Sermon: The Great Commission

Matthew 28:16-20

The Great Commission

Cynthia O’Brien

May 21, 2006

^{MT 28:16} Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,

Every Friday morning, lately, I try to get up at an early hour, an unearthly hour, or an ungodly hour depending on how you look at it, get dressed in business attire, and find my way to one of the businesses in Gresham for the weekly early morning meeting of the Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce. Being a night person and not a morning person, I only succeed about every other Friday. But something compels me, and I believe it has something to do with Jesus’ call to make disciples of all nations.

Much earlier in the Gospel of Matthew, the 12 disciples were sent out to tell the good news of Jesus to the Jews. We understand in the Old Testament that Israel was the example for the nations of the glory of God. But now, after the resurrection, Jesus tells the disciples to go out and make other disciples, regardless of their nationality. Now all the nations are invited to be God’s people and find salvation in him.

The book of Acts tells how the early group of believers started to learn this. They had to overcome cultural differences and language barriers, which the Holy Spirit helped them to do. We have cultural barriers to overcome when we talk with our neighbors, and even our adult children and grandchildren who may seem to have a cultural world view totally different from yours. We are called to make disciples of all nations.

The Session, your board of elders, is reading this book “The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church” by Reggie McNeal. I heard him speak at a two-day conference last fall and I was very impressed with his passion for helping the church fulfill the Great Commission. One thing he says is that the Pharisees had a very closed community. Their strategy for welcoming new people was, “Come and get it.” If you can jump through all our hoops, and become just like us, you can be part of us.

But Jesus had a different view. He said, “Go into the world.” He went to where the people were and met them. The Pharisees were horrified that he sat down and ate with sinners. But he went out into the world.

That’s one of the reasons I joined the Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce a few months ago. Somehow I manage to wake up and go to the “Connect with Success” meeting where about 100 business owners meet for coffee. I am one of three ministers that go; the others are Pastor Keith Evans of Greater Gresham Baptist Church and Chaplain Harold Fuller.

One Friday morning, I knew that Becky Coleman’s ministry My Sister’s House was in a cash flow crisis. When it was my turn to speak, I told this to the group. Then an insurance agent, I think it was Rick Stubblefield, stood up and suggested passing the hat for donations, and he would put in $100 to start it. Over $900 was collected for My Sister’s House that morning.

On another Friday morning, at the end of the meeting, I approached a woman and asked, “How’s your mother doing?” following up on a brief conversation of the previous week. She told me all about the struggles in her family. I’m grateful that she considers me trustworthy.

There were words of praise at last Friday’s meeting for a group from Greater Gresham Baptist who volunteered to do the cleanup for a recent business showcase. I told Pastor Keith Evans later I thought it was great that he helped out like that. He said, “It was easy to do. I want the businesses to know that the church is here to serve.”

I attended two meetings of the Government Affairs Council, which has made me more aware of the problems facing our community. I met the Republican and Democratic candidates for Governor and was able to challenge them, from a religious perspective, about issues that affect us here in East County.

Being involved in the Chamber is one way that I can be out in the community, sharing the gospel. It suits me and I enjoy it.

We are called to go out into the world and make disciples of all nations…

baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

I was very pleased to baptize Erica and the Giffords last Sunday, people who were ready to acknowledge God and become followers of Jesus Christ. It’s what we’re about, inviting people to hear God’s call and find salvation through Christ.

Back in the days of the Church Growth Movement in Southern California, we were cautioned against padding church rolls with people lured away from other churches. We were warned that “shuffling sheep” from flock to flock wasn’t building the kingdom of God, it was just sheep stealing. There are good reasons people come here from other churches, but our primary goal is to help others come to Christ.

²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

What are the things Jesus commanded the disciples? The sermon on the mount is a good start. Turn to Matthew 5. These three chapters would be good for you to read tonight and this week. For most of you it will be familiar. Let me skip through it – try to stay with me. These are things that Jesus has commanded us. This is how to live a meaningful life.

^{MT 5:3} "Blessed are the poor in spirit, --

Realize right from the beginning that to follow Jesus is to be counter cultural.

^{MT 5:4} Blessed are those who mourn,

^{MT 5:5} Blessed are the meek,

^{MT 5:9} Blessed are the peacemakers,

¹⁶ Let other people see your light, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

^verse. ¹⁹ Keep the commandments.

^{MT 5:21} Hold to the highest ethical standards. Not only are you not to murder, but you are not even to kill a person’s self esteem.

