God is God - Redeemer Episcopal Church

Moses at the Burning Bush

3 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

7 Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10 So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.”

The Divine Name Revealed

13 But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’:

This is my name forever,
and this my title for all generations.

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This sermon was originally preached for Redeemer Episcopal Church, for a specific people in a specific context in a specific time. We believe in a God that transcends time and space, so I hope these words can speak to you too. You can read the sermon below, listen to the sermon here, or watch the whole worship service here. 

Let us pray: Lord of all power and might, you are the author and giver of all good things. You are God. Let us never deny that. And always depend upon it. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

Some of you might remember from some of my previous sermons or conversations that we have had, that I did my year-long seminary internship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Which, in case you aren’t sure where Malaysia is, because I didn’t when I was assigned there, Malaysia is in Southeast Asia, around Thailand and Cambodia and just north of Singapore. 

In Malaysia, it was common practice for people to take their shoes off when they entered a person’s home. It was mostly about hygiene — you don’t want to track all the rest of the world into the home — but it was also about respect. I came to understand that a person’s home was holy ground, it mattered that you were invited into that space. The encounters, the conversations, and the transformations that would happen in that space were holy.  

In the first reading this morning, we hear about this wild, sort of mystical experience of Moses’ interaction with God through the burning bush. It’s a story many of us know well— it’s the story of Moses’ call from God, the beginning of what will eventually be the incredible story of the exodus of God’s people from enslavement into freedom. 

Moses is keeping flock and and angel appeared and set a bush on fire, but the bush was not burning up. Moses was curious and got a little bit closer and God called out to him. Moses Moses! 

And if a burning bush started calling to me, I’d run the other way quick. I mean my own personal history tells me that this is how I react to God’s call. 

But Moses was faithful and knew that God was up to something, so he responds, “Here I am!” Then God commands that Moses take off his sandals and reveals Godself to Moses. 

Then God gives Moses these really lofty commands to go to Egypt, approach Pharaoh, and demand that the Israelites be released into freedom. This is Moses’ call story. This was transformational, incredible, holy ground.

So this got me thinking a little bit about the holy ground that we encounter today. What does it mean to step onto holy ground and encounter God? 

When I think about the times when the people of God have encountered God, it is usually when God wants them to go someplace they’d rather not go. I think of Jonah, refusing to go to Nineveh. 

I think of Moses, really not wanting to mess with the Pharaoh in Egypt. I think of Jesus’ disciples when Jesus wants to go basically anywhere— and especially in the text we heard this morning when he says they have to go to Jerusalem and it might get them killed. God’s people often hear when God is calling, but that doesn’t mean that they want to go. 

Perhaps I identify so much with this because this is often where I encounter God as well. Before my arrival in Malaysia for internship, I interviewed with the national Lutheran church leaders to see where they might place me. There were placements all over the world— the UK, Bratislava, Uruguay… all sorts of places. Malaysia was last on my list. It was too far away from my family, I didn’t think I liked Southeast Asian food… I didn’t want to go. Plain and simple. So when they told me that I’d be spending the year in Malaysia, I cried and cried and cried. I was mad at God and said, “why would you send ME there? Send someone else.” I considered backing out at least a dozen times before I left. 

After seminary, my husband Daniel and I spent a lot of time discerning where we might want to go for our first assignments as pastors. Florida was definitely on our “never want to live there” list. So of course, that’s where we were assigned. And we cried and cried and cried. 

But what we didn’t know was that God was coming near to us, we were about to be set on a journey that would change us, that would transform us, that would put us onto holy ground. 

When God’s people, who we learn about in the Bible, encounter God and step onto holy ground, they do not alway respond helpfully either. 

When God comes to Moses in a burning bush and says “go into Egypt and free my people,” it is really no surprise to us that Moses, a lowly shepherd, says “who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Who am I? Why would you want to send ME?

When Jesus tells his disciples that they have to travel back into the very dangerous city of Jerusalem and it will almost definitely mean suffering and death for Jesus there, Peter says “no! This can’t be so!” 

