resurrection light surround them with your sustaining love.

 

This weekend, we especially lift up to you the heightened tensions in the Middle East between Israel and Iran. May your resurrection light surround all of our world leaders that they would make wise decisions that will eventually lead to a more peaceful resolution of the current crisis.  

 

And whenever we face times of darkness in our personal lives, may our faith always look up to Jesus Christ, God, Son, Savior. The one who fed 5,000 people with just five loaves and two fish with food to spare. The one who helped the disciples catch so many fish that it tore their nets. The one who called us to lay down those same nets and become fishers of people. And the one who taught us to say this pray together…

 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Sermon (April 14) “Something’s Fishy” by Rev. Robert McDowell

“Something’s Fishy”

Rev. Robert McDowell

Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC

April 14, 2024

     Every once in a while, as you are driving, you pull up to a stop light, and notice that the car in front of you has a bumper sticker which has a fish symbol.  It’s a way of letting you know that this person is a Christian.

     I’ve always felt that this is a bold move on the part of the driver, because what happens if you are pulled over for speeding or running a red light?  That would not be a very good witness.  

     And the worst thing would be if the driver of that car would offer some sort of negative hand gesture if somebody would cut him or her off.  What kind of witness would that be?

     But nevertheless, this fish symbol has been quite common among Christian motorists for some time now.

     Unfortunately, this phenomenon has led to a fish symbol war pitting Darwinist minded atheists against Bible believing Christians.  Never mind that Darwinism and Christianity are not mutually exclusive, but these fish wars make for some very entertaining comic relief on our highways and byways.

     Once the fish symbol began to be placed on bumper stickers, it wasn’t too long before we started to see the word “Darwin” in the middle of the fish symbol. These religious bumper sticker debates can be so much fun!

     But recently, I saw a bumper sticker which seems to be indicating that a truce is about to be made between this false dichotomy pitting the Christian community with evolutionist thinkers. 

     This new bumper sticker, at least new to me, has these two opposing fish symbols next to each other, apparently kissing one another as if to say, “Enough’s enough.”  Or maybe, I’m reading way too much into this new peace-loving bumper sticker, and all it is, is another marketing scam.

     This morning, I would like us to think about the role that fish play in the Bible.  Have you ever thought about just how many fish references there are in the Bible?

     I find it very interesting that our Gospel reading this morning contains one of these important fish references.  We find the disciples on the first Easter evening huddled together, scared, worried, and uncertain about what had happened to Jesus when they heard that the tomb was empty.  They are a fearful bunch.

     In this midst of this doubt and uncertainty, Jesus appears among them.  And Luke is careful to tell us that they thought he was a ghost.  And so, Jesus proceeds to invite the disciples to actually touch him and he shows them his hands and his feet which still contain the marks of the nails from Good Friday when he died on the cross.

     But these attempts prove futile, because the disciples are still confused.  Maybe they are thinking that he was still a ghost. And that’s when Jesus does something that finally helps the disciples to move from disbelief to a resurrection faith.  He eats a piece of broiled fish in their presence.

     What better way of dispelling the whole ghost thing.  This little fish-eating exercise was all that these disciples needed to recall those special moments with Jesus.

     I wonder if Peter’s mind flashed back to the time when Jesus got into his boat and told him, “Take this boat away from the shore and let down your nets so you can catch some fish.”

     What a strange request, especially since Peter and the others had been fishing all night long without catching anything.  What do you mean, “Let down your nets?  This is the way fishing works Jesus.  Sometimes you just don’t catch anything and some days you do.  This is a ‘don’t catch fish’ kind of day.”  So, Peter humors Jesus by taking the boat out to deeper waters to let down the net, probably looking forward to showing Jesus that he knows more about fishing than he does.

     This is probably the only time a fisherman has ever hoped to not catch a single fish, just to prove a point to Jesus.  “Jesus.  Leave the fishing business to us.  It’s pointless to let our nets down one more time.”

