The mission lives

Matthew 27:57–60 NKJV

57 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. 59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.

Matthew 28:1–8 NKJV

1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. 5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” 8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.

Matthew 28:16–20 NKJV

16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

(PRAY)

We arrive today two weeks after Easter Resurrection Sunday --a day/time commemorating the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus the Christ.

It is today, as it was then: Jesus is alive.

My message to you today:

Because Jesus lives, the mission lives.

(Let's) Get on with it.

Tell your neighbor, "Get on with the program."

We are many years, almost 2000 years, since the cruxifixction and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. With this great span of time, people today are, in some ways, quite removed from the horrors of the cruxifixction. In other ways today, some (societal) horrors have not changed.

The cruxifixction was a difficult scene.

In one part it was a spectacle carried out by the Roman government (empire) (sanctioned, even encouraged and arranged by religious leaders).

In another part it was traumatic--there were those who's hope and identity and future were intricately linked/bound in the life, leadership and legacy of Jesus Christ.

Jesus prophesied to His followers how hard on them His cruxifixction would be, however the foreknowledge didn't seem to make the experience any easier.

(Mark recorded in his gospel: )

Mark 14:27–31 NKJV

27 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 “But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” 29 Peter said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be.” 30 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” 31 But he spoke more vehemently, “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all said likewise.

First, before we dive in to what happened with Peter, I want to confess:

I'm not mad at Peter....

Peter was confident in who Peter was, what he wanted. Peter was clear on what he desired. (Sometimes, walking with Jesus takes boldness and conviction…you know it will be hard but you try to convince yourself that everything will be alright.)

You may know how things shook out with Peter:

Love kept Peter

--Peter's love for Jesus was evident in Peter sticking with Jesus when things/trouble started to go down.

It was in the garden of Gethsemane, when a great multitude with swords and clubs came from the chief priests and scribes and elders to arrest Jesus. In response, with equal enthusiasm, Peter drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cut off his ear.

Jesus allowed the violence to go no further, instructed Peter, "Permit even this", and Jesus healed/restored the servant's ear.

Mark 14:50 NKJV

50 Then they all forsook Him and fled.

Love brought Peter back to Jesus but the impending violence kept Peter at a distance.

Mark 14:54 NKJV

54 But Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.

Q: what do you do, when the outcome you want so bad and the strategies you employ (to deliver this outcome) begin to unravel before you?

Peter was stuck. It was not that Peter would not fight. It's not that Peter didn't have heart and abandoned his vision. No--what Peter knew to do, Jesus would not allow. In obedience to Jesus, in fulfillment of the scripture (what was prophesied for Jesus), Peter's hands were tied, so to speak.

Peter didn't know what to do but to try to stay physically in the vicinity to see what would become of his Lord and friend, Jesus.

The conditions were not safe. Peter was undercover.

Mark 14:65–72 NKJV

65 Then some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands. 66 Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came. 67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus of Nazareth.” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are saying.” And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed. 69 And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, “This is one of them.” 70 But he denied it again. And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, “Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it.” 71 Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this Man of whom you speak!” 72 A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when he thought about it, he wept.

Jesus told Peter, told the disciples what would take place, yet the foreknowledge didn't seem to largely make the experience any easier for Christ' followers.

And Jesus arose, just like He said. Jesus showed Himself to His disciples, meeting with them, just like He said.

And Peter, during this time, did something that caught my attention: went fishing.

John 21:2–3 NKJV

2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.

For our few minutes that remain, I want to talk about trauma and how we sometimes can attempt to cope when life happens (goes) against the grain of our central-most desire.

I want to acknowledge that trauma in any of our lives--that it can affect any of our trajectories in life and in Christ. (....But God.)

It was the third day, Jesus was alive. It was the third day after, when Peter was present in the vicinity where Jesus was beat, spat upon, harassed. A crown of thorns was pressed into Jesus' scalp. Nails were driven through Jesus' hands, driven through Jesus' feet. Jesus was hung on a cross. While some who looked on mockingly shouted, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God; (Lu 23:35)...let Him now come down from the cross (Matt 27:42)"...others silently may have hoped that Jesus would come down, indeed saving Himself, stopping this unjust murder. But Jesus did not come down. Jesus stayed--put His life, and His Spirit into God's hands. Jesus was crucified.

Peter and others saw it all. Had a front row seat to the unthinkable, yet inevitable.

The whole experience was nothing short of traumatic. Jesus crucifixion might have been what was necessary (and it was) but it was not what Jesus' disciples desired.