^{MT 5:23} Be a peacemaker. Don’t expect to worship God if someone has something against you.

^{MT 5:27} Be pure in your thoughts as well as your actions. Be faithful in marriage. Keep your word.

^{MT 5:43} " Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

^{MT 6:2} " give to the needy, and not just for show.

^{MT 6:5} "pray to God, and not just for show.

^{MT 6:9} "When you pray, pray in a way that reverences God and looks forward to the kingdom of God. Ask for what you need. Ask for forgiveness. Ask for guidance. While you’re at it, forgive other people.

^{MT 6:19} "Don’t be concerned about material possessions – think in terms of things that have eternal significance.

³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

^{MT 7:1} "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

^{MT 7:7} "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

¹² So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

^{MT 7:21} "Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

These are the teachings of Jesus that we are to pass on to others. But how can we do that if we are just learning these things ourselves? Easy. People who are not Christians and not connected to a church don’t have the benefit that you do of understanding these rules for living. If you set aside time for a good conversation, these things will certainly come up. When you talk about them, tell the ways in which you are learning yourself. Be a fellow traveler on the road. Share your struggles. Share what you know.

How has Jesus sent you out into the world? You may have a very busy life right now, working two jobs and trying to raise a family. You tell the good news of Jesus Christ by the way that you interact with people all day long. You write a letter of thanks to your child’s teacher. You speak kindly to the supermarket cashier who has a cast on her arm, and you say you’ll pray for her. At your job, your boss expects you to lie or cover up something, but instead, you find a way to keep your integrity, stand up for what’s right and be a positive example. You are teaching others to obey what Jesus commanded you.

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. Jesus promised the disciples that he would be with them always. He will be with you.

Sermon: Do You Love Me?

John 21:15-23 May 14, 2006

“Do You Love Me?”

^{JN 21:15} When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"

"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

^{JN 21:16} Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"

He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."

^{JN 21:17} The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.

¹⁸ I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." ¹⁹ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"

(To children – do you know the story, “Mama, Do You Love Me?”

I can remember when I was small, and I did something bad, I would wonder if my mother still loved me. She always did. Sometimes she told me, sometimes I asked her and she told me, and sometimes I just knew that, yes, she loved me.

Peter was a friend of Jesus. When Jesus was arrested, someone said to Peter, “You’re a friend of his, aren’t you?” Peter should have stood up for him, but he didn’t. He was scared. He denied knowing Jesus. He said, “No, I’m not his friend.” Three times he denied his friend, and Jesus knew that Peter did that. After Jesus died, Peter was sad, and went back to his fishing boat. He felt so bad about what he did that he cried. But Jesus was raised from the dead and went to find Peter. Listen in my sermon to find out what happened with Jesus and Peter.)

One of the first people to visit the Holy Land and write down the experience was a woman named Egeria. We don’t know much about her except that she traveled from somewhere around Portugal and spent three years in the Holy Land, AD 381-384. Travel at that time was very hard and dangerous, but she was courageous. She wanted to visit monasteries and holy sites, and she wanted to participate in the Christian ceremonies in Jerusalem from Lent until Easter. It is because of her that we have a record of the most ancient worship liturgies in Jerusalem.

On her visit to Galilee, she was taken to a small Byzantine church and was told that this is where Jesus offered the disciples bread and fish. She was moved by it because it commemorated the moment that transformed Peter’s life.

Now this site is taken care of by the Franciscans and has beautiful gardens. There is a statue which some say is the finest statue in Galilee, of a life-sized Peter, and Jesus renewing his love for Peter. People visit the site because something very important happened here.

Peter had made a terrible mistake. His triple denial of Jesus is one of the few stories that appears in all four gospels. It was such an important moment that none of the gospel writers left it out.

Peter had boasted that he would never forsake Jesus, even if all the other disciples did (Mt 26:33, Mk 14:29, John 13:37). This was the same as saying he loved Jesus more than the others did. But Peter did just the opposite of what he boasted; he denied Jesus three times. In Luke’s account, when the cock crowed, Jesus looked directly at Peter, and Peter went out and wept bitterly.

As far as we know, Peter never talked to Jesus again after denying him the morning of the crucifixion. I can only imagine the agony Peter felt after Jesus died. He didn’t get the chance to ask Jesus’ forgiveness. He had no way to show Jesus his love. He didn’t get another chance to stand up for him. After three years of following Jesus, making mistakes but still being faithful, he had ruined it all by the last words Jesus heard him say.