     The funny thing about this story is that Peter didn’t just end up catching three to five fish.  That alone would have proven Jesus’ point.  Picture in your minds these two large nets filled from top to bottom with fish.  And now picture these two nets being pulled into the boat and tearing from the huge weight of the catch.

     Game, set and match.  Jesus wins.  I think Jesus knows something about fishing, don’t you?

     And the story ends with Peter, this tough and proud fisherman falling to his knees, swallowing his pride, and acknowledging that Jesus is someone very special.

     But Jesus doesn’t leave Peter on his knees along the shore.  He tells him, “You hang around with me.  And you’ll learn how to become fishers of men.”  It was that fish story that led Peter, James and John, to leave everything and follow Jesus.  How’s that for a fish story?

     And as Jesus was eating that piece of broiled fish in our Gospel reading for today, I’m sure all of the disciples thought of the fish stories of all fish stories.  

     You remember.  Jesus had been teaching and healing people one day and it was getting late in the afternoon when the twelve disciples came to Jesus with a solution for a problem.

     Now, on one hand, don’t you just love it when people don’t just tell you about a problem, but when they also give you a possible solution for that problem?  When people just give you a problem without a solution, it kind of leaves you flat-footed.

     So, hand it to the disciples.  They come to Jesus not just with a problem, but with a possible solution.  

     “Jesus, this whole day has been great.  People can’t get enough of your teachings.  They are responding to your message about the in-breaking of God’s kingdom and how God loves them, and cares about them.  You have brought healing to the blind, the infirmed, and the diseased.  But Jesus.  You need to give the benediction and get these folks home.  They’re getting hungry.”

     Well, hand it to the disciples.  They brought a solution.  Just send them home.  But Jesus doesn’t accept the solution.  Instead, he gives them a challenge.  He says, “Uh.  No.  You give them something to eat, right here.”  

     And the disciples, like good Methodists, do what comes naturally.  They ask for the treasurer’s report and sure enough, there isn’t enough in the budget to feed 5,000 people.  

     But half-jokingly, and maybe to call Jesus’ bluff, they tell Jesus what seems like an absurd and meaningless statement.  “Actually, we do have five loaves and two fish leftover from yesterday.”  Can you hear the nervous laughter of the disciples after they say this?  “C’mon Jesus.  Enough’s enough.  Let’s get practical and get these people home.”

     “No.  I want you to have them sit down in groups of fifty and I’ll take it from there.”

     And from there, Jesus offers a prayer of thanksgiving to God and Luke tells us that they all ate and were satisfied.

     The exclamation point in that story is that, not only were 5,000 people fed with five loaves and two fish, but the disciples ended up collecting twelve baskets full of leftovers.

     “Jesus – you proved yourself again.  We really didn’t think you could pull it off.  You really are someone special, aren’t you?”

     We know that sometime around the middle of the 2^nd century, a little over a hundred years after the time of Christ, the early church began using the symbol of the fish to express their belief in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, hence the fish bumper stickers that we see on the back of cars.

     The early Christians realized that not only are there several fish stories in the Gospel accounts, but the word, “fish” actually makes a very nice acrostic in summarizing the Christian faith.

     The Greek word for fish is “Ichthys” and those Greek letters also served as an acrostic which provided those early Christians with a reminder of the the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

     Those letters spell out the words, “Jesus Christ, God, Son, Savior.”  “Jesus Christ, God, Son, Savior.”  Say that with me.  “Jesus Christ, God, Son, Savior.”

     So, whenever the Christians of the early church used that fish symbol, they were in effect saying, “We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world.”

     When people become followers of Jesus, this is the basic statement of faith they are making. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world.

     Back to our Gospel reading. After Jesus eats that piece of broiled fish, which no doubt reminded those disciples of the many fish stories they had shared together, he then gives the disciples a new name.  He calls them witnesses.  “You are witnesses of these things,”Jesus tells them.

     We’re not just church members. We are primarily known as witnesses.  Witnesses that Jesus has been raised from the dead and is alive today.

     Some will find this hard to believe and they will say… “This all sounds a little “fishy.”

