Move Forward

Memorial Day is always a great weekend because it is the unofficial start of summer.  As a kid it was from here that we could really begin to count down the days until school was over.  We also got to cook out hamburgers and hotdogs and it was a day off of school.  While all of this is still great stuff, we always need to remember that Memorial Day needs to be a day to remember those who sacrificed for and served our nation.  It is a day to remember people like Lewis Smith and others who made the greatest sacrifice and died while serving our nation and the cause of freedom and justice around the world.

Memorial Day is also a day when we say thank you to those who have served and are still serving in our military.  So to those families who lost loved ones, to those who have served and to those we are still serving, we again say thank you.  With the dangers who see around the world, we know that military service is risky and a hardship for many families so the least we can do as a community is make sure we take every opportunity to say thank you for the service and witness that you and your families provide.

But within this holiday there needs to be something more.  We need to look at those who have served and sacrificed and learn how to make the witness of their lives – the foundation of our lives.  In addition to saying thank you, we need to take some time to readjust our lives so that service and sacrifice can be part of how we live.  After we honor and remember the lives of those who have gone before us we need to learn how to make their values and commitments the guiding force of our lives.  Memorial Day is a day to stop and look back to remember but it also needs to be a day to move forward and make the witness of what we have seen in the past part of what our lives will look like in the future.

The disciples were faced with a similar moment when several weeks after the resurrection of Jesus they stood on a hillside with him.  Luke 24:45-53.  This is the story of Jesus’ ascension into heaven.

The disciples are standing there in a moment of stunned silence and reflection looking up into heaven.  Perhaps they are giving thanks for all Jesus had done for them.  Maybe they were remembering the love and power that guided his life and through him = their lives, but it was not just a Memorial Day for the disciples, it was not just a day to reflect and remember, it was also a day to set a new course and live a new life.  It was a day to move forward.

In Acts 1, we hear that after Jesus ascended into heaven the disciples were standing around looking up and looking back.  They were looking up into heave and they were looking back to history.  They asked Jesus when he was going to restore the kingdom of Israel.  They were looking for a return of the good old days instead of looking forward to the new kingdom of God.  As they were looking up and back, two messengers suddenly appeared and asked them, why are you looking up into sky?  Jesus will return the same way he left.  If Jesus was going to return, then the question the disciples needed to wrestle with was how they were going to live until that day came.

• What will be the vision that guides them?
• What will be the values that shape them?
• What will be the power that moves them forward?

It might be interesting to ask these questions in light of Memorial Day.  Can the vision that guides us as a community and nation be one of service and sacrifice where we are willing to serve a cause greater than ourselves?  Can the values that shape us be the values of our military?  Do you know the core values the army?


Loyalty – Duty – Respect – Service – Honor – Integrity – Courage

These are great values that should shape our thoughts, words and actions.  In fact, if there was just one value here that I would love to see reinstated into our culture today it would be respect.  Respect for authority, leaders, parents, elders but also just a simple respect for one another as children of God and brothers and sisters.  If we could recapture this value as a community, nation and world then honor, courage, service and loyalty may return as well.

And as we reflect on Memorial Day, what will be the power that moves us forward?  The power that moved men and women throughout our history to sacrifice and serve was a love for country, freedom and justice.  It was the love for family and community that moved people to do more and be more than they ever thought possible.

Now what if we ask ourselves these questions in light of the ascension?

• What will be the vision that guides you?
• What will be the values that shape you?
• What will be the power that moves you forward?

The vision that was going to guide the disciples and the church was the vision of Jesus.  This vision was not just a looking back to the Jesus of history it was a vision of what it was going to mean to be the presence of Jesus in the world moving forward.  Today, when people look at us they need to see Jesus.  When they listen to us they need to hear Jesus and through us they need to experience the love and grace and power of Jesus.  Now let’s be clear, our witness to the world will be filled with pitfalls and problems.  We won’t say things the right way or at the right time, our efforts to help may be flawed and we may fall flat on our face at times, but if we are genuinely striving to be the presence of Jesus in the world – people will see Jesus in us

Look at Luke 24:46-48.  Jesus said, you are witnesses of these things.  The disciples actually did see these things but this also means they need to bear witness to them as well.  The disciples needed to move forward and share with others who Jesus was and they needed to be the presence of Jesus in the world.  The ascension tells us that we need to tell people about Jesus but more importantly, we need to be the presence of Jesus.  People need to witness Jesus in us.  This needs to be the vision that guides us.


