Jwquaker's Blog
Sermon
Rebuilt From the Rubble
By Jared Warner
Willow Creek Friends Church
May 1, 2022
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John 21:1–19 (ESV)
1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. 9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
I do not know how many times I read a passage of scripture and suddenly my mind is transported through time and space. If you ever wondered I have an overactive imagination. There are times while I will be sitting in prayer with scripture and during those moment, I can almost smell flowers on the air or taste bread that is being passed around a table. This week’s passage is a bit different. I was not transported into my little personal first century cinema but to my own personal history.
The past few weeks have been spiritually difficult for me. As you all know I spent a couple of months in Ukraine when I was in college. That time in my life was transformative. It was in Ukraine where God began to crack the hardness of my heart and show me that there was something more that he wanted me to do. Ukraine is important to me. I know that it is not the perfect nation, but for me it is a sacred place. I have been in conversations over the past couple of weeks and there are times where I have not been as tactful as I should have been. I may have even said words that are not becoming of a pastor. And I must confess that the peace testimony that Friends hold has been a bit shaky in my spirit, because in my mind and heart I want to make someone pay for the pain they have cause to people I love. It is irrational and I know it. But that is often the thing with emotions. God gave us emotions for a reason.
When the tanks and armored personnel carriers began to cross the boarders of Ukraine, when I began hearing about the missile strikes and the displaced civilians. It felt as if my entire life was beginning to fall apart. I began to sense my call into ministry in Ukraine. Some might think that is crazy and who knows it might be. I cannot fully explain it but while I was there, things within my life began to change. I was always a painfully quiet person, I am still quiet, but while in Ukraine the shell around me seemed to begin to crack. I began to talk more. I began to listen more. I began to interact with people, share my own faith and encourage others in theirs. I began to emerge into the person I am today.
Then the invasion happened and I began to question my own purpose in life. Everything I thought I knew about my life and the foundation I thought I built my life upon seemed to be shaking. And then I began to face other struggles. Stresses that I really cannot fully disclose but I will say that I have questioned everything I thought I knew in my life. My understanding of faith, church, my own nation and even myself. I have sat in my blue chair and wondered if my life has been a lie.
The problem with an overactive imagination is that at times you can get stuck within your mind. Why do I say this? Why do I admit to you all that I as a pastor and spiritual leader struggle? Because we all struggle. We ensnared in emotional traps and face an existential crisis that may cause us to take steps down a path we might not intend to travel.
This is what I see in today’s passage. The disciples went to Jerusalem to celebrate one of the most important feasts of the year. They went with their closest friend and the man they believed would usher in the kingdom they all longed for. They went with hope and joy. They knew that that Jesus was controversial but he offered them a different kind of life, and they wanted it with everything their being had to offer.
They went. They watched as the crowds hailed Jesus as a king. They watch as Jesus rode a donkey, and they wondered as Jesus overlooked the holy city in tears. They shouted with the crowds as they marched to the temple. They looked with confusion as Jesus washed their feet. They questioned their dedication when Jesus announced that one of them would betray him, and they wondered if it would be them.
They then watched as soldiers arrested their teacher, they looked at his broken body after Pilate and Herod decided to use cruelty as entertainment. They followed Jesus as he was wrongfully executed on the cross.
These disciples sat locked in a room wondering. Then different stories emerged. One of the women among them began proclaiming that she had seen their Lord. And this confused them. And then Jesus had visited them in the very room they were locked in. This happened again and they physically touched him, ate with him and they did not know if they were just seeing things or if it was real.
Eventually they left the holy city and they returned home. They began leaving in small groups because they did not know what was going on and did not want to attract attention. They were afraid and confused. They thought they had their life course set, and all at once everything they thought they knew toppled around them.
We look at these stories and we see them a simple news report. We do not often consider the emotions that they would be feeling. We do not even think of the people involved as actual human beings. They are just little bits of information. These were men and women. They lived lives. They experienced the same emotions and feelings we experience. And their lives can speak to our own.
Their leader was falsely accused of crimes and executed for those crimes. And they were his disciples. They had seen the risen Lord, but the facts still remain, they were potentially wanted men. They did not know what any of this meant. The confusion they experienced is far beyond anything I have faced. What does their future hold? What does all this mean?
They are back in Galilee. Commentators have a few theories about why they are back in Galilee. Some say that they have falling back into their old lifestyle. Some say they were commanded to return. I fall into the idea that they simply went home. You cannot really stay in the rented room in Jerusalem forever. But they slowly make their way to Galilee. And seven of them are together. Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, the sons of Zebedee, and two others. And Peter says, “I am going fishing.”
