"Hurricane Harvey and Tasting the Kingdom" - Matthew 16:21-28

Matthew 16:21-28

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

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I heard a new thing this week as I stewed about this pretty familiar bit of Matthew’s Gospel – a passage I’ve read and considered and preached on a handful of times before. A lot of this is old, good news, really. All that stuff about denying yourself and taking up your cross; about losing your life in order to find it; and of course all of that stuff about Jesus suffering and dying and being raised on the third day. We need to be reminded of it all over and over again, so we do and we are.

But the new thing hit me when I read that last little bit from Jesus this time around, where he says, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” “…some standing here…will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Since he prefaces that statement with talk of “angels” and “repayment for what has been done,” I always and only considered those words as some sort of cosmic prophecy about the end of time; that Jesus was predicting his end-times return to redeem the world; like we read about in Revelation, and that hope-filled and sometimes crazy people have been longing for and making preparations about ever since. And maybe that is what Jesus meant. So frankly, I always and only heard that promise or prediction from Jesus as something he got wrong. After all, every one of those who was listening to him that day – Peter and the other disciples – are dead and long gone, right? Which means they presumably, in fact, “tasted death” before seeing the Son of Man come into his kingdom, as Jesus predicted.

But I wonder if, just like Peter, I’ve missed the point all these years. I’ve looked at those words and that promise and Jesus’ prediction with the wrong set of eyes; from the wrong kind of perspective.

Because what if it wasn’t that end-times, apocalyptic, second-coming Jesus was talking about? What if every one of those disciples really did see the Son of Man “coming into his kingdom” when they witnessed and participated in all the things Jesus had JUST predicted and JUST promised them would happen, in the verses just beforehand – namely, that great suffering, that dying and that resurrection on the third day?

What I mean is, the Son of Man “came into his kingdom” when he made his way to Jerusalem. The Son of Man “came into his kingdom” when he was handed over to the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. The Son of Man “came into his kingdom” while he was crucified, as he suffered, and the moment he took his last breath on the cross. And of course, the Son of Man “came into his kingdom” when he was raised on the third day.

And every one of them saw it. We’ve all heard about it. They and we just can’t seem to wrap our heads – still – around a kingdom that’s humble; a kingdom that hurts sometimes; a kingdom that’s hard more often than we’d like; and a kingdom that is hopeful in spite of so many reasons not to be.

In other words, we are so much like Simon Peter who has so much to teach us through his relationship with Jesus, about our own relationship with Jesus. Whether he’s walking on water and then sinking; whether he’s refusing to wash Jesus’ feet, before submitting to the role of that kind of servanthood; or whether he’s trying to keep Jesus from being arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, Peter is us – and we are Peter: struggling with faith, neglecting opportunities to serve humbly, placing roadblocks in the way of God’s grace. We think too often with our heads about what God is calling us toward, rather than seeing with the eyes of our hearts – as that song sings – sensing what God is already up to in our midst.

But God is already and always up to something in our midst. And haven’t we seen some measure of that in Houston over the course of the last week – heavenly things, I mean, in the face of so many earthly obstacles and limitations? As horrible as Hurricane Harvey was; as much loss as we can count there, in terms of lives and real estate and things; and as much devastation as has befallen that part of our country – the kingdom has come among us in that place.

Every story about the “Cajun Navy” – and every example of average Joe’s and trained professionals – showing up to rescue those in need, is a story of the kingdom coming among us.

Every church that opens its doors or sends its people or collects supplies, is a story of the kingdom alive and well in our midst.

Every penny that gets sent for the good of the cause, with no strings attached, is the kingdom of God coming for the sake of the world.

Every black man carrying a white child, every white man carrying a brown child, every boat weighed down – like so many miniature arks, if you will – weighed down with men, women, children and animals of every size, shape, age and color is a picture of God’s kingdom, come.

I especially liked the video I saw of three or four African-American teenage boys – wearing black hoodies, even – who helped steer the floating car of a little old white lady to safety.

All of it is the kingdom of God breaking into the world as we know it. And it’s kind of amusing to me that it comes as a surprise to people, still.

People have a habit of behaving differently in the face of tragedy like we’ve seen in Houston this week; or in Louisiana, after Hurricane Katrina; or in New York, on September 11th; or when a loved-one gets sick; or when a neighbor loses his job; or whatever. When the you-know-what hits the fan, the grace of God moves in and for and through people who are created in the image of that same God, remember.

Walls come down, and they should. Politics cease to matter, and they shouldn’t. Help is asked for, help offered, help is received without question, without boundary, without limit – and it all happens from those who can, and for those who need it most. In the midst of great tragedy and suffering and struggle, the kingdom comes among us more fully and more often than not, it seems to me, by the grace of God.

And what must be so frustrating to our creator – like it must have been for Jesus – is that it takes some measure of tragedy and suffering and struggle for us to get it; to do it; to receive it; to celebrate it; to see it, even, this kingdom in our midst. And that we struggle or neglect to allow that kind of kingdom living to thrive among us even when life is good and things are well.

What I think Jesus is trying to show his disciples – and what we’re supposed to have caught onto by now – what we’re still learning as followers of Christ – is that we shouldn’t wait for tragedy to strike – or to strike close to home – before we allow ourselves to live in all the ways God invites us to live in this world. (You all realize that in addition to Houston, over 1,200 people have died thanks to a monsoon in India over the course of the last week, too, right?)

What I think living with faith is about is learning to listen and to see and to live with our hearts, more than with our heads – where we see a bigger picture.  When we get our heads out of the way – our scope is broadened.  When we set our minds, daily, on divine things like resurrection and forgiveness and new life and the power of grace – the stuff of the world falls away and we live differently because of it.

And the kingdom comes among us… And the kingdom comes because of us… And the kingdom comes through us… The kingdom comes – here and now – and for the sake of the world, in the name of Jesus who was, who is, and who is to come.

Amen

"Giving the Kids the Keys" – Matthew 16:13-20

Matthew 16:13-20

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. 

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In today's gospel text I recognized an opportunity to talk about the ways in which Cross of Grace ministers to and with our youth. 

You might think this is a stretch, given that Jesus doesn’t explicitly say anything about youth in today’s passage. However, today’s gospel text is all about the future of the church; and Jesus makes it clear that his disciples, uniquely Peter, have a significant role to play in the future of the church. It is worth noting that the consensus in Biblical scholarship is that Peter, along with the other disciples of Jesus, would have been teenagers during their time with Jesus.

That’s probably not the image of Jesus’ disciples you had in your mind, is it?

The centuries of canvas artwork, stained glass, illustrated Bibles, and made-for-TV movies have lied to us by portraying the disciples middle-age white guys with thick beards. Delete the mental image of the scene you had in your mind and realize that this is a conversation between God’s Son, himself in his late-twenties, and a bunch of teenagers who are eager to be a part of something bigger than themselves. This is a story about youth ministry, the future of the church, and the identity of God. We would be wise to contemplate its implications for us today because today’s teenagers are equally as eager to be a part of something like what Jesus promised. 

At least four years ago Cross of Grace started discussing the possibility of bringing in someone to focus on its various youth ministries. I wasn’t part of those discussions; however, for better or worse, I am the result of those discussions. For 3 1/2 years we have served together. You have entrusted your youth into my spiritual care and I have sought to care for the entire congregation, and in particular our youth, albeit with various level of success. 

In a very real sense, 3-1/2 years into this position I still don’t know what I am doing. The landscape of youth ministry is changing as rapidly as everything else in our society. Tried and true approaches to youth ministry are no longer as effective as they once were. Books on the topic written just a few years ago seem to reference a time long gone by. 

Congregations no longer serve the same functions as they did in previous generations. One’s involvement with a congregations is no longer a top priority, nor a cultural expectation. In fact, now more than ever before, congregations are viewed as a liability rather than an asset, even for people hungry to sense and serve God – people who prefer a safer individual spirituality so as to avoid the all-too-common painful experiences of religion observed alongside other imperfect people.

There is no one-sized-fits-all approach for a successful youth ministry. Nor is it something I can do on my own. I would have left this position long ago if I felt that you were expecting me to ‘do’ your kid’s spirituality for them (or for you, for that matter). In fact, the times when I have recognized success in youth ministry have been when I have been able to empower you to be the most important spiritual influences in our kid’s lives. That goes for you whether you are a parent, grandparent, or someone who simply wants to make a positive impact in a child’s life. 

