What's That You Say?

 

What’s That You Say?

[A version of this message will be preached on 4/19/26 at the McKnight and Epworth UMCs]

 

Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19

I will call upon God 

 

116:1 I love the LORD because God has heard my voice and my supplications.

 

116:2 Because God inclined the divine ear to me, therefore I will call on God as long as I live.

 

116:3 The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish.

 

116:4 Then I called on the name of the LORD, "O LORD, I pray, save my life!"

 

116:12 What shall I return to the LORD for all God’s bounty to me?

 

116:13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD;

 

116:14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all God’s people.

 

116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of the faithful ones.

 

116:16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds.

 

116:17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the LORD.

 

116:18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all God’s people,

 

116:19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!

 

Friends, this sermon has the potential to be the most boring one you’ve heard/read! If I told you I was going to talk about “prayer,” what might be your reaction? B-O-R-I-N-G, I’ll bet! And not because we aren’t interested in prayer, but precisely because we ARE! Don’t all of us want to understand how prayer “works,” and how to better DO it? Don’t we all want to have our prayers answered? Personally, I would like to understand the “logic” behind what the church has DONE with prayer, down through the centuries, that something so interesting to all of us has been brought to the point where just saying we’re going to talk about it, invokes BOREDOM? And even worse, don’t our eyes get glazed over when someone says, “Let’s PRAY”? Prayer doesn’t deserve this. No, not at all.

 

The word “prayer” appears over 650 times in the Bible, at least according to Google. Amazon alone offers over 70,000 books on prayer. Why, even the twelve men closest to Jesus asked, “Lord, teach us how to pray.” It’s been a hot topic since Adam first “walked with God in the evening” in Genesis, and I assume got even hotter after the whole serpent/tree of knowledge of good and evil incident, and being banished from those evening walks. The good news for Adam—and for all of humanity—is that God never stopped listening.

 

This piece from Psalm 116 tells us that right in verse one:  I love the LORD because God has heard my voice and my supplications. I admit, I’m tempted to ask the psalmist right from the outset, “Do you love the Lord just BECAUSE God listens to our prayers?” I know my wife tells me she loves me a little more when I listen to her, so maybe it’s a thing. Now, right there is a clue as to what prayer is all about—Listening to each other. We might even say being PRESENT to one another. Isn’t there something about being “present” with someone you love that just feels right? And doesn’t this presence often lead to further openness and conversation, both of which may lead to self-revelation and even self-understanding? It certainly may lead to understanding others—through presence, listening, and conversation, that is. So, what IS prayer, and what ISN’T prayer? Let’s think about these questions for a moment or two.

 

It’s easier to address the question of what prayer “isn’t,” by suggesting that there is very little that can NOT be offered as prayer to the Divine. Fear, anger, wonder, confusion—they all can be. Art, music, drama, comedy—they can be, too. Not all words are formed into prayer, and yet, not all prayers that use words—even many words—communicate what we really want to say to God, do they? I remember back in elementary school, the teacher asked the members of our class to write our own poems. Most of the ones that emerged rhymed, usually at the expense of having much meaning or even coherence. I was that student who wrote in more blank verse, but tried to cover a subject that intrigued me, stirring the narrative. My teacher loved it. The rest of the class avoided me for about a month, not sure of my sanity. Praying is a lot like that. Aren’t we afraid of forming a prayer that scares God away? If you want to get a room of Methodists quiet, ask one of them to lead a prayer at the beginning or end of a meeting or a Bible study. We like those people in the room, for the most part, and don’t want to scare THEM, let alone God, so we go quiet, hoping the pastor will realize the silence means we think she/he should do the public praying.