God is really good at calling people into uncomfortable, unimaginable, and sometimes dangerous situations. And God’s people are really good and saying, “but I don’t wanna!” 

But notice what God does with that answer. When God hears “I can’t” or “I don’t want to,” or “who am I to do this big incredible thing?” God doesn’t remind us of all the things we’ve done before or try to make us feel good about ourselves. God does something that I think is pretty phenomenal. 

God says, “It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter what you have or haven’t done. It doesn’t matter if you’re too weak, or not smart enough, or not ready. I AM GOD.” God says that the ONLY thing that matters is that God is God, and that God is equipping us for the road ahead. 

It doesn’t matter who we say that we are, what matters is who God is and what God has done, what God is doing, and what God will do. 

God is God, who created the heavens and the earth, who made everything out of nothing at all, who led the Israelites out of slavery and into freedom. God who, over and over again, delivers God’s people from oppression and hatred and sin and into life. God who did the impossible by taking on flesh to walk among us in Christ Jesus. And in death on the cross defeated death and all the forces of evil. God who is, right now, in the midst of death and pain is bringing about resurrection. God is God. 

That is the hope we have, that is the assurance we have when God calls us to do big, incredible, frightening things. God is God. And we are not. Thanks be to God. 

Stepping out of the boat - Redeemer Episcopal Church

Matthew 14:22-33 

Jesus Walks on the Water

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

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This sermon was originally preach at Redeemer Episcopal Church to a certain people in a certain context in a certain time. We believe in a God who transcends time and space, so I hope that the Holy Spirit might speak to you as well. You can read the sermon below, listen to it here, or watch the whole worship service here. 

Let us pray. 

God in Christ, give us the courage to step out in faith, leaving behind the comforts of security and peace, and following you into the turbulent waves of the unknown. Amen. 

I have an image of this passage in my office here at Redeemer. It is a big beautiful blue sea wit Jesus, in white, walking across it. There is no boat, no Peter, no storm even. Curious about other images of the story, I googled paintings of this passage. They are all fairly similar. Unlike my painting, they have Jesus, walking toward a boat and Peter is halfway under water, reaching out to Jesus with panic in his eyes. 

Perhaps you can see one of those paintings in your head right now. Maybe it’s the exact image you had when you heard this passage this morning. 

Peter, halfway under water, reaching out to Jesus, panicked and about to drown. 

I get it. It makes sense. It’s mostly what I think of too. After all, Peter is not exactly the model disciple all the time. 

He’s the one who denied Jesus, after all. 

He also seems to be easily distracted and maybe even a little doubtful in this story. 

That is mostly what I focus on in this story— Peter got out of that boat just to look around, get distracted, and doubt God’s power in Christ Jesus. Then Jesus chastises him and hauls him out of the water. Silly doubting Peter. 

But as I read the story over and over again this past week, I couldn’t help but notice something different. 

Peter had the courage to get out of the boat while everyone else stayed.

Peter saw Jesus out walking on the sea and he wanted so much to be like Jesus that he risked his life to step out of that boat and be on the raging sea beside him. 

Peter was willing to risk his life to be like Jesus.

This is kind of a theme of Peter’s as he does ministry alongside Jesus. He was also the one who misguidedly cut off the soldier’s ear when they came to arrest Jesus in the garden.

This continues in his life after Jesus’ death and resurrection, with his ministry and multiple arrests and even gets fussed at by Paul eventually. Peter is no stranger to stepping out into trouble for Jesus. 

Peter sees Jesus walking on the water, in the middle of a storm, and everyone thinks he is a ghost. But when Peter hears his words of assurance, he can’t help but call out to Jesus and move closer to him. He steps out of the boat into the crashing waves and walks toward Jesus. 

Unlike everyone else, he has the courage to get out of the boat, out of the safety and security, having faith that Jesus will lead him. 

And of course, then next part of the story is that he gets distracted and begins to sink into the water— the part of the story that everyone loves to depict in paintings.  

But no one else even takes the chance. Peter is the only one who has enough faith to step out of the boat, even when he doesn’t know what is going to happen next. 

