Sunday Service

Heavenly Father we pray that you would Pour Out Among Us a full measure of your promise. Holy Spirit The Blessed now both the speaking in the hearing of your word. I meant

well, did you recognize him? I remember being asked that question time and time again at various places when we would be somewhere and and my brothers who were big Baseball fans. We'd be somewhere in Milwaukee and we'd see some Milwaukee Brewer that would be in the store and then some. Did you recognize him? No having a clue.

Then later when I got to college and I got to know a lot of contemporary Christian artists and I would be out somewhere and I would see one of them and I'd say to my brother's teacher.

No having a clue. Tim you only recognize people that we have some of finity do some relationship with something that has drawn us together and without that No, I don't have a clue who they are. Jesus had a relationship with us with his people with Creation with the world with the universe. He was after all the creator of all things. And he came. And things didn't work out as planned. Listen to these words from John. The True Light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world and all the world was made through him the world. Did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own. And his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him to those who believed in his name. He gave rights to be called children of God children born not of natural the center of human decision or a husband's will but born of God. The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us and we have seen his glory. Glory of the one and only son who came from the father full of grace and truth.

John almost seems to brag just a little bit here. When he says the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us and we we have seen his glory. glory of the one and only full of grace and truth

Which begs the question for us? about you Can you say that you have seen his glory the glory of the one and only who came from the father full of grace and truth? We'll get back to that question.

What about the disciples? What did they always recognize him John says we did we we saw it. We knew who he was. In fact, he starts his epistle and he says that which we have seen which our eyes have beheld which our hands have touched this we Proclaim to you concerning the word of life. He says I've seen him, but I wonder

They recognize him at first.

Jackie know many of them didn't because they even asked questions of it. But who he was? At many people came and didn't recognize him. We could go through most of the Gospel said most people that ran into Jesus didn't recognize him at least not for who he was or they may have recognized him his old. Yeah. That's Mary and Joseph's boy. He's from Nazareth and nothing good ever comes out of Nazareth. Oh, yeah, they recognized it. But the question is do we recognize him for who he is?

We hear this also from John's gospel. Afterwards Jesus appeared again to his disciples by the Sea of Galilee. This was after his resurrection. After the disciples had seen him in the upper room. Not once but twice. After he had done miraculous things like walking into the midst of a closed room and standing among them after this. They went back to fishing. And they were fishing. Jesus comes and appears by the Sea. It happened this way chords Simon Peter Thomas also called didymus Nathaniel from Cana in Galilee the sons of Zebedee and two other disciples were together. I'm going out to fish Simon Peter told them and they said that will go with you so they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize it was Jesus. Really? I mean you spent three years with him. in Ministry You saw him die on the cross you saw him raise from the tomb that I'm sorry that leaves an impact. Are you saw him walk through walls basically to appear in a room and now he's standing on the shore and you don't recognize him. Seems far-fetched. And yet it's true. And by the way, not just true for the disciples. Strip for me. True for you. I think there are times Christ comes Among Us.

Hmong people Send your spirit in a powerful way, and we don't. Recognize who he is.

He's not alone.

Mary stood outside the tomb crying she wept in bent over and looked at the tomb and saw two angels and white seated where Jesus body had been one if they had in the other at the foot they ask her woman. Why are you crying? They have taken my Lord. She said and I don't know where they put it. At this she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but did not realize that it was Jesus.

I've been citizen on a boat on the shore and they said they were a hundred yards from the shore. So we'll even give him maybe some poor eyesight on that one, right? This is walking out of the Tomb in there's someone standing outside the two minutes Jesus and she's looking at him and she did not realize it was him.

Perhaps she wasn't expecting to see him there. I will give her that.

He asked her woman. Why are you crying? Who is it you're looking for? Thinking that he was the gardener. She said sure if you've carried away tell me where you put him and I will get him.

So, what about you?

Would you recognize Jesus? If he came and stood among us if he walked right in here would we know who he was?

How about when he makes himself known to us in new and Powerful ways?

How about when he comes to us in his body and blood in the sacrament of the altar do we? recognize we realize it's Christ who has come Among Us.

I don't know about you, but I think there are many times. I miss his presence. It's here with me at Whispers to me. It empowers emboldens me. And I miss you it is.

So how do we recognize Jesus? What is the number of ways that we can recognize him first and foremost we recognize him through his words. That's how the children of Israel should have recognized him. Cuz he had said a lot about himself. There was no end of prophecies that had been written about who Jesus was going to be this Messiah that was going to come they should have recognized him by his words, but they didn't until

something happened Something changed in the life of the disciples in the life of the church and that change was the presence of the spirit.

The spirit of God was given to the church. I'm at Pentecost Sunday all of the sudden. It's as if all of scripture was open to them.

Sometimes I think we take for granted. or we forget at that same Spirit the one that so powerfully moved through that room though. The one that upset the people around them that cost tons of fire to land on their head that caused them to speak in tongues. They did not know the people they could not communicate with and to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ that seem powerful Spirit the one that Rose Christ from the dead lives in a And we have it.

I think there are times we need to ask for. better discernment

need to ask to the know his voice more clear to recognize him in his words and I think some of it comes from just reading is worth more. The more time we spend in his word the more we recognized.

