“Who am I that I could hinder God?”

Acts 11:1-18

Pastor Tom Johnson, April 28, 2013

It is well documented in the Scriptures that Peter had issues with Gentiles—that is, the non-Israelites in the world. Peter was uncomfortable around Greeks, Romans, Africans, Asians, and those Barbaric, Germanic peoples. Peter knew that Jesus commissioned his church to begin in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth. He was there when 3,000 temple worshipers from all over the world who were baptized. But what God did in Jerusalem at Pentecost is just a foretaste. It is not enough that just one ethic group hear about Jesus and how he transforms lives. God wants his word and his message of good news to go out to the whole world.

But Peter could not get on board with God’s plan. He was content with Old Testament believers becoming New Testament believers. He did not see why God would want to branch out to the heathen, the pagans, and the Gentiles. And so God put Peter in a trance and gave him a vision. He spread a table cloth before him with food to eat—not steak and lamb’s meat but meat from all sorts of animals—wild animals—reptiles and birds. And God says, “Rise, eat!—Bon Appetite!” The animals in front of him are all ritually unclean by Mosaic law. They are the animals that are forbidden to eat in the Old Testament. Peter won’t eat. He is a good and devout Israelite. He says, “I will not eat anything unclean or forbidden.” But God tells Peter to eat. God is expanding the menu. He is asking Peter lay aside all his old assumptions and traditions. And this is not just about God expanding the menu. He wants to expand Peter’s vision of humanity and what God is doing in the lives of people from every ethnicity, tribe, language, and culture.

God overcomes Peter’s limited view of what God is doing in the world. God expands Peter’s view of the Kingdom. And through Peter’s telling of his story, he wants to expand the view of Kingdom for the rest of the church. Peter and the church of the day had a limited view of the Kingdom and who is welcome. And so we too can succumb to the same, small mindedness and powerless spirituality. Our attitudes, prejudices, incorrect assumptions, and false thinking can stand in the way of our appreciation—our wonder—our worship—our celebration of how pervasive the activity of God is in the lives of people around us.

Just a few weeks ago, Lori Wilbert shared stories and the writings of convicted felons in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Her time with us expanded the vision of what God is doing in the lives of all people. I have an enlarged view of God’s family—who brothers and sisters in Christ. And I share their struggle to find their way forward with true forgiveness and redemption from the stigma and burden of a criminal record.

And our fieldworker Kayla shared her mission trip to Thailand—a country that is mostly Buddhist. Her presentation led to a vibrant discussion about what God is already doing in such a vastly different culture and religious heritage. And, again, I have an enlarged view of what God is doing in places I’ve never been to or even places that have scarcely entered into my mind. God is there. He acts. He works. He navigates circumstances that are often confusing to us. He transcends our political, ethnic, and cultural differences. Who today are those people we think of as outside the plan of God? Are they those people we see on the evening news—nameless people whose language, culture, and worldview is so foreign to our own? Or, are they the people who sit anonymously on the train right next to us? Are they the people who we pass by who are living their lives with little chance of their paths intersecting with ours? Are they our friends or loved ones…and we have concluded that they will never change or experience the transformative power of God? 

I love what Peter says, “Who am I that I could hinder God?” “Who am I to think that I could slow down the advance of the Kingdom of God?” Peter asks. “Who am I to say that God is only interested in a particular people and not all of his creation?” “Who am I to limit God’s power in the world?” “Who am I to think that little ol’ me can impede the work of almighty God?” “O, you silly little man,” Peter says to himself for all to hear, “How small minded you are! How limited your vision!” Who are we to think so little of God? Who are we to think so highly of ourselves?The Kingdom of God is always more pervasive that we can ask or imagine. God’s love for the world and all her inhabitants is always greater than our limited vision. “Who am I that I could hinder God?” Peter rhetorically asks.

The people respond by praising God and saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life!” Thank God you and I are no hindrance! Praise God that he cares about every soul! God’s plan is bigger than what has entered into our minds! His love for people far surpasses the people that you and I know or are familiar with!

