“How Deep is Your Love?” (I John 3:16-24)

We’ve all heard the story before or a story similar to it.  A young boy is finally given the opportunity to go to the store and pick up some things that his mother needs.  Everything is going well until the boy leaves the store with a bag full of groceries to begin his way home . . . then suddenly he trips, drops the bag, and everything in the bag breaks and scatters.  Now the boy is heartbroken and crying because he has messed up his opportunity to help his mother. 

As he is standing crying, a group of people gather.  Of course they are all sympathetic about the boy’s situation . . . it’s a real shame, they remark.  They all felt so bad for the kid.  They just stand there saying trite words of condolence and patting the boy on his back.  Nothing stops the kid’s crying.  Everything was ruined and the kid had no money to replace it.

Finally a man walked up, bent down and began cleaning up the mess.  Then he looked at the people gathered and said, “If you care so much, how much are you willing to care to help this boy with his problem?”  Then he reached in his pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill and handed it to the boy.

The writer of our reading this morning states: “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and truth.” 

Actions speak louder than words.  That is what the writer is telling us . . . actions speak louder than words.  Actions display one’s faith . . . not the words that are spoken, not the intentions . . . actions--the actual doing something--is what makes a witness of one’s faith.  The writer says it succinctly: “. . . because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.  And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.  Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them.”

Not only does the writer tell us this, the writer also lets us know exactly how deep that love is to be . . . “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”  Our love for God is displayed through the actions we take in our daily lives towards those around us and those we encounter.  Jesus showed us the way.

Love is difficult to define.  One dictionary defines “love” as “unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another.”  In other words, wanting the best for the object of “love”.  Think of all the ways we loosely use the word “love” . . . I love my wife . . . I love my children . . . I love my dog . . . I love warm showers . . . I love steak . . . I love my car.  How would you define love?  See what I mean?  It is not easy to define “love”.

The Greeks had the good sense to break love into five levels: “storge” was kinship, “philla” was friendship, “eros” was sexual and romantic love, “koinonia” was community, and lastly was “agape” or divine love.  This kind of helps in understanding what “love” means, but it is funny how something that seems so simple is actually quite complicated.  And, to add to the complication, everyone seems to have his or her own understanding of what “love” means to them . . . and, not surprisingly, not everyone understands it the same way.

So, I think we should be thankful for people like the writer of our reading this morning.  The writer puts it right out there . . . there is no argument of how the writer understands “love”.  It comes down to action.  Action displayed through the life of Jesus . . . even to the point of giving up his life.  That is “love”.  And, as the followers of Jesus, we have been called to this way of life and love: “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and truth . . . because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.  And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us . . . This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”

Such a statement begs the question: How deep is your love?


The love displayed by Jesus was a deep love . . . a divine love . . . agape.  In this love Jesus showed that all of God’s children--all people--we deserving and worthy of his action for the good of each.  The goal was to assist them in becoming who God had created them to be . . . and, welcoming them into the family of God.  This is not a foreign concept to those of us gathered here this morning.  Each Sunday morning we celebrate this “love” . . . this divine “love” . . . agape.

As we gather around the Lord’s table, we hear the invitation from the elders telling us that this table is open to anyone and everyone . . . that everyone has a place at the Lord’s table.  It is emphasized that no one is denied a place at the table because of who they are . . . their age, wealth, skin color, sex, intelligence, or even political party . . . all are welcomed to receive this act of love.  And, then in a like manner, we are reminded that through the meal we are called upon to do likewise in our daily lives.  Just as Jesus did and does.

We know this truth.

What we need is “love”.  This is no new revelation . . . no new prophecy. From the start of time, we have always needed “love” . . . that is God’s desire.  God shows us the way through Jesus.  If such a love as lived by Jesus was lived today, think of how different the world in which we live would be.  That has been the desire of God and humanity for a long, long time.

