a sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Easter [Year B]

John 10:11-18 and 1 John 3:16-24

All year, it seems, we’ve been aiming for what they call herd immunity. Herd immunity is what the scientists and doctors say will enable us to live with a sense of freedom from a disease. Herd immunity comes when each individual realizes their personal immunity is only a part of a bigger whole. Herd immunity protects those who are especially vulnerable and can’t, for whatever reason, receive a vaccine. It essentially asks those who are healthy, who would probably whip the virus if they got it, to roll up their sleeve and, in some small way, lay down their life for others, to love “not in word or speech but in truth and action,” as the writer of 1 John tells us this morning. That is how we get to those greener pastures in the future. Because of distrust of the COVID vaccine, because of misinformation and conspiracy theories, and because of how the pandemic itself has become politicized, some are saying we may never achieve herd immunity against COVID. Time will tell.

Sisters and brothers, whether or not our herd achieves that status, today we are reminded that we are a flock, and that ain’t changin’. And we’re not just any flock. We’re Jesus’ flock. He knows his own and we know him. He has laid his life down for us. He leads us beside still waters. He restores our souls even as our bodies face harm and hardship. He walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death, through all kinds of harmful and frightful scenarios, through the isolated stretches of pandemic life, and we don’t get worried about what might happen to us because he is with us. He has already been there and he comforts us. Our Good Shepherd prepares a meal for us in the presence of people who might be contagious, he gathers us together with strangers and friends alike over Zoom and Facebook and YouTube so that we may be fed with the word. He showers us with blessings that we don’t expect even in the midst of this crazy time, and our cups still manage to run over. They have run over here with record charitable donations for our community. Our cups can’t contain all the thoughtful gestures and extra-mile actions that people have given one another to get through this. Yes, we are a flock, and Jesus our shepherd has power—power to lay down his life in love for us.

Images and lessons about sheep images are everywhere in Scripture. Sheep farming was a main source of livelihood in ancient middle eastern times, and people interacted with sheep almost on a daily basis, even if they lived in cities. One time when I was living in Cairo, Egypt, I remember sitting in my apartment and hearing a bleating over and over again. This went on for a day or two. There I was in my apartment on the fifth floor of a downtown high rise, trying to figure out where this out of place animal noise was coming from. Finally I realized it was from a ram that a family beneath me had brought in and tied to a post in the small inner courtyard. It stayed there for a few days until it was slaughtered for the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha. along with all the other sheep that had been brought into the city—a densely packed metropolis of about 16 million people.

With so many sheep around everywhere, Jesus and the people of his time could relate to what shepherds go through and could often see themselves in the lives of the sheep, themselves. They could see how sheep were not armed with much in the terms of natural defense and so they needed to stick together or get protection from a higher power—a shepherd of hired hand. They could see how they were extra vulnerable if they ever got separated. People also knew that sheep learned the voice of their shepherd and could follow just by gentle commands. They could see that sheep held all of their resources in common and that pastures and streams were for the livelihood of all. Overall, though, it was probably that communal nature of sheep that stood out the most.

Jesus understands that about us. He sees us in our need for shelter and protection, in the fact that we thrive more when we’re together, no matter the circumstances. He knows we need freedom, that we can wander at times, that openness is good for us, but that we also can’t completely overcome the dangers of life by ourselves. He knows wolves will come and devour us, scatter us about. And there are also people sometimes in charge of us, people we give authority to, who don’t have our best interest at stake. They are like hired hands that run away at the sight of danger. They may stick by for a while, but at the end of the day they are only in it for themselves.

Jesus, however…he’s the good shepherd. He cares about the flock more than the flock may ever know. Unlike the hired hand, he seeks his own welfare last. Jesus has power, and he uses it for the good of others. He gets his power not from taking up arms against the wolf. Jesus does not derive his power from lording his authority over the sheep. Jesus does not demonstrate his power by dazzling the sheep with his masterful knowledge of the science of sheepherding. Jesus gets his power from his love, from laying his own life down for the sake of the sheep. In fact, there are others not in the fold he is seeking to bring together. Everything Jesus does is to group together, to round up, to gather in. His Father aims to have the flock as one.