Or received him not only in the word but in our world. I can't tell you how many times it is happened where I've had a devotion in the morning and I've read some section of scripture that may have been for whatever reason sort of random for that day. And maybe it was a verse that was on a a page a day calendar I had or maybe it was a devotional book that I had picked up and started going through but for whatever reason that verse that I read that day that little snippet of who got is that I read that day later in that day that verse went.

I could use this verse it's this right now. I'm living this verse. I'm in the midst of this verse. Sometimes it's an opportunity to share that verse. I'll be recognized him through his words. But we also recognize him through his actions. Things he has done. And this is easy how many of you spent any time outside yesterday? I don't raise your hand to spend any time outside yesterday. How many of you wanted to spend every moment you could outside yesterday. I know I did. Well, there you have it. How you recognized him by his actions, right? What a beautiful day. He'd given us. What a what a glorious creation we have ice sit at my front windows. I just recently kind of refreshing of The Perennial beds in front of my house. You know, how we those are wood chips seem to just disappear. Right? I haven't quite figured this out. I think the Scotts Company comes at night and rates them up and takes them away repaints them and then sells them back to me the next year, but I have never caught them. But but recently I bought new wood chips and I I put him down and I got it all covered in and against those a dark wood chips and you see that bright green color that's coming up the hostiles that are popping up the Tulips daffodils the things that are starting to burst through and and I just stand at the window and just looked out and I'm just in awe, A plant's just doing their thing. Just you know. Growing what we do. It's amazing. So we can see God in his actions. witness the birth of Isaiah

I saw God through his actions.

Yesterday I saw on Facebook post from a friend of mine. And he said you witnessed the miracle. something that was wonderfully and miraculously created the birth of his grandchild at 1 lb 7 oz then you saw the picture this tiny tiny, baby. And I select unit. fearfully and wonderfully made we recognize him through his actions.

But that's not all. We recognize him through his presence. In those times when he comes to us. Was X when we find ourselves in a situation that we can't seem to solve and he comes and makes his presence known to us.

When he literally comes before us. Are those days when we gather together around the Lord's altar? Can we taste and see that the Lord is good his presence. Is Among Us?

But I think probably above all of these. There is one clear way to recognize Jesus. And that is through his peace. And we talk about it all the time that piece that Paul talks about the peace that passes understanding.

The peace that there's no reason in that moment, and at that time that we should have anything but frustration or anger or confusion or and we have peace. somehow or some where it just comes to us.

The formula for peace has given several times in the Bible.

It's called bearing your fruit.

Paul says if we love one another you are caring concern for one another the peace of God will come to us. He says if you think about things about God you think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable and praiseworthy an excellent. You think on these things and the peace of God will be with you? It will come.

And in that moment.

When peace is unexplainable. I pray in that moment. We recognize God. Because in that moment Christ has come alongside us that comforter that he promised his disciples is alive and well and working and that's when we recognize God Among Us.

right now in a life of New Creation. I hope you recognize God's work Among Us. He comes to us through his word when he calls us new creation. And he says in me you have been made a new creation. The old has gone. The new has come. His word says that to us all the time. We see it in his actions in the way that he continues to draw us together to draw us to worship. Wait a few brings new people in our midst.

Be perfectly honest we see it in his actions in the fact that in the face of times when we look at our finances and we say we don't know how the lights are on but they are praise be to God.

We see it in action.

And I see it in his presence. When I gather together with you and worship and we are here singing praise to God. I know his presence is here. Jorge came to Mia after the Easter Service. We had been talking in the week before Easter about plans for how do we begin that Hispanic worship and and the folks that were planning with us that were talking that day. They were single maybe that maybe start once a month like June July August have a have a service once a month and then in the fall, maybe start twice a month and you know, once you build that Community you can and I'll start moving forward and Jorge and I looked at each other when Okay. That means are you good with you don't know you're just kind of nodded in agreement then. And that was the way we left it in Jorge got a hold of me after the service on Easter and said that we we we we can't we can't wait. We have I mean, when can we start having Services? I said what we have to give the Renee shirts that's here. We have to give him a few weeks notice. They know that we're going to push their time back when they just don't know when but we can tell them that we're going to do it and and what kind of regularity do you want to start with every week? Okay, and when you I'll do it soon as we can. Okay, and I said to him in any of this Devil's Advocate voice will

and without hesitation he says pastor. It says in the word where where two or three are gathered. I'm there with you. Oh, yeah, I read that.

And he says I know what I'm too or three cuz I'll bring my family along. So he will be there. We will have people people praise be to God.

So we see him in his presence.

We know him in the peace. The peace that comes to us a piece of knowing that we are God's children the Peace of knowing that the lord of the church is in charge of New Creation not us. It's not in the hands of me or the board of directors of the board of Elders praise be to God it's in the hands of the lord of the church and he will not fail us.

I want the first pastors. I work with told me something. I really need to remind myself of more often. Is McCart you're not smart enough to mess up the church so bad that the Lord can fix it. That's good advice.

Lord of the church is in charge. We know him by the piece that he brings. May we continue to recognize Jesus? Messiah among us as his people. amen And I made a strong love and strange piece of our God. Which passes all of our human understanding keep our hearts and our minds fix fast on Christ. Jesus unto life Everlasting. Amen.