     But this fish story is actually true.  “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world.”

Sermon (April 7) “Peace Be with You!” by Rev. Robert McDowell

April 7, 2024 Sermon

By Rev. Robert McDowell

     Poor Thomas.  All this guy wants is a little physical proof and he ends up getting stuck with the label, "doubting Thomas."  

    Who gave him this name?  All it takes is for one person to give someone a label and the rest is history.  God or bad. Is it fair to remember somebody by one incident?

     And yet we remember Thomas by this story in John chapter 20.  And ironically, it’s because of his statement of faith in verse 28 of this chapter that would later help the early church to formulate the doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ.

     Outside of what the scriptures tells us about Thomas, tradition tells us that he risked his life by using money that was supposed to be used for building a palace for an Indian King and instead he gave that money to the poor.  Never mind that tradition also tells us that Thomas was eventually speared to death for his faith in Jesus Christ, joining several of the other disciples in becoming martyrs.

     And so, it’s unfortunate that we remember him as Doubting Thomas.  History can be so unforgiving and selective when it comes to remembering someone's life.

     Our Gospel reading this morning invites us to ask the question, “Is there any room for doubt in the Christian faith?”   

     A woman asked Bertrand Russell, the world’s best-known atheist at the time, what he would say if it turned out he had been wrong and found himself standing outside of the Pearly Gates.  His eyes lighting up, Russell replied, “I would simply say, ‘God, you gave us insufficient evidence!”

     Maybe that answer is fitting for an atheist, but what about for those of us who do profess faith – is there a place for doubt in our lives?

     Christian author, Philip Yancey shares this story from his book, “Reaching for the Invisible God.”  He writes that Peter De Vries, the product of a strict Calvinist home and undergraduate studies at Calvin College went on to write novels about the loss of faith. One of his characters could not forgive God for not existing – words that explain much of De Vries’s own God obsessed work.  

     His novel, “The Blood of the Lamb,” tells of Don Wanderhope, father of an eleven-year-old girl who contracts Leukemia.  Just as the bone marrow begins to respond to treatment and she approaches remission, an infection sweeps through the ward and kills her.

     Wanderhope, who has brought in a cake with his daughter’s name on it, leaves the hospital, returns to the church where he prayed for her healing, and hurls the cake at the crucifix hanging in front of the church.  The cake hits just below the crown of thorns, and brightly colored icing drips down Jesus’ face of stone.

     In referencing this story, author Philip Yancey goes on to say that one of the reasons he remains a Christian is not so much that he can explain away tragic stories such as this one, but because of a lack of good alternatives.  He goes on to write, “The only thing more difficult than having a relationship with an invisible God is having no such relationship.”

     When our daughter was in High School, she would often accompany me on pastoral visits. One of those visits was with a young girl in the hospital who was about to begin chemo treatments.  We shared in a prayer together in her hospital room and we told her that the church was lifting her in prayer.

     As we left that room, I couldn’t help but to wonder why God would allow this beautiful little girl to suffer through chemo treatments, when she should be at home enjoying life.  I know that none of us can ever fully know the whys, but it’s good to know that we are allowed to shake our fists at God sometimes.  That was one of those times.

     I remember a time when I sat in the living room of a couple who had recently attended the funeral of their 57-year-old daughter.  As you can imagine, the death of their daughter had left them feeling very empty and sad.  And I’m glad that they didn’t pull any punches when I met with them that day.  

     They said, “We just can’t understand why God would have allowed this.”  I told them that even though I didn’t have any answers for them, that it was good that they were expressing their true feelings with God.

     I’m actually glad that the disciple Thomas was honest enough to tell the other disciples who had the advantage of seeing the risen Lord, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

     And how could we ever put Thomas down for a statement like this when we already know that the rest of the disciples had locked themselves in a room because they were afraid that the Jewish authorities would be coming after them.  That doesn’t sound like an Easter faith to me.  That sounds more like the kind of faith I have many times.  Fear.  Worry.  And doubt.