 

I like what the psalmist says in verse two: because God listens (literally, “inclined the Divine ear”) to us, we will “call on God as long as [we] live.” On the humorous side of this, don’t we generally avoid that person who just keeps talking because we have shown a willingness to listen? (Pulpit preachers can be that person, unfortunately.) However, it seems true that God DOES “incline the Divine ear” and never shows weariness at listening to us, regardless of how petty our prayers may be. Of course, in this Psalm, the psalmist specifically mentions the salvific prayer: “O Lord, I pray, SAVE MY LIFE!” From a spiritual aspect, this is a prayer God always answers, especially when we hold this request against the fact that God sent God’s only begotten Son into the world to do just that! Sometimes, though, the salvific prayer is literally a prayer asking to be spared or rescued. I once heard the testimony of a young women who told of falling down a deep water well on the farm on which she was raised. She leaned over to “unstick” a bucket she was lowering into the well, lost her balance, and fell in. In the split second she was falling, she cried out, “God, SAVE me!” She survived the fall, and was rescued to safety by her family, but her story didn’t end there. She went on to say that something “spiritual” happened to her in that incident, and her feelings about God, the Christian faith she was learning about in Sunday School, and the directions her life would take all changed. From that moment on, she proclaimed herself “saved,” and not just from a watery death. So, you see, sometimes a salvific prayer may invoke God’s “rescuing” interests across both physical AND spiritual planes. 

 

Let’s go back to that “presence” thing again. My lovely wife and I have been together now for over 49 years, as of next month. I know this may sound unusual, but both my relationships with Dara AND with God continue to be challenging, FRESH, and deeply fulfilling. I know I’ve said this before, but I really am almost daily trying to convince Dara she didn’t make a BIG MISTAKE back on May 28 of 1977, and I think I’m almost there. Regarding my relationship with God, while I believe God IS STILL listening intently to my prayers, I’m almost daily trying to convince God that I’M still listening to that “still, small voice” of the Divine. As we know, but struggle to practice, prayer “cuts” both ways. Our relationship to God is in so many ways quite parallel to our relationship with our spouse or significant other. Permit me to go a little deeper into this. I love spending time with Dara, even when we are just being “present” to each other. This may be while we are sitting on the sofa together reading, listening to music, or enjoying one of the rare TV shows or movies we both like. We may or may not engage in any conversation during these times, but presence counts for something. During those times, especially when the shared activity is reading or “thinking” silently, I find myself thinking about her, often reminiscing over our life together, our family, our long history of ups and downs, challenges and blessings. Something I’m reading may provoke this, or it may be spontaneous. I may even be compelled to share one of these thoughts out loud with her, which often spurs further conversation, or a brief moment of shared intimacy. This same kind of thing happens when I take the time to be present to the Divine. I’m convinced the whole time in such “meditation” is a prayer, and occasionally, out of the silent shared presence, an actual “conversation” between the Divine and me may erupt. Either of us may initiate it, but it is always meaningful, even powerful. Do you see what I’m saying here? God is always “in the room” with me in these times, and God’s ear is inclined in my direction. It is up to me to incline mine in God’s direction, if it is to be a conversation. THIS is certainly just like what happens between Dara and me. 

 

True confession: often when Dara and I travel distances in the car, there is silence. Two rather talkative people tend to ride in silence, just enjoying the journey. However, when something does “erupt” in the way of conversation, it is often important, deeply revealing, and quite meaningful. Is not our spiritual journey like this? If that is not your experience, practice a little “presence” with God, and you may find your “prayer life” starts to be anything but boring!

 

I’m not here to give you “five ways to pray more effectively.” Over 70,000 books have been written (I’m guessing WAY more than that, down through the ages!) on the subject. When Jesus’ disciples asked him to teach them to pray, he gave us this framework:

 

*Address God and offer “praise,” which is kind of like the “Dear Sir” of a letter.

(Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.)

 

*Let God know you are on board with trying to make Earth look a lot more like Heaven, or at least living according to heavenly values, and that you are OK with those values yourself.

(Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.)

 

*Don’t be afraid to ask God for the basics—“our daily bread”—but note that Jesus uses “OUR” language, not “I” language, here. The “daily bread” is for our neighbor as well as ourselves.