Jesus also makes clear that one of the values that need to shape our lives is humility and grace.  Jesus said, repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached to all nations.  This means that we need to first seek repentance and forgiveness in our own lives which means humbling ourselves before God and confessing that we don’t always get it right and that, in fact, many times we get it wrong.  Humbling ourselves before God – repenting of our sins –shapes us and makes us more patient and gracious and forgiving toward others.  When we humble ourselves, God then fills us with his grace which helps us then offer God’s grace to others.

It is never enough for us to come and be forgiven – this grace needs to be preached to all nations – but we can’t preach it unless we are living it.  Have we received God’s grace and are we forgiving those who have sinned against us?  Are we forgiving those who have hurt us or intentionally or unintentionally?  Once grace shapes our lives and we are extending that grace and forgiveness to others we can then talk about.  If we aren’t forgiving others and if the value of grace is not evident in our lives then we can forget about preaching it.  It is our witness that speaks most powerfully.  The value of grace and mercy needs to shape our thoughts and actions and give light to our words as we move forward.

And then there’s the power – what is the power that moves us forward?  What is the power that motivates us and equips us and enables us to live far beyond what we thought was possible?  This power is not something we stir up in ourselves.  It is not emotion or sentimentality, it is the power of the Holy Spirit that God alone gives.  Jesus said, I am going to send you what my Father has promised: but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.  What Jesus is talking about here is the power of the Holy Spirit and once that power came upon the disciples they started moving forward to be the presence of Jesus in the world, to bear witness to all Jesus said and did and to offer the grace and love of God to all people.  They disciples did move forward and were effective because they moved forward in the power of God.

God still makes the power of His Holy Spirit available to us each and every day.  What moves us forward in life with strength and passion and conviction to live with and for God is the power of God’s spirit and the power of God’s spirit is working within us.  It is the power of God’s spirit that moved us to give generously and sacrificially to help our brothers and sisters in Sierra Leone.  It was the movement of God’s spirit that stirred up so many people to not just give, but to give in ways they have never given before.  The spirit that moved us didn’t come from within – it came from God and as God moves in us and among us we need to keep asking God to move us forward.  God is doing something among us that doesn’t end with money given to Sierra Leone – it continues as we give more of ourselves to God.

God is not done with us yet – this is just the beginning and I am not talking about money for an offering, I am talking about God’s spirit moving among us to be the witness of Jesus in our families, community and world.  God’s spirit will shape us so that our lives will reflect more of  the love, grace and power of God.  Like the disciples standing on the hillside after the resurrection, I stand here today knowing that God is calling us to move forward with the power that He is sending so that we can be the fullness of Jesus in our world.  Can we, will we move forward?



Next Steps
Move Forward

Memorial Day
1. Take some time on Monday (and through this week) to reflect on the sacrificial giving of our men and women in the military.  Thank God for their witness and service and reach out to an active duty soldier, military family or veteran and say “THANK YOU.”

2. The Core Values of the U.S. Army are:
Loyalty – Duty – Respect – Service – Honor – Integrity – Courage
Choose one of these values to focus on this week and use it to shape your (and your families) thoughts, words and actions.


The Ascension of Jesus
1. Read about the Ascension of Jesus in Luke 24:45-53 and Acts 1:1-11.

2. The vision of the risen and glorified Jesus now led the disciples into the future – what is the vision of your life?
How can Jesus become the vision of your life and the vision of what people see in your life?

3. The message of repentance was what Jesus said would be preached until he returns.  In what areas of your life is repentance needed?  How can you offer forgiveness and grace to those in your life?

4. The disciples were told to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit to come and lead them into the future.  Where do you feel the power of God’s Holy Spirit moving in you?  In what ways is the Holy Spirit leading you forward?  Take time this week to listen for God’s direction for your life and then ask for the power to move forward.

Now What? - FOLLOW

The gospel of John provides three stories that all come after the resurrection of Jesus and in their own way these stories help answer the question – Now What?  What does the resurrection mean for our lives?  Thomas tells us that the first thing we need is to have faith in the risen Jesus.  Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus first appeared to his disciples but a week later he is able to see Jesus and it is Thomas who shows us what real  FAITH looks like.  Real faith loves God so completely that we are willing to take risks and even lay down our lives for Jesus and the work of Christ in the world.  Real faith is always wanting to learn more about God and real faith let’s go of sin and doubt so that we can believe in Jesus fully and experience the life God has for us.

