First Lesson: Acts 1: 1-11
Responsive Reading: Psalm 47
Second Lesson: Ephesians 1: 15-23
​Gospel Lesson: Luke 24: 44-53

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
In 1986, The Minnesota Twins weren’t a very good Baseball team.  They came in 6th place out of 7th place in the American League’s Western Division.  People were so disinterested that they came in 13th out of 14th in team attendance in the American League.  Things were so grim that with 23 games left in the season, they fired their manager Ray Miller[1].  No one expected a World Series in the year ahead. 

The 1987 Minnesota Twins certainly had their weaknesses.  They had a record of 29-52 in road games.  Their pitching wasn’t very good finishing 10th of 14th in Earned Run Average.  The Twins were certainly underdogs heading into the playoffs, winning ten fewer games during the season than any other team.  No one thought a team could win the World Series that was actually outscored by its opponents during the regular season.  Heading into the World Series versus the Saint Louis Cardinals ABC announcer Al Micheals described the Twins as underdogs in every way possible[2].   If any team wasn’t going to end Minnesota’s Championship drought, it appeared to be the 1987 Minnesota Twins. 

The thing about Sports is upsets happen.  Game 7-Twins 4 Cardinals 2 and the Twins are World Champions!  Minnesota was overcome with joy like never before.  On the day of the victory parade,  “Governor Rudy Perpich declared a half-day holiday for government workers.  St. Paul schools did the same, and in Minneapolis, any child could get out of class with a parent’s permission[3]”.  The Minnesota Twins shut down both Minneapolis and Saint Paul on parade day.  Hundreds of thousands filled the streets; people were parking on freeway off-ramps, people have put aside everything to send the 1987 Minnesota Twins off in style[4].  The Twins would win the World Series again just four short years later, but it was the 1987 team that changed Baseball fans within Minnesota forever.  The celebration afterward testified to this fact.

Today’s Gospel Lesson tells the story of another victory parade after an unexpected triumph[5].  The last chance to see Jesus in his earthly ministry before he ascends to the right hand of God the Father and those who were a witness to it would never be the same again.  Today we hear the story of Jesus’ Ascension. 

Forty days had taken place since Jesus’ Resurrection.  Jesus had made several appearances to both the Disciples and others over the past forty days.  Jesus in these appearances convinced those who witnessed and heard of his death that the grave shall one day ultimately be made powerless.  These appearances though began to set the stage for his eventual departure[6]. 

Now in Today’s lesson, Jesus blesses his followers and is carried up into heaven.  Jesus leaves this world behind to prepare a place for us in the world that is to come.  As Jesus leaves this world behind, he leaves the world in our care. 

One time, Archie Bunker was out running an errand with Meathead[7].  Archie then witnesses a mugging in an alley.  Archie is terrified to go to court because he believes the Mafia was behind the mugging and he doesn’t want to get hurt.  Archie is dragged down to the police station where he gives the police a bunch of exaggerated statements hoping to be done with this ordeal.   Archie was terrified of being a witness.  Archie was terrified of looking foolish under the bright lights of cross-examination.  Archie saw witnessing as having nothing but downside.  We as Christian people often feel the same way when it comes to our faith.  Our excuses often have to do with not knowing enough, not being up to the task.

The Christian Church didn’t get started because the Disciples wanted to obsess about trying to figure out what they didn’t know.  They had been close witnesses to Jesus’ teaching and preaching, his healing of sick, his giving of sight to the blind, his feeding of the 5,000, his calming of the storm, and his death and his resurrection[8].  The Disciples were going to proclaim this message until the day of his return.  While we don’t have the same experience with Jesus that the Disciples did,  we can point towards within our lives, where our faith help sustains and comfort us in some of life’s darkest hours. 

The year was 1945; a German soldier sat inside a POW Camp[9].  The young man was reluctant to join Hitler’s army, but that was what you did as a German youth in those days.  He dreaded returning to his homeland to the siege of destruction in the wake of war.  Worst of all were the images that he had seen: from Auschwitz.  The young man knew he was sitting in prison because he sided with evil.  The young man felt his shame and despair could never leave his life.   As he sat in the POW Camp, a chaplain handed him a Bible, having nothing better to do, he read it day after day.  It was in the story of the crucifixion that he heard of a man abandoned by the world, yet the story would not be over.  Two years later, the man attends a Christian conference in the Netherlands where he hears men tell stories of the horror and pain of war, yet these men were not looking to lash out.  They wanted to proclaim forgiveness to chart out a new course forward for their former enemies.  Their former opponents were now going to be their brothers and sisters in Christ.  The young man who formerly sat in the POW Camp for the first time since the War was able to see “hope.”  He would dedicate the rest of his life, for the cause of advancing the Christian faith.  The soldier's name was Jurgen Moltmann.  Moltmann was one of the great religious scholars of the 20th century. 

