BEARING THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST The Third Sunday of Easter Sunday (Year B)! April 22, 2012

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1 BEARING THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST The Third Sunday of Easter Sunday (Year B)! April 22, 2012 This Sunday s Lessons Acts 3:12-19 Psalm 4 1st John 3:1-7 St. Luke 24:36b-48 Pastor David J. Risendal drisendal@stplc.org facebook Dave Risendal Twitter: drisendal Saint Peter Lutheran Church 9300 East Belleview Avenue Greenwood Village, Colorado voice: 303/ fax: 303/ facebook Saint Peter Lutheran Church Prayer of the Day Holy and righteous God, you are the author of life, and you adopt us to be your children. Fill us with your words of life, that we may live as witnesses to the resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Christ is risen. R/ Christ is risen, indeed. Christ is risen. R/ Christ is risen, indeed. Christ is risen! R/ Christ is risen, indeed! Christ is risen, indeed. Amen. terrified, doubting yet transformed by his presence resurrection love Sermon Now you and I first proclaimed those words together two full weeks ago. I don t know about you, but Easter feels a lot longer away than that to me. Much has taken place since that celebration, but not so in today s Gospel lesson from Luke. The story we are reading today is set during the evening of the first Easter day. So let s remember how St. Luke tells the story. The women come back from the tomb, early in the morning, and announce to the others that death couldn t hold Jesus that he has been raised, and is no longer in the grave. But the men consider it to be an idle tale (St. Luke 24:11). Cleopas, a follower of Jesus who is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible, becomes discouraged, and leaves Jerusalem with a friend. They walk seven miles to a town called Emmaus. On the way, Jesus falls into step with them, and while they walk, he teaches them about the resurrection.

2 The Sunday of Easter Year B (April 8, 2012)! 2 Of course they don t recognize him until he breaks bread with them that evening, and as soon as they recognize him he vanishes. So they immediately race back to Jerusalem to tell the others. That s when the story takes place that is told in today s Gospel lesson. They are gathered together, talking about all of this, trying to make some sense of it, when all of a sudden Jesus appears in their midst. You might think that this would be a time of great happiness and celebration a time when all of their doubt and despair is washed away, but that s not how St. Luke describes it. Listen to the adjectives he uses to describe these followers of Jesus: they are, startled, terrified, frightened, doubting, joyful, disbelieving, wondering All of this while the resurrected Jesus is standing right there with them. Obviously, this is a complicated time for the followers of Jesus. Their hopes that he would be the political and military savior predicted by some Hebrew Bible prophets have been dashed. Many of them had abandoned him when things became difficult on Thursday and Friday, and feel horribly guilty about it. They have heard reports of the resurrection, but it is so other-than-what-they-expected, that they can hardly believe it. Yet look at what his presence among them accomplishes. We notice three things: His first words for them are words of peace. This is no small thing, especially for those who ran and hid when it was apparent he was in trouble! He opens their minds in way that helps them to see in the Bible what they have never been able to see before. Again: this is extraordinary it has been right before their eyes for their entire lives, but they have never understood until now. He commissions them as witnesses to the world, of his ministry of repentance and forgiveness. They may be feeling discredited or discouraged, but Jesus never gives up on them. Through them, he will get his message out to the entire world. We don t know a lot about what it was like to be among that early group of followers in the first days after the resurrection, but we do know this: even though it is an extremely confusing and difficult time for them, his continued presence in their midst guides them towards peace and understanding, and empowers them to share the story of his death and resurrection in a way that touches the hearts of many people. The presence of Christ has the power to transform believers. This is true in the first century. It is true today. We experience the transforming presence of Christ in the word we proclaim here during worship. We experience the transforming presence of Christ in the meal we share in his name. And we experience the transforming presence of Christ moving through each other, as we are touched and healed and empowered by the fellowship we share. What Jesus did for his disciples on that first Easter Sunday, he continues to do for us, and through us, today. I like the fact that this Gospel lesson is front and center this morning, as we take time to celebrate and affirm our brothers and sisters who are involved in Stephen Ministries. You know Stephen Ministries most of you do anyway. It has been part of our life together at Saint Peter since As their mission states, Stephen Ministers provide high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care and support to people. 1 In other words, when any one of us finds ourselves in a time of pain or transition, a Stephen Minister is one who comes alongside us on the journey; who listens thoughtfully to what we say; who shares, faithfully, words of comfort and support; who prays, regularly, for our wellbeing. A Stephen Minister is one who embodies the presence Christ to us in a confusing and difficult time just as Christ himself did for his first century followers, in the days immediately following the resurrection. 1