Last week we learned from the disciples going back to FISH that the risen Jesus calls us back to the C.O.R.E. of our faith which is to Confess our insufficiency and acknowledge how much we need God, Obey what we already know of God, Run to Jesus and Eat at the table God has set for us or take advantage of all the resources God gives to strengthen our faith.

Today John finishes the story by telling us we need to FOLLOW the Risen Jesus.  John 21:15
-19.  John ends his story with a call for Peter to follow him and in some way this is a call for all of us to follow Jesus.  But John doesn’t just tell us to follow Jesus he teaches us what it means to follow.

There are two important things to learn about following Jesus from this story of Peter and Jesus walking along the Sea of Galilee.  First, we see here that Peter is being forgiven.  When Jesus asks Peter 3 times, do you love me, Jesus is giving Peter 3 opportunities to seek forgiveness.  If we go back to the night Jesus was arrested, Peter denied that he even knew Jesus 3 times.  3 times Peter had failed to love Jesus and so here Jesus is giving Peter 3 opportunities to reaffirm his love.  Peter needs this to make amends and set things right in his own heart and live.  This time with Jesus gave Peter a chance to say, Lord you know that I love you, and it shows Peter that he is truly loved and forgiven by Jesus.

This experience of forgiveness is something we all need if we are going to follow Jesus.  Following Jesus doesn’t just mean that we affirm his teaching and try to faithfully live it out in our lives.  It doesn’t mean we follow the 10 commandments or live out the greatest commandment which is to love God and to love others.  Following Jesus means loving Jesus and part of loving Jesus means asking him to forgive us when we fail and when we turn away.  We all fail and so we all need to be forgiven.

I grew up in the church and I knew some things about God and who Jesus was and I honestly thought I was a pretty good person, but it was in college that I finally began to realize the depth of my own sin and failures.  I had to confess that I was not living in a good relationship with God and I needed God’s forgiveness.  I had to own up to my mistakes, confess my sin and begin to come to the place in my own life and heart where I was willing to put God first and really love God.  The question that Jesus asked Peter is asked of all of us.  Do we love God?  Do we love Jesus?  How would we truthfully answer that today?  Do we love God more than anyone else?  Do we love God more than ourselves?  Are we expressing that love to God in new and fresh ways every day?

So this story shows us that there is forgiveness that God offers and when we accept that – God’s love brings hope and new life, but this is just the beginning.  Once Peter has expressed his love to Jesus and been forgiven, Jesus says, feed my lambs.  Stepping into the forgiveness and love of God opened a door for Peter, a new life he was called to live.  Feeding others is now part of what it means for Peter to follow Jesus and while physically feeding those who are hungry is important, Jesus is not talking here about supplying people bread and fish, Jesus is talking about extending to people God’s love and grace.  Tending the sheep is a lifestyle marked by leading and guiding others to God so they can find for themselves the power of God’s grace and love.


By calling Peter to feed the lambs and tend the sheep, Jesus is saying that all who follow him are now the shepherds.  We are not the good shepherd, that is Jesus, but as followers of Jesus we are called to be shepherds.  The shepherd has many jobs and one of them is to seek and save the lost sheep.  When sheep wader away, the shepherded is the one who goes and looks for them and guides them back to the safety of green pastures. Part of what it means for us to follow Jesus is going out and seek and save the lost sheep.  We do this by going to those who are hurting, lost and alone and bringing them back to God.  We lift them on our shoulders; we carry them back to God so they can be forgiven, healed, restored and loved.  We bring people to God so they can find life.

This is not a new call for Peter, it is the reaffirmation of his original call.  3 years earlier, along the same shores of Galilee, Jesus called Peter to follow him.  Then Jesus told Peter to drop his nets and become a fisher of men and women.  Jesus was calling Peter to a life where he would bring people into a relationship with the living God.

For Peter, following Jesus was never just about his own personal life, it always included the lives of others.  Jesus came here to call people to follow God so anyone who follows Jesus has to be part of that same mission and purpose.  Peter was to call people to follow Jesus and here Jesus reaffirms that call.  An invitation to feed and tend the people of God means bringing people who are far from the good shepherd close to him.