This is the kind of risk-taking and stepping out that Jesus invites us into in the waters of baptism. This is the kind of faith that is required of us. When Christ bids us follow him, it is not an invitation into a comfortable, easy, care-free life. He invites us into the troubled waters with him, into the chaos of life and death. Jesus calls us out of the comfort of our life before him and into the storm. 

Because now that we know Jesus, now that we understand what his ministry is about and what it means to truly love one another and deeply care for one another, we know that it isn’t a delightful walk in the park. It’s a precarious walk on the sea. 

Instead of buying into the security of this world, with selfishness, greed, property, and wealth— Jesus invites us into something different, something much more risky. He invites us into the Kingdom, that promises true reconciliation, love, vulnerability and peace. And that’s scary. If you have ever loved anyone enough to follow them anywhere, you know that that is scary. Following Jesus is not for the faint of heart. For most of the disciples, it meant following him to their own deaths. 

But the good news is that when the waves get too overwhelming around Peter and he gets distracted, he is not left to drown. Jesus is out in the middle of the storm with him. And Christ reaches out his hand and brings him to safety. God did not leave Peter alone. And then he takes Peter’s faith and builds the whole church from it. That tiny bit of faith that called him out of the boat was what God used to bring about the ministry of the church today. Because we worship a God who takes the tiniest things, the mustard seed and the yeast, and creates abundance. God takes our tiny faith and creates the kingdom. 

God has not left us alone. Despite our distance from one another, and this time when we have had to repeatedly step out of the comfort of our normal, comfortable boat— God has not left us. And when we become distracted and discouraged by the storm and waves raging around us— whatever the storm may be— Jesus is present to lift us out of the water and bring us to safety. So step out of that boat, beloved. Take a risk and follow Christ into that storm of love and vulnerability and faith. Because he is with you. Amen. 

Season of Growth - Redeemer Episcopal Church

Matthew 9:35 - 10:23

³⁵Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. ³⁶When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. ²These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; ³Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;⁴ Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

⁵These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, ⁶but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ⁸Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. ⁹Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, ¹⁰no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. ¹¹Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. ¹²As you enter the house, greet it. ¹³If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. ¹⁵Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

¹⁶“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. ¹⁷Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; ¹⁸and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. ¹⁹When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; ²⁰for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. ²¹Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; ²²and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.²³When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

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This sermon was preached for God's people at Redeemer Episcopal Church in Jacksonville, Florida on June 14, 2020. As God can speak to us in many times and places, I hope that this word might speak to others in many times and places. You can read the sermon below, watch the entire worship service at this link, or listen to the recording of the sermon at this link. 

Let us pray. 

God of sowing and reaping, healing and reconciliation, reveal to us your desire for us. Make your presence known to us so that we might be empowered by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the good news, cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.

Welcome to the season after Pentecost! I find the seasons of the church year to be pretty incredible. I know that I have talked about the church calendar before. And I know that the liturgical calendar is no accident, and that it took many people over a long period of time to come up with the readings and patterns for what we now called the Revised Common Lectionary. But, with very few exceptions, they seem to have gotten it right. Advent and Lent are two of my favorite seasons because of the way the readings are structured and we are able to anticipate what is coming next in God’s story of Christ Jesus. 

But the season after Pentecost— what some people would call "ordinary time” or the “down time” of the church— is really something special too. I certainly wouldn’t call it “ordinary time.” If we really focus in on the stories God is telling during this time, we will be able to see this as a time of extraordinary grace from our extraordinary God. 

This is the first Sunday that really kicks of the season after Pentecost. There is a theme in "time after Pentecost” readings. We’ll hear a lot of parables— in fact, out of the 22 Gospel readings on the Sundays in the time after Pentecost, ten of them will be parables that Jesus tells his disciples. And every other reading is about what Jesus did in his life of ministry— feeding people, walking on water, exorcising demons, healing people— and about Jesus’ teaching like the Beatitudes and the greatest commandment. 