“Who am I?” “Who are you?” “Who are ‘those people’ whoever ‘they’ are?” We are God’s children. God has spread his table cloth. We are all invited to rise in the power of the resurrection and eat at the Table. One day the veil will be lifted. And we will all be united under one banner and feast at the banquet supper of the Lamb in his Kingdom which will have no end. “O for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer’s praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumph of his grace!"

“God’s Death Grip”

John 10:22-30

Pastor Tom Johnson, April 21, 2013

Jesus gives powerful words of comfort. Twice, he tells us that we are in the strong grip of God—God the Father and God the Son. “No one will snatch [the sheep] out of my hand,” Jesus says. “No one will snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” The context of these words is Jesus’ message that he is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. He is the Farmer and we are his beloved livestock. We are the sheep who cannot be wrestled out of his strong, pastoral hands. But how can laying down his life be a way of laying ahold of us? How can dying strengthen his grip on us if he will lay lifeless in the tomb for three days? The answer is Jesus’ death grip on us.

It has long been observed that when a person grabs ahold of something in death, their grip does not become weaker but stronger. On the battlefield, there have long been stories of how many soldiers would retain a tight grip on their weapons and other belongings due to rigor mortis—the rigor of death. One hospice nurse tells the story of holding the hand of a woman over 100 years old. After she died, the nurse went to pull her hand away and could not get her hand out. The nurse needed the help of a family member to get her hand free. And so it has become part of our language to call a strong grip “a death grip.” This mechanism is called a cadaveric spasm where there is an instantaneous tightening of the muscles in the hand or other parts of the body. This means that the things we cling to in death may continue to tell the story of what was important to us in life.

What do you and I wrap our fingers around day after day? What is it that we hold on to tightly? Whom do we draw in to our embrace and squeeze with our firm love? Is our grip on misplaced treasure or preoccupation that has little to no enduring value? Or is it a grip on something or someone that we hope will tell the story of love that transcends our lives and lifespan—a love that is as strong in life as it is in death?

I can’t help but think of the Boston Marathon bombing. I watched the video of the blast over and over again. The video shows first responders who did not run away in fear for their lives but run toward the blast. There was no time to think. There was no time to second-guess themselves. They charged toward the source of death and destruction in order to lay their hand upon the dead and dying. We might say that it was because of their excellent training which I’m sure is the case. But when you see people who show no indication of hesitation or fear race toward the hurting and the dying, I thank God for such courageous selflessness. Their unwavering dedication in the face of danger is a gift from God. How else should we react to such a swift and strong reaction to tragedy that many credit to saving dozens of lives that otherwise may have been lost? That is the same courage, selflessness, and strength we see and hear in the words of Jesus, our Good Shepherd who lays his life down with a firm grip on his beloved sheep.

That is the story Jesus wants us to hear in his words—a grip that continues to tell a story through his death and ultimately to his resurrection. As strange as it may be to us for Jesus to speak about his grip on us in his death, it is a beautiful reality. When Jesus died, he was laying ahold of us. He grabbed us by his grace to take us safely through the valley of the shadow of death—his suffering, death, and burial He grabbed ahold of the thief on the cross when he said before they both died, “Today, you will be with me in Paradise.” If Jesus’ grip on us was so tight on us in death, imagine how much stronger it is in his resurrection! “I give them eternal life,” the Good Shepherd says, “and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.”

Rigor mortis has now become rigor vitae—life unyielding.

No one is strong enough to pry God’s fingers off us. We are accepted and held close by him. No accuser can persuade him to let us go. He has forgiven all our sins. No one can sneak up on God and snatch us out while he isn’t looking. He is always looking and never relaxes his grip. “For I am convinced,” Scripture says, “that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38,39).

Nothing—no one will snatch us out of God’s hand.