Are they returning to their old lifestyle? Maybe. Are they turning their backs on Jesus? Possibly. We do not know. All we know is that Peter was a fisherman. His life has been turned upside down. He is going back to something he knows and understands. He is going back to the basics.
We have all been there. Life throws us for a loop and we are back at square one. In the twelve years I have been here, I have had to restart my 2nd job several times. I will begin, work my way up, then something will come up and I will have to make a decision that would require a sacrifice for church or work. And then I start over. I worked from entry level to management and went back down to entry level a few times in twelve years. I was faced with a dilemma, choose to keep your job and miss a church meeting, or change jobs so you can attend a meeting. That is a tough decision to make. But we make them. We choose to decline a promotion, we choose to move to a different location, or we choose to immigrate. We are constantly making decisions and at times those decisions bring us back to square one. We are forced to start over.
Peter is sitting at home and he finally decides, “I am going fishing.” And the others say we are going with you. Notice who are with him. Thomas, good old doubting Thomas. He had just proclaimed the divinity of Jesus, and here he is on a fishing boat. Then Nathaniel, John has not mentioned this guy since the beginning of his gospel account. Nathaniel was the man that Phillip came to get and Jesus proclaimed in John 1:47, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit.” Why is it these seven?
It is as if everything is restarting. We have the fisherman, the no names, the doubter, and the guy barely mentioned. It is as if they are going back to the initial calling. They go out and they fish all night and then there is this guy on the shore calling out to them. “Hey children (or friends) do you have even a morsel of fish?” It is almost hilarious if you stop and think about it for a bit. I wonder if any of them felt as if they were experiencing a glitch in the matrix. The seven are probably laughing in their frustration. No, they say. Not even a bite. Then this man says, “why don’t you throw your net on the right side.”
This scene has played out before. Early in the ministry of Jesus these men, at least some of them, had been in this very boat before having a similar conversation. The previous conversation played out a bit differently. Previously Peter did a little arguing, “I have been out all night and have caught nothing but for you I will do it.” This time, there is not a single discussion, they just do it. Why?
They have been working all night and they know that the fish just are not where they thought they would be, but they throw out the net. They humor the man on the shore because what is the worst that could happen? They either catch fish or not. They can then come to shore and have a little chat with this guy and laugh together. But something happens, the net is full. The beloved disciple, who I believe is John, recognizes the scene. This has happened before. He turns to Peter and says it is the Lord.
Then without a moment of thought, Peter grabs his clothes and dives off the boat, leaving everyone else struggling with the net. He swims to the shore. The funny thing is in the wording. There is no indication whatsoever that Peter’s rush to get to the shore got him to shore any faster than if he would have stayed in the boat to help bring in the net.
I want us to just consider the scene and consider your own life. How many times have we faced a life changing challenge that made us feel as if we were starting all over again? How do we approach it?
The disciples returned to their old life, and many have said that they were wrong in doing so. But I want us to think about something. They were changed. The response that Peter gave from the first miraculous catch to the second is different. He is less arrogant. He is more apt to humor those around him. Did you notice that? He is no longer the same person he once was. He is still very much Peter; we see that when he jumped into the sea without thinking twice. And you almost get the feeling that even though Peter left the six other disciples without help, they were more gracious. John, or the beloved disciple, told Peter who it was knowing full well what would happen.
When they get to shore, they see that Jesus has already prepared a fire and started cooking a fish. He asks them to bring some more from the catch. This tells us that they are real fish, 153 real fish. That is oddly specific. It is so odd that several people have made attempts to explain why it is so specific.
Ammonius a theologian from Alextandria in the 6th century says: Peter drags the dragnet with the others, bringing the catch to Christ. The hundred can be understood to mean the fullness of the Gentiles. The fifty refers to the elect of Israel who have been saved. And the three set one’s mind on the revelation of the holy Trinity, to whose glory the life of the believers who were caught in the dragnet is naturally connected. Fragments on John 637.[1]
Augustine of Hippo says: When to the number of 10, representing the Law, we add the Holy Spirit as represented by 7,25 we have 17. And when this number is used for the adding together of every serial number it contains, from 1 up to itself, the sum amounts to 153. For if you add 2 to 1, you have 3 of course. If to these you add 3 and 4, the whole makes 10, etc. … All therefore who are sharers in such grace are symbolized by this number, that is, are symbolically represented.[2]
Jerome, the man that first translated scripture into Latin makes the claim that they caught one of every type of known fish, which he believes represents the redemption of all creation. Each of these ideas are remarkably interesting, while also most likely being completely bogus. Why would John write the number? Because they were wanting to split them equally. It is still odd that they would be so specific with the number. This is where the symbolism comes into play.