All this happened because men unlike Archie Bunker were willing to embrace fear to reach out for the sake of what they believe.  

The last thing to take from the story of Jesus’ ascension is this.  He will come back once again.   He is creating a place for us with many rooms in the mean time? When will Christ return?  Such a question gets at one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith.  Here’s the thing about faith though.  We possess faith when we come to terms with things that we can’t say for certain.  Jesus’ could have given the Disciples an answer regarding the exact date of his return but didn’t.  Jesus instead told them what he wanted them to know instead[10]. “I have risen, go proclaim forgiveness and eternal life, and I will come back.”   

Once upon a time, there was a benevolent king[11].  He wanted to conduct an experiment of sorts upon his subjects.  The King knew that people would always blame the king for everything wrong that ever came their way.  So he decided to see how exactly they would respond to obstacles that came before them.  The King decides to place a giant stone in the middle of the road where all his subjects would be forced to travel.  People’s response to the stone was typical.  They would cuss under their breath, they would complain about the King for not taking care of the roads, they would go around the stone then go on their very way.  Finally, a poor peasant farmer comes upon the stone.  This farmer was in a really, tough spot.  His family was starving and struggling in every way imaginable.  He needed to get to the market as soon as possible, and he didn’t have much time for this lousy stone.  The man figured the stone needed to move.  So the man starts attempting to get the giant stone from the road.  The man pushed and pushed and pushed till he had no more strength within his body.  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the stone was off the road.  The peasant went back to the place where the stone formally laid and noticed something under the stone.  It appeared to be a small purse, the peasant opened the purse and saw it filled with “gold coins” Inside the King had written a note saying that the purse now belonged to the man who had moved the stone[12].   

Here’s the thing about the peasant with the stone.  It would have been real easy to believe that such a task was pointless.  Pushing a stone like this was just a waste of time, that there are no potential gold coins to come one’s way.  Jurgen Moltmann certainly felt like this sitting in his prison cell.  We might feel like this at times as we consider our faith.  The world around us might seem to be crushing our hope.  The Disciples felt this way as they witnessed Jesus’ death.  Pretty soon, they would see the stone move.  Pretty soon, he was standing in their presence once again, proclaiming things shall never be the same again.  As Jesus ascends into heaven, he is proclaiming that he shall soon be standing in our presence once again.  There will certainly be times when this outcome seems unlikely like when the 1987 Minnesota Twins stood toe to toe with Baseball’s best teams, yet one day soon a victory parade shall gather.  Resurrection will soon change your world forever.  Amen
 
 
 
 


[1] Information comes from Baseball Reference and Wikipedia pages for 86-87 Minnesota Twins. 
[2] Schilling, Peter. Jr. “In 87 the Twins Turned the Towns Upside Down.” MinnPost. 25.Oct.2012. Web. May.25.2017. 
[3] Schilling, Peter. Jr. “In 87 the Twins Turned the Towns Upside Down.”
[4] Schilling, Peter. Jr. “In 87 the Twins Turned the Towns Upside Down.”
[5] Luke 24:44-53. 
[6] Otterstatter, Micheal. “Hear Jesus Say ‘Goodbye’” Sermon Central. 22.May.2006. Web. May.22.2017. 
[7] Zingale, Tim. “Witness”. Sermon Central 24. Apr.2006. Web. May.22.2017.  Additionally information taken from “ Archie Sees A Mugging.” IMDB page. 
[8] Stier, Leon. “It Is Not for You to Know.” Email Mediatations. 19.May.2015. Web. May.22.2017
[9] Stories for Preaching. “God’s Love and a German Solider.” Taken from Moltmann’s writings.  Web. May.25.2017. 
[10] Stier, Leon. “It Is Not for You to Know.”
[11] Pullam, Kraig. “Mixed Emotions about Our Future.” Sermon Central. 18.Feb.2014. Web. May.25.2017. 
[12] Pullam, Kraig. “Mixed Emotions about Our Future.  