However we want to describe or define who Jesus is and however we may understand what he’s up to, we have to come to terms that being with him is not an individual enterprise. Jesus does love me, the Bible tells me so, as the song says, but there are others on the journey with us. And Jesus loves them too. Our togetherness with them is an unmistakable part of faith. Jesus doesn’t like the wolves because the wolves snatches and scatters them. Being apart is not how they are supposed to live. Jesus doesn’t define who the wolves are in this lesson to his disciples. They may be corrupt kings or the leaders in the Temple who thrive on corruption, those who would eventually lead him to be killed on the cross.

However, as I reflect on this past year and the challenges of living as a flock that you have overcome, I wonder if the wolves that Jesus has in mind aren’t actually people at all, but other things that devour the sacredness of community. A coronavirus may be one example. It certainly has snatched some of us and scattered the rest. But I’m also thinking things like selfishness and self-righteousness. False information and gossip. Apathy and complacency, stealth wolves that eat us from within. I wonder if Jesus means things like the wolves of individualism and idealism, things that are not necessarily bad, but when they’re turned loose to the extreme, the almost always damage the way we travel together.

Against all of these things Jesus offers his life. He puts the flock behind him and stands in the way, knowing that all of those wolves of sinfulness and pride will tear him apart on the cross. Jesus is the good shepherd. He shows us the power of love, and how the love from his Father radiates out through his life to you and me. Because of that powerful love we learn a new and better way of being community.

Last week our 9^th and 10^th graders in confirmation class hosted a panel discussion on vocation and baptismal call. As they prepare for affirming their baptism, they are thinking through the promises they’ll make—promises like serving all people following the example of Jesus, proclaiming the good news of Christ through word and deed, and striving for justice and peace in all the earth. Members of our congregation from various careers came in and spoke about the ways in which their faith impacted their job on a daily basis. One school administrator, for example, spoke about her goal of increasing racial representation among school teachers. The former magistrate regional supervisor spoke about treating all people, even those accused of crimes, with respect, and of the importance of listening to everyone’s story. It was fascinating to hear how each of them, from such a wide range of careers, could articulate how their livelihood in some way was where their faith was at work.

The woman who teaches special education preschool in the public school system gave a memorable answer. Many of her students are developmentally delayed and most are unable to use speech to communicate. When she was asked, “How does your faith impact your daily work?” she did not speak in terms of broad, overarching concepts and goals that guide her, but instead gave a very specific instance, one that really stopped me in my tracks. She explained how back in the fall she received a letter from stating that their work was essential, that the preschool services could not be shut down, and that if employees still wanted their jobs they had to show up for work. Every day she teaches kids by holding them in her lap, wiping their noses, holding their hands. Her kind of special education could not be done over Zoom. Scared of working in an environment where she might easily contract COVID, but also not wanting to forfeit her job and leave her students, she told the confirmation class that she really struggled with what to do. How did her faith impact her job? Well, she told us she stopped and prayed that day. She thought, “My Lord is a Good Shepherd. He has always led me well. He won’t stop now. No matter what happens, he will take care of me.” And so this woman reported for duty and held those kids in her lap, kept showing them how to communicate, how to live, in the midst of a pandemic. In her own way, she laid her life down, or was at least willing to, in order to shelter and teach her little preschool flock.

I’m thankful those confirmands heard that witness that night, glad for all that they heard. But I’m grateful I heard it too. A real-life shepherd in our midst, she was. Not a hired hand. Because more often than not our faith isn’t made known in some grand overarching narrative that links everything together, but in everyday situations wherein we’re called to trust the Shepherd and love. It was a good reminder of what we are all called to be all the time—people called to love in truth and action, not giving in to the wolves. We are each one of the flock that has been named and claimed by an uncommon power of humility…sheep of a Good Shepherd who always chooses to hold us in his lap—who always reads that letter from above and chooses to hold us close. no matter the danger, no matter the loss.

Thanks be to God.