The disciples returned to their livelihoods. There is nothing wrong with that. Working for a living is an honorable thing. When the voice of the Lord spoke, they responded. They exhibited their faith. Everything was falling down around them yet they still listened to the call and responded. Jesus asked them if they had any fish. When he asked that the word means if they had a bite, he did not necessarily ask if they had caught their livelihood but if they had caught something to eat at that moment. Jesus asks knowing full well they had not caught anything and that he had already cooked their breakfast.
They responded out of faith. They did the work even though it did not make sense in the moment. They looked at their broken life and they continued to move forward. And the result was that they were given an abundance. There were seven of them and the catch if divided equally would result in approximately twenty-one fish for each plus six to cook now. Jesus had one fish already on the grill so each of them would have taken home twenty-one fish and eaten one. God will provide.
As they ate, Jesus takes Peter off to the side to talk to him. He speaks to Peter because he knows that Peter is struggling more than most. Peter loves Jesus and wants more than anything to follow and serve. Yet, in Peter’s mind he is a failure. He set out to serve and yet in the time of greatest need, Peter denied Jesus, just like Jesus said he would. He failed, and yet Jesus still blesses him. This tells us a great deal about hope and grace. God does not expect us to be perfect, he only wants us to live for him in obedient faith. God will provide for our needs if we trust him. If we listen and respond to his word, we will realize that he has provided even more than what was necessary. I am not saying that God will bless us because we have given to the church. I am not promoting a health and wealth theology. What I am saying is that when we trust Him, when we respond and walk in faith God will provide. Even when we stumble and make a fool out of ourselves and him, God will provide. Even if we feel as if we are a complete and utter failure, God will provide in some way.
We might not notice it nor understand how but God will provide. In the past twelve years, I have had to restarted my career outside the church four times. I sat at home wondering how we could possibly stay when I could barely pay for gas to get to work. It has not been a walk in the park, but I have never been without.
Paul teaches us in his epistles to be content with what we have. He says that he will praise God when he has plenty and when he is in need. He will praise God in health and in illness, in his freedom and in his bondage. It is our attitude that is important. It is where we place our faith that is important. Is our faith placed on ourselves and is our attitude focused on our own needs and desires, or are we focused on Christ? Peter went fishing because they needed to eat, but when they came up empty and he heard the voice of God he responded even though he did not realize who was speaking. We have great opportunities all around us. Maybe God is calling you to give it a shot. Maybe he is calling you to take a step of faith. What would it hurt? Well, we might end up back at square one. No, we have more experience and a different perspective. And we have a greater story, and hope.
Before we moved back to Kansas City, my wife Kristy was finishing her Fine Arts degree at Wichita State University. She was working late into the night trying to get her final project completed. She had built this amazing statue constructed out of ceramic triangles put together in various formations. This all symbolized the various aspects and experiences that make each one of us uniquely who we are.
She was placing all these pieces together, and eventually it began to take on a form that would resemble a person. This thing was nearly as tall as she is and it was looking amazing. She had one piece to complete the structure, she needed to put on what would be the head. As she was putting this one piece in place, she did not have it centered properly and the adhesive we were using to hold the pieces together failed causing everything to come crashing down. An entire semester’s worth of work was now a pile of ceramic shards, and the final presentation was in less than six hours. What do we do? We have failed. Life has crumbled around us.
Jesus took Peter aside and asked him “Do you love me?” He asked him this and Peter answered until he came to the revelation. God does not require perfection he wants us to abide in him and grow from that. Kristy’s symbolic life had crumbled to the ground and all we could do is sweep it into a pile and take what came. A couple of weeks later she had an art show the weekend before we moved. People walked through her exhibit that was an abstract conceptual self-portrait and some who visited were moved to tears as they began to understand what she was saying through her art. Everything was in shards mere days before and yet at that exhibition the triangular structure that had fallen was present for all to see. A different approach was taken and different materials were used but the message was still there.
Peter thought he failed. Peter felt as if he was being forced to return to the life he had before. And Peter was willing to accept that. But he heard that voice. And he threw the net. He got a taste once again of the hope he once knew. And then Jesus his Lord and his God, took him aside and asked do you love me? And he asked this until Peter knew that the only thing that really matters is to Love God, Embrace the Holy Spirit, and to Live the love of Christ with others. That is our mission. That is our call. It is not about being perfect but helping one another through another day. Helping each other find the strength to begin again, through and with Jesus. Our mission is to listen to Jesus as he calls out to us, “Follow Me!”
[1] Joel C. Elowsky, ed., John 11–21, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007), 381.
[2] Joel C. Elowsky, ed., John 11–21, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007), 381.
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Peace Be With You!
