Truth

Matthew 28:16–20 NLT

16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted! 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

This is the word of God for the People of God....Respond with me Thanks be to God.

Prior to this passage...The Soldiers guarding the tomb were just minding their own business. They were told that they needed to guard this tomb becuase the leaders where convinced that Jesus disciples would steal his body and claim that Jesus had risen from the dead. However the guards were probably not very worried about any of this becuase they had seen how the disciples has scattered when they came to the garden to take Jesus away.

Since that time the only followers they had seen were women…everyone else was hiding out of fear that they would meet the same fate as Jesus…so they were not very worried that anything would actually happen as it pertains to the disciples....and they were right…the disciples did not come and move Jesus body....

However there was an earthquake and an Angel appeared from nowhere as bright as the sun and by himself moved the large stone from the front of the tomb all by himself…this spectacle was so intense that these hard men…these trained soldiers fainted from fear. And when the woke up Jesus was gone. This is what the told the Priest and temple leaders.

So no the disciples did not move the body…God had in fact raised Jesus from the dead…He is Risen He is Risen Indeed

When they soldiers told the Priest and temple leaders this instead of repenting or praising God for the fulfilment of his promised Messiah they gave the guards money to keep it quiet!

From the very beginning of the Christian Movement people who knew the truth continued to perpetrate a lie to the world so they could continue in the status quo of the day.

It is amazing how even in the face of overwhelming proof the Jesus was who He said he was that there were some that were devoted to a lie for the sole purpose of keeping power or saving face.

It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry had gotten himself in a pickle that was going to require him to take a lie detector test he knew he was going to fail…the whole episode focused in Jerry’s anxiety about getting caught in a lie and he we trying to figure out how to beat the machine and he finally turned to his good fried George Castanza a Lie Zen Master as he was leaving a diner to take the test and recieved this advice.

Jerry…Remember....It’s not a lie if you believe it to be true.

https://youtu.be/vn_PSJsl0LQ

You and I know that this is not how it works…however we are living n a time where people are believing lies they know deep inside are lies but becuase if fits a narative they are unwilling to let go of the are choosing to believe it to be true.

Continuously Seeking God’s Truth is the only protection from misinformation and injustice.

Even after everything that the disciples had seen from the resurrection... to Jesus showing himself to over 500 people...to Jesus confronting Thomas for His unbelief…right before Jesus gave the great commission there were still some who doubted…they had believed a lie in the face of overwhelming proof...

In order to teach (make disciples) we must be open to a lifetime of learning

That is what makes this call to discipleship so difficult....it requires us to come to God with all of our thoughts and desires and allow Him to change them if they are not consistant to what God is calling us too.

I had a professor in college that had been teaching youth ministry courses for many years…Youth culture is a very hard thing to teach because it changes with every generation. But this particular professor had not changed his syllabus or his approach to understanding youth since the 1970’s. We averaged the dates on his require reading list for us and they average date was 1968....It was the 90’s and things had changed a lot....but this professor was holding on to a belief that he was right even when faced with evidence he was out of date…He eventually had a meeting with the dean and was told that he needed to get continuing education or retire…he retired.

He was a nice enough prof as prof’s go but he was not committed to a life time of learning. I have never understood that…he was a great teacher but the things he was committed to teaching were not helpful to the building of the kingdom.

I had another professor that has gone on to be with Jesus by the name of Dr. Sawyer…I have talked about him before…he was a brilliant man…helped translate the NRSV but he was older and had a stroke the limited the use of part of his body…by all outside indications one would have thought they he was stuck in a old mindset as well…but that assumption would be wrong…he always looked for new ways to communicate the OT…he went to continuing education not becuase he did not know the bible but becuase he took his call to discipleship (teaching) as a life long calling.

He taught right up until he was physically unable and the Church is better for it. I am better for it.

Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth and with his last words on earth He has given us the responsibility and the ability to use His Authority to share and teach others how to live in the joy that is ours becuase of Jesus.

This is a beautiful and I think forgotten aspect of the Christian faith. Partly because life is a very complicated endeavor. Real life is full of questions that we think effective discipleship should have easy answers for.

Disciples of Jesus do not always have easy answers for difficult questions, but they have the ability to wrestle with the questions without losing our faith.

This is not a weakness it is a strength becuase in our weakness God proves himself Strong. We as Disciples of Jesus are able to live into our questions with confidence that Holy Spirit is leading us in the direction of truth even if the road is uncertain and bumpy.

Henri Nouwen wrote “ Living the questions runs counter to the mainstream of Christian ministry that want to impart knowlege to understand, skills to control, and power to conquer. In Spiritual listening, we encounter a God who cannot be fully understood, we discover realities that cannot be controlled and we realize that our hope is hidden not in the possession of power but in the confession of weakness.”

Real life disciples are made through a life time of walking hand in hand with Jesus through the good times and through the bad times. Not just by opening a book at gaining knowlege but by taking that knowlege and turning into real life.

Never has this been more important than now…I have not said much about the current tensions our city and the entire country for that matter are going through. Part of the reason I am struggling is becuase the issue so complicated that there is no one statement that can be shared that will be sufficient for those of us who are hurting.

Secondly I have been afraid that talking about it would leave me open to misinterpretations and maybe alienate me from some who would hold a very different opinion than I do.

I think part of the reason we struggle with moments of tension is that we are a people uncomfortable with the thought that we may be part of the problem. Especially as Christians. We want to believe that we are not capable of contributing of an environment where anyone feels less than a Child of God.

Yet…failing to acknowledge the pain that is being felt by our brothers and sisters of color does just that. When we ignore the pain of others and try to give answers born out of platitude we think we are contributing to peace…but we are contributing to the alienation that is already being felt by many of those who have been protesting this last week.

So for those who may be listening to this message that feel like you have been ignored I want to say to you first of all I am sorry! I am sorry if I or anyone in any church has tried to gloss over your pain and made you feel less than a child of God. Your pain and your struggle is real and we will pray for you and listen to you as we all listen to the Holy Spirit together.

I believe with an honest attempt to hear and accept those who have been marginalized we can arm in arm become everything that God has called us to be.

This may cause some to misunderstand and or create unfair caricatures of you but at the end of the day if we are consistently seeking to be led buy Jesus and the words of scripture we will always be able to rest in the knowlege that we are in fact Disciples of Jesus.

Even so remember that Jesus promise to be with us even to the end of the age.

We are called in this passage to go and make disciples....This means we must:

Reorient our life around God’s Justice, Kindness and Humility.

Micah 6:8 ESV

8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Do Justice....The Justice of God...

Love Kindness.....Hate every form of evil whether it is racism or anything that is contrary to God’s loving kindness…Love everyone always.

Walk Humbly …Remember we do not have all the answers to tough questions…

As we prepare for communion I want us to take some time and ask God search our hearts and minds for any lies we may be holding onto that contradict who He is and what he really want to do.

Would you confess those to God now?

Prayer....Father we come to you in probably the most difficult times any of us have every had…Pandemic, Racial tensions, Isolation, and all kinds of uncertainty…As we come to your table We ask the your presence would overcome all our emotions, fear and questions. We ask that we would all feel your peace in the midst of the complex world we now find ourselves in.

We ask for your peace…Your presence…and Your empowerment as disciples and disciple makers.

Amen

Communion Liturgy…