This will probably show my age, but in conclusion I want to share the lyrics of a 1966 song by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, sung by Dionne Warwick, What the World Needs Now is Love:

What the world needs now is love sweet love,
It’s the only thing that there's just too little of,
What the world needs now is love sweet love,
No, not just for some but for everyone,
Lord we don't need another mountain,
There are mountains and hillsides,
Enough to climb
There are oceans and rivers,
Enough to cross, enough to last till the end of time,
What the world needs now is love sweet love,
It’s the only thing that there's just too little of,
What the world needs now is love sweet love,
No, not just for some but for everyone,
Lord, we don't need another meadow,
There are cornfields and wheat fields,
Enough to grow
There are sunbeams and moonbeams,
Enough to shine,
Oh listen Lord, if you want to know,
What the world needs now is love sweet love,
It’s the only thing that there's just too little of,
What the world needs now is love sweet love,
No, not just for some,
Oh but just for every every everyone

When it comes to God . . . to Jesus . . . to others . . . how deep is your love?  As the writer tells us this morning: “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with action and in truth.  This is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence . . .”  Amen

“To Be Open . . . Believe” (Luke 24:36b-48)

Jesus had many followers . . . many who considered themselves to be his disciples.  There were not just the original twelve at the end . . . there were many who followed Jesus and his teachings during his lifetime.  Not all of them had the privilege to be standing in the room when the resurrected Jesus appears.  Would have been quite difficult to get them all into one room.  Because of this there should be no surprise that there were those followers . . . those disciples . . . who had some doubts about whether or not Jesus really had returned from the dead.

Dead people do not do any of the things that living people do.  They cannot walk, run, jump, play, sleep, or eat . . . they are dead . . . there is nothing there.  Imagine then the shock that occurs when Jesus makes an appearance among a group of his “on the fence” followers . . . he just pops in!  The writer of Luke’s gospel tells us that “. . . they were startled and frightened, thinking that they saw a ghost.”

Now remember, these were not the disciples that had encountered the risen Jesus earlier . . . these were the ones who had heard the rumors, but were not privy to the proof that Jesus was alive.  These were the ones who had followed Jesus, listened to him preach and teach, seen the miracles, saw him arrested, tried, and beaten before being nailed to a cross.  These were the ones who witnessed Jesus dying on the cross . . . saw his dead body removed from the cross and placed in a tomb.  Jesus was dead and they saw that for themselves.

Remember that old saying . . . “Dead men don’t talk”?  Well, dead people don’t do anything . . . they are dead.  Yet in our reading this morning Jesus is standing in front of these people, and they think they are seeing a ghost.  Thus Jesus begins the process of proving to them once and for all, that he is indeed alive and well.  He has them touch him . . . ghosts do not have flesh and bones.  Jesus then eats . . . ghosts do not eat.  Jesus is alive and standing before them in all his flesh and blood.  He’s no ghost, he is the real McCoy.

I suppose that Jesus presented enough evidence to those disciples that they came to fully believe . . . to believe in the living Jesus; but, the writer of Luke’s gospel does not tell us whether or not they believed.  But I think that they did . . . that they did believe.  They had to believe.  It is the only way that Jesus would have been able to open them to the “good news” that he shared.  The “good news” that stands as a prelude to the charge that he places upon all who truly believe enough to open their hearts to this new faith they are called upon to live.  Unless they can really believe with their whole being . . . mind, body, and soul . . . they cannot comprehend a resurrected savior or a call to bear witnesses to this way of life.  Only if a person fully believes can he or she begin to understand and follow the movement of God’s Spirit upon their lives and in the world.  Only when they believe can they be open to God and God’s will.

As I stated last Sunday, I have come to the conclusion that “faith” is a
mystery.  Every time that I think that I have it figured out as to what it means to be faithful, God throws me a curveball when I’m expecting a fastball.  Faith is not a “one and done” deal; no, it is a constantly living, growing, and changing thing.  Because it is this “living” things, we are always having to keep learning what it means to have faith.  That only happens when we completely believe with all that we are . . . mind, body, and soul . . . as our belief opens us to God’s Spirit.  God’s Spirit who is there to prompt, prod, push, and challenge us to open our hearts to receive the full love and grace of God.  The love and grace we are called upon to go and share.  The more that we believe, the more our hearts open up to this reality of God’s will.