It’s one of the saddest things that Michael and I see as we offer pastoral care – the family where death comes suddenly, cutting off the opportunity for good-byes. You might have experienced it for yourself, but it’s a lot easier to watch on an episode of “E.R.” – where a patient has been in a terrible accident and is on life support, and a family member is in distress not just because her loved one is dying, but because the last thing she said to him was unkind, and she wants to undo it. We’ve seen situations where there is no hope for life, and it’s time for artificial life support to end, but the family member can’t let go because of his or her unresolved issue.

Think of your family members who are living. What was the last thing you said to them? What was the status of your relationship the last time you talked with them? Anything can happen at any time. The soldiers came in the night, they took Jesus, Peter was afraid, he denied knowing Jesus, then Jesus died. Peter could not make it right.

Consider what the rest of Peter’s life might have been like after that. Everything Peter would do in ministry would be making up for it. He could be energetic and preach the kingdom of God, but it would be like doing penance. “Because I failed God, because I failed myself, I have a lot to make up for.” This wouldn’t be a person with a joyful heart.

Or Peter could have been filled with despair. He might have become bitter and depressed, still trying to fulfill his mission, but destroying himself in the process.

When I used to read “The Runaway Bunny” to my children, the part I liked best was how the mother bunny always met the little bunny wherever the little bunny ran away to. The little bunny says “I will become a bird and fly away.” The mother says, “I will become the tree you land in.”

Peter had gone back to fishing… so Jesus met Peter on the beach.

If you are sensitive to the Spirit, you will notice this in your own life. Oftentimes, when you run away from God, God will meet you in the new place, far from where you last encountered God. You might have denied Christ, you might have turned your back on God, but God still loves you, and if you are paying attention, you might get another chance, like Peter did.

^{JN 21:15} When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"

"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

“Simon son of John” was the name Jesus had said when he first met this man who would become his disciple: You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas (which is translated Peter). But Peter had not yet proven himself to live up to the name, Peter, the rock.

^{JN 21:16} Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"

He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."

^{JN 21:17} The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.

This is an act of restoration. Just by having this conversation with Peter, Jesus showed Peter that he forgave him.

It is also an act of commissioning. It is one thing to say you love Jesus, but the real test requires actually doing it. Each time Peter reaffirmed his love, Jesus told him to take care of his sheep. He’s talking about his followers, the future Christians. “Lambs” and “sheep” were Jesus’ expressions of caring. Jesus asked Peter to show his love for Jesus by loving others.

The next time we see Peter, in the book of Acts, he is a changed person.

Sometimes our worst mistakes can change who we are… or perhaps it is the forgiveness we receive that changes us.

A minister told this story about himself, and a teacher of his (Ian Pitt Watson) told it to me: When he was a boy, he used to spend hours in the back yard practicing his golf swing. He wasn’t allowed to use a real golf ball because that could be very dangerous so near to the house and also could be expensive in lost balls. So he used a practice ball, the plastic kind with holes in it. You couldn’t hit it very far and it couldn’t do any damage.

One day when he was alone, he was thinking how nice it would be to feel a real golf ball on the head of the club. You know what happened – he sliced his stroke and the ball swung toward his parents’ bedroom window.

He said, “I heard the glass shatter and then I heard my mother scream. I ran into the house and up the stairs to her bedroom. She was standing there in front of the broken window and she was bleeding. I started to cry and I couldn’t stop, and all I could say was, “Mum, what have I done, I could have killed you.” I don’t know how often I said it. and she kept just hugging me and saying, “It’s all right, I’m all right, everything’s going to be all right.”

(Ian Pitt Watson, A Primer for Preachers)

Needless to say, that boy never took a real golf ball in the back yard again.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

When we denied that we knew him, God was planning to meet us later and give us another chance. When we were still hitting golf balls through the window, God forgave us. We could have killed him. Jesus died at the hands of people whom God loved and wanted to save. But now he lives, and he seeks us out, and asks us, “Do You Love Me?” And in that question, we know that we ourselves are loved.

Let us pray.

Forgiving God, we thank you for telling us about Peter, for teaching us about failure and forgiveness. Don’t let us get away from you, Lord. Meet us where we are. Show us your love. Give us an opportunity to make it right. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

Sermon: Stay With Us

Luke 24:28-35 Stay With Us

May 7, 2006

^{LK 24:28} As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. ²⁹ But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.