“Peter jumped into the sea”

John 21:1-19

Pastor Tom Johnson, April 14, 2013
 

Some things in life complete a full circle. So it is with Simon Peter the fisherman. You’ll remember that Simon was his birth name. Jesus gave him the name Peter. The first time Simon met Jesus, he was fishing; and he was failing to catch any fish. And here Simon Peter is fishing again after the resurrection; and again, he is not having any success at catching fish. Even the fact that Simon Peter went back to his old vocation as a fisher of fish, and not a fisher of humans, raises some questions. I want to talk to Peter.

“Peter, have you lost faith? Are you feeling too guilty about denying Jesus three times? Has your future grown smaller? Do you think you are now disqualified to serve God by catching the imagination and hearts of people—people who need to hear the good news of God who loves, forgives, and gives eternal life? And here you are again in the Sea of Galilee by Tiberias. Do you remember the first time telling Jesus that casting your net again would be a waste of time…and how your net was so full you could not draw it in…and that you said, ‘Depart from me for I am a sinful man’…and Jesus called you to fish for people? (Luke 5:1-1). Do you remember, Peter, when you saw Jesus walk on water and how he called you out to walk along with him…and how, when you were overcome by panic and fear, you began to sink?” (Matt 14:22-33).

And here Peter is again, seeing the Lord—not walking on water—but treading death, the devil, and hell itself under his feet—walking in resurrected power. That is why I’m convinced that Simon Peter does remember. Because when he sees Jesus, he doesn’t shrink back in fear and shame over his sin. He puts on his clothes and jumps into the sea. He makes a flying leap toward his Lord. He cannot wait to bridge the gap between the boat and land. I want to talk to Peter again: “Did you put clothes on because you fear hypothermia? Did you get dressed before jumping into the water because you want to be ready for an immediate journey? Or Did you think you will walk on water again?” Whatever the reason, the separation between Peter and Jesus is intolerable. Peter does not have the patience to wait for the fish to be drawn into the boat and row ashore. Peter himself is caught—hook, line, and sinker—by the transformative grace of God and the Word of Jesus.

You sometimes hear how people’s whole lives flash before their eyes—how their story is played in rapid succession in their minds—and how their life becomes a story with purpose. This is such a time for Peter. And the fact that Jesus uses both his birth name, Simon, and baptismal name, Peter, is a sure indicator that Jesus wants Peter to see the power and purpose of his life. He is reminding Peter that he is a creature—but that he is God’s creature. Jesus is still calling Simon, the sinner. Jesus is still calling Peter, the rock. Peter is broken humanity; he is redeemed humanity. He is still a work in progress. The Lord has not given up on him. He is still called to be a fisher for people. Even the question, “Do you love me?” three times is a painful reminder of Jesus’ prediction that Peter would deny him three times before the rooster crowed. The rooster has cried out in conviction. Now Jesus is crying out in forgiveness—three times for every denial as if to emphasize that Peter’s sins are completely covered. Jesus calls Peter to fish for people. Jesus calls Peter to feed and tend the Good Shepherd's flock. Jesus calls Peter out of a horrific cycle of guilt and sin. And Peter is so overcome with joy that he jumps into the sea.

He jumps into the sea just like the irrational and impulsive Peter we have grown to know and love in the Gospels. He jumps into the sea to be closer to Jesus, even though it is more chaotic and uncomfortable than the boat or dry land. He jumps into the sea because he knows he’s safe. He has been through storms with Jesus and even walked on the water with him. He jumps into the sea, because he knows that the path of the resurrection has always been through water—whether it was salvation through the flood in Noah’s ark, deliverance from Pharaoh’s army through the Red Sea, deliverance to the Promised Land across the Jordan River, or through the water, Word, and Holy Spirit of Baptism. Peter jumps into the sea of his own future—a future of fishing for people and tending and feeding them as God’s sheep. But it is a future that will not be easy and will echo the sufferings of Jesus himself. Peter jumps into the sea. Don’t you also want that same kind of exuberance and joy of the resurrection? I do. Don’t you also want to be so excited about others knowing the love of God that we are ready to leap into the chaos of what we also call “ministry”? It may be cold, exhausting, and difficult. But Jesus is ashore to welcome us, forgive us, feed us, and empower us for the journey ahead. Will you jump into the water with me?