By Jared Warner
Willow Creek Friends Church
April 24, 2022
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John 20:19–31 (ESV)
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” 24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
This past week I have contemplated a great deal. I have tried to explain my lifestyle of prayer often as I have spoken here. I do not really follow any real discipline that people could label. It is a little bit Lectio Divina where you pray with scripture and it is a little bit just sitting in my chair thinking and saying, “I don’t have a clue.” Actually, if I am honest, the I don’t have a clue prayer has been said on multiple occasions. It could probably be what could be engraved on my memorial marker when that time comes. “Here lies Jared, he wanted to do something yet he did not have a clue.”
I say that in jest, but it is true. This weekend while we had a movie night with the family, I sat watching Disney’s Encanto, I know all good conservative Christians are supposed to be protesting Disney, but I also have another thing that goes through my mind sometimes, I don’t really care. I love Disney movies. I always have and I most likely always will. I like them because they often start a conversation. For me a movie that starts a conversation is a good movie. Well, I sat watching this movie, and the Gospel message came pouring through. If you have not watched the movie, I will try not to spoil it too much, but it speaks of family, giftedness, power, and brokenness. It is a movie about the human condition and I love that it started a conversation with my son.
In this movie the family all have this special gift, except one. This one person feels like an outcast because she does not know where she fits into this family of exceptional people. I identify with that young lady. My sister participated in state track her freshman year in high school. She can sing like a bird, she was a college level cheerleader, she had friends. And I was her annoying brother. My little brother can look at a machine and figure out how it works. He can take it apart fix what is broken and put it back together. He used to get broken cd players from his friends and he would fix them. He was funny and I have to stress that he is my little brother because he is about a foot taller than me. And I am me. I do not see anything special; I feel like I am this odd duck that just does not fit.
I am sure that most of us have experienced these sorts of feelings at some point, or if you did not you might have known someone that has. Most adolescents experience it in some form or another because that is pretty much the definition of adolescents. We are becoming who we are to be, and none of us know what that is. We see people around us that are amazing and we do not feel that way about ourselves.
It pretty depressing really. I struggle with this and have for some time, and I have come to realize that Christian humility requires us to be honest with ourselves. We must recognize both our strengths and our weaknesses, and we must be willing to stand aside as well as stand up. But I am getting ahead of myself.
Last week we celebrated the greatest day of human history. Not everyone agrees with that statement but for me, that is what it is. The day that Jesus rose from death’s tomb, the day he thwarted death’s grasp and was restored to life, is in my opinion the greatest day in human history. And because of that day, my life has forever been changed.
The thing about that great day is that there was a journey to get there. Sometimes we do not always recognize the journey. Jesus according to John’s Gospel is the eternal Word of God. I love that distinction. I love that throughout the history of Friends we have been keen on that distinction. Jesus is the Eternal Word of God. He is the source of wisdom and light. It is through Jesus that all things were made visible and invisible and without him nothing. We often look at scripture and say that it is the word of God but I want us to be careful about that thought. Scripture bears witness to the Word. It is God that gives scripture its power, these inspired words written by the saints and prophets of old direct us to the True Word, Jesus.
That is just the beginning of the journey. From the dawn of creation when God said, let there be light, to the day of glory, Jesus has been on a journey. Every word of scripture speaks of this journey, it tells of the struggles and the triumphs. It speaks of companions along the way that utterly fail, and about seemingly insignificant individuals that have risen to an occasion to point people back to God. And then in the fulness of time, God sent his unique son to dwell among us. God, this Eternal Word, lowered Himself for a little while to experience a complete and total human life.
He experienced life as a fetus in the womb. He endured the indignity of having to have his mother feed and change him as a baby. How often to you think of that. Those mothers who wake up in the middle of the night to feed your baby, I know you have cried out yourself, “Oh God can’t I get just a little sleep!” Mary actually said that to God.
He grew up. He learned. He played. He became a man and began to work with Joseph and his extended family in their construction company. He went to synagogue every sabbath and sang praises and prays with his community as they honored God. And yet God was sitting in their midst.
And then one day, his mother noticed that there was not enough wine at a wedding feast and she came over to him and said do something about it. I have often wondered about that first sign. Was Mary looking at Jesus and thinking, if you do not start pulling your weight… ok maybe I have been told to do the dishes a few to many times.
Jesus lived a complete life. After that first sign Jesus began to teach, he explained scripture and he caused even the greatest scholars of his day to wonder if they knew anything. And then Jesus pushed them a bit too far.
The journey changed course in our minds. Jesus had a good thing going and then suddenly the tables turned. Jesus turned those tables. They had enough and they requested, no they demanded blood.
Jesus rode into Jerusalem with the cheers of a king, and within one week he was nailed to a cross. John tells the story. He tells the story because John witnessed much of the story. And the last words Jesus said on the cross according to John was, “It is finished.”