First Lesson: Acts 17: 22-31
Responsive Reading: Psalm 66: 8-20
Second Lesson: 1 Peter 3: 13-22
Gospel Lesson: John 14: 15-21

“And how can they believe in one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”- Romans 10:14
​
Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

William Carey was born in England in 1761.  At the age of 14, Carey became an apprentice to a shoemaker.  The next several years of William Carey’s life involved trying to find his way in the world.  Carey wasn’t all that good a shoemaker; he tried his hand being a “lay-preacher” but didn’t seem to be an overwhelmingly captivating speaker. Finally, the local schoolmaster quit, Carey volunteered despite having only a basic education,  Carey quickly flamed out at another job[1]. 

Carey eventually gets married, has a child, but Carey’s lack of steady work had the family living in poverty.  William Carey though for all that he wasn’t seemingly gifted at had two things going for him: 1. He was very enthusiastic about his faith because of how it had changed his life.  2. He possessed the ability to learn languages managing to teach himself New Testament Greek easily. 

Carey had a secondary passion in that he loved looking at maps[2].  Carey would try to learn all about these places in which he had never been.  As Carey kept looking at his maps, he kept asking the question: “Why can’t Jesus be told about in all these places that I’ve never been?”

The verse that Carey could never shake his head was Jesus’ command to the Disciples:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit “-Matthew 28:19-20

In 1792, William Carey founded an organization called the Baptist Missionary Society[3].  Within one year, Carey’s whole family journeyed to India.  What happened once Carey got to India, we’ll get back to his story in a bit.

Today’s first lesson like the tale of William Carey tells another “Missionary Story?” 

The Apostle Paul is preaching in the marketplace of Athens (one of the centers of the Ancient World).  The Athens had their Gods whom you might have heard[4]: Aphrodite (Goddess of Love), Poseidon (God of the Sea), Apollo (The Sun God), and Zeus (The King of the Gods, Ruler of the Sky).  Paul as he is traveling around Athens just sees tribute after tribute to these Gods.  Paul’s preaching was the bold move of going in the heart of potentially hostile territory hoping to see conversions. 

I’ve been to quite a few sporting events over the years.  I’ve seen quite a few fans of the visiting team attending in enemy territory.  Here’s what I’ve always noticed: fans of losing teams are pretty much snickered at, whereas fans of winning teams promote hostility.  People get mad at New York Yankees fans, whereas people are pretty much indifferent to fans of the San Diego Padres.  No one perceives the Padres as a threat.

Paul’s preaching in Athens was pretty much initially treated in Athens like the vocal San Diego Padre fan; people were pretty curious why he cared, rather than treating Paul with outright hostility like he had seen previously.  Christians weren’t viewed as a threat to the established order like in Rome or Jerusalem.  So the Athenians bring Paul to appear before the Areopagus or the Athenian City Council, figuring they might have a few good laughs by his claims.  Who was this guy claiming that there is one true God, rather than the many Gods of Aphrodite, Poseidon, and Zeus that we know so well?

Paul begins his sermon to the Athenians in a non-controversial matter.  He begins with a compliment “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way[5].” 

One time, My Grandma calls me up, she’s super-excited.  She tells me that I need to turn on PBS right away to hear in her words “A really Christian preacher.”  I was confused as while PBS has some fine programming, overtly religious doesn’t seem common place. 

The self-help new age guru on PBS was named Wayne Dyer.  Dyer would quote scripture along with all sorts of religious and non-religious sources.  Grandma though whose Grandfather had such religious conviction that he helped start the English-speaking Lutheran church in Lindstrom, could not immediately see that Dyer was attempting to give her a new interpretation on all that she had previously known.  Dyer’s approach is similar to what Paul is doing in Athens attempting to give a new spin on the faith of the famous Greek gods they had previously known.

Paul describes his journey around Athens, all the statues that he encounters.  Paul then describes encounter an altar made out to an “unknown God[6].”  Paul begins to explain that the whole purpose of his journey to Athens is to make this unknown God into a known God. Paul describes his God as being different than the ones of legend they have heard about their whole lives; Paul describes his God as being a personal God who knows your very name.  Paul says the proof that this God knows your name is his son Jesus Christ rose from the dead for your sins.  “Paul says the Resurrection of God’s son has the power to change the world more so than any other Gods that you’ve previously encountered. 