To follow Jesus means that we also need to help others come close to the good shepherd, Jesus Christ.  Living out our faith is not just something we do personally and privately, it is a life and a lifestyle that invites others to come to God as well.  Jesus spent his life calling people to himself and through him to experience the fullness of God.  Jesus invited people to walk with him and experience God’s love that could change their lives.  If we are going to follow Jesus or if we are going to be a disciple then our lives have to do the same thing.  We may not be teachers and preachers and miracle workers, but our lives need to be an invitation for people to come closer to God.  Jesus was a disciple maker and so if we are going to follow Jesus we cannot just be a disciple we must also be a disciple maker.  We have to be a fisher of men and women and a shepherd of all God’s sheep.

Through the years we have made our faith such a private and personal thing that we have lost a vision of what it means for us to invite others to come to Jesus.  The old saying was that we were not to talk about religion or politics and while politics is wide open for people to share publically and passionately today, we are still  reluctant to do this with religion.  We are told to keep our faith to ourselves.  We hear about people being persecuted more and more for making their faith public whether in school or at work and we are really criticized when we encourage or invite others to check it what we believe and who we trust.

Students from elementary school through college are questioned for reading their bibles before or after classes.  We have grown leery of asking people if we can pray for them at because it might be considered a micro aggression and contribute to a hostile workplace.  We are afraid to let people know that we follow Jesus but can we be a follower of Jesus if we aren’t willing to invite others to follow him?

In many ways, this scene of Jesus and Peter walking along the shore begins to answer the question the disciples have been asking.  What Peter and the disciples are to now do is go forth and continue the work of Jesus.  They are to be the fishermen gathering people to God.  They are to be the shepherds leading people to the good shepherd and caring for the sheep.  They are to feed God’s people by giving them all that they need for a life of faith and they are to tend to the flock – the church, the people of God.

Their mission is also our mission.  The resurrection of Jesus means the same thing for us today as it did for the disciples 2000+ years ago.  We are to follow Jesus and that means being a fisher of men and women and it means being a shepherd of God’s people.  Following Jesus means we strive to a live a life that looks more and more like the life of Jesus and a life that invites the lost and alone, the broken and sinful to come and experience the grace, forgiveness and love of God.  So…  Now What?  Follow Jesus!

 
Next Steps
NOW WHAT? ~ FOLLOW

1.  Reread the three post-resurrection stories in John.
• John 20:24-29 – Thomas and FAITH
• John 21:1-14 – The Disciples and FISH
• John 21:15-19 – Peter and FOLLOW


2.  By asking Peter three times if he loved Him, Jesus was offering Peter forgiveness for his earlier failures.  What failures need to be forgiven in your life?


3.  If you were walking with Jesus along the beach and he asked you, “do you love me”, how might you respond?  In a sentence or two, write out your response to Jesus.


4.  How can you express your love to Jesus this week?


5.  Following Jesus means feeding God’s sheep and taking care of God’s lambs.  In what way is God calling you to fed and care for God’s people?  


6.  How is offering God’s love and grace to others part of this care and feeding?


7.  How can you make inviting people to experience God’s grace and love for themselves a regular part of your life?  How can sharing Jesus with others become a natural part of your life, faith and family?

8.  Take time to pray using the 7x7 prayer campaign.


7x7 Prayer Guide
As part of the 66th Annual National Day of Prayer, held this past week, we are inviting you to participate in this 7x7 personal prayer campaign.  We encourage you to pray for 7 centers of influence daily for 7 days. Simply set aside time in your car, during your coffee break, before bedtime, in you small study group, or whenever may work for you to PRAY.

Daniel 9:19 says, “HEAR US…FORGIVE US…HEAL US FOR THE GLORY OF YOUR GREAT NAME”.   We will see positive change by:

Praying for Families
Praying for the Military
Praying for the Government
Praying for Educators
Praying for the Media
Praying for Businesses
Praying for Churches
(Pray for Christian believers around the world,
the United Methodist Church and Faith Church)

As you pray, consider these words written by Dorothy Norwood and Alvin Darling in the song, “Somebody Prayed for Me.”

Somebody prayed for me,
Had me on their mind,
They took the time and prayed for me.
(Oh Yes they did, I’m so glad)
I’m so glad they prayed.

If you would like to be part of the Faith Church Prayer Chain,
please contact Darla Snyder at wegoustay@aol.com.