(Give us this day our daily bread.)

 

*Confess our sins and ask for forgiveness, but don’t forget to pay it forward.

(And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.)

 

*Ask God for the wisdom to avoid the inevitable temptations to live more according to “ME” than “THEE.” Evil lives in the personal ambitions, personal desires, and personal “details,” especially when selfishness becomes the grease.

(And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.)

 

*Remind God whom you believe is in charge, and don’t term limit the Almighty. This is a forever prayer.

(For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.)

 

*Don’t forget the “Amen,” an untranslatable word (it’s transliterated the same from Hebrew to Greek to English), that I once heard an old preacher say meant, “I’m in favor of it, and here’s my share of the cost.”

 

This is really all you need to know about the mechanics of prayer. Oh, you can categorize prayer into “adoration,” “confession,” “supplication” (for yourself), and “intercession” (for others), but what really counts is the motivation for the conversation. That works for my wife, too. If I bring something up that obviously from a selfish angle, she sniffs that out like a mouse to cheese, and the results are rarely what I hope for. But when my aim is for the good of “us” and the relationship, the channel to that “inclined ear” is a bit less noisy. 

 

While that popular movie of a few years back—“Bruce Almighty”—is moderately entertaining, the one part of it that really grabbed me was when “Bruce,” who has won the “God for a Day” contest, is plopped in front of the Divine computer and told to answer the world’s prayers. In the scene, Jim Carrey (Bruce) decides to make good on one of his personal beliefs, namely that a “good God” would always answer a “true believer’s” prayers in the affirmative. So, rather than incline his prayer ear to each individual prayer (and there were billions popping up), he just said “YES” to them all. The chaos that ensued was monumental, in a moment that should have made all of us think. There is a reason that when we pray, the answer is not always “yes.” Sometimes it is “maybe,” or “wait a while,” but even a “no” doesn’t signal God’s lack of interest. Quite the contrary. Jesus said it best: “What loving parent, when asked by its child for bread, would give it a stone?” As all parents know, however, sometimes a “no” is best for the child in the moment.

 

There are those who, thanks at least in part to the same kind of philosophical logic employed in “Bruce Almighty,” have a hard time believing that the Creator of the whole universe DOES “incline” the Divine ear to the simple prayers of an individual creature, especially one who may or may not practice “presence” with God on a regular basis. The biblical witness, and the testimony of billions of people down through the ages, are clear evidence that God DOES listen. And the fact that so many of us have said “yes” to God’s call into the ministry or to ministries of all kinds, as laity, means that we ARE also doing a bit of listening on our part. 

 

If there is anything that I would like to suggest to you, the listener/reader, though, it is to begin a regular practice of being “present” to God, to the universe around you, and to the inner dialogue going on in your own head, and to do it without “external” stimuli, just in the silence. I guarantee that you will be amazed at what happens when you do! Don’t always make your prayers a “to do” list for God. Remember, as I’ve said many times before, God is NOT the genie in the lamp, waiting to grant you your three “wishes,” and prayer is not “rubbing the lamp” correctly to get the genie’s attention. Effective prayer is a loving presence between ourselves and the Divine, and it may or may not involve actual conversation. And prayer, as Jesus taught it, uses more “we,” “us,” and “our” language than “I,” “me,” and “mine.” What is most intriguing about all of this is that because God is a loving parent, we should never be afraid to tell God the desires of our heart or to share our deepest needs. What keeps these things from being selfish is that we understand the “Bruce Almighty” lesson, that in the best interests of the Kingdom of God, not all of our prayers can be answered with a “yes.” Amen.