Here’s what makes Paul’s preaching about Resurrection so notable.  Greeks in Athens lived with the idea that only the soul exists forever, that our bodies are merely temporary vessels forever assigned to the grave.  Paul is instead preaching that you will indeed live forever in both body and soul! Paul is preaching to them a message of resurrection that because of the Risen Lord “ Your life will never be the same again.”
We hear stories like Paul in Athens, or William Carey traveling to India.  Our initial reaction is “That’s so not us.”  We might not see ourselves as speakers, scholars, or great examples that anyone should strive to follow.  We think Evangelism is often a task best left up to someone else, someone that can be naturally bold in proclaiming their faith. 

One time, Lucy is talking to Charlie Brown[7].  Lucy proclaims “I would have made a great evangelist?” Charlie says “Really??” to which Lucy answers “Yes, I convinced that boy ahead of me in school that my religion is better than his religion?” Charlie is amazed, “Well how did you do that?” Lucy says “I hit him over the head with my lunch box?” 

Now Lucy’s methods in the long-run probably weren’t very effective in winning converts.  Paul’s methods didn’t change the religious attitudes of Athens overnight.  Some people mocked and scoffed at Paul.  A few people did say though “We want to hear more.”  One of these men was named Dionysius who became the Greek Church’s first bishop[8]. 

Evangelism never promises to be easy, but it does have potential to change the world.  What happened to William Carey, once he got to India?  William Carey’s early years in India were miserable.  Carey had to move hoping to find means to support his family continually. Carey eventually finds work raising indigo.  His family was perpetually sick and lonely.  He lost a five-year-old son of dysentery.  Carey’s wife eventually has a nervous breakdown[9].  Carey though kept believing that the promises of God’s Word would come through for him in the end. 

William Carey spent the last 41 years of his life living in India.  Carey’s missionary work helped bring about a changed nation.  Carey helped spearhead Indians to abolish practices of widow burning and infanticide[10].  In 1818, he helped find a college.  Carey would help translate the Bible into six languages, and making the Bible accessible to upwards of three-hundred million more people than before[11].  William Carey today is regarded as “The Father of Modern Missions.”  Carey could have come up with all sorts of reasons not to act: there were going to be people rejecting his message, people could scoff at him like they did Paul in Athens, yet William Carey believed that Easter Sunday ultimately changed the whole wide world.  Carey believed that this whole wide world needed to hear of the power of Resurrection.  Amen
 
 
 


[1] Stier, Leon. “The Father of the Modern Missionary Movement.” Email Mediatations. 29. Apr.2017. Web. May.15.2017. 
[2] Stier, Leon. “The Father of the Modern Missionary Movement.”
[3] Stier, Leon. “The Father of the Modern Missionary Movement.”
[4] Molin, Steve. “I See How Extremely Religious You Are.” Sermon Writer. 2008. Web. May.15.2017. 
[5] Acts 17:22
[6] Acts 17:23. 
[7] Otterstatter, Michael. “Lead Others to Know God.” Sermon Central. 31. Jan.2006. Web. May.15.2017. 
[8] Acts 17:34. 
[9] Stier, Leon. “The Father of the Modern Missionary Movement.”
[10] Stier, Leon. “The Father of the Modern Missionary Movement.”
[11] Stier, Leon. “The Father of the Modern Missionary Movement.”

First Lesson: Acts 7: 55-60
Responsive Reading: Psalm 31: 1-5, 15-16
Second Lesson: 1 Peter 2: 2-10
​Gospel Lesson: John 14: 1-14

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Hunter Adams was born in Washington D.C. in 1945[1].  Hunter Adams lost his Dad to a heart attack as a teenager.  He was bullied in High School.  Hunter lost his closest uncle to Suicide.  Hunter dropped out of college in 1964 after being dumped by his girlfriend.  Hunter’s mind became obsessed with his loneliness and felt he would be happier dead.  Hunter eventually tells his Mom that she better check him into a mental hospital or else[2].  Hunter described his early life as “being caught in a snowstorm so blinding that you could walk in circles for days and not even know it.  You are incredibly tired and no one is answering your cries for help.  How small can you feel? How far away from home can you be[3].”  “Home is both where you are from as well as your destination[4].”   What ended up happening to Hunter Adams as he tried to find his way home in the midst of life’s snowstorms, I’ll get back to his story in a little bit.
 