Those words have been in my mind and prayers the past couple of weeks. They have been there because I need to hear them. I sat this weekend watching a movie with my family and in the movie this enchanted house was falling apart around them. No matter how much the matriarch tried to keep the family together the brokenness kept returning. And Bruno… we don’t talk about Bruno was hiding in the recesses of the house trying his hardest to patch all the cracks.
That is the gospel. We are broken, we are patching up cracks. We are running around trying to do our best. We know our strengths and we live into them as best we can but we have this fear that maybe I am not strong enough, maybe I lose control. And what will happen if I do lose control? We don’t talk about Bruno because Bruno knows that everything is about to break and we cannot allow the world to see that we might have a weakness.
This is life. We all have strengths we all have weaknesses. We try to do it all ourselves but eventually we will get tired. Jesus took on that life for us. He took the shame of our own failures and he cried out from the cross, “It is finished”.
John saw his king die. He watched as Joseph of Arimathea took the body and laid it in his own tomb. John listened to the women as they gathered the spices together that Sunday morning and began the journey to the tomb. John heard the panic in those women’s voices as they came running back to say that the body was not in the tomb. And John raced Peter to see what was going on. When the returned to the house leaving Mary Magdalene behind, John then heard Mary return not in a panic but in astonishment. She said she had seen the Lord.
The world was falling down around them. Everything they thought they knew was crumbling. And they sat in that room behind a locked door. And in their minds three words continued to play, “It is finished.” They were confused. Afraid. Terrified. Will those that took Jesus come for them next? What exactly happened to the body? Why won’t Mary just be quiet we are trying to think?
Then as they sat there, Jesus appears. He is standing in front of them. And he says, “Peace be with you.”
I have spent several weeks dwelling on the phrase, “It is finished.” Those are the words of men in despair. Those are the words of defeat. Those are the words of brokenness and resignation. Those are the words that we often hear spoken in our own minds when we are making attempts at a better life. Those are the words we hear when we are at the end of our rope and we just do not have another ounce of energy to offer. Those are the words we so often attempt to avoid, to cover up, and to hide. What if the world really knew that I am finished?
It is true. I am finished. I do not have the strength to move forward at times, and I do not have a clue. I sit in my big blue chair staring at my computer screen and I have often wondered if this will be the week that everyone will find out that I am just a scared kid putting on a brave face. I hide behind locked doors, because I do not have anything to offer. Man died on the cross when Jesus said it is finished. Jesus took our failures and our shame onto his shoulders and they were laid in that tomb with him. “It is finished”.
But now he stands in the room and a different phrase comes out of his mouth. “Peace be with you.” It is a simple greeting. It’s actually a greeting that is still commonly used today. Shalom. In Barclay’s Daily Study Bible commentary, he says that this greeting basically means, “May God give you every good thing.”
I spent hours this week fixated on two phrases, not even full verses. I thought about the distance between, “it is finished” and “Peace be with you.” And I reflected on where I was on the journey between the two.
You see we must pass through the despair of “it is finished” before we get to the peace. We have to come to some understanding within ourselves that I am not enough. I am broken, I am weak. I am hiding behind the façade of what everyone thinks I am but eventually everything will crash down around me. If I rely on myself only “it is finished” death will overcome, evil will triumph, and the enchanted house will fall. I want the peace but how do I get there?
We get there by walking through the brokenness. We get there by letting go of the façade. We get there by walking into the darkness and admitting that “I don’t have a clue.” The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God, we are told in scripture. We begin that journey by turning first to him the Word of God, the very one that has the words of life because all of life was spoken through him. We begin that journey by confessing our weaknesses, our brokenness, our darkness, and our sorrow. And we allow Christ to take those things onto his shoulders and cry out with us, “It is Finished.” And we believe. Death entered the world because our first parents thought they could know and determine good and evil on their own. They thought that they could handle it and control it. But they were wrong. They walked head long into the very thing they were determined to avoid. And suddenly they realized they were exposed and vulnerable. The entire world could see that they did not have a clue so they had to hide. The results of this multiply and expand. We have gotten so used to this that people that want power will use our own fears to control and manipulate us. We say we want peace, but do we?
How does peace happen? It begins when one person decides to say it is finished. And it grows when we live as God’s hands to give them every good thing. Peace occurs when we stop thinking about ourselves and start caring for others. Peace happens when we recognize that we really do not have a clue and we ask for help.