The Reverend Phillip W. Martin, Jr.

a sermon for the Third Sunday of Easter [Year B]

Luke 24:36b-48

One of the pleasures of expanding our in-person worship offerings and the rising vaccination rates in our area has been seeing more people venture back to church for the first time since the pandemic started. Early on I imagined that COVID would be like a big wave and then once it subsided, we’d all be back for the first time together in one big group. We would sing all again and pass the peace and hug each other like the old days.

That’s not how it’s going at all. Our return has been much more gradual, and probably will drag on for months this way, if not years. People are coming back, family by family, individual by individual, more like a trickle and less like a flood. Nevertheless, it is fun to receive them and see them again, and it’s particularly fun to see their reactions to our new spaces. Since construction was completed last summer, in the middle of the shut-down, many folks haven’t even walked through the front doors, but when they finally do, they often say, with a wide smile and opened eyes, something like “This is a totally different church!” And, in some respects, it is. Almost everything about the entrance to the church has radically changed. The parking lot, the sidewalks, the doors themselves, the interior spaces—they’re all extremely different. And you can see those differences on paper and the architect’s plans and construction blueprints, but until you physically walk through the doors and stand by the walls and look through the windows yourself you can’t appreciate the full difference.

And, just so you know, we’re feeling the same on our end, as we sometimes, I must admit, have to stop for a few seconds to identify someone we haven’t laid eyes on in thirteen months or more, especially when a third of their face is covered by a mask. And, let’s be honest, many of you have different hairdos. And if I see you for the first time and you’re wearing sunglasses, don’t be surprised if I need to hear your voice before I can figure out who you are!

Silliness aside, the good news is this is not a different church, and you are not different people. The pandemic may have changed us in some ways, and we certainly have evolved over the past year or so, but this is still Epiphany, the building, and we are still Epiphany, the people.

But this happens in faith over the passage of time. Jesus’ very own disciples have a hard time figuring out what they’re looking at when they see him for the first time after his resurrection. It’s not really his new hairdo, or something about his outer appearance, but the fact that, you know, he should be dead. Maybe he looks a little different, too. Whatever the case, they think he’s a ghost. You would think they’d be excited to see him, but they are scared of what they’re seeing, for who is not a bit taken off guard by the thought of a ghost? This is a common theme in Jesus’ first resurrection experiences, isn’t it? Fear where there should be joy, doubt where we think there’d be faith, misunderstanding where we’d expect clarity. The new can often throw us off, even when it is hopeful and life-changing in a good way.

Jesus wastes no time in trying to put them at ease, however. He meets them in their doubt. Immediately he offers his hands and his feet. He gives them something to grab onto. They could stand back and look at the blueprints of the resurrection, they could ponder God’s mighty acts on paper, consider the plans in the prophets’ words they could envision what the Great Architect’s salvation might look like, but until they touch it, it’s not fully real to them. Ghosts don’t have real bones and skin. This is a real person standing in front of them, a person they saw die an ugly and gruesome death just a few days before. And if being able to touch his feet and hands isn’t enough to convince them, he asks for something to eat. They bring him some fish they’ve just cooked on the fire.

One of the all-time best things I’ve ever had to eat was, in fact, a piece of broiled fish. I was at the beach with my extended family and there was this hut right on the water where a local guy was fileting fresh-caught grouper and mahi-mahi and searing them over some charcoal. It was so tender and light, flaky but juicy. Pieces would sometimes fall off as I was biting on it and I’d pick it them up and blow the sand off just so they wouldn’t get wasted. Maybe that’s how good this fish is that day when Jesus is with his disciples. It’s fresh and delicious, and Jesus is making a subtle statement about how good and rich the resurrected life is. He drops some and blows the dirt off. Savor every morsel!

And yet Jesus doesn’t seem to be eating that day in order to enjoy it. He is eating simply to show them he is fully there. He is eating to show them God’s power of forgiveness and redemption  is so real and so true it comes back with flesh and bones. Death has really been defeated. God’s love in Christ is not a figment of our imaginations. We can touch, see, and taste it. It isn’t until this moment happens that Jesus’ identity becomes clear. Once his physical presence with them is demonstrated then he is able to explain who he really is, that the law and the prophets and the psalms all speak about him. Then he opens the Scriptures while he’s with them and the words there start to make sense.