Today’s Gospel lesson contains some of the most famous words in the New Testament.  “In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?”-John 14:2
 
Here’s the background for this passage.  Jesus knew that he was about a week away from being arrested and his eventual journey to the grave.  Jesus figures that he needs to get the Disciples ready for this event.  Jesus wanted them to have the right attitude as they witness his arrest, and execution.   To do this, Jesus wants them to focus not on the present but rather the future.  Jesus knew that the Disciples would worry about the future as soon as Jesus was no longer with them.  Jesus wanted to ease their future fears. 
 
Jesus wanted the Disciples to know what he was getting ready for them was way better than anything they have seen or could imagine. 
 
William Montague Dyke was ten years old when he was blinded in an accident[5].  William’s disability was not an obstacle to his success.  William graduated university with highest honors where he met a woman to whom he was soon engaged.
 
While engaged, William Montague Dyke had eye surgery[6].  The eye surgery had a catch if it failed he would be permanently blind, but if it succeeded, he would finally be able to lay his eyes on his bride.  After surgery, William had an odd request; he wanted to keep the bandages over his eyes until the day of his wedding.  He wanted the first person that he saw to be his new bride.  While he had no evidence that he could see, he wanted to wait.
 
William Montague Dyke’s wedding day arrives[7].  Bandages cover William’s eyes.  Pretty soon, the bride’s wedding march begins to play.  At this point, the eye surgeon cut William’s bandages.  The room was dead silent.
 
Then they hear William proclaim “You are more beautiful than I ever imagined.”  

What Jesus is saying to the Disciples is do not dread the events of the week ahead, because what lies ahead is more beautiful than you could ever imagine.  You might be blind today, but soon you shall see.
 
In many ways, we might be like Jesus’ disciples when hearing what lies ahead.  We might want to be with Jesus, but we realize that there is a tension involved[8].  We don’t want to leave this world behind before we achieve our goals, before we see our grandkids married, or before for some of us, we see the Minnesota Vikings win a Super Bowl.  We struggle to leave this world behind for what we might miss in life.
 
Perhaps in many ways, our apprehension about Heaven has to do with our misunderstandings of it.  As Steve Molin points out “The world’s theology tells us that we have 60 or 70 or 80 years to sufficiently impress God with our goodness, and if we do right, we will earn heaven[9].”
 
What Jesus is assuring us is our path is not the way to heaven, there is instead one way to heaven instead. 
 
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”-John 14:6
 
Last Friday Night, Silver Bay had their prom.  Some girls started working on their hair at 9 A.M. on Friday Morning to get ready for a 6:00 PM Grand March.  Kids had been waiting for weeks or years to attend prom.  After the prom, Afterprom takes place at the Arena.  Prizes, games, and parents fill the Arena with the desire to make the night as special as possible for the kids.  They needed a chaperone for the late night shift (2-5 AM), so I get to the Arena about 2 AM.  The kids are dead-tired, half of them are sleeping on the floor or in the ball tent.  The ones awake comment on how tiring it had been to be up since 5 in the morning.  Even kids eventually need sleep, before awakening to New Life.  Morning from the darkness of this world is the promise of Resurrection that Jesus is giving to his Disciples today.    
 
The Apostle Paul in Romans 8 declares “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us[10].”
 
Earlier, I told the story about Hunter Adams checking into the mental institution.  Did Hunter Adams never escape the snowstorm that afflicted him?  Hunter Adams at the mental institution comes across all sorts of people like him and it forever changes him.  Hunter begins making friends with the other patients, he begins making them laugh, and Hunter Adams decides that he’s going to get out of the mental institution with the goal of becoming a doctor.  Hunter Adams does become a Doctor.  People best know Hunter Adams by his nickname “Patch.”  Patch Adams had a popular movie made about his life starring Robin Williams and today is one of the most well-known voices in American medicine.  Patch Adams’ story reminds us that we can never let the pain of our “now” overwhelm the promise of our “not yet.”  Jesus within our Gospel lesson is letting the Disciples know that pretty soon Resurrection will change absolutely everything.
 
Tim Zingale, tells the following story[11].  One time a preacher was flying on a plane.  Pretty soon, the preacher hears a bump.  Then coming overhead flashes “Fasten your seat belts.”
 
During the flight, the turbulence keeps getting worse and worse.  The passengers are getting more and more apprehensive.
 