So it absolutely makes sense that we would kick off this season with these readings. Two weeks ago, we had the birthday of the church, when the Holy Spirit descended upon hundred of people and they were able to speak to one another and prophesy about God’s glory. Now we have a whole season telling stories of how God has equipped and continues to equip the church for God’s mission in the world. 

Two Sundays ago, God said, “I give you the gift of the Holy Spirit” and now, today, God says, “Here’s what it looks like to use that gift.” 

What it looks like is what the Gospel tells us that Jesus did — he went out to all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. 

It looks like Jesus who had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

It is no coincidence that these words are echoed in the next few verses when Jesus calls his disciples to go out into the world. 

There are other places in the Bible where Jesus’ command or teaching leaves us scratching our heads and wondering what we are supposed to do, like the many parables we will hear this season. But this is not one of those places. 

This mission is not one that they must work out on their own. Jesus gives specific instructions on where to go and who to visit, on what to say and what to do.

He gave the disciples authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. And he gives them these instructions: As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ⁸Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.

We were given the gift of the Holy Spirit at our baptism. Using the gift of the Holy Spirit looks like liberation and healing, not just by Christ but by his disciples as well. 

The disciples are called to imitate the teacher. A disciple is, by definition, just like an apprentice, called to follow behind the teacher and imitating what they do until the disciple is able to do the same thing. 

That’s what it means to be a follower of Christ in this day and age too. We are called to the same things to which the disciples where first called. To follow Christ is not just to observe him and his actions, not just walk next to him throughout our lives. To follow Christ is the first action in becoming his disciple, the next step is to imitate him. God’s grace is given to us so freely not so we can stay the same and do nothing, but so that we can live into that grace and proclaim that grace through our actions as imitations of Christ. 

The season after Pentecost’s liturgical color is green. It symbolizes the growth that we are called to experience during this time. Growth that both calls us closer to God and calls us to being more like Christ. And my beloved siblings, this growth is difficult. This growth is sometimes painful. But it is growth that is so desperately needed in this world. We need more people who imitate Christ in this world.

Growing into an imitation of Christ is going to take a lot of work, and we are going to make mistakes along the way. But God has given us the gift of God’s very presence in the Holy Spirit to assist us, to cure every disease and every sickness. God has given us the Spirit so that As we go, we might proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ⁸Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.

God is calling us to this difficult work of reconciliation, healing, and liberation. Because this world needs it. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, Jesus says. 

So over these next few weeks and months, remember that we are in the time after Pentecost, the green season, the season of growth. And as we become more acutely aware of the growing pains of our world, our government, and our society, God is inviting us to recognize the growth places and the growing pains in our own lives, in our own journeys as we work toward imitating Christ and God’s work in the world through the Holy Spirit. 

Amen. 

Devote Ourselves to Prayer - Redeemer Episcopal Church

John 17:1-11 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Jesus Prays for His Disciples

17 After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you,’ 2 since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5 So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.

6 “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.

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This sermon was preached and recorded for a certain context in a certain time (Redeemer Episcopal Church for the 7th Sunday in Easter), but we believe that God can and will speak outside of our own limitations. I hope that it can speak to you in whatever space you are in today. You can read the sermon below, listen to it at this link, and see the sermon preached at this link. 

Let us pray. God of in-between times, be with us now in our waiting. Comfort us in our prayer and call us to further devotion in this time, trusting in your promise of hope and peace. Amen. 

When I read all of the scripture for this morning— the first reading, the psalm, the epistle, and the gospel— I hear a common thread about difficult times, changing, and challenging times. 

In the Gospel text we just heard, Jesus prays for his disciples, his friends, for the last time before he is betrayed and handed over to the authorities. This are about to get really messy for everyone involved. They are about to lose their teacher to death on a cross. 

In Acts, we see another turbulent time for the disciples. They have once again found themselves without their teacher. 

Ascension Day was this past Thursday, when Jesus was taken up into heaven to be with God the Father for eternity. 

Up until that time, Jesus was with his disciples again after being resurrected from the dead. What an incredible time that must have been for them, to have the fullness of joy after seeing their friend and teacher be killed. 