In the Easter story we witness its power to change . . . to change individuals, communities, countries--the world.  We witness that nothing can stop its power, not even death.  It changes the game plan and the game, and nothing is ever the same again.  Nothing is ever the same again because it is grounded in God’s love and grace as demonstrated by Jesus himself.  And, suddenly, all things are possible . . . all things are possible if we truly believe and open ourselves to the possibilities.

Once again, Jesus shows us the way. 

In our reading this morning, Jesus shows us the way.  Jesus met these disciples where they were . . . not just physically, but spiritually.  He shared the Scriptures so that they could begin to make sense of their lives in light of God’s love and grace.  He gathered them in a meal that they might understand and be nourished by Jesus’ own presence.  And, then he sent them on their way . . . back into the world to be a partner in God’s work and to share God’s grace.

Thus we are given a template.  We meet people where they are in their lives . . . we listen and care.  We share the story of God’s love and grace through Jesus as we also share our own stories.  We practice hospitality and we feed them . . . physically if we have to, spiritually because we need to.  And, we walk with them, just as Jesus has walked with us.  We become agents of change . . . God’s change.

The Scriptures show us how this works out . . . we are here this morning because those before us believed and opened themselves to the movement of God’s Spirit to change the world . . . to be kingdom builders.  Thus it is for us.  We have to believe . . . really, really believe . . . if we are going to allow the Spirit to work through us and with us.  When we believe our hearts open up to all things that are God . . . especially the love and grace.  We have been called upon to believe . . . to share . . . and, to change the world.  We have been called to be kingdom builders.  Jesus has challenged us to be “. . . witnesses of these things.”  May we believe and do them well.  Amen.

“In the Knowing . . . Peace” (John 20:19-31)

I think the disciple, Thomas, received his monniker unfairly.  I don’t think he was a “doubter” at all.  No, I think he was being honest.  I think that he wanted to make up his own mind when it came to whether or not Jesus was alive.  I think that he did not want to blindly jump in with the popular opinion just because everyone around him was telling him it was so.  I think Thomas was being honest . . . honest in that he had some questions--not doubts so much, but questions; after all, he had witness the ministry of Jesus, listened to his preaching and teaching . . . all of it.  And, I think he had some questions about the whole craziness that had and was happening around him.  It is not that he doubted it, he wanted to understand it.

Thus it is that he more or less tells the other disciples, “Show me!”

Thomas wanted to believe.

According to one dictionary, “Belief is the state of mind in which a person thinks something to be the case with or without there being empirical evidence to prove that something is the case with factual certainty.”

Thomas, like the rest of the disciples, got the evidence that they needed in order to believe . . . they encountered the resurrected Jesus.  Thomas even got to touch the wounds of Jesus.  Thomas and the others were shown the evidence that they needed.  Unfortunately, none of the rest of us were there.  We did not have the opportunity to hobnob with the risen Jesus . . . we didn’t get to touch the wounds.  We didn’t get that empirical evidence we needed in order to believe.  We didn’t get to see it or experience for ourselves; and, yet, we are called to believe . . . to be a people of faith.

Well, as I have gotten older I have come to the conclusion that faith is mystery.  Every time that I think that I have it figured out, it changes and becomes even more than I ever imagined . . . and, it keeps doing it over and over again!  To have faith is to believe, and it is to this task that we are called.

Being called, means we have a call.  We can either answer that call by believing, or we can ignore that call.  Faith is a choice.  It is a choice to look at reality from the point of view that God is making all things new rather than that death is the ultimate reality.  Unfortunately that is a choice that is something that we cannot prove or verify.

