Listen to the Shepherd’s voice and follow to life and joy.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
The Fourth Sunday of Easter, year C
Text: John 10:22-30; Acts 9:36-43

Beloved in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Why did the Christians at Joppa send for Peter?

At this point in Acts, Peter was becoming known for being able to heal. But Tabitha was dead.

When Peter came, Luke doesn’t say they asked for anything. Peter went upstairs to pray for her, met many of her friends who were mourning. They showed Peter all the clothes she had made for them, talked about what a wonderful person she was. Nothing was said about raising her.

Now, Luke says that this resurrection became known throughout that city, and “many believed in the Lord” because of it. But if you’re only trusting in Jesus as the Messiah because of Tabitha’s resurrection, that could be a problem.

The Judeans also have a problem of knowing how to trust Jesus.

How long will you keep us in suspense? they ask. Tell us plainly, are you the Messiah?

At this point in John’s Gospel, Jesus has healed, fed thousands, taught many, and become known in the north, in Galilee. But now he’s in Jerusalem, at the Temple. And the Judeans want their own answers. As we heard in Adult Forum last week, there likely was some urban snobbery among the Judeans about rubes from up north in Galilee. So they wanted to know for themselves.

But one chapter earlier, in Jerusalem, Jesus healed a blind man and it caused a stir. A Pharisaic investigation was launched, people were questioned, the man himself was grilled, it was big. They certainly knew of this.

And so Jesus says that words aren’t going to help; he’s already told them who he is and they didn’t trust that. So, he says, look at what I’m doing. You’ve seen for yourself.

But it’s not enough. So, what do they need to trust Jesus? John says he wrote his Gospel so that you, too, could trust that Jesus is the Messiah, God’s Son, and, so trusting, have life in his name. So, their question is also your question: what do you need to trust?

No matter what Luke says, don’t expect Tabitha’s experience.

Sure, lots in the city came to faith because of what Peter did. But Jesus only raised three people from the dead. Later in Acts, Paul will raise someone. Peter never had raised anyone before, and never did again as far as we’re told. It was rare even then. And 2,000 years later, Tabitha is dead now; she’s not walking among us. And all her lovely friends met their deaths without an apostle handy to divert the funeral.

The problem with believing in Christ because of Tabitha’s story is that it’s likely never to happen to you or me. If God thinks such resurrections, or even eye-opening miracles, are what you need to trust Christ, why are they so rare? And if they’re not what God thinks you need, what is?

Jesus tells you today: I’ve shown you all you need.

If you want me as your Shepherd, listen to my voice. Follow me. Then you’ll know. Nothing prevents the people of Jerusalem from becoming Jesus’ sheep except their unwillingness to listen to his voice and follow. And nothing prevents you. You’ve seen what you need to see.

You’ve seen that God in Christ loves you beyond and through your sin and offers you unconditional forgiveness, a life cleansed from guilt and shame. So you don’t need to fear what you’ve been, only boldly be who you are in Christ.

You’ve seen at the cross and empty tomb that God’s love cannot be stopped by death. That not only will you have life in Christ after you die, but countless believers before you have told you that resurrection life is possible now, abundant, rich, fulfilled life following in the way of the cross, the way of Christ. So you have a path right before you, ready for you to walk without fear, to being a kinder, more loving, vulnerable, embodiment of God’s love, and a bringer of God’s healing to this world.

You’ve been fed here at Christ’s forgiveness table, guided here by God’s Word, blessed here by God’s people, and given strength and support.

And you’ve seen that the risen Christ has promised to be with you, so you can ask for your faith to be strengthened, for God’s Spirit to fill you, so you can trust in your Shepherd, even without all the evidence we always seem to want.

And that’s the true joy of Tabitha’s story.

Tabitha was a follower of Christ who changed her world with her love and generosity. She lived in a community that also loved in Christ’s name, made a difference, cared for their neighbors. They had life in Christ that helped them face their fears and live with boldness and courage.

They heard the voice of their Shepherd and followed. And rejoiced in the life of love they had, a life that was all they could think about when their sister died. Peter raising her was an unexpected extra. The joy there is the life of a community of faith that served others and made a difference in the world.

My sheep hear my voice and they follow me, Jesus said.

And nothing can snatch any of my sheep from my hand, nothing.

That’s all you need to know to trust in your Good Shepherd. The One who gives you abundant life here, even in a world of death and fear. Who fills you with the Spirit to transform you and your life into a loving grace and gift for the world. Who holds you always, no matter what, in this life and even through and past the death that awaits us all.

Follow that Voice you know so well, step by step, day by day. Listen, and let the Spirit change you. And in that following you will find joy. And so will everyone who knows you.

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen

No matter what you think may disqualifies you from the risen life of Christ, God’s not done with you.