Rain started coming; thunder could be heard roaring across the sky, lightning started flashing seemingly right out the window.  The wind kicked up to a point; the plane felt like it was being tossed around the air.
 
Pretty soon people began praying and calling on the Lord’s name to bring them to safety. 
 
On this flight, there was one strange, little girl[12].  The whole flight she sat in her seat in the very same position, her feet never even moved as the plane was tossed around the sky, she kept casually reading her book.  The child wasn’t even flinching no matter how scary the flight became. 

The minister was shocked at what he saw.  The plane eventually touches down safely.  The minister decides to talk to the little girl and find out why she remained so calm during the flight.  The girl replied: “Sir, my Dad is the pilot, and he promised to take me home[13].”  What Jesus is saying today is similar to what the pilot said to the little girl that no matter how turbulent your life shall become, I promise that I will take you home.”
 
There will certainly be times when this is hard to grasp.  It was hard to grasp for Patch Adams before he checked into the mental institution, it was hard to grasp as William Montague Dyke lost his eyesight, and it will be hard to grasp as we like the Silver Bay High Schoolers run out of energy in the middle of the night.  Here’s what I want to assure you of though.  In the storms of life, the promises of Resurrection are such that they assure us that the best is always yet to come.
 
The final story[14], once upon a time there was a lady who had received a terminal diagnosis and told she had less than three months to live.  She decides that she needs to then plan her funeral with her pastor.  They discuss the normal things: songs and scripture readings.  Finally, right before the pastor left, the woman said, “I’ve got something very important to tell you.”  The woman then declared “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.”
 
The pastor was stumped[15].  The woman begins to explain, how she sat through meal after meal at the church and as soon as we put plates away, someone would always say “Keep your fork.” These words were a reminder that dessert was soon to be served, whether it was chocolate cake or apple pie.  So when people see my in the casket and they wonder “what’s with the fork, then you can tell them …”The best is yet to come.” 
 
The pastor began to tear up as he heard the powerful promise of what lies ahead in this lady’s sermon.   
 
So on the day of the lady’s funeral people kept asking “What’s with the fork?”  The pastor just kept smiling.  The pastor explained the fork during the sermon, and no one there ever forgot it[16]. 
 
So as Jesus in Our Gospel Lesson is getting ready to leave this world behind, he promises his disciples that no matter what they see, “Don’t worry the best is yet to come.”
Amen. 


[1] “Patch Adams.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.4.May.2017. Web. May.8.2017. 
[2] Additional background information can be found on the Chasing the Frog website accessed on May.8.2017. 
[3] Ruffcorn, Kevin. “I Am The Way, The Truth And The Life.” Sermon Central.com. 17.Feb.2006. Web. May.8.2017
[4] Ruffcorn, Kevin. “I Am The Way, The Truth And The Life.”. 
[5] Crockett, Kent. Making Today Count for Eternity, Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2001, pp. 101-102 taken from Kent Crockett.com on May.8.2017. 
[6] Crockett, Kent. Making Today Count for Eternity.
[7] Crockett, Kent. Making Today Count for Eternity.
[8] Alcorn, Randy. “Six Questions about Heaven.” EPM.org blog published on 30.Oct.2016. Web. May.8.2017.  taken from Leon Stier’s Email Meditations on May.8.2017.   
[9] Molin, Steve. “Speaking of Death.” Sermon Writer.com. 2008. Web. May.8.2017. 
[10] Romans 8:18. 
[11] Zingale, Tim. “Life.” Sermon Central.com. 18. Apr.2005. Web. May.8.2017. 
[12] Zingale, Tim. “Life.”
[13] Zingale, Tim. “Life.”
[14] Stories for Preaching. “Keep Your Fork.” Web. May.8.2017 taken from Unknown source. 
[15] Stories for Preaching. “Keep Your Fork.”
[16] Stories for Preaching. “Keep Your Fork.”

First Lesson: Acts 2: 42-47
Responsive Reading: Psalm 23
Second Lesson: 1 Peter 2: 19-25
​Gospel Lesson: John 10: 1-10

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way;and the Lord has laid on him the sin of us all.”- Isaiah 53:6

I want to tell you this morning the story of an 8-year-old girl that I’ll call Sally[1].  The early years of Sally’s life were rough[2].  She was orphaned shortly after being born.  At four years old, Sally was adopted.  Sally’s hat a hard time fitting in with her new family, the biological children could never accept Sally.  After a couple of rough years with this adopted family, the adoption was dissolved and Sally returned to the orphanage.