The Real McCoy

The Real McCoy

 

1 Peter 1:3-9

New birth to a living hope 

 

1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

 

1:4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

 

1:5 who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

 

1:6 In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials,

 

1:7 so that the genuineness of your faith--being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

 

1:8 Although you have not seen him, you love him, and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,

 

1:9 for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

 

 

“Genuine” is a beleaguered word in our day, isn’t it? I have two cars with “genuine” imitation leather seats. What does that even mean? Did the material come from an imitation cow? For drying my cars after a bath, I purchased a “man-made chamois.” I have to wonder what THAT animal looked like? Honestly, a word that should be getting more airplay today is “Disingenuous,” don’t you think? It’s getting so when someone says, “This is the god’s truth,” you had better grab your wallet tightly, and close your mind to what comes next! Back in the day, as they say, if one wanted to pronounce something as “genuine,” one would say, “It’s the real McCoy.” While I grew up hearing that phrase as a stamp of authenticity, and have even used it from time to time, I had to look it up as to its etymology. The phrase comes either from Elijah McCoy, an inventor of a high-quality lubricator for steam engines in 1872, when train engineers said they only wanted “the real McCoy,” or from William McCoy, a notorious rum runner during Prohibition, known for smuggling “the Real McCoy,” a non-counterfeit liquor. Given the current state of world affairs, I think I will go with the boozy one. I could use a still “McCoy.”

 

Being a major “Trekkie” (fan of the Star Trek genre of Sci-Fi), I would guess that when Gene Roddenbery wanted to create a ship’s doctor who would be a “standard” of truth and trustworthiness, he intentionally named him “McCoy” for a reason. After all, when you are millions of parsecs out in space, who wants a snake oil doctor, or a lamebrained antivaxxer?

 

Unfortunately, we have come to be quite skeptical of things that self-pronounce as “genuine.” Here are some things that we patently distrust, when a claim of “genuineness” is made about them: politicians; fuel-efficient vehicles; soothing music; pain-free dentistry; blockbuster films; non-partisan media; secure Internet; free banking; seedless watermelon; comfortable jeans; and lifetime anything. (I’m sure you have your own lists…) 

 

ARE there things we DO believe are “genuine” in their substance or claims? As a holder of three degrees that helped hone me as a critical thinker, I might suggest “higher education.” A good book? Some name-brands in clothing or shoes? Apple computers? (Yes, I’m an Apple geek.) Some jewels, since they are fairly easy to have authenticated. Nobel Prize winners. I DO hope you have your own lists, as I’m really coming up short on things that are “genuine,” in this culture!

 

And now the big question: WHAT is “genuine faith,” given that this biblical author suggests that the “genuineness of [your] faith is more “precious than gold”? We can certainly go down a lot of proverbial “rabbit holes” here, but let’s see what we can come up with on this.

 

At the outset of our investigation, I might suggest that the term “genuine faith” is a type of oxymoron. If one takes “faith” to mean something we believe in, but that may not be “provable” in the scientific sense, then how would “genuine” apply to it? If it is something I believe, who is in a position to question what I believe? If I TRULY believe the earth is flat, then my faith in this postulate is indeed genuine, isn’t it? (In this case, my belief has nothing to do with truth or reality, but the question still applies.) My belief in a Divine Creator/God certainly is genuine, but someone may call it otherwise, if they disagree either with the basic premise of my belief, OR the “boundaries” or doctrines I may superimpose on it. I think it is safe to say that any kind of “faith” may be considered “genuine” if the believer believes it. This necessarily moves us to the next questions regarding what does this “faith” mean to their life, and/or how do they “practice” this faith. This is where it gets interesting, and where the I Peter passage begins to apply.

 

Suffice it to say we can “believe” in things that may have nothing to do with how we live. I can believe in ghosts, for instance, but this probably does not affect how I carry out my days, other than to introduce a new fear to the darkness. But when we talk about having a “faith,” I would suggest that this moves “belief” along to some kind of systemic “practice” for us, for even if I have “faith” in a friend or loved one, this usually implies a level of trust and interest that DOES alter how I live, at least in reference to this person. Religious faith naturally implies some system of “beliefs” that usually includes certain practices such as prayer and meditation, some form of “worship” or intentional focus on the deity in question, and possibly even a “community” relationship to others who share this faith. As we move along this progressive continuum of faith, this is where the “genuine” term begins to apply.