But now he is going to leave them again. After only being with them a short time.

This week in our lectionary season, Jesus has ascended to heaven and Pentecost has not yet come.

We heard last week that Jesus told his disciples that once he was gone, he would send the Paraclete— the advocate, friend, comforter, the Holy Spirit— to be with the disciples. But that happens next week. 

It’s in this in-between time where we find ourselves this morning.

This week… we wait. So there are ten days in our liturgical calendar where we wait again, like Holy Saturday, to see what God will do next. 

It strikes me that what the disciples do during this time is they constantly devote themselves to prayer. All together, Acts tells us, the disciples gathered in a room apart from everyone else and devoted themselves to prayer. 

It is not some new age way of worshiping that Father Wiley has called us to when he encourages us to create a worship space in our own homes for prayer and devotion. It is not bizarre that Heather, our formation director, and Hannah, our youth director, have encouraged us to pray with our families during this time, providing opportunities for faith formation in the midst of our work and family life. 

They are following the examples of the disciples. They are following the example of the first Christian church, the one that waited desperately for a time when they could safely go back into the world and proclaim the wonder and good news of Christ Jesus. It sounds familiar…

I imagine it was a long few days for them— as they waited to see what God would do next, clinging to the promises that Jesus had, indeed, fulfilled in the resurrection. And now clinging again to his promise that he would send someone else, a comforter, an advocate, a friend, to continue to guide us and give us wisdom. 

And in this long, difficult time, what do they do? They stay with one another and they devote themselves to prayer. They’re not praying because they believe it can solve some kind of problem. They probably aren’t even praying that Jesus come back or things go back to normal. They devote themselves to prayer because they know that when God feels far away, we pray. When God feels far away, we talk to God and feel closer. We talk to God and we ARE closer. We listen for God and feel comforted. Prayer is not some holy problem solver. It is a practice of putting ourselves deliberately and intentionally in the presence of God. In a time right after the disciples literally watched Jesus be raised to heaven, when he left them once again, what else are they supposed to do? 

We, too, are in a similar liminal space. I remember in the beginning of this season, thinking that this would only be a short time away from everyone. A few weeks, perhaps— maybe it would even be a sort of welcomed vacation for me. I hunkered down and began making preparations for when we would come back together. I began busying myself with all sorts of things. 

I don’t like feeling out of control, so I began finding problems I could solve on my own. Things I could do or fix. I told myself I would complete all of our house projects in these few weeks. I began staying up too late, distracting myself with mask-making and reading news articles. I was constantly looking for ways to spend my time so these couple of weeks would go by faster. I was constantly finding problems that I could solve in an effort to keep my mind away from the helplessness I was feeling. 

And then the weeks drew on and I began to realize that this would be a marathon instead of a sprint. And I began to notice myself drifting away from scripture, drifting away from my usual habits of prayer and devotion, drifting away from the assurances of God and God’s promises for us. I was busying myself in an effort to distance myself from God, thinking I could solve this pandemic on my own.  

So it feels appropriate that we are in this time in our church year and hear these stories of the disciples while we wait anxiously for government officials to give us more information, while we wonder what comes next for our careers, the economy, our health, and our church. I have found myself unsettled and wondering what, exactly, am I supposed to do while I wait? 

Well, what else are we supposed to do but follow the example of the first church and devote ourselves to prayer? To keep alert and to notice what God is doing next, clinging to the promise of the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit. So that soon, we might emerge once again into the world, renewed in the Spirit once again, to proclaim the good news of Christ Jesus with new joy and hope on our lips. Amen. 

Good Shepherd Sunday - Redeemer Episcopal Church

John 10:1-10 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Jesus the Good Shepherd

10 “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

7 So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

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This sermon was preached by me for a certain context in a certain time. But I believe it can speak to others and I hope that it speaks to you by the power of the Holy Spirit. You can read the sermon below, listen to it at this link, or you can watch the video of my sermon being preached from University of North Florida's campus at this link. 

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday.