Peter, in particular was pretty outspoken,

Matthew 16:22 NKJV

22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”

Peter physically involved himself to prevent Jesus' arrest.

Now, it's after the cruxifixction. Jesus rises from the dead, is alive. Show Himself to Peter and the other disciples.

Peter announces, I am going fishing, and 6 additional disciples agree to go with him.

You may or may not know: Peter is a fisherman by trade/by occupation.

I find it interesting but not at all ironic that after all that has happened (around the crucifixion), Peter goes to something that is familiar but is not at all his purpose.

Fishing is familiar. Fishing is comfortable for Peter.

I imagine the act of fishing and being back into an old habit helped Peter to locate himself...when so much of his life and what he thought he was to do were in disarray. Peter went back to something that was solid--for Peter knew fishing. Perhaps Peter understood that he needed to rebuild his vision for his future and his plans for himself.

Trauma, can be a great (big) "reset" button in life.

Trauma has a way of stopping one in her tracks...causing her to pause, to take inventory of what she has kept and has lost.

Trauma, at times, can get our attention like success seemingly never will; trauma can be all consuming if we let it run amuck.

Trauma can try to reset our purpose, leading us to live outside of ourselves, staying where we were never meant to stay long term, being whom we were never meant to be.

You may or may not know: Jesus spoke an eternal purpose into Peter's life. (and Peter, out fishing, is not near that purpose.)

Early on, in the beginning of their relationship, Jesus saw Peter, acknowledged him as fisherman, and called Peter to greater purpose.

Matthew 4:18–20 NKJV

18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

Have you ever been on a path somewhere, perhaps not quite seeing the full picture, nonetheless motivated to live your destiny, inspired to go the distance, hopeful and excited about all that may come to pass?

Maybe even you left your family to pursue what you believed to be yours. Maybe allowed some distance to enter into your friendships so that you could reach towards the star you dreamed about?

Have you ever stepped out with God into something bigger than you, but because you love God you thought that you would give it a try?

And for me, maybe for you, traumatized by unthinkable life events: scared by hate crimes, scared further by the (in)justice system, innocence derailed, politicized religion, deep disappointments, friendships turned sour, hurts that keep one tender, personal academic, athletic or career performance spectacularly underwhelming, fears that entrap you.

You stop. You retreat. Perhaps you fall back to what is familiar.

Trauma has a way of prompting one to rethink her purpose, to rethink his plans.

I'm learning not to underestimate the effects of trauma in my life and the effects of trauma in the lives of those around me.

I'm also learning not to underestimate the power of God.

Jesus is alive. Peter is fishing. Peter's friends join him. But so does Jesus.

John 21:3–4 NKJV

3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

Thank God for the love of God. Thank God for the grace of God. Thank God for the mercy of God. Thank God the long suffering of God.

Thank God that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).

There is a God who will meet you in your lowest state.

There is a God who knows where you are when you don't know where you are.

There is a God who will find you when you are trying to find yourself.

There is a God who will call out to you on the waters of life.

A God who will call you to shore when you've gone too far.

A God who will restore you when you are not looking like yourself.

I tell you, God was gracious to Peter and will be gracious to you.

I don't care what you have experienced; God can restore you.

I don't care what trauma you have experienced; God can restore you.

I don't care what you have lost; God's grace can get you through.

Family, my closing points are these:

1. When God calls you, go to Him. Don't worry about what it looks like to others.

2. When Jesus sits with you, wait with Him. Don't be in a hurry to leave.

3. When God asks you questions, answer honestly and fully.

The questions are not for God--He knows where you are and who you are. The questions are for you.

John 21:4–6 NKJV

4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.” 6 And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.

There is an anointing on your life because of your relationship with Jesus.

It is not for you to look good but so that you can do some good--so that you can have a positive and eternal impact on the lives around you.

Jesus asked Peter:

John 21:15–19 NKJV

15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. 18 Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” 19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”

Though Peter was traumatized/Peter had experienced such traumatic events, Jesus gave Peter the same assignment that Jesus gave Peter in the beginning, "Follow Me."

Family, Jesus is alive, the mission is alive.

The mission is not aborted.

Please know, however, you will not be successful in the mission in your current state. (And for most of us, that is good news--I am a mess without Jesus.)

You don't have to get through (any of) your trauma on your own. You don't have to pretend as if everything is okay.

We go in Christ's authority, and in the power and with the divine guidance of God's Holy Spirit.

Matthew 28:18 NKJV

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

Luke 24:46–49 NKJV

46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

Acts 1:8 NKJV

8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Family, invite God’s Spirit to be with you.

Let us live and be witnesses in God’s power and not our own strength.