^{LK 24:30} When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. ³² They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

^{LK 24:33} They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together ³⁴ and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." ³⁵ Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

The fifth grade class at a Christian school was studying different denominations and the teacher invited the students to bring in a symbol of their faith. Three students were sharing on this particular day. The first said, “I’m a Mennonite and this is a hymnal.” The next said, “I’m an Episcopalian and this is a prayer book.” The third said, “I’m a Lutheran and this is a casserole.”

But the casserole is an important part of our faith, and I’ll tell you why. The disciples had shared many meals with Jesus. The Christian community has always had meals together in which we enjoy fellowship with each other in the Spirit. In our church we have the Spring Luncheon, and the annual potluck, and the various groups have meals together. The Alpha Course has lunch every week. In July we will have a luncheon in honor of the 25^th and 15^th anniversaries of some of our staff. These are meals that we celebrate as God’s people. We share with each other and become closer over meals.

There is another kind of meal that Christians in the earliest times had together, and it was known simply as “the breaking of the bread.” It wasn’t an actual meal; it was a sacred action that we now call communion, or The Lord’s Supper. The Apostle Paul gave us the liturgy, the sacred words to say, based on Jesus’ words at the Last Supper, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

The scene we read today in Luke 24 is the sequel to the Last Supper. Here the disciples were assembled in maybe the same upper room. They had invited a stranger to stay with them, but they didn’t know him until he broke the bread.

When he walked with them, they didn’t recognize him

When he taught them, they didn’t recognize him.

But they asked Jesus to stay with them for supper.

When he broke the bread and gave it to them, that’s when they recognized the risen Christ.

The decisive moment in the recognition of Jesus was in the breaking of the bread.

This week I took my harp to a harp builder to make some repairs on it, and since he lives in Lincoln City, he said maybe I could meet him at his in-law’s house in Tigard because he would be there for his father-in law’s birthday. I said, great, but I don’t want to intrude. He said, no problem.

When I got there, the brother answered the door, and said, “Oh, you must be Christine, come right inside” (close enough) and everybody was gathered around the dining room table having cake. The brother said, “Would you like some cake and ice cream?” I said, no thank you, and he said, “Go on through, David’s in the kitchen.” I had to walk through the whole party. As I got to the kitchen, David’s wife said, “Would you like some cake and ice cream?” and as we stepped out the back door to get my harp, somebody else yelled, “Would she like to stay for some cake and ice cream?” Even though I didn’t, by the third time they asked, I actually felt welcome.

When you ask a stranger to stay, who knows what good might come of it?

On a whim one Friday, I asked my neighbor if she wanted to go out for coffee. We ended up having the most thoughtful, intelligent conversation about things like education and integrity. Maybe it’s something about coffee, maybe it’s just the occasion of focusing on the other person. I wouldn’t have had that conversation in passing on a Saturday working out in our yards. It happened because I asked her to stay a while.

Meals are important in human life. Just think about the memories you have created with your family – birthday dinners, Thanksgiving and Christmas, Mother’s Day. We gather around a table, share good food and conversation. You remember Mother clucking and scurrying in the kitchen, Grandpa with his jug of wine, Dad and sister washing the dishes together. Eating and memories go together.

Now educators are saying that children who eat dinner with their families are more likely to succeed in life. Another reason to ask your teenagers to “stay for dinner.”

When the early Christians came together, they gave thanks to God and they had a vivid sense of the presence of the risen Lord with them at their meals.

I went to dinner at a single lady’s house, and there was a third place set. I asked if someone else was coming. She said, “That’s for Jesus. He’s always here with me, and setting his place reminds me of that.” She was physically inviting Jesus to stay with her.

When we say grace before meals, we thank God for the food, but we can also invite God’s presence. There’s an ancient grace we say at our house, that invites God’s presence: “Be present at our table, Lord. Be here, and everywhere adored. These mercies bless, and grant that we may feast in Paradise with Thee.”

We even see this thinking in Revelation 3:20: Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and sup with him, and he with me.”

In the Lord’s Supper, we ask Jesus to stay. Do you sense God’s presence at communion? You may appreciate how Christ comes to you as you quietly meditate while you sit in the pew. Or you may have the joy of meeting Christ as you walk forward to the table. Trusting in these promises, we believe that Christ is present when we come together to break bread.

We are not remembering some one who is dead and gone. We are remembering someone who was crucified, dead and buried, and who rose again, someone who is gloriously alive. The memory turns into an encounter with Jesus.

Jesus said, “Lo, I am with you always.” So we can say, like the disciples said to a stranger, “Stay with us.” And pray that our eyes will be opened, and we will recognize him.