3 The Sunday of Easter Year B (April 8, 2012)! 3 As you know from reading the worship folder, our Stephen Ministers complete a 50-hour training program before they begin meeting with care receivers. It is a rigorous curriculum and no small undertaking. During this training, Stephen Ministers learn a lot about themselves, a lot about their faith, and a lot about what it means to provide Christian care to someone who needs it. A group of eight people six from Saint Peter, and two new friends of ours recently completed that training, and are being commissioned at this morning s service. Saint Peer is now blessed to have 17 trained Stephen Ministry Leaders and Caregivers in this congregation, actively reaching out to offer care and companionship to members and friends of our congregation. I want to tell you: it is a rich gift to have an effective Stephen Ministries program in a congregation. It is important to reach out and to care for one another in concrete ways when we re hurting. Often times it is the Pastor who ends up playing that role in a congregation. But as a congregation grows, there are only so many people one Pastor can care for, and if this ministry is carried out only by the Pastor, the church can only grow to as large of a group as one person can care for. That s the magic of Stephen Ministries. What these caregivers do is an extension of the pastoral office, and an extension of the congregation s ministry. They enter into a person s life, and become a sign of Christ s presence a sign of the love and compassion and strength and hope that is ours in Christ. When a caregiver is with a care receiver, we are all there with them. And more importantly, when a caregiver is with a care receiver, Christ is there with them. But they are not just a caring resource for us: they are also a model for us. A model of what it means to care for others in a Christlike manner. An encouragement for us to discover those ways that Christ can move through us, to be a source of love and compassion and strength and hope. And in fact, although today is a day to honor them and celebrate this new beginning in their ministries, it is also a time for us to join them in this effort. You and I are asked to consider three ways of serving: 1. All of us ought to be praying for this ministry on a daily basis. By the time these caregivers are trained, they understand that they are not the cure givers: Christ is. And so we pray that through them, God might move in powerful ways, healing and comforting those who receive care from them. 2. Perhaps we know of someone who could benefit from a relationship with a Stephen Minister; someone who is in a time of transition, or a time of difficulty. If you know of someone like that, we encourage you to contact a Stephen Minister, or me, and we ll try to help that person find the support they need. 3. Perhaps you have the gifts of mercy and compassion, and should consider becoming a Stephen Minister yourself. There will be another training course soon, and if you think you might like to be involved, we encourage you to apply. Any of our Stephen Leaders can help you find out how to get started. I am deeply grateful for this day, and for these eight new Stephen Minsters. I am grateful for our team of Stephen Ministers, and the ways that they offer comfort and support to those who are in painful or confusing times. I am grateful that their intentional, faithful, one-on-one caregiving is a way that Christ is Risen (R/ Christ is risen, indeed!); Christ is risen, indeed, in the work of our Stephen Ministers and present in the lives of their care receivers just as truly as was the case on that first Easter evening. So let us prepare ourselves to commission these servants of Christ, and give thanks for their ministry, by turning to page 4 of your worship folders, and sing together the hymn of the day: The Servant Song. Please stand with us, as we sing. David J. Risendal, Pastor