 

I would understand that, for the Petrine author, “genuine” faith is one that is most assuredly practiced on a daily basis, if not “woven” into the entirety of the life of the individual. It implies that this faith is held in common with the author’s, as well as others in the “body of Christ,” since these are Christian scriptures. A genuine faith in this context is one that has such a high priority that the “believer” is even willing to lose temporal assets to gain salvation, and/or to make personal sacrifices to advance the “cause” of her/his faith. The Petrine author’s understanding of “genuine” here would be quite counter to what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called “cheap grace.” A genuine faith comes with a price, both for the “Savior,” Jesus, who died for it, and for the believer, who must commit to living out the faith and teachings inherited directly from Christ and nurtured through the church. If we take a mental leap of faith to assert that Peter was the author of this text (even though most scholars see it as a product of some disciple of Peter’s), we get a strong endorsement of both the sacrifice necessary to hold a “genuine” faith, and the commitment to standing with the persecuted early Christian faith community. A disingenuous faith would be one worn loosely, with little commitment to stand up to cultural adversity towards it, and with a lack of willingness to “work” to advance it, through mission, ministry, and witness. “Faux Christians” were not only useless to the early Christian movement, but in some cases, they may have even been dangerous, especially during the times of highest persecution by Roman authorities.

 

Take note of some of the elements this author lists for a “genuine faith”: imperishable; undefiled; and unfading. Genuine faith does not fade like an old Polaroid, nor does it “run out,” especially in the time of the most need. And the one who professes it does not tarnish it by hypocritical actions or attitudes. I once got in trouble with a parishioner when I suggested that “libertarian” views ran askance of the Christian faith. Where “libertarians” tend to believe in unencumbered personal liberties, Christians believed in putting our liberty in subjection to the gospel, the doctrines of our particular faith community, and the wider “good” of the community at large (love of “neighbor”). In the current political climate, it is hard for the Christian to justify some of the violent tactics being employed against refugees and immigrants, not to mention attacks on sovereign nations, motivated by our own interests, with little regard for the people of the countries under our attack. These kinds of things “tarnish” or defile the Christianity of those engaging in or justifying these kinds of actions. Likewise, at a personal level, hypocritical standards and “rights” claimed that denigrate or ignore the concerns of others, reflect very poorly on the Christian faith community when the individual in question confesses the faith. 

 

The Petrine author is trying to give us some help in understanding what a “Real McCoy” faith looks like. The Christian believer understands that her/his faith is a gift of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. The “Real McCoy” believer knows that her/his life must be lived in the wider community of believers, and that personal rights take a back seat to values that can be shared by that community, and that work to the betterment of not just that community, but the world, as we are ALL children of God. The “Real McCoy” Christian also understands that a genuine faith may also mean personal “sacrifice” or investment of time, talents, and financial resources to advance the cause of the Gospel and build up the body of Christ. Unlike what is sometimes hawked by the enriched TV evangelists of our time, the “best life now” of the Real McCoy Christian is one lived to the glory of God, and for others, not one that brings many earthly rewards. It is also my conviction that one can substitute “the Kingdom of God” for “heaven” in this narrative, in that the author believed in the shared work of bringing God’s Kingdom into fruition NOW and not waiting for the eschaton for it to be accomplished. Seeing God’s Kingdom fully realized in our time is truly the “Real McCoy” of your “best life now.”

 

As a Christian of the Wesleyan persuasion, I resonate with what this scriptural author is telling us. This is both a “hard” and yet a practical faith to have, life, and keep “genuine.” If our life is not yet evidence of the change Christ has wrought in us, and of the Holy Spirit’s presence and work in us, then we have more work to do. And a genuine faith fully understands that we do! Mr. Wesley called this endeavor “going on to perfection,” remembering that “perfecting” and “perfect” are two different things. The work of “perfecting” our faith is real—the Real McCoy, indeed. Amen.