Faith just is . . . and, for this, we are blessed.  Jesus even says it, “. . . blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

So, if this is what faith is, then why shouldn’t we be honest and admit that we have questions . . . lots of questions.  It is not that we are “doubters”, but we do have questions.  And, it is okay to have questions of faith.  God can handle it whether the people around us can or not.  Jesus did not chastise Thomas for having questions . . . it was okay.  It was okay because out of the questions people grow.

Jesus does not explain what the blessing is for those who believe.  He just says that they are blessed.  Yet, I think we are given a clue in our reading this morning, and in several other scriptural descriptions of Jesus’ encounters after his resurrection.  As he addresses the disciples who were hidden away, he tells them, “Peace be with you!”  Not once, but three times he states this to them.  I think that the blessing that comes from belief or faith is peace.

If I wish for all of you “Shalom”, what word pops into your mind?  Peace!  Most of us understand the word “Shalom” to mean peace; but, the word as it is understood biblically it is much more than that.  The goal of “Shalom” is peace though.  Let me explain.  The biblical understanding of the word is that of “wholeness” or “holiness”.  The journey of life, as is the journey of faith, is to become fully who we are created to be by God . . . to become whole.  This involves three aspects of who we are.  Think of it like a three-legged milking stool.  In order for the stool to be balance all three legs must be equal.  If one leg is less equal than the other, there is no balance . . . we fall off.  The three legs are the physical, mental, and spiritual . . . these three make us whole.  The goal of life is to keep them built up, balanced, and whole.  When this is done there is wholeness.  And when we are whole we have peace . . . we discover “Shalom”.

As I was reading this passage, what popped into my mind was this phrase: I have peace because I know; I know because I believe.  That does not mean that I understand everything that I believe . . . or that I don’t have questions.  But, I believe . . . I believe whether or not I could ever explain it to you or not.  And, that is enough.

Jesus said, wherever two or three are gathered in his name, he is there with them.  And, you know what, I don’t know how he does it, but he does it.  Week after week we gather together in his name and he is among us . . . he is in the word that we hear, in the bread that we break, in the cup that we drink, in the hymns and prayers, in the fellowship . . . he is present among us.  I can’t explain it, but he is here.  In that presence, week after week, I honestly feel at peace . . . I feel blessed . . . and, I think many of you know what I am talking about.  In that presence there is wholeness and holiness . . . there is peace . . . Shalom.

In faith we begin to see life and the world through the eyes of Jesus in
which all things are new.  We see the possibilities.  We see the Kingdom of God.  In faith we realize that nothing can stop God . . . not even death . . . there is always hope.  But, faith is a choice.  Those who choose faith discover peace . . . can’t really explain how it works, but it works.  And, that is good enough for me.  In the knowing there is peace . . . may we all find peace.  That is Jesus’ wish for us all . . . “Peace be with you!”  Amen.

“Gotta Be There Somewhere” (John 20:1-18)

I guess one could say that it is kind of ironic that Easter falls on April Fools Day this year.  With the empty tomb one could say that God has played the greatest April Fools joke of all . . . Jesus--in particular, the dead body of Jesus, is nowhere to be found.  First, Mary of Magdala finds the tomb empty and runs to tell the disciples.  Then Peter and another disciple run to the tomb and find it empty.  The expectation of each of the three was that the body of Jesus would be right where it had been left after he had died--in the tomb.  The tomb stood empty and Jesus was nowhere to be found.   Needless to say, the joke was on them.

Losing something is no joking matter, especially to those who have lost that particular something.  Growing up as a kid I did not enjoy looking for things that my father would send me to look for.  As a kid tasked with the duty of finding the lost or missing item I would ask the normal questions: Where did you leave it? To which my father would answer, “If I knew that I wouldn’t be asking you to look for it!”  Where will I find it?  “It will be in the last place you find it!”  And, off I would go, looking for the lost or missing item.  Rarely did I find the item much to the chagrin of my father, who would sarcastically say, “You couldn’t find your rear end with two hands.”  To which I responded by firmly placing my hands over the cheeks of my rear end.

