Monthly Archives: April 2023

April 30, 2023 · 12:00 am

Fourth Sunday of Easter

He Calls His Own by Name

As a child, my mother taught me the Lord’s Prayer. The second thing she taught me from the Bible was the 23rd Psalm. The words were so comforting to me:

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures
and leads me beside still waters.

He revives my soul
and guides me along right pathways for his Name’s sake.   (Psalm  23:1-3)

Later, I discovered that I was an unruly sheep. I needed his direction. I need to follow in his footsteps as he walked out of the path for me.

In today’s Gospel reading, we have the metaphor of Jesus leading us. He calls each one of us by name:

Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.   (John 10:1-6)

The good news is that Jesus calls us his own. He calls each one of us by name. He has a plan and purpose for each one of us. If we answer his call, if we listen to his voice, if we follow in his footsteps, he will lead us to an abundant life:

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

This abundant life is spiritual, but following Jesus is not without its costs. The Apostle Peter wrote:

It is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.

“He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”   (1 Peter 2:19-22)

Peter tells us that we have been called to suffering because Christ suffered for us and has given us an example. The good news is that we do not suffer alone. Our shepherd is with us:

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me;
you have anointed my head with oil,
and my cup is running over.

Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.   (Psalm  23:4-6)

Yes, there will be those who trouble us. Evil always lies in wait. But Jesus is with us to protect us. If we never experience persecution then we have probably never truly answered Jesus’ call.

To his sheep, Jesus makes this promise:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”   (Matthew 11:28-30)

There is a yoke to bear for disciples of Christ. As his sheep, we need that yoke. But we do not bear it alone. Jesus comes alongside us to share that yoke. While he leads us and guides us, he is also with us each step of the way to help shoulder any burden that we may experience.

Are we his sheep today? Are we listening to his voice? Are we following his plan? If so then:

Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Amen,

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April 25, 2023 · 12:00 am

Saint Mark, Evangelist

saint-mark-1621Repent and Believe

The evangelist Mark was a traveling companion of Peter. Mark recorded Peter’s sermons and stories, compiling them in his Gospel. It is clear that he was a masterful storyteller. Though short, his Gospel has great impact and clarity. In the opening of his Gospel Mark gets right to the point:

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”  (Mark 1:9-15)

Notice that Mark’s Gospel is an action Gospel. It moves quickly and it asks us to move along with it.

Mark was an evangelist. The Apostle Paul gives us a perspective on the importance of evangelism when he lists God’s gifts to the Church:

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.   (Ephesians 4:11-13)

The evangelist follows the apostles and prophets in importance. Often times they are thought of as shallow or not very sophisticated. For Mark, the Gospel was simple: Repent and believe. That was the message of John the Baptist. That was the message of Jesus. It is the starting point for every Christian and should be the essential message of the Church. Too many of today’s “seeker” churches have forgotten the repentance part of the message.

Mark was willing to risk everything for the sake of telling the Gospel message. Ultimately, he paid the price with his life. What are we willing to risk today? Jesus told His disciples:

“Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”  (Mark 16:15-20)

Are we prepared to join Mark? What will the Lord say about our feet?

How beautiful upon the mountains
    are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
    who announces salvation,
    who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices,
    together they sing for joy;
for in plain sight they see
    the return of the Lord to Zion.
Break forth together into singing,
    you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the Lord has comforted his people,
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has bared his holy arm
    before the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see
    the salvation of our God.   (Isaiah 52:7-10)

We are living in the last days. Evangelism is of paramount importance. There is little time for frills. At the very least we can earnestly pray for the rescue of all lost souls. The rescue of souls was Mark’s ministry because it is the ministry of Jesus, then and now.

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April 23, 2023 · 12:00 am

Third Sunday of Easter

Breaking of the Bread and Heart

Our goal should be to walk with God as did Enoch. We have the cross to prepare us that Enoch did not have. What if Jesus came alongside us to help us? He did this for the  two disciples on the road to Emmaus:

Now on that same day two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?”   (Luke 24:13-35)

The disciples say Jesus was a stranger who did not know what was going on. That is how the world sees Jesus. Worldly people are not prepared to listen to him. These disciples were confused, but they were hungry for the truth.

They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.”   (Luke 24:13-35)

These disciples were confused, but they were hungry for the truth. Jesus enlightened them:

“Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.   (Luke 24:13-35)

We are often slow of heart to believe. The scriptures can open our hearts. Let us always ask the Holy Spirit to assist us in our understanding of them. W#hen our faith and hope are set on God we are no longer confused by the culture of this world:

If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.   ()

The Apostle Peter is writing that we learn to trust God because he has raised his Son from the dead as God planned from the beginning. Our understanding of the depth and breadth of God’s love is tied to the cross and resurrection.

Jesus fully reveals himself to his traveling companions in the breaking of the bread, a clear reference to the Holy Communion. First came the teaching of the scriptures and then the Communion. Both are required for us to fully know Jesus:

As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 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. 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; and he vanished from their sight. 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?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.   (Luke 24:13-35)

The disciples said: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” Their hearts were warmed by the truth of the Gospel. Jesus opens the eyes f their hearts.

We need more than a head knowledge of Jesus. We need heart knowledge as well Jesus wants to open the scriptures for us. They are primarily about him and have always been.

Are we on our road to Emmaus? There may be times when we feel confused or frustrated. We need to get beyond ourselves. Jesus said:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.   (Matthew 11:28-29)

The yoke we take on from Jesus is not one that we bear ourselves. Jesus comes alongside us and helps us carry his yoke. Then it is easy for us, provided we let him. He is risen, but his Spirit is still with us. Let us remember to give others our testimony or how he warmed our hearts and reassured us that all is well with our souls.

 so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.   ()

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April 16, 2023 · 12:00 am

Second Sunday of Easter

Witnesses to the Resurrection

The first witnesses to the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ were women. The disciples of Jesus were skeptical of their testimony. Jesus shared his resurrection first with those whose hearts were open to what Je

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”   (John 20:19-31)

The disciples had locked themselves in out of fear. How many of us today are bound by fear? Faith overcomes fear. Notice that. Jesus did not condemn his disciples. God’s perfect love casts out fear.

Thomas was willing to follow Jesus to Jerusalem when others were fearful. He said: “Let us go to Jerusalem with Jesus so that we may die with him.

Thomas missed out on the resurrection of Jesus before his disciples. He was given an up close and personal view by Jesus:

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “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.”   (John 20:19-31)

Thomas could see Jesus in a resurrected body. Jesus was not a spirit. He had flesh that was marked by his wounds from the cross. We can be hard on Thomas, but no one had ever been resurrected from the dead.

A Psalm of David prophesied that a Holy One would die but his body would not see corruption or decay:

I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.   (Psalm 16:8-10)

When Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, he quoted this psalm:

“Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying,

‘He was not abandoned to Hades,
nor did his flesh experience corruption.’

This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.”   (Acts 2:22-32)

Jesus did not decay. His body did not remain in the tomb. He is risen so that we, too, may be raised up. Do we feel his resurrect today? Do we experience his Holy Spirit working in us?

We did not have the opportunity to touch his wounds as did Thomas.  But Jesus has touched our wounds. He has redeemed us and made us his own. Peter wrote:

Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.   (1 Peter 1:3-9)

Though we were not there, we are witnesses of The Resurrection. Other people to hear about salvation.

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”   (Romans 10:13-15)

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