 

Never Give Up, Never Surrender

 

Never Give Up, Never Surrender!

 

Acts 10:34-43

 

10:34 Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality,

 

10:35 but in every people anyone who fears him and practices righteousness is acceptable to him. 

 

10:36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ--he is Lord of all.

 

10:37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced:

 

10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

 

10:39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree,

 

10:40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear,

 

10:41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

 

10:42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.

 

10:43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

 

 

You might recognize the title of this Easter sermon. It is the “rallying cry” of the protagonist of the 1999 sci-fi spoof, Galaxy Quest. Thinking about what to say about Easter 2026, as we Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is what came to mind—the statement, not the film, although it is a “fun favorite” of mine. What can a retired preacher say about Easter that hasn’t been said a thousand times, already? This is the challenge, isn’t it? Or IS it? There was a time in my ministry when I just decided to “tell the story” of that first Easter and let it stand on its own, and there is certainly logical support for this approach. The story has power, regardless of what one “believes” about the resurrection. Are there different beliefs about it? There certainly are.

 

There are those who suggest that the “need” for Jesus to have been physically resurrected is overstated, and that his life, teachings, and his willingness to submit himself to the authorities and the cross are “enough.” They further suggest that the “resurrection” is a spiritual state that evolved because the efficacy of Jesus’ teaching and example “would not die.” Proof of this is that we Christians are still here. The faith is still vital and growing, in some parts of the world, and the church—in its MANY forms—is still here. These facts may be the very thing that disputes the “spiritual” or “virtual” resurrection concept, however. Would the eleven surviving weenies who ran and hid after Jesus was crucified have summoned the courage to visit the heavily-guarded tomb, after the brave women went first, and excitedly gave the disciples their eye-witness account of the Risen Christ? Would they have continued, then, to witness, preach, and spread the faith germinated by Jesus throughout the known world, even in the face of oppression and threat of violence? Historically, we know that each of them eventually died a martyr’s death. Would they have had the courage to face death, unless something had turned them significantly from their initial fear that “we may be next” after Jesus was brutally killed? The best argument for the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the bravery of the men AND the women, going forward, who would sacrifice everything to spread the Gospel message. The fear that gripped them was blown away by the same force that “ejected” the stone from the garden tomb—the total resurrection of their Lord.

 

I say “total” in that the story of the resurrection is more than a body being “raised” from a dead state. Modern medical science can perform this “miracle” and does so regularly. Yes, I know that it usually doesn’t happen after three days, but my point is that what God is up to in the resurrection is far more than just a divine form of CPR. Our theology says that Jesus was raised “incorruptible.” He died a physical being, but was raised as a “hybrid” of both physical and eternal, no longer to be tempted by sin, no longer to be threatened again by death, and no longer to be infected by any passing disease. Paul calls him the “Second Adam,” the “firstborn of the dead.” The Jesus that the disciples will eventually see just float off toward Heaven in the clouds, is the same Jesus whom Thomas got to physically touch, and who ate fish with them on the shore of Galilee. The epistle writer of I John 3:2 wrote: Dear friends, we are God’s children, and it hasn’t yet appeared what we will be. We know that when he appears we will be like him, because we’ll see him as he is. The writer is obviously referring to the Risen Christ, who they believed to be the “prototype” of what the redeemed will be “like” ourselves in eternity. The resurrection is the crowning “achievement” of the Christ event—the “firstborn” of the human/spiritual being of what God’s people “will be.” Even as the Christ Event “saved” humanity from our own selfishness, short-sightedness, and sin, so the Risen Christ leads us into eternity with the hope of an “incorruptible” life. This is the ultimate promise of Easter, but again, it’s not what came to mind, as I pondered today’s text.