Vicar Natalie Wussler
The Third Sunday of Easter, year C
Text: Act 9:1-20; Psalm 30; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19

Beloved in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

This Easter season, we’re reminded that resurrection isn’t just something  Jesus did 2000 years ago and it’s not something that only happens after we die, it’s something we’re called into, today. Resurrection is a daily invitation into a life marked by a love that heals, a justice that restores, a courage that takes risks for our neighbors, and a mercy that transforms us. This is the life that Christ has made possible for us through dying and rising. And yet, we doubt–we doubt if we’re ready or if we’re good enough. We doubt our worth and we doubt if God can really use us. And we worry that our doubts, our fears, and our past mistakes keep us from living out this risen life. And sometimes we’re filled with so much anxiety that we exclude ourselves before giving God’s love and ourselves a chance. And we’re in good company.

Sometimes, we’re like Peter, ashamed and confused. We meet Peter today after he’s denied Jesus but knows he’s risen, and has no clue what to do next. Peter is so caught up in shame that he covers his body when he sees Jesus, like Adam and Eve do in the garden when they meet God, because he feels so exposed and embarrassed by his mistakes. We’ve been there–scared to live as who God has called us to be, ashamed because we didn’t live up to our potential, embarrassed by our mistakes, and anxious about what it all means for our future. 

We’re like Saul, later Paul, who’s confronted by his past of dehumanizing and hurting people. If you’ve ever been woken up to the long error of your ways or pain that you’ve caused people,  you know Saul’s regret. You know his fear that the path he’s walked for so long has led to death and pain. You might know how shocking it is to realize you’ve been going the wrong way, and how scary it is to pick up the pieces and start walking toward a new life.

And we’re like Ananias, called to lay his hands on Saul and heal him, but terrified to do it. He knows Saul’s reputation, he knows Saul was coming to Damascus to kill people like him, and he believes even being in the same room as Saul could mean death for him and his community. He’s feeling the real anxiety that comes when we’re asked to love our enemies, and he resists God’s call. He doubts whether God could actually transform someone from breathing threats of murder to proclaiming the good news of the risen Christ. He’s counted Saul out. And we’ve also had moments of doubt. We’ve been scared about doing what we’re called to and worried that our acts of love are too risky. We’ve counted someone out because of who we believe they are, and we’ve failed to love our enemies.

But even with all their flaws, their messy pasts, their mistakes, and their fears, God still called on Peter, Saul, and Ananias. God still sent them on paths to be leaders of the early church, and to proclaim God’s love and to serve people everywhere. God was not done with them.

And here’s the good news: God’s not done with you–

For all the ways you feel ashamed and for all your past mistakes, God’s not done with you.

For all the things you regret, for all the ways you’ve taken the wrong steps, God’s not done with you

For all the ways you fear or resist taking the next step on this path toward risen life and all the ways you’ve doubted, God’s not done with you.

And God will never be done with you. When you bring God your shame, your fear, and your doubt, God will meet you exactly where you are, ready to offer grace and mercy where you need it, and remind you of the risen life that you’re called into, and nothing will ever change that.

And we’ll mess up. That’s a guarantee. We’ll still fear, we’ll still doubt, we’ll still make mistakes, we might even still hurt people. But our hope is that God is always resurrecting us. Resurrection means that nothing–not death, not failure, not your past regrets, or your fears for the future–has the final word. God’s grace and love do. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about trusting that God’s Holy Spirit is always transforming your heart and mind and sending you to be a part of love’s never-ending work in the world. It’s about trusting that God is still resurrecting us to new life–like Peter was transformed from embarrassed and ashamed to the rock of the early church, or how Saul went from being a persecutor of Christians to spreading Christ’s message throughout the ancient world, or how Ananias went from believing Saul would kill him to calling him brother and praying for him. And even now, this same resurrection lives in you–helping you grow, heal, and become who you’re called to be, one step at a time.  God is always guiding you by the Holy Spirit into new life.

God isn’t waiting for you to be good enough, or faithful enough, or to have the right answers. God is calling on you, now, exactly as you are to tend God’s flock, feed God’s sheep, and follow in Jesus footsteps, to lay hands of healing on the people who need it, to feed hungry people, to love the person who is struggling with their mental health, to come close to the person who’s mourning, to uplift our siblings on the margins. To trust that God will meet you in the moments that feel heavy and hard to bear and encourage you on your journey, whether it’s through a friend who speaks words of healing and hope to you, or through the warm embrace of a community that fills your cup, or through that peace that shows up when it makes no sense, or through that still, small voice that assures you that you’re loved beyond all reason. God is asking you to trust that God knows what God is doing by calling you specifically.

So, beloved, go out knowing that nothing can ever separate you from the God that loves you. Go out trusting that God has called you to be hands of healing, no matter what you’re ashamed of, or scared of, or have doubts about. Serve trusting that God will be with you, resurrecting you to new life everyday, calling you into love’s way, and preparing you for the moment you’re in, exactly as you are. God’s not done with you. God’s just getting started.

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen