What really guides us? Truth or Truthiness?, John 16.12-15

Posted on July 3, 2019 by patrick h wrisley

Sermon:           What really guides us? Truth or Truthiness?
Scripture:         John 16:12-15
Preacher:         Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Location:         First Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Date:                 June 16, 2019, Trinity Sunday

Last week we celebrated Pentecost, the birthday of the Church when God breathed the Holy Spirit upon the disciples gathered in Jerusalem. We noted how the Spirit was not given for the sole purpose of exalting any one person but was given to the entire community for the purpose of declaring through Word and deed the mighty acts of God.  As the Spirit distinctly gifts each member of the Church with a gift or charism, those individual gifts are to be woven together into a beautiful tapestry for everyone’s benefit. Whereas last week we looked at the Holy Spirit, this week in the church calendar is the day we pause and look at the Spirit in relationship to the full Trinity of God.  Today is called Trinity Sunday.

The Trinity is one of the most difficult concepts for all people to grasp. Like the Jews, we believe there is one God and yet we believe this one God has three distinct characteristics that manifest themselves uniquely. The main thing to remember is that the three persons of God – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – are each involved in the biblical  Creation and salvation Story.

In our text today, we find Jesus and the disciples in an extended scene that runs from John 13 to John 17. The author, John, gives twenty-percent of his entire Gospel narrative over to this one scene with Jesus and the disciples in the Upper Room the night before he dies. In other words, when a writer slows down the action in his or her story, they want us to slow down and pay attention to what is going on in the Story.

In this scene, Jesus has washed the disciples’ feet, he has reinterpreted the Passover Seder into what we call the Lord’s Supper, but he spends a lot of time explaining to them what is about to happen and they are not to be scared.  He tells them he is leaving them and this causes incredible grief among the disciples.

We each know the pain of loss that comes our way when those we deeply love go away. Whether through school, job relocation, illness or even death, the sense of emptiness a person feels can be tremendous; indeed, their very physical absence leaves a very tangible presence of loss in our lives.

The disciples knew something was up with Jesus but they were not entirely sure what “it” was; they simply knew Jesus was leaving them and that they would feel alone.  It’s in the midst of this conversation Jesus speaks words of assurance and comfort. He is telling his friends that though he will no longer be physically present, he will be with them in another dynamic, time-less way: through the Presence of the Advocate, the Counselor, or Holy Spirit. This is where we are picking up in the Story. Listen to the Word of the Lord.

John 16:12-15

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.[1]

Jesus is giving us a wonderful example of how you do pastoral care with others. He knows that he has to shape his words to the disciples in such a way they can hear what he is saying and understand. He is mindful that he cannot dump everything they need to know out at once; that would be overwhelming to them. A person can only bear so much hard information at one time he tells them. To ‘bear’ something means to be able to carry it, look at it, process it and make sense of it. Jesus knows that nothing that is about to happen will make sense to his beloved; they just will not get it. So, he tells them what they can handle. He tells them, “Yes, I am leaving, BUT, I am not leaving you alone orphaned, unexposed and uncared for in this world.” It’s at this point Jesus uses a phrase that is not used elsewhere in the Gospels. He reminds them of the coming of the Spirit of truth.

The Spirit of Truth. We might think he would encourage them by saying he’s going to send the Spirit of Gentle Hugs and Encouragement or something along those lines but he does not.  He is going to send the Spirit of Truth. I’m not sure I would want the Spirit of Truth.  Jesus is talking wild stuff about leaving and death.  The crowds and leaders are getting antsy and belligerent. You go outside and you really don’t know who you can trust anymore. I don’t want truth to make me feel better; I want to feel loved and cared for by God. I want the equivalent of a heaven-sent My Little Pony Unicorn from heaven that I can hug on and love and stroke its mane to feel better. I want to be able to rub the unicorn’s horn and make wishes that will make me feel good. After all, I’m scared. You’re scared. My Little Pony Unicorn will make us feel better.

But we are not promised that.  Jesus promises us the Spirit of Truth. I only wished it sounded more comforting and cozier. “The Spirit of Truth?” we say. Frankly, it doesn’t feel all warm and fuzzy to me.  I want My Little Unicorn Pony and a blanket and Jesus promises the Spirit of Truth instead. Really?

Yes. Really. Jesus knows what he is doing. He knows that when a person is depressed, sad, and confused, they will be suckers to fall for all types of manipulation and lies.  In their places of spiritual and emotional vulnerability, people are apt to give up what they hold dear and grasp at anything that promises to bring comfort or consolation.  Jesus knows this and that’s why he spends so much time in these five chapters of John reminding his disciples that the Holy Spirit of Truth will come to guide them through the minefields, listen to the whispers of God and speak them with the disciples, will declare truth about the Way of Jesus and will glorify God in the process.

If we remember our Story correctly, we know that when Jesus is crucified and buried, the disciples did not know what to make of it all and they went into hiding for fear of persecution. Jesus knew this would happen. He knew it was  vital for them to remember his words and to remember his teachings correctly. Jesus knew that in the midst of their spiritual, physical and emotional vulnerability the disciples would be easy prey for those who fabricated lies or twisted the truth about him and the events of his ministry.  The disciples didn’t need a cozy, bright heavenly My Little Pony; the disciples, the Church, needed a Spirit of Truth that would speak clearly in an emotionally and spiritually swirly time.

Early this morning, Betty Grant was driving south on I-95 near Oakland Park when she was involved in a crash that flipped her care upside down and it was engulfed in flames. Two men observed what was going on and were confronted with a dilemma: Should they stand there bemoaning the fact the car was flipped over and on fire, feeling sorry for the person trapped inside saying to each, “What a shame”; or, do they assess the truth of the scene and respond? They assessed the truth and responded and Betty Grant’s life is saved because they responded to the truth of the dire situation![2]

Like the first disciples, we need the Spirit of Truth in our physically, spiritually, and emotionally swirly world. We desperately need to know what Truth is and how to see it and know it when we experience it. Sadly, today, our culture and nation is more apt to believe in truthiness instead of truth. Dictionary.com defines truthiness as a belief or assertion that a particular statement is true based, not on facts but on the intuition or perceptions of some individual without regard for evidence, logic or intellectual examination.[3]It was a word coined by late-night talk show host, Stephen Colbert, as he discussed how politicians will often spin facts to make themselves look better than they really are. Truthiness is killing this nation, beloved, not just from our politicians but from our educational systems to churches and synagogues as well. How do we stem the tide?

Well, beloved, we remember that Jesus refers to himself as the Way and the Truth and the Life (Jn 14.6). He is the one who defines what truth is for Christ-Followers. Jesus’ words, actions, and ministry define what truth is. How? Dr. Eugene Bay says, truth “corresponds morally and ethically with (who and what) Jesus (is), cares about the things Jesus cares about, and carries out the kind of ministry that reflects Jesus’ ministry (among the people he lived with).[4] Jesus is the norming norm. Jesus’ morals, ethics, passions for life and people and how we are to love God and one another is the ruler by which we measure truth. Truth is not measured by our individual opinions, political, economic, or spiritual beliefs; truth is measured against Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, by how he lived among all types of disparate broken people, by how he defined neighbor beyond the cultural norms, and how he loved the blessed and the biased, the sinner and the saint and invited them all into the realm of the Almighty.

That’s the truth I want to live in and experience.  How about you?

Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Senior Pastor & Teaching Elder
First Presbyterian Church
401 SE 15thAvenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

© 2019 Patrick H. Wrisley. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida and may not be altered, re-purposed, published or preached without permission.   All rights reserved.

[1]New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[2]Andrew Dymburt, https://wsvn.com/news/local/good-samaritans-come-to-womans-rescue-after-i-95-crash-in-fort-lauderdale/. Accessed 6/16/19.

[3]See https://wsvn.com/news/local/good-samaritans-come-to-womans-rescue-after-i-95-crash-in-fort-lauderdale/. Accessed on 6/15/19.

[4]Bartlett, David L.; Barbara Brown Taylor. Feasting on the Word: Year C, Volume 3: Pentecost and Season after Pentecost 1(Propers 3-16) (Kindle Locations 1776-1778). Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition.

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Pentecost: Why does this church exist?, Acts 2.1-15

Posted on July 3, 2019 by patrick h wrisley

Sermon:           Why does this church exist?
Scripture:        Acts 2.1-15
Preacher:         Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Location:         First Pres Fort Lauderdale
Date:               June 9, 2019, Pentecost

Today is the Church’s birthday; not our particular church mind you but the Church of Jesus Christ throughout the world. Pentecost is the day we pause to remember how and when the Church came into being; it’s also a day we learn to see why it even exists.

The resurrected Jesus has ascended and returned to the Father’s side in heaven; so as not to leave us alone, Jesus sends his holy breath, the very Spirit of God present during Creation of the cosmos and the world. The Spirit is not just given to individual people but is first given to the whole community of gathered disciples in the church. The Spirit gives Church it meaning, purpose, and power.  Listen to our Story in Acts 2; I’ll be reading from The Message version of scripture. Hear the Word of the Lord!