 

The “Never give up, never surrender” line from the movie came to be for two reasons. The first has to do with the early church, part of the story of which Peter is demonstrating in the text from Acts. Though their encounters with the Risen Christ energized Peter and the disciples to get about the mission Jesus had given them—to “go into all the world to preach the gospel, baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”—they faced fierce opposition, and as mentioned earlier, even eventual martyrdom in the name of Jesus. And yet, they forged ahead. Their motto easily could have been, “Never give up, never surrender!” One need only to read the accounts throughout the book of Acts, and to read the chronicles of the Apostle Paul to see this spirit driving the ministry and outreach of the early church, not as a “battle cry,” but as a benevolent call to spread the love and grace of God in Jesus Christ. This they did, and down through the centuries, women and men of great courage continued the quest. We are still here as people of faith because they DID never give up, nor surrender to fear or crippling doubts. This history, too, is what our Easter celebrations are all about!

 

But there is another reason for my momentary preoccupation with this rallying cry, and it has to do with God. You see, humanity has not made it easy on God to forgive and redeem us. As a species, we regularly resist God’s actions to reconcile with us, and to facilitate our reconciling with each other. While I believe the redeeming action of God was “set loose” on the world through the Christ Event, even manifesting God’s “saving” love through the other major religious traditions with which we share this planet, we continue to fight for the “high ground” and oppose those who don’t believe exactly as WE believe, and this extends even to the factions within the Christian faith. I recently heard a story about a United Methodist colleague who followed a much more “conservative” pastor into a church, and was told after a few weeks of ministering to this new congregation that they were “praying for his salvation,” for he didn’t preach like he was “saved.” How hard that must have been to hear, especially as a dedicated Christian pastor with a vital testimony, but apparently not one that matched up with these people. (I am aware that I have colleagues who have “prayed for my salvation” over the years because I believe in loving, cooperative interfaith relationships, and in full inclusion of our LGBTQ+ siblings into the life and ministry of the Christian church.) I’m quite sure Christ himself grieves when yet another church schism or “disaffiliation” tears asunder God’s people who have been REDEEMED by Christ. As I might anthropomorphize God, superimposing my own feelings on the Divine, I could imagine God getting angry with God’s people, mirroring the “Noah’s Ark” Bible myth that postulates this very thing, leading to a water-born mass extinction. However, it is clear this is NOT the nature of God, The God of Easter has made it clear that God will NOT GIVE UP on humanity, and will NEVER SURRENDER the human race, nor any other part of the creation, to the base instincts, or the devil’s deception that might destroy us. 

 

We are living in precarious times. As I write this, we are at war with one of the ancient cultures of the Middle East, warring against them alongside the people God first called “Israel.” And to what end? In our own nation, we are a deeply divided people, with political and socially motivated violence against others becoming far too common. Our economic disparity is freshly asserting itself as a factor that further separates us into the “haves” and “have nots,” in this country, negating the high ideals upon which the nation was founded. Everywhere I look, I’m seeing signs of the degeneration being accelerated by these ungodly events, attitudes, and mindsets. The sadness I feel when important moral aims like inclusiveness, anti-racist policies, and empowering women in business and leadership are being dispatched as “woke,” a denigrating term being coined by some who choose to roll back the clock to the 1950s, when white people “reigned supreme.” Precarious times, indeed. However, the hope of Easter is that God is not giving up on us, and neither is God waving the white flag (and yes, don’t miss my double meaning in this phrase!). The reach and power of the Christ Event will not be denied; God will not surrender to our human desire to “run the show,” especially when the show we want to run leaves so many rejected, disenfranchised, and marginalized. The hope of Easter is that, as the old hymn says, “God’s TRUTH is marching on.” The Risen Christ is still among us and the Spirit of Jesus is not without her prodigious power to resurrect, redeem, and heal! 

 

Friends, Christ is RISEN! He is RISEN INDEED. Never give up, never surrender!” As Rob Bell says in his best-selling book, LOVE WINS! Amen.