     The good news in our scripture is that the risen Christ returned to this same place, and this time Thomas was with them.  Jesus enters the room and says, “Peace be with you.”  By the way, isn’t this a wonderful way to begin a meeting?  To remind people that even in the midst of our doubts, questions, and uncertainties, that God’s peace is with us.

     And then we have this dramatic scene where Jesus turns to Thomas and invites Thomas to actually touch the wounds of his body to help him move from doubt to belief.  I always find it interesting that John never specifically says that Thomas actually touched those wounds.  But he does tell us that Thomas responded with a powerful statement of faith, “My Lord and my God!”

     And then we have the ending of the Gospel.  John writes, “Have you believed because you have seen me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

     “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

     John wrote his Gospel for those of us who did not have the opportunity to physically see and touch the resurrected Lord.  But notice how our scripture reading concludes. 

     I have this image in my mind where Jesus turns his head away from the disciples, looks into a video camera, and turns his attention to us. He looks at you and me in that camera and says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” And if you think about it, Jesus does bless us if our hearts are open to see his presence in our day-to-day living.

      Like the day when I was visiting a mission site where volunteers from a several of United Methodist churches serve at a soup kitchen and a free clothing store. Someone in our group that day asked the volunteers and staff members who work there, “How do you keep your faith strong when you’re working in this kind of impoverished and dangerous environment?”  

     And one of the workers responded by saying that they keep their faith strong by realizing that they are helping one person at a time. This worker pointed at another volunteer sitting next to her and said, 

     “This woman sitting here next to me is the reason that my faith stays strong.  Thanks to God’s grace and this mission site, this person has been able to find a better life for herself and for her children and she has been able to break free of poverty.  She now has her own home, and while it may be a very modest home, it is still a big step forward for her.”

     I left that mission site thinking feeling so blessed. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” 

     I received this personal letter one year. It was right after we had celebrated Easter Sunday.

     “Pastor Robert, You may remember me.  I visited your church several times now, but have not been able to since January, due to some very difficult days in my life.  The chemo given to me beginning in January has caused some difficult side effects.  Also, we experienced the sudden death of one of our sons in February.  I’ve enclosed the memorial folder from his service which was most uplifting.  So…as I said, we’ve had difficult times of late.  Time heals, they say – we’re relying on that.  Our son’s death has not diminished my faith at all for he was a child of God, and it is clear (the word “clear” is underlined) it is clear to me where he is now.  This brings me much comfort.  Easter blessings!”  And then she signed her name.

     How has this woman been able to stay strong in her faith?   She has believed without seeing.

     Our reading from the Book of Acts, tells us about how Peter boldly proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ to the people of Jerusalem.  The disciples were able to move from their betrayals, and their denials and become the bold witnesses that Jesus had called them to be.

     They were still people who had doubts – but now they had the power of the Holy Spirit at work in their lives.  They were given an assurance that Jesus would always be with them.  

     Maybe we can identify with Thomas who needed some assurance that Jesus had truly risen from the dead. We long to know that there is life in the midst of so much pain and brokenness in our world. And today, we have this Gospel reading about Thomas and his doubts and how he came to a deeper faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

     T.S. Eliot once said, “These are only hints and guesses, Hints followed by guesses; and the rest is prayer, observance, discipline, thought, and action.”

     Prayer, observance, discipline, thought, and action.  And yet through these things, Jesus offers us his peace and blessings.

     I was listening to the news one day which was even more depressing than usual and was feeling really down because of it. You could say that I was in need of a blessing in that moment, some sign that the Risen Christ was present in the midst of so much sadness in the world.

     And that’s when I received a phone call from some dear friends who just had their baby. They said it was a girl.  And they were naming her, “Grace.” 

     Mom and baby Grace were all healthy and doing well.  What a beautiful name. “Grace.” That phone call made me smile because it dawned on me that God had literally just sent me some grace.    

     These hints and guesses remind us that the Risen Christ continues to say to each one of us, “Peace be with you.”