The call to support, encourage, inspire, and equip the youth in our community is a call that extends to every Partner in Mission at Cross of Grace. And you participate in this virtuous work by acknowledging our youth, smiling with them, asking them about their lives and interests, teaching them and learning from them, serving alongside them in the community, showing up at their events to support them, and letting them know that they are valued, respected, and loved. 

So take this moment to acknowledge the role you play in the lives of our youth, both inside our church walls as well as the youth in our wider communities. I sincerely thank you for being parents, grandparents, Sunday school teachers, children’s church leaders, youth group volunteers, nursery attendants, mentors, and more. I trust that you have been inspired by encounters with our youth.

A few weeks ago I was talking with a Partner in Mission who told me how she grew up in the confines of a religion that made her afraid of God because God she was taught that God judged her unworthy to be loved. She told me how much our weekly children’s sermon time means to her because every Sunday morning Pastor Mark or I take something out of the box and always turn it into a message about how much God loves each child. She is optimistic that generations of youth who grow up in a church inundated with a consistent message of grace and love will yield abundant spiritual fruit both now and in the future.

I also keep a memory tucked in the back of my mind as motivation for the difficult work of youth ministry. During my first year of serving a congregation in Kentucky I recall telling the congregation I would skip the youth message that morning because no children were there. A potent sense of sadness and despair emanated from those pews. It was a despair rooted in two stark truths: 1) the congregation wouldn’t exist much longer without another generation to rise up; and 2) a feeling of failure, that they had not taken seriously their call to nurture generations beyond their own. 

It fills me with so much joy and energy to be able to say to you that if I lived in this area and had a job other than pastor at Cross of Grace, I would still choose to worship here and raise my children here. I hope you recognize what a gift we have here. I hope that you recognize your role in it.

Go ahead and pat yourselves on the back, but stay focused, because there is work left to be done. And I desperately want you to be a part of it, both for the youth’s sake, as well as your own.

One of the directions I have been trying to steer us towards is a focus on building relationships across generations. The only reason I am a part of the church today in any capacity is because I was fortunate to have a number of people in my home congregation from all different ages who went out of their way to make me feel appreciated, valued, and loved. In my darkest times, I could remember many people from my home congregation whom I knew thought that my life was important. This is incredible gift that you could give to our youth at Cross of Grace. 

I place a high priority on any ministry that brings different generations together to create nurturing and healthy relationships. Starting in October, Cross of Grace will start its second year of “Cross-generational gatherings” between worship services on the first Sunday of each month. These are opportunities to sit at a table with a child, work on a craft or activity, play a game, sing a song, talk about Bible stories, and make a new friend. Last year’s participants told me how much they enjoyed the events. I hope you realize I am talking to you when I say you missed out if you didn’t participate last year; and you will really want to be a part of this.

Another exciting cross-generational aspect we’re trying this year is a mentoring program with our Faith Formation students. Pastor Mark is pairing an adult faith mentor for each of our Faith Formation students. This adult will pray for the youth, make a point of conversing on Sundays, and take it upon him or herself to be an example of faith and dependability for the youth. I had a faith mentor when I was in Middle School. He and his wife became dear friends and I still look forward to seeing them, even though those opportunities are rare these days. 

And here is one more way that you can make a difference in the lives of our youth: show up for their concerts, performances, and sporting events. Joannie Bowen preached a fantastic message at a midweek Lenten service in which she encouraged us to be the “fans in the stands” for our youth. She was instrumental in bringing women’s athletics to Hancock County and she makes it her mission to go to as many games as possible. Talk to any of our youth and they will be able to say that Joannie came to at least one of his or her games. You know that’s powerful. And it’s something you can be a part of. So look for our F.I.T.S. announcements and mark your calendars to show up and be amazed at what our youth are capable of. 

The landscape of youth ministry is changing and it is a very exciting time to be a part of it. What amazing news it is to know that every change, experiment, success, and failure is supported by God’s promise that the church built on the rock will last forever. May you remember that Jesus first gave this promise to a bunch of teenagers. And may you be inspired that the future of God’s good news through word, service, and sacrament is in the hands of our youth. 

Amen.