On the Inside Looking Out

John 10:11-18

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

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A couple of weeks ago – Holy Week, actually – my dad, the other Pastor Havel, came to my office looking for a picture of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. He didn’t say it that way. He just wanted a picture like one many of us have seen in illustrated Bibles from back in the day or even on stained-glass windows in many of our churches, where Jesus is walking around carrying a lamb. You know the one, right?

Anyway, he was looking for something he could use for the Children’s Sermon at First Trinity Lutheran Church, where he’s become the resident supply preacher since moving to Indiana. First Trinity, some of you know, is on Indy’s east side – Emerson and 42nd Street – and they have a much more racially diverse congregation than we do here at Cross of Grace. I mean their flock is a little more colorful than our own. I mean their flock – however small – is blessed with a better mix of black sheep and white sheep on any given Sunday morning.

So when my dad said he needed a picture of Jesus… that he wanted it to be something like those images of the Good Shepherd, with Jesus carrying a lamb in his arms or surrounded by a flock of sheep, or whatever… that he wanted to talk to the kids about Jesus having become the “Lamb of God, sacrificed to take away the sin of the world” and so on…

…I suggested we find a picture of a BLACK Jesus; a more historically accurate picture of “the Good Shepherd” from the ones so many of us are used to; a picture of Jesus with dark skin that might even surprise a gathering of African-American children who are used to worshipping in an ELCA-flavored Lutheran church where Jesus is so Norwegian so much of the time. At least, I thought, we could find a picture of Jesus carrying a black LAMB for the good of the cause. 

And we found this picture – one I think I’ve used here before to make a similar point:

Now, I wasn’t suggesting he talk about any of this, mind you. Just that he show the picture like we might use any of the others I’ve already shown; take for granted that this is what Jesus could look like; assume that this is perfectly normal; to be expected; not even make a thing of it in any big way. Just give those kids the unspoken benefit of seeing a Jesus – like you and I have had the privilege of seeing – who looks more like them than not. (I’m so damned woke I can hardly stand it.)

Well, I never did hear how the children’s sermon went. But I like the idea of all of that – imagining the historical Jesus as a young, middle-eastern, dark-skinned, young man – which is more of a reality check for me, still, than it should be a lot of the time, to be honest, no matter how “woke” I pretend to be. 

And it’s good for me to remember this more often – and it came to mind again for this morning because of something Jesus says when he describes “The Good Shepherd” in John’s Gospel.

And he says a lot about the Good Shepherd: how he lays down his life for the sheep. How he doesn’t run when the wolf shows up. How he is more than just some hired-hand, some imposter, some poseur who’s in it for his own benefit and blessing. No. This Good Shepherd lays down his life for his flock because he cares for the sheep, because he loves his people, because God has a great, wide, deep, kind of love for God’s flock – and for those outside of the fold, too. Did you catch that part of it all?

Jesus says, “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.” And he says, “I must bring them along also and they will listen to my voice. So that there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

“I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.” “I must bring them along also… they will listen to my voice… there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

So we have to wonder – like those who first listened to Jesus must have wondered – “Who are the ‘other sheep’ in our mind’s eye?” Who are the ones “not part of this fold?” Who is it we wish the benevolent love of God, in Jesus, would find and fill and forgive and redeem? Who might join us … join the flock … to celebrate those blessings right along with us?

Are the “other sheep” Jesus is talking about people who don’t look like us? Are the “other sheep” people who live on the other side of the tracks? Are they people who believe differently from us – Muslims or Jews? Catholics or Missouri Synod Lutherans, even? Are they people who don’t believe at all? Are they people who are more sick or more sinful that us; differently sick or differently sinful from what we’re used to? I think so. I believe the one flock into which God longs to gather all of creation is meant to be a surprisingly diverse and colorful, motley kind of crew.

But if you’ve heard that sermon from me before, you’ve heard it a hundred times – and you’ll hear it again, I’m sure. This isn’t about that for me this morning.

Because in John’s gospel we know Jesus was speaking to his Jewish disciples and hangers-on when he talks about “the other sheep who do not belong to this fold.” We hear Jesus speaking about how God’s good news and Gospel joy; God’s salvation and redemption and grace for all people wasn’t just for the Chosen ones of Israel, but that it was also for the Gentiles; those outside the circle of the Jewish faith. They were “the other sheep who do not belong to the fold” Jesus was talking about.

So check this out… Linda Sevier and I attended a workshop on racial justice a week or so ago. And among lots of other really cool, challenging conversations about ways we can engage issues of race in our culture through our congregations, our facilitator, in a pretty matter of fact, low-key moment of discussion and teaching; as he talked about the historical nature and place and person of Jesus; as he described the culture and ethnicity, the social standing and social status of Jesus of Nazareth as a person of color, of low social status, of less-than lucrative means, of minimal power and influence and potential, even – all things I’ve heard and I know and that I’ve preached and taught and believed for quite some time now…

…in a very subtle, under-stated, truth-telling kind of way, this teacher reminded me that, based on all of the social and cultural and theological indicators of Jesus’ day and age, that I would be considered an outsider to the kingdom of God, as far as Jesus and his disciples were concerned. I – as a white-privileged, middle class, non-Jewish, Gentile man – would have been an ethnic minority in the Kingdom of God about which Jesus preached. I would have been a minority in every way as far God’s Kingdom was concerned, in Jesus’ day and age.

I am not what Jesus or his followers would have considered part of their fold; part of their inner circle of chosen sheep. Most of us – from what I can tell – would be considered among “the other” who Jesus would welcome into the fold against the better judgement or first inclination of his disciples.