4 The Sunday of Easter Year B (April 8, 2012)! 4 Gospel Lesson; English Text: 2 24:36b Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, Peace be with you. 37 They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38 He said to them, Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have. 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, Have you anything here to eat? 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate in their presence. 44 Then he said to them, These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you-that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled. 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and he said to them, Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 3 Gospel Lesson; Greek Text: 24:36b [Ἰησοῦς] ἔστη ἐν µέσῳ αὐτῶν καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς εἰρήνη ὑµῖν. 37 πτοηθέντες δὲ καὶ ἔµφοβοι γενόµενοι ἐδόκουν πνεῦµα θεωρεῖν. 38 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς τί τεταραγµένοι ἐστὲ καὶ διὰ τί διαλογισµοὶ ἀναβαίνουσιν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑµῶν; 39 ἴδετε τὰς χεῖρας µου καὶ τοὺς πόδας µου ὅτι ἐγώ εἰµι αὐτός ψηλαφήσατε µε καὶ ἴδετε, ὅτι πνεῦµα σάρκα καὶ ὀστέα οὐκ ἔχει καθὼς ἐµὲ θεωρεῖτε ἔχοντα. 40 καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἔδειξεν αὐτοῖς τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τοὺς πόδας. 41 ἔτι δὲ ἀπιστούντων αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῆς χαρᾶς καὶ θαυµαζόντων εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ἔχετε τι βρώσιµον ἐνθάδε; 42 οἱ δὲ ἐπέδωκαν αὐτῷ ἰχθύος ὀπτοῦ µέρος 43 καὶ λαβὼν ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν ἔφαγεν. 44 Εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι µου οὓς ἐλάλησα πρὸς ὑµᾶς ἔτι ὢν σὺν ὑµῖν, ὅτι δεῖ πληρωθῆναι πάντα τὰ γεγραµµένα ἐν τῷ νόµῳ Μωϋσέως καὶ τοῖς προφήταις καὶ ψαλµοῖς περὶ ἐµοῦ. 45 τότε διήνοιξεν αὐτῶν τὸν νοῦν τοῦ συνιέναι τὰς γραφάς 46 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὅτι οὕτως γέγραπται παθεῖν τὸν χριστὸν καὶ ἀναστῆναι ἐκ νεκρῶν τῇ τρίτῃ ἡµέρᾳ, 47 καὶ κηρυχθῆναι ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόµατι αὐτοῦ µετάνοιαν εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁµαρτιῶν εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. ἀρξάµενοι ἀπὸ Ἰερουσαλὴµ 48 ὑµεῖς µάρτυρες τούτων. 4 First Lesson; English Text: 3.12 When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. 14 But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you. 17 And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out A list of Bible lessons for the coming weeks is available at 3 St. Luke 24:36b-48, New Revised Standard Version Bible ( 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America). 4 St. Luke 24:36b-48, The Greek New Testament, Aland, Kurt, Black, Matthew, Martini, Carlo M., Metzger, Bruce M., and Wikgren, Allen, ( 1983, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft Stuttgart). 5 Acts 3:12-19, New Revised Standard Version Bible ( 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America).

5 The Sunday of Easter Year B (April 8, 2012)! 5 Second Lesson; English Text: 3.1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3 And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 4 Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 6 Second Lesson; Greek Text: 3:1 ἴδετε ποταπὴν ἀγάπην δέδωκεν ἡµῖν ὁ πατὴρ, ἵνα τέκνα θεοῦ κληθῶµεν, καὶ ἐσµέν. διὰ τοῦτο ὁ κόσµος οὐ γινώσκει ἡµᾶς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔγνω αὐτόν. 2 ἀγαπητοί, νῦν τέκνα θεοῦ ἐσµεν, καὶ οὔπω ἐφανερώθη τί ἐσόµεθα. οἴδαµεν ὅτι ἐὰν φανερωθῇ, ὅµοιοι αὐτῷ ἐσόµεθα, ὅτι ὀψόµεθα αὐτὸν καθώς ἐστιν. 3 καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἔχων τὴν ἐλπίδα ταύτην ἐπ αὐτῷ ἁγνίζει ἑαυτὸν, καθὼς ἐκεῖνος ἁγνός ἐστιν. 4 Πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁµαρτίαν καὶ τὴν ἀνοµίαν ποιεῖ, καὶ ἡ ἁµαρτία ἐστὶν ἡ ἀνοµία. 5 καὶ οἴδατε ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ἐφανερώθη, ἵνα τὰς ἁµαρτίας ἄρῃ, καὶ ἁµαρτία ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν. 6 πᾶς ὁ ἐν αὐτῷ µένων οὐχ ἁµαρτάνει πᾶς ὁ ἁµαρτάνων οὐχ ἑώρακεν αὐτὸν οὐδὲ ἔγνωκεν αὐτόν. 7 Τεκνία, µηδεὶς πλανάτω ὑµᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν δικαιοσύνην δίκαιος ἐστιν, καθὼς ἐκεῖνος δίκαιος ἐστιν st John 3:1-7, New Revised Standard Version Bible ( 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America). 7 1 st John 3:1-7, The Greek New Testament, Aland, Kurt, Black, Matthew, Martini, Carlo M., Metzger, Bruce M., and Wikgren, Allen, ( 1983, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft Stuttgart).