Where are you in that journey? Are you lost and bleeding on a cross? Are you buried in the darkness of a tomb? Are you locked behind a door in fear? Or like me do you not have a clue? Two thousand years ago Jesus was born of the virgin Mary. Grew up in a town called Nazareth. He worked with his family as they build and repaired the structures their communities needed to survive. He taught and he showed us a lifestyle and holy rhythm. He made it his custom to worship in the synagogues. He withdrew often to pray in isolated places. And he ministered to the needs of the community. And he calls us to follow him. He suffered under Pilate, was crucified, and died. He was buried in a tomb. And on the third day rose from that grave to restore our hope.
Where are you in that journey? “Peace be with you.” And may you know that peace to the very core of your being.
If you would like to help support the continued Ministry of Willow Creek Friends Church please consider donating online:
https://secure.piryx.com/donate/nlcsJT87/Willow-Creek-Friends-Church/
To help support the personal ministry of JWQuaker (Jared Warner) online and in the community click to donate.
What Can We Say?
By Jared Warner
Willow Creek Friends Church
April 17, 2022
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Luke 24:1–12 (ESV)
1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
I have been a pastor for nineteen years, and twelve of those years I have been here at Willow Creek. I struggle with Easter messages because what more is there to say that has not already been said. I began sensing a call to ministry while I was in Odesa, Ukraine teaching American English Classes to college students with Campus Crusade for Christ. But a few months prior to that trip, my pastor’s wife and my Sunday school teacher looked at me one Sunday morning and said you are going to be a missionary. I of course laughed at her, and if you knew me back then you probably would have laughed as well.
The reason I laughed is simple really. I grew up in the Friends Church. We attended Mt Ayr nearly every Sunday my entire life. Even when we lived in Hays my parents would make the one-hour drive back home so we could attend Meetings for Worship at Mt. Ayr. The Friends Church is what I have known, it is what I love, and it is through the Friends Church that I found who I was meant to be.
This has not been a simple road to travel. I did not grow up thinking I was going to be a pastor. I did not really like being in front of people which is bad when I come from a family that loves to sing. My mom and my dad would regularly volunteer our family to sing a special for our Meeting for worship. We would stand in front of the entire church, many of which were friends from school and we would sing. And at times I would be asked to sing alone. I did this, but it was tough. I like singing do not get me wrong. I will sing all day long. I will sing with the family at home. I would start whistling a song and then start humming and eventually I would start singing, and then my mom would join in, and then the entire family would join together. Singing in harmony for no other reason than someone in the house had a song in their heart. I like to sing, but I do not like to sing in front of others. I know that might shock many of you since you see me doing it every week. There is a legitimate reason for my hesitancy, I was born half deaf and to be totally honest I do not know if I am singing the right notes or not. This also affects my ability to remember names, because I just cannot hear them.
That is some of the back story. I love singing with my family and I love singing the hymns of Easter. Even through I had this rich heritage of faith, I was not that faithful. I had read the Bible completely at a very young age. I listened to the sermons and I asked questions, but that really did not matter to me, because when it came right down to it, I wanted to be a scientist.
I loved NASA, I wanted to be an astronaut, I built model rockets and shot them off. I read everything I could about every space mission. I was devastated when I watched the Challenger explode while I was watching it on TV with my classmates. And yet I loved science. Then I found out that it would be very unlikely that a half deaf boy would be able to become an astronaut. My dream was seeming shattered. But about that time something else amazing began to happen. We began to learn and understand DNA. All the energy that I extended toward space, quickly got diverted to genetics. I actually went to college with the intent of getting a degree in crop science with the hopes of eventually going into genetic engineering.
Then one fall morning while I was sitting in economics class someone from the school office came knocking on the door of the classroom in tears as they called me from class. My brother and sister had been in a car accident, and my sister was being flown to the hospital in Wichita. My little sister died the next day, and before they prepared her for organ donation my family once again began to sing, “It is Well with my Soul” over her.
I was just a kid myself; I was a freshman in college and did not know how to deal with any real loss like that. I could recite scripture, not chapter and verse because I am terrible at that, but I could relate pretty much any story at will, and yet it did not matter to me. I had a little faith but to me in that moment God was nowhere. And the world began calling. In my grief and mourning I began making decisions that were not in keeping with the faith I said I possessed. And at the age of nineteen I had a son out of wedlock.
This great family that sang for church nearly every month, that had just lost a sister, had a son that fathered a child without being married. For the nine months I questioned everything about my life, but then on January 15th, 1999. I held my son for the first time. I looked into his eyes and suddenly I knew what love was.
I did not have the answers to all of life’s problems at that time. In fact, I had a great deal of searching that I had to do because I realized that if I wanted my son to grow into a strong young man, I would have to figure out how to do that in the situation that he had been born into. That is why I laughed at my pastor’s wife when she said I was going to be a missionary. What mission organization would accept a single dad? And that very summer I boarded a plane for Ukraine. And it was in Ukraine that God started to give me a greater understanding of who I was. It was in Ukraine that I realized that this quiet kid that never really talked to people, actually loved having conversations and talking about the things that excited me. It was in Ukraine that I began really studying scripture and talking about it. It was in that place on the other side of the world I heard God.