Oh, how we’ve found this to be true this year. Things like on-line teaching and on-line worship are wonderful for what they are—the technology has provided us ways to impart information to students and share the Word of God when we’ve been prevented from being physically together. But things are so much clearer when we are fully present with each other, when we can see lips and eyes and facial expressions. When we can hug. Teachers teach so much better when students turn their cameras on, and I would imagine students also learn better. It’s so much easier when facemasks and plexiglass barriers are removed and we can communicate openly.

The other day a gentleman came into the office looking for a particular book. Through his facemask I thought I heard him say he needed a copy of the roof book. Knowing we had just finished this construction and that this person was one of our building trustees, I figured he was going to help with something regarding the roof. But as we kept talking I realized he was getting ready to join our new Adult Sunday School class and they are studying Ruth. He was looking for the Ruth book, a small but important difference from “roof” that is obscured when you can’t see someone’s lips.

The hands, the feet, the delicious broiled fish—it’s all about getting rid of the obscurity. God is really present with the disciples. These are physical things that serve to prove his resurrection is not just an act. The Christian life can be confusing and complicated, but perhaps our first task in any situation is just to grab hold of those things that clearly communicate Jesus. Grab hold of the lessons, the moments that truly embody Jesus’ selfless love for us, that proclaim grace and mercy and compassion.

By the same token, we are not called just to love people figuratively or metaphorically. Words are important, words create possibilities and give hope and point people in the right direction, but our task as Jesus’ followers is not to be about words only, to make social media posts or be a source of inspiring quotes. Jesus wants us to be people with feet and hands, a presence people can grab hold of in their fear and grief. Jesus tell us to be present for the world, beginning from Jerusalem. When we are witnesses to the new life in Jesus, when we proclaim the forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name it requires us to be present and hear our brothers and sisters, to see their faces contorted in grief and sorrow, to hand them them a Kleenex to wipe their tears. In many cases, far more than we’re ready to understand or commit to, it will mean sacrificing a bit of our own energy and life. It is saying to our fellow humans as clear as is possible, “God is here for you. This is really me and God really loves you and this life we are experiencing is something we are supposed to do together, even if your suffering affects me and mine affects you.”

Earlier this week I was doing some cleaning out of a file cabinet at home. I couldn’t tell you the last time I had opened those drawers, and I was positive there was nothing in there that was of any use to me. I was just going to get a garbage bag and transfer everything straight to the trash can. Then I ran across a Ziploc bag with some papers and photos in it. I opened it to find some pictures from about 20 or so years ago from the time right after I graduated college. In and among them was a greeting card that I didn’t recognize still in its original envelope. As I opened it, the thing almost came apart. There, on the inside of the card, were dozens of signatures. It took me a second to realize I was holding the card that was sent to me by the people in the first congregation I served in Pittsburgh to congratulate me for my ordination. They were signatures of people I ended up living alongside, some of people I eventually would buried. Many of the names on that card are of people who are now no longer with us.

I had thought about those dear people many times, and still do, but something about physically holding a card that had actually been signed by them made their memory take on powerful new meaning. I could remember details of their stories, their appearances, that I had long forgotten. And I could remember their love and vulnerability, how they ended up presenting themselves to me in ways I could hold on to. I could imagine them passing that card around, signing it, saying “God bless,” before they even had met me. I was overwhelmed with how God had been present for me in their witness when I eventually arrived there. I’m sure you have had similar experiences with objects given to you by your loved ones.

            Jesus comes so that God’s real, loving presence is in all the dark and forgotten places where people’s lives get filed away. Jesus is crucified and people all but forget him, going on with their life as normal…or they try to. But the grave is opened and he returns, full of life, full of joy. Jesus comes back, ready to be grabbed onto again, ready to let his love be real. And he has signed his name on you. Now, go be witnesses of these things.

Thanks be to God!