Acts 2.1-15

2.1-4 When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.

5-11 There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world. When they heard the sound, they came on the run. Then when they heard, one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were thunderstruck. They couldn’t for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, “Aren’t these all Galileans? How come we’re hearing them talk in our various mother tongues?

Parthians, Medes, and Elamites;
Visitors from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene;
Immigrants from Rome, both Jews and proselytes;
Even Cretans and Arabs!

“They’re speaking our languages, describing God’s mighty works!”

12 Their heads were spinning; they couldn’t make head or tail of any of it. They talked back and forth, confused: “What’s going on here?”

13 Others joked, “They’re drunk on cheap wine.”

14-15 That’s when Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency: “Fellow Jews, all of you who are visiting Jerusalem, listen carefully and get this story straight. These people aren’t drunk as some of you suspect. They haven’t had time to get drunk—it’s only nine o’clock in the morning. [1]

We find a group of disciples gathered together during the Jewish Festival of Pentecost which occurs from fifty days after Passover. It was one of the major Jewish festivals during the year and good observant Jews made the effort to go to Jerusalem to celebrate. Our text indicates the Jews gathered in Jerusalem came from all the known major parts of the world from the north, east, south, and west. Jesus’ disciples were there as well. Though all were Jews, they came bearing the cultural reflections of the place they came from; i.e. Jews coming Italy will have speak in their language as those who came from modern day Iran would speak with a different language.

Add to this international group our band of Jesus’ disciples from Galilee.  They are a group of what we would call simple country folk who worked the land or their first century blue collar job. They were good people, strong people but perhaps not the best or well-educated folks in the city at the time.  Think of it like going to Disney during Christmas break. You’ve got people from Hong Kong, Tokyo, Moscow, Rome, Egypt, London, Toronto, Brazil and then there’s this group of Clewiston, Florida.  The disciples were from Galilee, a Clewiston of sorts of the first century.

I bring this all up because we often misunderstand what happened on that first Pentecost. We hear this text and we are tempted to think the first disciples began to talk in what our Pentecostal friends describe as ‘tongues’ – an ecstatic unrecognizable form of speech but this was not the case at all.  Our scripture tells us that in effect, the gathered church composed of folks from the backwater town Clewiston, i.e. Galilee, began to declare the mighty works of God in other people’s languages like Italian, Egyptian, Asian or Arabic. Our text says the disciples began to speak in the specific languages and dialects of those guests who were visiting Jerusalem at the time from all over the known world. Those first disciples were not speaking gibberish; they were describing what God has done and is doing in ways those in the culture could hear and understand.

The result from culture was at first total shock and bewilderment! Aren’t these guys and gals from Clewiston? How is it they are speaking perfect French, Italian and Arabic?  This doesn’t make sense!  Surely they’ve been hitting the sauce a bit early and are drunk!  There is no other way to explain this! Peter finally speaks up and declares, “It’s not yet time for the 9:30 service; these people are not drunk on cheap wine but are full of the words of God that seem amazing to you!”  Peter reminds them in verses 14 and 15, “Y’all listen carefully and get the story straight!”

Did you hear that? Peter tells them, he’s telling you and me, “Y’all listen carefully and get the story straight.” So do we hear it? Do we get it?

Beloved, Pentecost, the Church’s birthday, commemorates the moment in time when God instigates the birth of the Church.  In a culture today that ignores the Church and its importance, in a culture today that if a person goes to church once a month and they considerate that faithful church attendance and service to God, we may be in real danger of missing the point of Church and why Pentecost is so important. Sporting events, beach trips, fishing trips or yard work take precedence over gathering in community to worship and serve God these days. America’s churches are dying because Christians have lost the understanding of what Church is about and what it’s for in the first place.  “I don’t need the Church to have a relationship with God; I can do that by myself.” I hear that all the time and then am reminded why our world is as whacky as it is! How dare I say that, you think? You bet! The Church was birthed by God to bring life to a community, to a social structure, and a movement that seeks to tell others through word and deed about God’s mighty works in our collective life! It’s not solely about what God has done or is doing for ‘me’ but it’s about how the Spirit of God brings to life all our collective ‘selfs’ and weaves them into a powerful source of cultural leverage and community influence in the world through the power of the Church. Facebook and Instagram are just two examples of how we are making the story about ‘me’ as opposed to ‘us.’  It’s hard to change the world when we are snapping pictures of ourselves and stepping over those ignored or abused in our culture.

Beloved, why does the Church of Jesus Christ exist? Why did God breathe it into existence in the first place? God created the Church to be the living community of God in the world calling for and effecting grace, justice and humility for others.  The Church exists to declare the mighty acts of God in our world in ways that our culture can hear and understand; the church exists when you and I join our individual spiritual giftedness for the mutual benefit for those around us. I will go so far as to say that for most American churches, we have lost our identity because it has been subsumed into the identity of the larger culture.

We have confused meaningful worship for Christotainment, and friends, let’s not forget that it can happen in both traditional and contemporary worship settings.  We have confused Church growth with the size of church membership and budgets instead of the community’s commitment to grow in their knowledge of meaningful biblical study that is transformed into dynamic Christian service in the world.  We have confused faithfulness to God with political affiliations and nationalism. It’s time for the Church to reclaim her identity given to her at her birth!

First, it’s an identity rooted and grounded in God first.

Second, it is an identity that shares the mighty works of God in a way that makes the world around us sit up and notice something is going on.

Third, it is an identity that takes on the characteristics of the Holy Spirit which is life-giving, unifying, wild, unpredictable and flipping status quo on its head while it lives out of a love for others that is intentional, willful, inconvenient, and Jesus-centered.  It is a church who wraps it identity up in learning new cultural dialects in order to better speak and serve in a fast changing world.  It’s a Church whose identity is not wrapped up in doing the things we have always done it but is searching for ways to get off the seat and out onto the streets!

Friends, what the identity of this Church, First Pres in Fort Lauderdale? Is our identity wrapped up in the perceived glory days of the past?  Is our identity wrapped up in our buildings or property? Is our identity wrapped up in our worship and music ministries?  Is our identity wrapped up in our pastors or leadership? God-forbid, no.

The last few months the Session has been wrestling with our church’s identity because it realizes our identity shapes who we are and what we will end up doing in the world. The Session wants this church to be known in the community for three spiritually driven personality traits. Called by God, we share the Good news, are an inspiring Christ-centered presence in this community, and we are about transforming our local community and beyond for Christ.

When I first moved here some 16 months ago, I would walk around the community and ask people, “What do you know about First Presbyterian?”  Let me break it to you that what I heard was that we are known for putting on the big Christmas pageant with camels and all each year (no, that’s First Baptist) or for our preschool. It simply tells me we have some work to do. So the Session outlined for us this Spring what it hopes people will know us as from now on as we seek to develop our personality in this new swirly world.  It’s printed in your bulleting and I want us to say what our identity is together.  Five years from now when you and I walk around the town and ask people on the street, “What can you tell me about First Presbyterian Church?,” we will hear them say:

First Pres is a church called by God to SHARE the Good News, to be an INSPIRING Christ-centered presence in Fort Lauderdale by TRANSFORMING our local community and beyond

This is the identity given to the church at Pentecost centuries ago; it’s an identity we need to re-embrace. Amen.

Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Senior Pastor & Teaching Elder
First Pres Fort Lauderdale
401 SE 15thAvenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Wrisley@outlook.com

© 2019 Patrick H. Wrisley. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and may not be altered, re-purposed, published or preached without permission.   All rights reserved.

[1]The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

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We plan, God laughs, Acts 16.9-15

Posted on July 3, 2019 by patrick h wrisley

Sermon:        We Plan, God Laughs
Scripture:     Acts 16.9-15
Preacher:      Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Location:      First Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Date:             May 26, 2019

There is an old Yiddish proverb that says, “We plan, God laughs.”  Can you relate to the wisdom of that aphorism?  Our text is laden with this reality.  Let’s listen to our scripture from Acts 16 and see how the notion that we plan and God laughs plays out loud.

The action for today’s narrative actually begins in Chapter 15.36.  Paul and Barnabas have been in Jerusalem telling Peter, James, John and the others what God has been doing among the Gentiles they have shared the Story of Jesus with up to this point. The church leadership in Jerusalem was somewhat wary of all these Gentile converts because they were concerned about the new converts following Jewish customs and ways, particularly around the issue of circumcision for the males. Well, the Jerusalem church leaders heard how the Spirit of God was working and told Paul and Barnabas that they support what they were doing and the only prescriptions they place upon the new Gentile believers is that they refrain from eating food dedicated to idols and to live a holy life.  Paul and Barnabas are thrilled to hear about this as they did not want to have to go back to all the churches they founded and break the news that all the guys now had to get circumcised as adults. I can imagine there would be a little push-back on that prospect.

Acts 15:36 outlines Paul’s plans.  He tells Barnabas, “Let’s return and visit all the believers in every city where we proclaimed the Word of the Lord and see how they are doing.”  Barnabas wanted to take his cousin, John Mark, with them. Paul didn’t because he felt John Mark was unreliable. Harsh words were shared with each other and the missionary couple split apart.