It is the day that we celebrate the beautiful analogy of Jesus being a shepherd, and us being his sheep. The image of Jesus holding, tending, or protecting his sheep is probably one of the most popular depictions of Jesus. I’m sure you can think of one of these images right away. 

There is a lot that can be expanded on in this analogy of the Good Shepherd— we heard about gates and thieves, bandits, and pastures. In other texts we hear about goats and sheep being separated, in the 23rd psalm we hear about green pastures and still waters, comfort and a cup that runneth over. 

I am so thankful to be a part of this community that cares deeply for Jesus’ sheep.

And especially the most vulnerable of the sheep among us.

Including our college students, who we don’t always realize are some of the most vulnerable. Young adults, in general, are often forgotten in congregations because it seems they have little to offer— they’re usually not great at tithing, they are often too busy to volunteer their time, perhaps they travel too much to be consistent in attending. But I’m thankful for you and our community who values them so much that you would be a partner with us in campus ministry. 

In this text and in others, there is a lot that is said about the sheep knowing the voice of the shepherd and I think a lot of us do know the shepherd’s voice— those of us who have grown up in the church or grown into the church, we do know the shepherd’s voice and even if we wandered for a while, we would still be able to hear the shepherd’s voice. It’s familiar to us, comforting, and something we could never forget. When you’ve lived your life so fully enveloped in the shepherd’s voice, it is almost a part of who you are, it’s wrapped up in your identity. 

That’s how I grew up. We were an every-Sunday, every volunteer activity, confirmation is required type of family. The church was very much a part of the rhythm of our family’s routine. And I valued having that foundation when I went to college and began wandering a bit in my faith. 

But many of our college students didn’t grow up that way. They weren’t born into the pasture of church community and they only started hearing about the shepherd once they were older. 

Or perhaps they did grow up in the church and began to wander as time went on. Perhaps the shepherd’s voice is only a distant memory to them by the time they came to college. 

We have a lot of students graduating right now— graduating from high school and college. There are students all across the United States finishing up exams this week, those who are missing graduation, and those who will begin online internship programs soon. Our high school students are beginning to gear up for those exams, receive scholarship news and are beginning to think about where they will go in the fall. Everyone is in a time of transition right now. 

The time period between high school and starting a family is often referred to as the lost years or the unreachable years to the church. But it’s not, really. It’s a time when God is doing really incredible things in young peoples’ lives. It’s a time of big questions, lots of doubting, and sometimes pushing back against what they have been taught for many years. It’s a time for wandering and wondering. And that’s why campus ministry is so vital to this transition time. Young people who are involved in campus ministry are twice as likely to become involved in a congregation once they graduate. 

And our students might not remember the sound of Jesus’ voice calling to them. But we hear from this text that Jesus knows each of them by name. When they wander, God pursues them. As they move away from their familiar circles and begin to ask big questions and have big doubts, Jesus is right there beside them, continuing to call them back to him. 

It was right in the middle of this time of wandering and wonder in my own life when God called me, through campus ministry, to seminary and lit a deep passion for God’s people inside my soul and gave me a desire to serve. 

I mention all of this about our students being in transition, because what they are feeling right now is also what we are feeling. We are facing a lot of transition right now too. Perhaps this time is one in which we can relate most fully to our young adults. Because just like them, many of us are asking big hard questions right now, we are doubting the goodness and sometimes even the presence of God. We are wondering and wandering. But the still waters that God promises to us are present in our baptism. We have already been named and claimed as God’s children. We can take comfort in knowing that Jesus continues to tend to us, creating a refuge for us in green pastures. Our good shepherd will never tire of looking for us, no matter how far we wander off. Our shepherd continues with us to revive our souls and guide us along right pathways. 

It is, of course, vitally important that we know Jesus’ voice, that we know the call of our savior. But it is even more important to remember that God knows us. God created us and calls us beloved. God adores us. And wants us to stay near. And as our students wander, and even as we wander, God is pursuing us and gathering us back into community with one another. And when we arrive here again, we will be even more full of joy for the reunion. Amen.