The Reverend Phillip W. Martin, Jr.

a sermon for the Resurrection of Our Lord, Easter Sunday [Year B]

Mark 16:1-8

The question that began our week, the question that almost the entire world was asking together as we peered at our phone screens and our televisions on Sunday and Monday was, “Who will move away that gargantuan cargo ship from the middle of the Suez Canal?” There it was, one of the largest watercraft ever built—maybe in the universe—lodged diagonally, all but immovable, cutting off all traffic through one of the world’s most important waterways. Boats were backed up for miles and miles. Each day it sat there meant a $9 billion delay in trade revenue. Who could move such a thing? And we all probably saw the unforgettable photos of that single, small excavator with his one little shovel, looking like one of my son’s toys, working as hard as it could to free the hull of that enormous ship. And then, one day, long before it was predicted, the freighter almost miraculously gave way from the silt and sand and everything started flowing again. Life as it was intended resumed.

The question that begins today, the question that a small handful of women are asking together as they hurry with their spices, is “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” There it was, a large boulder, the kind that typically marked the entrance to ancient tombs, chosen for its size and weight to deter graverobbers and keep in the smell of decomposing flesh. Don’t you like how the Easter story begins with a question, a question that rings with immense practicality, a question that sounds like anything anyone might ask when trying to solve a problem? “Who will roll away the stone for us?” “How are we going to get inside there and do what we’re supposed to do?” “How long will we be blocked from delivering this special myrrh and aloe to our destination?” The news of Jesus’ resurrection, the news that will shake the world, starts with people going about their business, thinking about the next step in the tasks of daily to-do lists.

But we know how the story goes. No need to call in an excavator this time. Or Joseph of Arimathea, the guy who put the rock there in the first place on Friday evening, however he managed it. The women arrive to find the stone has already been rolled away. That which was immovable has already been moved. Life has already begun to flow again, the power of death broken through, the resurrection already advancing as Jesus, the risen, awaits them in Galilee. What questions are you asking today? What problems seem to have no solution? What is blocking you from living the abundant life God intends? Don’t be surprised if the stones start to be rolled back. Because Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

Of the four resurrection stories we have in the New Testament, the one written by Mark is the shortest. It starts with this question from the women delivering the spices and ends rather abruptly. After encountering this mysterious man in a white robe in the tomb and learning from him that Jesus is not there, they run from the scene in terror and amazement. In fact, Mark is more vivid than that. He says that the terror and amazement had seized them. We may expect joy at this kind of news—joy because if Jesus, who was crucified, is not there but alive and ahead of them in Galilee, then they will be able to see him and resume life with him—but the first witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection are to be gripped with fear and awe. And they are so afraid and bewildered that they end up saying nothing about what they discover that morning.

The man that they see at the tomb gives them one job. He says, “Go and tell the disciples and Peter that Jesus is already out of the tomb and waiting for you.” The man gives them one simple job and they don’t do it. Mark says the women say nothing to anyone. Again, Mark’s Greek is even more descriptive. He uses a type of double negative, which, of course, is a big no-no in English and Greek unless you’re trying to overemphasize a point. Mark writes that the women “didn’t say nothing to nobody”…just to make sure we understand. It looks like the message of the resurrection is going to die with them. No stone blocking the tomb that morning, but the witnesses still find a way to stick a sock in it.

And that is irony, my friends. Because all along Jesus, all through his days of healing and driving out demons and teaching his disciples about the kingdom of heaven, Jesus has told them to be quiet about him until he rises from the dead and in all those times they can’t keep their trap shut. They go blabbing all over the place. But the time when the word finally does need to get out, the time when Jesus finally accomplishes that which he was sent to do, which is to suffer and die and rise again, the everyone clams up.