Paul planned and God laughed.

Look with me at Acts 16.6:

         “They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia (i.e., modern day western Turkey).”

They planned and God laughed.

         Verse 7 says, “When they had come opposite Mysia, the attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.”

They planned and God laughed.

Picking up in verse 8 we read,

 So passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”10When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.     11We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, 12and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. 13On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there.

Here we see how Paul and the others, though called by a man in the vision is met by a bunch of women.  Paul planned and God laughed. Now

 14A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul.

Paul planned to go to Asia but God laughed; God instead sent him to Europe where he met a woman who was fromthe Asian city Thyatira instead.

 15When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.[1]

Beloved, this is the Word of the Lord! Paul had all sorts of ideas about where he was going to go, what he was going to do and who he was going to talk with when he set out with Silas. He was going to go back and rehash old ground and restore old friendships and networks with church communities he previously planted. God, however, had different ideas! Paul planned and God laughed.

Back in college, I was a Resident Assistant in one of the men’s dorms and this one guy had this really cute girl over visiting.  The guy was kind of jerk and left her in the hallway with me while he ducked into the bathroom for a minute. I stood there looking at this girl, thinking to myself, “She’s really cute!”  What was I to do? I threw all caution to the wind and said, “Ya’ know, you seem nice and you’re hanging out with him?  How about you and I go out sometime!” I had a plan and I was going to work the plan.

She smiled at me and with the sweetest Southern accent said, “Aw, you’re too sweet but bathroom-boy is my boyfriend. I’ve got a twin sister coming down in a few weeks; would you like to meet her?” It was the safest blind date on record and it’s how I met my wife, Kelly!  I planned and God laughed.

Beloved, there is not a person here who has not had this experience where he or she has great plans and then from out of nowhere a detour is forced upon them! Following plans is easy; adjusting to life’s detours is not necessarily so; in fact, it’s how we handle life’s detours that determine the outcomes of our emotional and spiritual growth or regression.

Let’s clarify a few items. First, not all detours in our lives are caused by God; however, God can bend to our benefit all our detours. In other words, I may willingly put myself in compromising situations believing I am bullet-proof to the consequences of my decisions. You and I choose to pursue certain risky behaviors, business dealings, or social situations thinking we will be immune to adverse consequences and the next thing you know, you’ve had one too many drinks and hit a pedestrian, you have been indicted for tax fraud because you got involved in a sketchy business matter, or you’ve gotten aggressive skin cancer because you thought you were immune to this intense Florida sun and heat all these years.  Friends, God did not force that last drink on you and steer you into a pedestrian; you did that.  God did not force you to behave unethically in a business situation, you did.  God did not force you to engage in risky behaviors that made you sick, you did.

Yet, God works in the midst of our poor and stupid decisions in spite of us and can teach us through Spirit how to live a more Christ-centered life that shares the love of God to more and more people around us.

How do you respond to detours in life? How do you respond to the twists in your life’s storyline that you did not expect or intend? Do you grow bitter because you did not get the job you expected or deserve?  Do you feel like a victim caught in the wheel of unfair circumstances and remain stuck in self-pity instead of venturing out in a new direction? Do you remain stuck in unhealthy relationships because it us what is expected of you?

The second item I want to clarify is that no matter where our detours take us, God is already at work before we get there. Paul had grand plans and ideas of what he thought he was supposed to do but the doors kept closing.  No matter how much he wanted to go to Asia, he couldn’t go.  So God takes him to Greece, to the doorstep of modern Europe and introduces him to a business woman of means and influence who just happens to have direct business dealing with a city in Asia. Paul planned and God laughed and was already working in Philippi with a group of God-fearing women who were ripe for Paul’s visit. Paul could’ve arrived all grumpy because his plans were not fulfilled but he knew that ultimately, God is in control and seeks and bends life for our wholeness and well-being. He meets this influential business woman who ends up supporting his ministry, provides him a network of other relationships in which to share the news of Jesus, and even has the backchannel connections to Asia that Paul dreamed about.

Friends, when our lives start going on an unplanned detour, that’sthe time we are to sit up in the seat and start expecting God-sightings. Detours have the ability to make us more aware and attuned to life and our surroundings; detours and changes in plans give us the chance to pay attention to how God is already working in our midst, inviting us to enter into that work.

Reflect with me for a moment. Has your life gone according to your plans? How did you, how are you responding to the detours? Are you bathing in victimization and pity and doubt because of the changed plans, or, are you sitting up excitedly looking for where God is already at work on your detour? Think about your answers, beloved, because how we answer them will determine if we are living with new life or wallowing in doubt. Yup, we plan and God laughs not because God is playing with us but because God wants to redeem the broken-dreamed path we are on and show us inherent beauty in the unexpected. And all God’s people say, Amen.

Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Senior Pastor & Teaching Elder
First Presbyterian Church
401 SE 15thAvenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

© 2019 Patrick H. Wrisley. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida and may not be altered, re-purposed, published or preached without permission.   All rights reserved.

[1]New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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The Velvet Tight Grip of Jesus, John 10:22-30

Posted on July 3, 2019 by patrick h wrisley

Sermon:        The Velvet Tight Grip of Jesus
Scripture:     John 10:22-30
Preacher:      Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Location:      First Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Date:               May 12, 201

Once upon a time, a fierce Greek commander become known as Alexander the Great who eventually became ruler of a territory that extended from Greece, South into Egypt and spread East through Palestine, Mesopotamia and into India. When he died at the age of 32 some three hundred years before Jesus was born, four his is leading generals divvied-up his conquered lands into four sections: Egypt, Greece, what we call the Middle East today, and India.  The general who took command of the areas of Palestine, Syria, Iraq and Iran was Seleucus who founded what is known as the Seleucid Empire.

In 174 BCE, Antiochus Epiphanes became the brutal king in this family lineage of monarchs in the area and is the one who set up a statue of the Greek god Zeus in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem that caused the great Jewish revolt by the Jewish family known as the Maccabees.  In 164, the Jews retook control of the Holy City Jerusalem, immediately went to the Temple and destroyed the statue of Zeus. The Jews began a rebuilding program for the Temple and removed stone by stone all the building materials used for the alter in the Temple and replaced them with fresh hewn stones that were not defiled by the presence of the Greek god. The Jewish people celebrated for eight nights in a row a dedication ceremony for the new alter and refurbished and purified Temple. This is called the Feast of Dedication, or as we perhaps know it better, the Festival of Hanukkah. Palestine was fully liberated in the 140’s and now for the first time in several hundred years the Jews began to operate as an independent nation for some 80 years until the time they invited the Roman mercenaries in to come and help establish peace in a growing world of turmoil.

Why say all this?  Because it helps us better understand the Story in John today.  Stories do not and are not recorded in a vacuum. Authors of stories choose and weigh all the words he or she uses. In good writing, there are no wasted words and John’s description in John 10.22 and following are a good example of this.  Up to this point in the John’s gospel, a Jesus has healed a blind man on the Sabbath which has raised the ire of the religious officials. We find Jesus in a conversation with various Jewish folks who are upset with his work on the Sabbath and Jesus begins to talk about being the Good Shepherd.  The Good Shepherd knows his sheep and the sheep know the voice of the Good Shepherd. Jesus goes on to describe what a good shepherd is and what the good shepherd does.  If you were a Jewish religious leader of the day, you would be fully aware that Jesus was holding Ezekiel 34 in his mind which is a diatribe against the false shepherds of Israel, i.e. the corrupt religious officials of the system.  We pick up in verse 22.  Listen to the words of the Lord and make special notice of how John places Jesus in a very particular context.

John 10:22-30

 22At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ 25Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; 26but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 27My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. 30The Father and I are one.’[1]

Let’s make sure we get the full image. It’s December and the Jews are celebrating the Festival of Hanukkah which is a celebration of victory and redemption from the hands of the oppressors. It is a time when the Jews remembered how God swept out the corrupt Seleucid leaders and replaced them with a period of peace and stability as a bona fide independent nation for the first time in centuries. In many ways, it’s their Fourth of July!

John the author has placed Jesus teaching in Solomon’s Portico adjacent to the Temple. This is the place where the former kings of Judah and Israel would hold court and make judgements for the people, kings like Solomon of old.

Furthermore, Jesus is comparing how the current religious system is defiling the purpose of God; the Temple needs a new cleansing and dedication. It has replaced God’s Law of Grace with the Law of Compliance to rules. The people are looking for the new Messiah who would liberate them from Roman rule as Judas Maccabeus liberated the Jews from the Seleucids some 150 years earlier. They press Jesus, “So, are you the Messiah?  Are you the new Judas Maccabeus who will lead us to victory and liberation from Roman rule and tyranny?”

This is one of those times in history where people were excelling in missing the point of what was going on around them. They were looking for temporal salvation from the Romans.  Jesus was offering salvation that had eternal consequences.  The people wanted a warrior leader.  Jesus was offering them something more profound: The Good Shepherd who intimately knows his little flock. The people were looking for a human being to be Messiah, Liberator for them and their country.  Jesus is declaring that God himself is leading the people from Solomon’s portico and his leading is like the faithful shepherd who knows the needs of the flock.

