What is Your Dialect?, Acts 2:1-21

Posted on June 9, 2025 by patrick h wrisley

A sermon delivered on Sunday, June 8, 2025 by the Rev. Dr. Patrick H. Wrisley.

The Rev. Amy Allen, now Adjunct Professor of New Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary, tells of a time when she served as a hospital chaplain in Dallas, Texas. Although many of her patients spoke only Spanish, she did not. At orientation, she was handed an index card with basic Spanish prayers and sent off to begin her rounds. “You all go on out and get to chaplaining!” the supervisor said cheerfully. 

One day, a nurse paged her to visit a frantic elderly woman who was loudly scolding the staff in Spanish. Allen arrived, young and unsure, and did the only thing she could: she pulled out her card and began to read, “Padre Nuestro…” The Lord’s Prayer. Her pronunciation was poor, but the woman stopped. She bowed her head, smiled, and joined in. Words — even imperfectly spoken — had power to reach across fear and language.[1]

Beloved, there is power in language. There is inherent power, dare I say, Divine Power, in the uttering of words! Words can cause tears, or they can bring joy. Words can cause war and words can bring peace. Words can bring confusion or words can bring clarity.  Words can tear down, or words can build up.  Words can segregate and words can unite and bring together. 

Let us now turn to Scripture and see how God uses the power of language to transform hearts and build the Church. The scene is Jerusalem fifty days after Jesus was betrayed, killed, and rose from the dead. The Festival that is taking place fifty days after Passover is called the Feast of Weeks. It is also known as the Festival of the First Fruits or Pentecost, and people have flocked to the city to bring their tithe, the first produce from their crops and herds to God for all of God’s faithfulness. Think of the Festival as a combination of a holy, religious version of our Thanksgiving Day combined with the culmination of the yearly stewardship campaign. We find the early disciples gathered for prayer while the rest of the city is enjoying the festival. Hear the Word of the Lord.

Acts 2:1-21

2.1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.7Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

14But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. 21Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ [2]

This moment in Acts is no less explosive than Genesis 1. The wind, the fire, the words — this is God’s Spirit doing a new thing, creating again. Think for a moment upon the opening chapter of Genesis when God created the heavens and the earth. We read how the Spirit of God was blowing over the chaotic nothingness but then God did what? God spoke, the Spirit moved, and creation began! The Word and the Spirit work together to bring new creation. This is what we have happening today in our Story.  

Jesus had instructed the disciples to stay put in the city until, “You have been clothed with power from on high”[3] and they are waiting for that dressing and clothing to occur![4] While gathered in prayer, the Constructive Spirit of Creation blows in with hurricane force winds and begins creating the Church. 

The Christian tradition calls Pentecost the “Birthday of the Church.”  Just as the Spirit took the chaos of creation and formed all that is, so the Spirit on that Pentecost 2,000 years ago blew into a group of ragtag, anxious men and women and created the foundation for the new community of Jesus called the Church. And just exactly how did the Spirit of God do that?  The Spirit did it through the power of the Word brought forth in the early Church.  

We read in Acts 2 how the Spirit appeared to them in the power of language and the ability to speak the news of Jesus to other people. A literal reading of verse three could be, “Divided languages (or tongues), as of fire, appeared among them, and a language (a tongue) rested upon each of them.”  It is my contention that the language, the tongue of fire that rested upon the disciples that first Pentecost was the language of God’s salvific Story of Jesus. You see, Peter declares in verse 21:  Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved and made whole!

Just as the Spirit unified the disciples in their language and understanding about Jesus, now the Spirit drives them out and gives them the ability to speak that language of Christ in the specific dialect of those gathered in the Jerusalem’s busy streets during the festival.

Our English Bibles translates the word ‘tongue’ and ‘language’ interchangeably in our Story but Luke does not. In verses 1-4, Luke uses the general word for language, glossa, but he changes the term in verse 6. He uses the extremely specific word that we get our word ‘dialect’ from. 

I used to work with a wonderful pastor from Britain, Michael Bodger, who had this great accent. For example, one day we got to talking and Michael began talking about “veet-a-men D.”  I asked him, “Veetamens?  Do you mean vitamins?”  He replied back in his dry British way, “Of course, that’s what I said, “Veetamen!”  We both speak English, but we both have different dialects of English. Just like Amy Allen with the Hispanic patient who did not know English, once she began to pray the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish, the patient fully understood! The chaplain had to speak the patient’s dialect.

Brothers and sisters, the Church of Jesus Christ is called to speak the same language that in Jesus, there is salvation and wholeness for all and for God’s creation.  Our text also affirms that each particular church and each individual Christ-Follower is called to speak that same language of God’s love, grace, and justice in a dialect, in the language spoken of the people around us, so that they too can hear, be transformed and believe.