Sally struggled every day with the pain of this rejection.  At eight years old, Sally was adopted into another family[3].  Sally was hesitant to leave the orphanage again after a previous bad experience being taken in by strangers.  The man now claiming to be Sally’s dad (Timothy) committed himself to welcoming Sally like she had never known.  Timothy quickly found out that Sally’s previous family would vacation yearly at Disney World; the biological children would go along, whereas Sally would stay behind with a family friend.  Sally had become convinced that the reason she couldn’t go to Disney World is that she was deficient compared to the biological brothers and sisters in some way.  Sally had heard plenty about Disney World, she heard about rides, characters, and parades. Every year though Sally was unable to go. Every year, Sally would hurt over this. 

Timothy hears this about Sally’s previous family; Timothy realized this situation was not right.  Timothy was going to make it his number one priority to have Sally see Disney World as soon as possible[4]. 

Timothy’s offer to see Disney World changed Sally and not for the better.  In the months leading up to the trip to the Magic Kingdom, Sally got in trouble every way possible.   She would sneak food and then fib about it.  Sally would think of the meanest things that she could say to hurt her older sister.  The closer to the trip to Disney World, the worst Sally seemed to behave[5].

Timothy was frustrated beyond belief, a few days before the trip Sally is in trouble yet again. 

Timothy takes Sally aside.  Timothy begins trying to explain to Sally why what she had done was wrong yet again when Sally interrupts[6].

“I know what you’re going to do… You’re not going to take me to Disney World are you?”

Timothy was speechless.  All Sally’s life she had heard reasons why she couldn’t attend the Magic Kingdom, she rebelled because she didn’t want to be disappointed once again.”

Timothy began thinking about Sally’s question.  Timothy struggled with the temptation of the easy out in that very moment.  Timothy had a great carrot to offer Sally “If you don’t behave better, we won’t take you.”  Timothy though for reasons that he couldn’t figure out thought to say something different instead. He asked her.

“Sally, Is this trip something we’re doing as a family[7]?”
With tears in her eyes, Sally nodded “Yes.”
“Sally, are you a part of this family?”
Sally nodded once again.
“Then you’re going with us… You’re part of our family, and we’re not leaving you behind[8].”

What happened once Sally got to Disney World?  We will get back to her story in a little bit.
Today’s Gospel Lesson comes to us from John 10[9].  It’s a lesson where Jesus promises to be our Good Shepherd.

To understand our lesson, you need to understand what takes place right before it.  Jesus comes across a man born blind[10].  In Jesus’ day, blindness had been considered a curse brought about by some nasty sin (even Jesus’ disciples previously believed this.)  Jesus heals this man born blind[11].  Not everyone though is happy with this healing though.  When the blind man and his parents return home “Praising Jesus,” the religious leaders are not happy that the blind man was healed on the Sabbath, by someone far outside the religious mainstream of the day.  So the religious leaders got nasty, they told the blind man and his parents to get lost.  They were out of the synagogue and out of the community and they never wanted to see them again[12].  Now picture this situation, imagine being told that the only community you’ve ever known wants nothing to do with you ever again.  Imagine being forced from your home out into the elements.  Such a terrible scenario was the situation that the blind man and his parents found themselves. They were abandoned by their community, no different than Sally had been abandoned going to Disney World by her previous family.  Jesus then hears the story about the blind man’s family situation and declares them to now be part of his family “forever.”   Just like Sally and the trip to Disney World, this promise was not going to be dependent on conditions of good behavior being fulfilled.

The promise that Jesus gives the blind man and his family is our Gospel Lesson for Today[13]. 
Jesus promises to be the “Shepherd of the Sheep.”

Jesus used this language to illustrate how he was going to care for the blind man’s family moving forward?
Sheep herding was one of the most common professions in Jesus’ day[14].  Shepherding was probably the first century equivalent of being a laborer, you would hire people to watch “your flocks, ” and they would have one job “keep your sheep alive.”  The nature of shepherding is that it was a transient profession by nature, people would often leave “flocks” if they could get a little more money just down the road. 

Jesus wants to let the blind man’s family though that he intends to be a different type of shepherd “a good shepherd.” 

Jesus promises to “Gather the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he will gently lead those who have young[15].” 

We might know the famous Sunday school painting of Jesus holding the lamb in his arms[16].  What Jesus is saying to the Blind Man’s family today is that the promises of our faith are as secure in my arms as the lamb that Jesus holds in the painting. 