It is helpful to remember that sheep are not the brightest bulbs in the box. They have poor eyesight.  They’re not too bright and have a herd mentality that they’ll go following other sheep blindly. They’re dirty and smelly. But, they have good hearing. They listen out for the shepherd’s voice to lead them in the direction they are to travel. They may not see the shepherd well but they know the tone and tenor of his or her voice. They will follow that voice for nourishment, for safety and shelter, and for the care of their daily needs.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd is reminding the people that when they hear his voice, they are hearing the voice of God.  He is saying that as the Good Shepherd, he will watch out for all those who respond to his voice.  He will protect them with a velvet hand of love. Jesus the Good Shepherd promises that no one, no thing, no circumstance or situation, can pluck them away from the protection, care, and love of God.

Beloved, are you able to hear the words of liberation and celebration from the mouth of Jesus the Good Shepherd? What continues to hold you through worry, doubt, addiction or despair, preventing you from entering into a new eternal life this moment? Jesus reminds us in verse 28 that eternal life is a present reality and that those who hear the Shepherd’s voice will experience a peace and quality of life right this moment they have not yet experienced and neither shall they not be snatched away from the Presence of God the Father. Our Lord calls us from the courts of the King and bids us follow him into new life, Easter life, because he is risen…and he knows us by name!  Let’s come to the Table to be fed by the strong velvet hands of the Good Shepherd! Amen.

Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Senior Pastor & Teaching Elder
First Presbyterian Church
401 SE 15thAvenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

© 2019 Patrick H. Wrisley. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida and may not be altered, re-purposed, published or preached without permission.   All rights reserved.

[1]New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Easter: He is Risen!, John 20.1-18

Posted on July 3, 2019 by patrick h wrisley

Sermon:           He is Risen!
Scripture:        John 20. 1-18
Preacher:         Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Location:         First Presbyterian Church Fort Lauderdale
Date:                John 20.1-18

John 20:1-18

20.1Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10Then the disciples returned to their homes.

11But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.[1

He is risen! (He is risen, indeed!)

Once upon a time a priest, a pastor and a Rabbi walk into a bar.  They’re good friends and they occasionally get together to decompress from their lives in the parish. The Rabbi asked the two Christian clergy, “Say, imagine you’re at your own funeral and you can see what’s going on around you. You see the people, you hear their conversations, and you can see how they’re acting with your loss.  What would you want to hear them say about you as they filed past your casket?” Now that’s quite a question, isn’t it? It’s interesting to think about our own funerals and try to guess what people would say.  What would you want to others to say about you at your funeral?

Anyway, Father O’Malley thought for a moment and said, “I’d like to hear them say, ‘Here lies Father O’Malley, devoted priest and a lovely friend who was there with me in thick and thin.’”

The Presbyterian pastor, Pastor Bob, says, “I would love to hear my people say, ‘Here lies Pastor Bob who now rests from his labors as a tireless shepherd of his little flock.’”

Now it was the Rabbi’s turn. He stroked his beard and leaned forward towards his friends.  Raising his right eyebrow with a glint in his eyes he says, ‘I want to hear my people say, “Ah, here lies Rabbi Schwartz…and look!  He’s moving!”

Oh my friends, the Rabbi is the one who figured out the power of the Christian message and promise:  He is Risen! (He is risen, indeed!). Father O’Malley and Pastor Bob would appear to have become too familiar with the Easter promise; their everyday work in the lives of their parishioners – counseling parents on the baptism of their children, running a finance meeting, saying an invocation at City Hall, visiting patients in the hospital or even simply trying to keep gossip down among church members – all these dalliances of life obscure the real meaning of their purpose and work which is to point others to the hope and promise of what Easter Day is all about! It took the Rabbi to remind them that, “Hey! Look! He’s moving!” or as those in the Christian tradition proclaim, “It’s that He is risen!” (He is risen, indeed!)

This morning, the one issue, the one question that emerges for me from this text is in verse 15:  Woman, whom are you looking for? John’s Gospel is silent on why Mary Magdalene ventured out in the dark and came to the tomb that first Easter morning. Other gospels mention her coming with an entourage of others to help give Jesus a proper burial since they were so rushed on Friday evening as Sabbath began. John’s gospel is different in that it doesn’t mention the other women directly except with an obscure “we” in verse 2. It is silent on why she came so early. All we know is that her love and devotion to Jesus caused her to climb out of bed and explore the possibilities awaiting her at the tomb.

            What got you out of bed this morning to come here to worship?  Whom are you looking for?  What are you looking for?