Some years ago, the late Pope Francis preached, “We keep the Holy Spirit as a ‘luxury prisoner’ in our hearts: we do not allow the Spirit to push us forward, to move us…(The Spirit) is the protagonist of the Living Church.”[5]  I love that!  The Holy Spirit is the protagonist, the main character, of the Living Church! Beloved, the Spirit is a Spirit of power, of creativity, of movement, of action, of tearing down and reconstructing; the Holy Spirit is not a Spirit of the status quo! The Spirit gives you and me, the Living Church, the needed specific dialect to speak and act out the Good News of Jesus right where we live; the Lord wants us to move from our holy huddle inside the church building, from our small groups of familiarity and complacency, and get into the world speaking, living, and enacting the grace-full Story of Jesus Christ.  

The Holy Spirit of God is not a passive presence tucked away in our private prayers. The Spirit is the driving force of a Living Church — dynamic, courageous, ever-speaking in the language people need to hear.

So, what does that mean for us? It means we cannot be content to speak only within the dialects of our comfort zones — the language of “church as usual,” the vocabulary of what has always been. The Spirit is giving us fresh words — not new doctrine, but new expression. New courage. New understanding. The Spirit empowers us to speak God’s love in the dialect of a hurting neighbor. To speak justice in the language our community understands. To speak peace in the middle of polarized shouting.

Church, the world is not waiting for perfection. It’s waiting for us to speak. So this week — in your workplace, at the coffee shop, in the school pick-up line, over dinner, or in a quiet text to someone who’s struggling — speak the dialect of Christ. Speak mercy. Speak courage. Speak hope. And when you don’t know the words? Trust the Spirit to give you just enough. Even broken, awkward words — like a hospital chaplain’s stumbling Spanish — can become holy ground when the Spirit speaks through them.

May the Holy Spirit of God trouble us in our comfort and awaken us in our complacency. And may we be bold enough to speak and live the language of Jesus — until every heart hears and every life is made whole. So be it. Amen. Pray with me.

© 2025 Patrick H. Wrisley. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church, 8 West Notre Dame Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801 and shall not be altered, re-purposed, published or preached without permission.   All rights reserved.

[1] Allen, Amy, “The Politics of Language – Acts 2:1-21”, Political Theology Today, May 9, 2016. Accessed on 5/12/16 at http://www.politicaltheology.com/blog/the-politics-of-language-acts-21-21-amy-allen/. 

[2] 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.

[3] See Luke 24:44-53.

[4] See Acts 1:14.

[5] “Don’t lock up the Holy Spirit in your heart, Pope Francis says,” The Catholic News Agency, May 9, 2016.  See http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/dont-lock-up-the-holy-spirit-in-your-heart-pope-francis-says-11868/. 

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The Gift of Letting Go, Luke 24:44-53

Posted on June 2, 2025 by patrick h wrisley

A sermon delivered by the Rev. Dr. Patrick H. Wrisley on Sunday, June 1, 2025.

Today is known as Ascension Sunday – the day when the church bids Jesus good-bye yet one more time. His departure sets up the next phase of the Divine salvation process and that is the establishment of the Church through the giving of the Holy Spirit which we will get into next week. Only the gospels of Matthew and our Lukan Story this morning take the time to mention Jesus’ heavenly ascension. Mark’s Gospel ends with the Mary and the other women telling the disciples about what they saw and that is the end of it. John ends his narrative by saying in affect, “I could keep on writing more stuff but I really can’t add to what I’ve already said.” Only Matthew and Luke provide this post-Easter bridge to Pentecost and the giving of the Holy Spirit. Listen to the Word of the Lord from Luke 24:4-53.

Luke 24:44-53

44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” 

50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; 53 and they were continually in the temple blessing God. (Luke 24:36–53, NRSV)

Letting go is hard. Whether it is letting go of a job we once loved, a house that holds a lifetime of memories, a stage of life, or even a person we have held dear—it is never easy to let go. And sometimes, the act of letting go can feel like losing a part of ourselves. I know that after my wife Kelly died, I experienced a feeling of being adrift and disoriented which other widows and widowers have experienced as well.

Maybe you’ve had a change in your life where there has been a shift or transition recently, e.g. watching a child grow up and move away. Retiring after years of meaningful work. Saying goodbye to someone you love. Maybe it’s not even a goodbye, but just a shift—a change in your role, a change in your health, or having to adjust your carefully laid out plans. 

I cannot forget the time we took our oldest daughter and dropped her off at her college for the first time. We got her moved in and then we went out to dinner and took her back to campus. Two-hours later, we hear a knocking on the hotel room door and open it up to find Lo crying. She collapsed in my arms sobbing, “Daddy, I don’t like my roommate. None of my friends are here.” As a daddy, it was tearing me up inside seeing her so upset but the quarter’s tuition was already paid and there was no turning back at this point. After a while, we told her she could transfer for the next semester but for now, she had to tough it out. We hugged her again, watched her walk to her car and waved good-bye. Closing the door, we both broke down and bawled as this was shaping up to be a very difficult good-bye!