But God was working all along. He was working all throughout my life in little ways. He used my strengths and my weaknesses. He used my failures and my success. And ultimately it was the love I felt when I held my son the first time that brought me to Christ because I began to understand true love.
I tell my story because each of us have a story. Each person in this room is significant and important. From the oldest person sitting in the pews to the child yet to be born, each of us bears the image of God. I sometimes think we do not realize how important that truly is. If we were to think of it as a story, the image bearer would be the messenger sent from the king. The king would give something to that messenger to authenticate that individual as a representative commissioned and sent bearing the authority of the king in that moment. The thing that the king would give would usually be some paper that was sealed with an impression that was unique to that ruler, his image. We bear that image. We have been called and commissioned. We, each one of us, have been given a mission that began from the beginning of time, we are make and bring all the earth under submission and make it into the Garden of Eden.
We have this mission we bear the image but so often we fail. We have gotten distracted by power, by entertainment, by manipulating the hearts of the people around us to do what we want instead of staying on track to complete the mission that God created us to fulfill. We are the image bearers and yet we have been deceived. God placed our first parents into the Garden, and the serpent convinced us that the best way to fulfill our mission was not to listen to God but that we should have the knowledge of good and evil, so we ate of that fruit. Ever since that moment death and deception entered our existence and has held us captive.
Last week we reflected on the passion of Christ. Jesus faced every injustice that mankind had to offer. Rulers killed him because he threatened their rule of law. Kings mocked and beat him because he would not entertain their selfish desires. Religious leaders falsely accused him because they feared that if they let him continue, they would lose the influence they had over the people. Each of these aspects of life, have power, influence, and selfish desires attached to them. And when we allow these things to control our lives, we will always be participants of injustice. Just open a history book and begin to read, within the pages are stories of valiant nations and people that have changed the world as we know it, but often there is another story, a story of oppression, neglect, and injustice. That does not mean that good things have not come from history. We live in a time and place that is amazing. At our fingertips we have access to things that only decades ago were the things of science fiction. Many here have watch technology move from a transiter radio to the iPhone streaming pandora. We can listen to music from any nation in any language at any time. We have that ability because of the lives that we read in history, but there is a cost to it all.
Jesus was tried and hung on a cross. He bore the greatest shame that a Jewish man could have faced, and as the people mocked him, he cried out, “Forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” That phrase often haunts me at night. It haunts me because I know who placed him on that tree. It haunts me because it so easily could have been me. I am what many would regard as a religious leader, and I speak every week hoping that the words I believe God is inspiring me to say will encourage you to become a friend of God. That is my hope but what does it mean to follow God? We like to point to scripture and say this is what it says, but so did the people that took Jesus to Pilate. Forgive us because we do not know what we are doing. I know just how true this is. I could have great intentions and be completely wrong.
The religious leaders were not the only ones with fault. The governor was also involved. The one who was entrusted with the task of justice also failed. He looked at the crowd and instead of doing the right thing he authorized the execution of an innocent man so that he could maintain his power.
Forgive us. We so often fail. Then Jesus looked up to the heavens and said it is finished.
What was finished? Death had overcome life. We often look at the world in this dualistic manner. We think light and dark, life and death. We seem to think that they are two powers that are struggling against each other, but the reality is that there is light and there is life. When light is present darkness is vanquished. When life is present there is no death. There is not a struggle if the source of light and life are present.
When Jesus said it is finished the source of life stepped away. The deception had overcome life, death had triumphed over life. But there was something interesting about that phrase as well, Jesus said it is finished.
The disciples believed that it was finished. There was no hope. The women that followed Jesus and wept as he was led to the hill believed that it was finished. They had placed their hope in Jesus and the injustice of this world had killed him on a cruel cross. It is finished hope is gone. And on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They were laying their hope to rest and were resigning. They were done. They once believed the words that Jesus spoke. They once believed that there was going to be a kingdom where the meek would inherit the earth. Where those that were thirsty and hungry would be filled. They once thought that there would be peace, but their hope is buried.
I have felt that hopelessness. I would be lying if I said that even today, I do not have touches of that despair shadowing aspects of my life. They walked to the tomb; the women walked to the tomb. It is very important to remember and to honor this aspect of the story. The women walked to the tomb because the men scattered. Once hope had died it is often the women remained to honor the memory.
They did not find what they expected there. The stone was rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. It is interesting to note that this is the first time Luke uses the term, Lord. The story is about to change, and yet the women are perplexed.