Peter and the others did not bother to get out of bed. They were not looking for anyone or anything; they were huddled behind locked doors.  When Mary runs to let them know the stone has been rolled away (we don’t know if she realizes Jesus is gone yet as the text is silent), Peter and John, also known as the one who Jesus loved, ran to the tomb to see if what Mary said was true. John, the faster of the two arrives first but hesitates to go inside.  Peter finally blunders up and charges straight into the tomb.  Peter looks around and sizes things up and is silent.  John looks around and sees the evidence of the two sets up wrappings where the body once was.  One wrapping was for Jesus’ head and the other was for his body. Peter ponders and John believes.  Both are appropriate responses. Whom were they look for that morning? A dead Jesus. What they discovered was an empty tomb. And then they do something I never understood very well.  They simply went home.  They didn’t linger at the empty tomb.  They didn’t engage any bystanders as to what might have happened. They just went home.

What got you out of bed this morning?  Whom or what did you expect to see?  Peter pondered. John believed in something. Yet, they both simply went home.

And then there’s Mary Magdalene, who in our Story this morning becomes the first apostle, the first ‘sent one’. Her love was too deep.  Her pain was so visceral. It was only after Peter and John left for home did she in her solitude and her heart’s interior castle of tears peer into the tomb and saw that it was empty. For the first time she is asked, “Woman, why are you weeping?” by two angels inside the tomb. At this point in the Story, Mary only knows that Jesus is gone.  She seems to be oblivious to her angelic messengers as well because in most other New Testament accounts, people are falling all over themselves in fear when an angel shows up.  Mary, however, is nonplused. She then turns around and walks smack into Jesus himself but again, her sadness is too heavy. For the second time in a matter of minutes, Mary is asked, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?”  Once again, Mary is so focused on her own pain that she fails to see Jesus. Thinking it’s the cemetery gardener she pleads, “If you have taken him away, please tell me where!”  And it’s right here that the action grinds to a stop and time is suspended. One arresting word was spoken that penetrated the sobbing woman’s broken heart, grief, and spirit. Jesus spoke her name, “Mary.”

The empty tomb did not cause her to see Jesus.

Seeing the tangible proof like John did was not able to penetrate her psyche so that she could Jesus.

Encountering two angels shining in white was not able to get through her pain.

The very resurrected presence of the Lord himself did not help Mary realize what was going on that morning.  It was only after God softly spoke her name that the proverbial scales fell from her eyes and she saw Jesus for the first time.

Mary.

Beloved, whom are you looking for this Easter morning? Some of you may be like Peter and John and wish you were still back in bed if it wasn’t for the woman in your life who drug you to church this morning! But even Peter pondered once he arrived there and John saw the evidence and believed.  I believe that God will use whatever means possible to get us out of bed and face to face with the empty tomb.

Some of you may come this morning and experience something like Peter and you will leave pondering what all this hubbub is about. Some of you like John will have an experience where your love will be rekindled for the Lord and will have a new hope instilled in your life that you have been missing for some time. But what I really want to urge each of you this morning is to pay attention and listen.  Listen for the Lord to gently speak your name.

Jesus will meet you where you are and speak your name. Jesus will take you in whatever condition he finds you in and will speak your name. Are you sad or depressed?  He’s calling your name.

Are you lonely and despondent?  He’s calling your name.

Are you in pain or are feeling miserable in the midst of your treatments?  He’s calling your name.

Is your life stuck in a professional Groundhog Day where you’re bored sick and hate what you do?  He’s calling your name.

Are you at a critical juncture in your life where you need direction?  He’s calling your name!

Beloved, names are powerful things!  When someone knows your name, they can grab your attention and speak directly to you in the midst of a crowd.  If a person knows your name, there is a conduit for a relationship that’s already there. When a person calls out your name, they are exerting a gentle power of you because they can command your attention and you or I cannot help but listen.

The promise of Easter is that the Great I Am, the God who is, was, and is yet to come, knows each of us by our names!  If we would be but still enough to listen, we will hear the resurrected Christ speaking to us in the radio transmitter of our hearts, reminding us, NAME (inserting names from congregation), I am with you even now; I got this for you.

He is risen! (He is risen, indeed!) And let’s add one more thing: this time, say, He is risen, indeed and calls me by my name!

Happy Easter, Beloved.

Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Senior Pastor & Teaching Elder
First Presbyterian Church
401 SE 15th Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
patrickw@firstpres.cc

© 2019 Patrick H. Wrisley. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale Florida and may not be altered, re-purposed, published or preached without permission.   All rights reserved.

[1]The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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