Jesus’ promises belong to the little Sally as she’s previously never truly “belonged” to a family in her life.  These promises belong to us as our hairs get grayer and our bodies get weaker[17].  These promises go even to the Valley of the Shadow of death itself. 

The Good Shepherd promises to be with us in both good and bad times.  The Shepherd promises to call us by “name” in Baptism; he promises to sustain our faith in his heavenly supper.  The Good Shepherd promises that even as we encounter the grave, we shall soon encounter resurrection.

What happened to Sally once she got to Disney World, Did Sally behave better on the car trip down to Orlando[18]? No, she didn’t.  Still, Timothy was thoroughly committed to showing Sally Disney World.  Sally has her day at Disney World, the day was nothing out of the ordinary, lots of money spent, lots of lines spent waiting in, with just enough “Disney Magic” sprinkled in so Sally would never forget it.

Later that night, Sally was in the hotel room, looking across the room at her “new” Dad.  Sally was tired, but Sally was different.  Sally and Dad had prayed their prayers before Dad asked Sally “So how was your first day at Disney world[19]?”

Sally seemed to drift off to sleep before answering the question, only to slowly open her eyes and then saying “Daddy, I finally got to go to Disney World.  But it wasn’t because I was good; it’s because I’m yours[20].”

Here’s the thing about shepherding.  The whole nature of being a shepherd is because of the commitment to one’s sheep.  A shepherd leads the sheep to water; a shepherd leads the sheep to pasture, A shepherd guards and protects his sheep from all wolves, thieves, and robbers.  A Good Shepherd promises that the Sheep will always find their way home. A Good Shepherd promises never to stop trying to find the lost sheep. A Good Shepherd’s promises extend even when we wander away, even when we find ways to get in trouble in every way imaginable.  A Good Shepherd’s promises extend forever.  Sheep start out like Sally unsure whether the voice they hear can truly be trusted.   Sheep eventually get more and more familiar though with the promises of their Shepherd’s voice.   Eventually, Sheep realize that they need to trust in this voice, more so than any other voice that they don’t previously know[21].  Sheep pretty soon come to realize that they shall never stray from the Good Shepherd because the Good Shepherd promises never to stray from them.   Amen


[1][1] The name is creative license.  Timothy is based on her father Timothy Jones the author of the book from which the story is taken. 
[2] Stories for Preaching. “Because I’m Yours…The Little Girl Who Finally Went to Disney World.” Taken from Daniel Montgomery and Timothy Paul Jones’ book Proof: Finding Freedom Through the Intoxicating Joy of Irrestible Grace published by Zondervan in 2014.  Web. May.1.2017. 
[3] Stories for Preaching. “Because I’m Yours…The Little Girl Who Finally Went to Disney World.”
[4] Stories for Preaching. “Because I’m Yours…The Little Girl Who Finally Went to Disney World.”
[5] Stories for Preaching. “Because I’m Yours…The Little Girl Who Finally Went to Disney World.”
[6] Stories for Preaching. “Because I’m Yours…The Little Girl Who Finally Went to Disney World.”
[7] Stories for Preaching. “Because I’m Yours…The Little Girl Who Finally Went to Disney World.”
[8] Stories for Preaching. “Because I’m Yours…The Little Girl Who Finally Went to Disney World.”
[9] John 1:10
[10] Lewis, Karoline. “Abundant Life.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul, MN. 7.May.2017. Web. May.1.2017. 
[11] John 9:1-12. 
[12] John 9:34. 
[13] John 10:1-10
[14] Schultz, Don. “The Good Shepherd Will Never Abandon You.” Sermon Central.com. 9.May.2003. Web. May.1.2017. 
[15] Isaiah 40:11. 
[16] Stier, Leon. “348)The Good Shepherd.” Email Mediatations. 25.Mar.2014. Web. May.1.2017. 
[17] Stier, Leon. 348)The Good Shepherd.”
[18] Stories for Preaching. “Because I’m Yours…The Little Girl Who Finally Went to Disney World.”
[19] Stories for Preaching. “Because I’m Yours…The Little Girl Who Finally Went to Disney World.”
[20] Stories for Preaching. “Because I’m Yours…The Little Girl Who Finally Went to Disney World.”
[21] Steir, Leon. “348)The Good Shepherd.”