Jesus’s last words on the cross were “it is finished” according to John. Death had gotten a grip on Jesus, and yet the story has not ended. The women looked into an empty tomb perplexed because they had been there when they laid the body to rest. And two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. Shining ones. We recognize them as supernatural beings, those agents that serve God the Most-High are often described as shining. But I also want to remind you that the words translated as the serpent in the garden the one that deceived our first parents could also have been translated as a shining one. That was why our first parents were deceived one of God’s messengers, one that they regarded as trustworthy had failed to give good advice. And when we looked at Hebrews, we noticed that because of this deception by one of God’s angels caused us to unwittingly join their rebellion of death there was only one way to rectify the situation. God would have to restore life.
Jesus when he said “it is finished” he took death on himself, and yet now shining ones are appearing to these women and they say, “Why do you see the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”
Do you remember? Remember when Jesus took the disciples to a place far in the northern regions and asked them Who do they say that I am? And he again asked them Who do you say I am? And Peter said you are the Christ the chosen on of God. Jesus asked those questions at a place known as the Gates of Hell. It was on a mountain that many believed to be the source of evil, the den of Pan. And after Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Christ, Jesus said, “it is upon this rock that I will build my church and the gates of hell will not overcome it.” That rock some believe was Mount Hermon, the very place that the angels of the great rebellion took place that caused what we know as Noah’s flood. And at that place Jesus told them those very words that the angels spoke. But they did not accept the words of Jesus. Peter the great confessor said this will never happen. And Jesus looked at his friend and said get behind me Satan.
They, the women, remembered the words that Jesus spoke. They remembered that on multiple occasions Jesus plainly told them that these events were going to happen, yet they did not listen. And now the tomb is empty and they are perplexed, they are seeking the dead and the angels are asking why are they seeking the living among the dead.
They eventually realized what the angels were meaning by those words. They eventually realized that if Jesus had said that he would be crucified and would die. Jesus said this and he also said that he would rise again.
They go back to the place the disciples were staying. They tell them what they had seen and heard. They remind them of the words that Jesus said. The women are preaching to the disciples, and they were sent by God’s angels to do this very thing. But the disciples do not listen to the women. Luke tells us that the apostles thought the words were idle tales, something unbelievable. Luke does this on purpose. He is purposefully being sexist to prove a point. The very disciples of Jesus did not believe because women told them.
How often do we get distracted from the truth because the source is not from the place we expected? How many times do we overlook or neglect wise council because it just does not fit with our own thoughts? How many times do we think we are wiser than those around us? Forgive us because we do not know what we are doing. But Peter remembered that painful day. The day his best friend called him Satan. He remembered the words that Jesus spoke that day that were rejected and caused the rebuke. Peter remembered, and he did not want another one of those rebukes. He was just wise enough to recognize that these women were not the spinners of idle tales, and he gave them the benefit of the doubt. He rose and ran to the tomb. John tells us that the disciple Jesus loved also ran with him, and ran faster than Peter because Peter was old and slow. Peter ran to the tomb, and stopping he looked inside. He saw the linen cloths by themselves, and he went home marveling at what had happened.
What happened? The body was gone, and the grave clothes remained. Hope began to well up where despair once reigned. The darkness began to fade as a dim light started to burn brighter. Something happened in the place of death, the grave clothes were by themselves. This phrase might be overlooked but it basically means that they were folded and placed in separate stacks.
We know the rest of the story. The grave could not hold him. And death’s sting is overcome. Jesus is risen. He is Lord. He has risen from the Grave and He is Lord.
Every year we celebrate this great day. The day that Jesus restores our hope, and yet this Easter like so many the wars still rage. This year like so many we struggle between hope and despair. We confess with our mouths that He is risen but so often we live as if these are just idle tales. What can we say?
I will not argue, nor will I make any attempt to prove things right or wrong. I know my story; I know that when I look back on my life God has done little things that have brought me to this place at this moment. For me I believe. And I believed completely when I held my first son. Sure, I struggle with doubt and unbelief at times, but I know that without Christ I would not be that man I am today. He has restored my hope, he has given me new life, and I believe His is risen and is Lord of all. That is all I can say, but what can you say? Jesus said that he would be turned over by sinful men, that he would be tried and crucified and on the third day he would rise again. The women heard all that yet walked to the tomb to put spices on the dead body. Peter heard that as did all the disciples. When the angels spoke and they saw that the tomb was empty they believed. They believed even before they fully understood. What can we say?
If you would like to help support the continued Ministry of Willow Creek Friends Church please consider donating online:
https://secure.piryx.com/donate/nlcsJT87/Willow-Creek-Friends-Church/
To help support the personal ministry of JWQuaker (Jared Warner) online and in the community click to donate.