Jesus is our savior. Jesus is the One who was crucified so that power of death might be broken forever. He is not just a healer or a teacher. He is our Redeemer who suffers and dies for us. That is what we can say without holding back today. It is what we need to say today in a world that has, for example, pandemics. In a world that has people locked up in concentration camps. In a world where demons like narcissism and addiction and idolatry still enslave people, in a world racked by grief from tragedies that are senseless and tragedies that are ruthlessly planned out and executed. God has burst through the stone of the tomb to let eternal life flow for all of humankind. Easter means the kingdom of heaven will now come to all earth’s dark corners. Easter means we have communion with God forever. This is unbelievably wonderful news, and yet the women don’t say nothing to nobody about it.

In a way, then, the resurrection story this morning not only begins with a question—the one about the stone—but it ends with a question. It’s an unwritten question, one that the reader or the hearer of the story can’t help but ask as we envision the two Marys and Salome running off into the dawn light. If they didn’t tell anyone this news, then how in the world did we find out about it? If the last emotion we are left with that morning is fear, then how do we live in such joy and boldness now? A stone doesn’t block the entrance that morning, but doesn’t their lack of action block the news?

Of course, we have the other gospel accounts. Matthew, Luke, and John, fill in the picture for us with what happened in the days following. So, on one hand we are thankful that God placed this message in the hands of more than one evangelist. But if we didn’t have those, if, for example, we were in Mark’s original community, the congregations and people for whom Mark was writing this story, how would we know that Jesus is risen? How did the word eventually get out?

You see, this is, I think the bigger miracle of Easter, or at least an extension of the miracle that happens when Jesus steps out of that grave alive. Somehow the word gets out. Somehow those women must have found the resolve to follow the man’s instructions. God will not be delayed by a cross, a stone, or our inaction and fear. Nothing can block the good news of Easter.

There have been many times during this past year when we have felt isolated by fear and inactivity. Locking down has been hard. Learning to Zoom and connect with people in safe ways is frustrating and sometimes we just give up. I still loathe that stupid mute button most days. Schools, churches, community groups, families wonder are our messages getting through? Is the love and concern I have for my loved ones and friends being communicated? We long for the days when we can see faces and expressions of emotion, realizing we’ve taken for granted the flow of friendship and familiarity in human relationship.

Congregations and communities of faith have felt no different. Even as small groups began regathering, even as vibrant online communities have formed and prayed together, even as we watch our YouTube statistics and try to form strategies about our message, there has still been a tomb-like quality to ministry. This past week, though, I was reminded in another powerful way just how persistent God is in getting his word, even when we feel isolated. The UPS truck pulled up one day and delivered a package that none of us was expecting. We receive packages all the time for the nursery school and the cleaning crew, for example, but this particular package was unannounced and, to my delight, deposited on my desk. I did not recognize the return address, which was from a location over three hours drive from Richmond. I unwrapped it with much curiosity. Inside I found a letter, a check for a donation, and this remarkable, handmade cross.

Here’s what the letter says,
            “This cross was made from the branch of a cedar tree which grew from a seed to a mature tree in my neighborhood. We have lived in the neighborhood for nearly 46 years and the tree was small when we arrived. Unfortunately the wind blew the tree down. I used some limbs from the tree to make this cross. Perhaps you can use this cross in your children’s ministry. My wife and I have watched your online morning services every Sunday since you started the services last year. We have enjoyed the services very much. We have enclosed a donation for the church to be used for whatever purpose you decide.”

So thank you, Mr. and Mrs. White, for your generosity and your Easter reminder this morning, and proof that the word does get out. God rolls away stones, God grows trees from seeds, wind blows them down, and dead branches take on new life. A new beginning comes from death. The kingdom of heaven is here among us, and the one who was crucified is ahead of us, always ahead of us, making new life happen. Thank you for carrying on what those first women saw and heard when they were seized with terror and amazement. In spite of our isolation, it appears God still gets the word out.

Interestingly enough, I can’t help but think about the name of that cargo ship stuck in the Suez: Ever Given. Stuck for a while, but still the Ever Given. Blessed Easter, everyone, and blessings of new life and faith from Jesus who is Ever Given, ever giving. In bread, in wine, in words that never die, that never get muted, that never get blocked. Jesus the Ever Given for you, for me, for all who hear it. This day and every day.

Thanks be to God!!

The Reverend Phillip W. Martin, Jr.