And this humbles me in a way that is helpful and holy as I consider how “woke” I think I am or hope to be. I am not first on the list. I am not among the inner circle. I am an “other” in so many ways as far as the Good Shepherd would have been concerned, back in the day.

But still he includes me. Still he longs for me to hear his voice. Still he invites me into the mix, into the circle, into the fold so that there will be one flock of God’s people, bound together, not by the distinctions of the world around us; bound together, not by the measure of what matters to the masses; bound together, not by what is powerful or privileged or popular or whatever…

But bound together by nothing more and nothing less than the grace of God. And bound together by the love of this Jesus – the Good Shepherd – who calls and gathers, who welcomes and forgives, who enlightens and encourages each of us, for the sake of the world: until the last are first and the first are last; until the low are raised up and the mighty are knocked down from their thrones; until the poor are rich and the rich learn to share; until we see ourselves as part of the same flock.

And until we are filled with a holy kind of humility and gratitude for the blessings we celebrate, which were not considered ours in the first place … so much so that we are sent into the world – beyond the comfort of our own fold – to love and to serve and to be loved and to be served by the ones we have made “others” in spite of ourselves. Because in that day… when that Kingdom comes to earth as it is in heaven… we will be one flock, as God intends – and that will be a surprise and a blessing for us all.

Amen

Peter's Sermon He Needed to Hear

Acts 3:12-19

When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

“And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out,

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I want to dig deeper into today’s reading from Acts, which is essentially a sermon from Peter. So, yes, you are about to experience a sermon about a sermon.

There’s a saying about preachers – that we tend to preach the sermons we most need to hear. I’m not sure if this idea is meant to be affirming or dismissive; but regardless, it is true.

I would like you understand that the ideas I address in my messages are ideas that I wrestle with. They are ideas that I strive to understand. They are ideas that I feel are important. They are ideas with implications that are played out in the world that we share. 

My preaching is an exploration my questions, struggles, experiences, joys, as well as my grasp of what is true and beautiful in this world. It is all I can ever hope to do since no matter how many perspectives I try to explore, I cannot ever fully see the world through anyone else’s eyes. 

Occasionally you offer me feedback about my sermons that goes beyond comments like “I liked the message” or “You went a little long today.” Sometimes you say, “That really made me think” or “I feel like you were talking about me.” 

When you hear a sermon and think I wrote it about you, please acknowledge that experience as a point of connection between us. If something makes you stop and think, it’s because I’m thinking about it too. If something makes you upset, it’s because I’m upset about it too. I’m not preaching what you need to hear, I’m preaching what I need to hear. That’s the best I can do. 

It is helpful to keep this idea in mind as we explore Peter’s sermon from the 3rd chapter of Acts. I’m not sure if it left an impression on you when you heard it earlier in worship, but it’s a pretty damning message. In fact, these verses have a shameful history of being used to support anti-semitic causes and atrocities. However, like everything in scripture, there are layers to explore and often the good news is hidden under the surface. 

Here’s the wider context, beginning with Acts 3:1:

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

This is another example of God working through Peter to achieve miraculous ends, and Peter is still coming to terms with this new power and reality. 

Recall Peter’s role in the events that led up Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Peter was one of the disciples who fell asleep in the garden while Jesus prayed. Also recall that Jesus had announced that Peter would deny him three times. Sure enough, three times people accused Peter of being in cahoots with Jesus. Each time Peter says, “I don’t even know the guy.” When Peter realizes that Jesus’ prediction was true, he breaks down in tears and does not reappear in the story until after Christ’s resurrection.

But almost immediately in the book of Acts Peter goes from a failed disciple to an outwardly successful one. His first sermon results in 3,000 people being baptized. He has started healing people. Amazing things are starting to happen through Peter – the disciple who fell asleep when Jesus told him to stay awake, denied Jesus, and played a role in Jesus’ death.

Peter has to reconcile the truth that he is as unworthy as they come, and yet God is working through him to accomplish divine healing and restorative purpose in the world. 

And suddenly it makes sense why he is yelling at the Israelites – his tribe – gathered around him and blaming them for Jesus’ death. He’s conflicted. He’s working out some issues. And preachers preach the messages they need to hear. 

He looks out at the Israelites and sees himself. His sermon is little more than an inner monologue dripping with frustration, shame, and confusion.  

See what I mean when we re-read the sermon but replace the pronouns “you” with “I”

Peter thought to himself, "Why do I wonder at this, or why do I think that it is by my own power or piety I made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom I allowed to be handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But I rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to me, and I killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. I witnessed this. But faith that is through Jesus has given this man perfect health. And now, I know that I acted in ignorance. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. I must repent therefore, and turn to God so that my sins may be wiped out.

The idea that this message should stand on its own accord, independent of its larger context, as proof of Jewish culpability or condemnation is dangerous and misleading. This is a message by Peter to Peter; it is a message of condemnation and grace that resonates in our own hearts because we, too, are God-killers. We, too, would turn our backs on Jesus if the stakes were high enough. And we, too, are used by God to bring grace, beauty, and healing into this world despite our fears and failings. 

As for practical takeaways from this sermon:

– take this as permission to tread lightly with scripture and refrain from using it as a weapon to assault others. The truth as revealed in scripture is always nuanced and should lead us towards grace, hope, and love. 

– also, be encouraged to do your own mental and emotional work. Human beings tend to redirect internal anxieties as arrows aimed at others. Pay attention to your hangups – the things that bother you and you wish you could change about other people. These are typically indicators of issues you need to address in your own life. Admit this and seek assistance before others are made to suffer. 

– take heart that God is able to accomplish incredible things through imperfect people like Peter. Your final chapter has not yet been written. There is still time to expect and demand God’s miraculous and restorative presence to work through you. 

Amen.