3rd Sunday of Easter, April 26, 2009
Preacher: Pastor Gary Johnson
Readings:
Acts 3:12-19
1 John 3:1-7
Luke 24: 36b-48
Audio sermon file:
http://fileresource.sitepro.com/filemanager/74/filecollections/742/98E11702-3847-ED9E-C464-E6BC7F531D74.mp3
Just previous to today’s text, Pastor Johnson points out, Paul has just cured a crippled man. The crippled man starts jumping and hopping around, singing. You know this guy. He walks funny. He stands out. He has two heads, he’s different …
But this ends up one happy guy. He knows his cure is a blessing.
Often we either don’t know or have forgotten what our true blessings are. We think we know what we need. And Paul gets this. He says “I know what you ‘think you need’, but you are children of God and here … THIS is enough”. He asks “Why do you wonder at this?” and then proceeds to remind them they “killed the Author of Life”. We think we know, but we have to constantly be reminded that we really don’t.
In Luke, today, it’s as if the apostles have all seen a ghost. Again, the greeting “Why are you frightened?”. While in their joy that Jesus was alive, they were still disbelieving.
We are very much like the Israelites and the apostles. We can wrap our heads around “dead”. We get hopelessness and uncertainty. We know about shaking our heads and giving up. We can sink our teeth into that. But “he’s raised from the dead” or “he’s cured … and he’s singing and dancing”? Much less so ….
Today’s story is NOT about death. It’s about a birth.
Much as in Luke’s Christmas story … it’s the BEST … full of the mysterious, the weird, other-worldly, the aura of disbelief … as there, here we are reminded that no matter how ready you are “to have a baby”, you’re NEVER ready!!
You know what’s coming – BUT when it’s upon you, as ready as you thought you were, you’re not ready. Your reaction is to count fingers and toes, to stare almost dumb-faced.
Yoday we witness a grown-up version of “fondling the new birth”. Resurrection? No matter how often it was prophesied, we seek the wound in which to place our unbelieving hands.
And Jesus says “Touch me”
The irony is … we’re more ready for death than birth. We are given 6 weeks in Lent, like 9 months of pregnancy … to wrap ourselves around what we’re not ready for. So what? So here’s the “so what” …
God will get us out of our tight places, believe it.
And where’s the tightest place you’ll ever get?
It’s shoulder-wide and 6 feet deep.
Whatever tight spot you’re in right now, today, God has already made the sacrifice to get you out of it … while it’s easier to say “so what?”, don’t let anybody else ever tell you otherwise.
You may be tempted to not believe this. You may have trouble wrapping yourself around this. But God has made the sacrifice to “raise you up out of this tight place”.
And He will ……
Preacher: Pastor Gary Johnson
Readings:
Acts 3:12-19
1 John 3:1-7
Luke 24: 36b-48
Audio sermon file:
http://fileresource.sitepro.com/filemanager/74/filecollections/742/98E11702-3847-ED9E-C464-E6BC7F531D74.mp3
Just previous to today’s text, Pastor Johnson points out, Paul has just cured a crippled man. The crippled man starts jumping and hopping around, singing. You know this guy. He walks funny. He stands out. He has two heads, he’s different …
But this ends up one happy guy. He knows his cure is a blessing.
Often we either don’t know or have forgotten what our true blessings are. We think we know what we need. And Paul gets this. He says “I know what you ‘think you need’, but you are children of God and here … THIS is enough”. He asks “Why do you wonder at this?” and then proceeds to remind them they “killed the Author of Life”. We think we know, but we have to constantly be reminded that we really don’t.
In Luke, today, it’s as if the apostles have all seen a ghost. Again, the greeting “Why are you frightened?”. While in their joy that Jesus was alive, they were still disbelieving.
We are very much like the Israelites and the apostles. We can wrap our heads around “dead”. We get hopelessness and uncertainty. We know about shaking our heads and giving up. We can sink our teeth into that. But “he’s raised from the dead” or “he’s cured … and he’s singing and dancing”? Much less so ….
Today’s story is NOT about death. It’s about a birth.
Much as in Luke’s Christmas story … it’s the BEST … full of the mysterious, the weird, other-worldly, the aura of disbelief … as there, here we are reminded that no matter how ready you are “to have a baby”, you’re NEVER ready!!
You know what’s coming – BUT when it’s upon you, as ready as you thought you were, you’re not ready. Your reaction is to count fingers and toes, to stare almost dumb-faced.
Yoday we witness a grown-up version of “fondling the new birth”. Resurrection? No matter how often it was prophesied, we seek the wound in which to place our unbelieving hands.
And Jesus says “Touch me”
The irony is … we’re more ready for death than birth. We are given 6 weeks in Lent, like 9 months of pregnancy … to wrap ourselves around what we’re not ready for. So what? So here’s the “so what” …
God will get us out of our tight places, believe it.
And where’s the tightest place you’ll ever get?
It’s shoulder-wide and 6 feet deep.
Whatever tight spot you’re in right now, today, God has already made the sacrifice to get you out of it … while it’s easier to say “so what?”, don’t let anybody else ever tell you otherwise.
You may be tempted to not believe this. You may have trouble wrapping yourself around this. But God has made the sacrifice to “raise you up out of this tight place”.
And He will ……
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