Let’s just say that that was the last time I ever did that.

The point is, no one likes losing or misplacing anything.  As Mary made her way to the tomb where Jesus had been laid after he had died, she was expecting to find his body there in the tomb.  But it was not there.  That is what she told the disciples: “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”  And, that is what Peter and the other disciple discovered . . . an empty tomb.  This really bothered Mary as she cried at the entrance to the tomb.  It was the same statement that she made to the two angels she saw in the tomb . . . and, to the individual she thought to be the gardener.  She wanted to find the “lost” Jesus.

Some times . . . you just have to have hope and believe.

There were these two little boys who live on a farm, and every year they would ask their father for a horse for Christmas.  When Christmas finally arrived, the two boys jumped out of bed and ran out of the house straight to the barn.  They both came to a screeching halt at the door of the barn . . . looked around and saw no horse.  The only thing that they saw was a huge pile of manure sitting smack dab in the middle of the barn.  The first boy kicked the dirt in disappointment; the second ran and jumped right in the middle of that gigantic pile of manure.  Then he began digging through the manure, throwing it left and right.  His brother asked: “What is the world are you doing!?!”

“Well,” said the manure-throwing sibling, “I’m looking for a horse.  With all this manure there has to be a horse in there somewhere!”

The writer of John’s gospel tells us that Mary and the disciples did not yet understand what the Scripture was saying about Jesus and having to rise from the dead.  Yet, they had hope . . . they had hope that Jesus had to be somewhere.  The writer tells us that when the other disciple--not Peter-- believed.  The writer doesn’t tell us exactly what he believed, but he believed.  I think at that moment, that disciple believed that it was going to turn out all right . . . that they would find Jesus.

When you believe . . . you don’t mind jumping into a stinky pile of manure to look for the horse.  And, when you believe, you can endure the worst of situations . . . even the death--and now, lost body--of your teacher, master, and friend.  You believe that you will find him.

And, they did find him.

In the next couple of weeks, as we stroll through the season of Easter, we will hear stories of the faithful finding Jesus.  This morning, though, we hear how Mary finds Jesus.  I suppose one could say that it is incidental that Mary finds Jesus--or that Jesus finds Mary; after all, Mary was not looking too hard for him.  No, she was still in shock at not finding his body in the tomb.  Thus she was crying when she is startled by a stranger speaking to her.

At first she assumed it was the gardener speaking to her.  She did not recognize the person standing before her.  She pleaded with him to tell her where they had taken the body.  Then the stranger called out her name, “Mary.”

It is a mystery to me how the heart remembers.  It may be as simple as walking into a familiar place that sparks the heart to remember a person or event in our lives.  It might be a quiet song that sparks a flood of emotions of days or people gone by.  It might be a phrase or a word that opens the heart to memories.  That’s is how we learn . . . by making a connection . . . a connection that comes through a touch, movement, sound or noise, music, or even words. 

For Mary, it was hearing her name.  The writer does not tell us how Jesus said her name, only that he spoke her name.  I think he must have spoken her name in such a way that it touched her heart . . . it opened her eyes . . . and, she found Jesus.

And, so can we.

I think that is the promise of Easter . . . that we can find Jesus . . . that we can find Jesus no matter how dark, rotten, and sinister this ol’ world might be . . . or how rough our own lives are.  Jesus is here.  He is with us.  He is not lost.

All we have to do is to believe.

Jesus’ presence might reveal itself in the familiar harmony of a beloved hymn sung by the congregation.  It might be in a favorite verse of scripture or passage of a devotional.  It could be in the prayers of the people or the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer.  Maybe it is in an unexpected word of support or a hug.  It could be in the reception of the bread and a drink from the cup.  Maybe in the way that someone says your name.

Jesus is here . . . sometimes we just have to get through all the manure to find him, but he is here.  That is the promise of Easter . . . Jesus is here.  Believe . . . believe and you will find him.  And, guess what?  You will find him . . . you will find in the last place you look.  Amen.