In our text this morning, the disciples are confronted with one of the most difficult transitions of all – saying good-bye. Jesus is leaving — again. They’ve already grieved his death, rejoiced at his resurrection, and now, just as they’re getting used to the joy of having Jesus back — he’s taken from them one more time. But something strange happens in this story. Unlike Kelly and I dropping Lo off at school, the disciples don’t weep. They don’t fall into a funk and despair. No, all of them return to Jerusalem with sheer joy. How is that possible? Luke writes, 

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven.” (Luke 24:50–51)

Did you notice what Jesus did? The last thing Jesus does before he leaves them is to bless them.

He doesn’t disappear suddenly. 

He doesn’t give them one final lecture or assignment.

He raises his hands — hands that still bore the marks of crucifixion — and he blesses them.

Friends, this is important. Why? Because Jesus’ absence is framed not in loss, but in love. His leaving is not abandonment but is benediction. In the moment the disciples let Jesus go, they are not left empty-handed. They are left full—full of promise, full of hope, full of joy. Why? Because Jesus had already told them:

I am sending upon you what my Father promised… stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. (v.49)

Jesus is preparing them for what is coming next. Although they may not initially realize it, Jesus is giving the disciples a gift – he is giving them space to stretch and grow. The challenge is, letting go does not always feel like we are receiving a gift. It is paradoxical: Sometimes, we cannot receive the next thing God is giving us unless our hands, our hearts, our minds, our schedules, our options — are open. The disciples had to let go of the Jesus they could touch and feel so that they can receive the Spirit of Jesus they would carry.

The disciples had to release what was familiar in their life with Jesus in order to be able to embrace what he promised. We all know something about that, don’t we?

Think about the parent who drops their child off at kindergarten for the first time.

Think about the couple who must downsize from a family home to a smaller place after retirement. All those items collected over the years from furniture, artwork, Knick-knacks – they all have memories attached to them that are grieved as they are given up.

Think about the caregiver who must make the hard decision to have hospice take over the palliative care of their mother, father, or other loved one and trust God with what comes next.

Letting go is not weakness and nor is it for sissies.

It is hard to do and follow through on.

It is sacred act of trust and a huge demonstration of faith.

I want us to note something that happens when we let go and say good-bye. Luke says that while, 

Jesus, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. (vs. 51)

As they are letting go of Jesus, he is filling them up with blessings and courage. This is how the disciples remember Jesus. He does not leave them giving a final command nor with a cold good-bye, but he leaves them with a Spirit-filled blessing.

In the Old Testament, blessing confers a promise-making commitment to always be there with you. When a blessing is given, it is given in anticipation so that what was promised in the blessing will actually come to pass. Blessings carry weight as we read about in the Esau and Jacob narratives in Genesis where Jacob steals his brother’s blessing. 

For the Church, blessing is a reminder of God’s ongoing presence and favor for the people. In essence, a blessing is God’s action mediated through human words and gestures. When I give you a blessing on Sunday’s, it is not my expressing my goodwill to you; rather, it is my role on behalf of the larger Church invoking God’s gracious spiritual hopes and dreams upon your behalf as you leave worship and go into the world.

Luke tells us that the disciples,

Worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.” (vv. 52–53)

Think about that; it is quite amazing really. They have to let go yet again the one person who loves them the most and who they loved the most, and yet, they are joyful. The disciples realize that what they lose in Jesus’ presence is not greater than what they just received in his blessing. They let go and made room for blessing. They let go and made room in their heart and lives for the Spirit.

Friends, what the disciples lost in Jesus’ departure was not greater than what they received from him. Or, to put it another way – what the disciples received in Jesus’ blessing is greater than what they lost in his physical departure. 

Let me ask you this morning: What are you holding onto that God might be inviting you to release as a preparation for something new?  Maybe it’s a role that defined you, and now God is calling you into rest. Maybe it’s a fear that’s keeping you from stepping into joy. Maybe it’s a relationship you can no longer carry on your own.

Letting go doesn’t mean we stop caring. It doesn’t mean we forget. It simply means we trust that God is already ahead of us, waiting to meet us in whatever comes next. In the Name of the One who is, who was and is yet to come. Amen.

© 2025 Patrick H. Wrisley, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls, 8 West Notre Dame Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls, New York, and shall not be altered, re-purposed, published, or preached without permission. All rights reserved.

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Really?, John 5:1-8

Posted on June 2, 2025 by patrick h wrisley

A Sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Patrick H. Wrisley on Sunday, May 25, 2025.

For giggles and grins one afternoon, I typed into Google, “If I could ask Jesus one question, what would it be?” I was curious what people would ask. As I began to read some of the answers, one person wrote, “How’s my mom, doing?” Another asked, “Why did I get sick?” A third person asked what I thought was a great one: Jesus, how am I doing down here? As I read the answers, it hit me: I was asking Google the wrong question. The better question is, “If Jesus were to ask me one question, what would I want it to be?” A derivative of that question is, “What is one question I would not want him to ask me?”

What if he were to ask you, “Why do you drink so much?” 

What if he asked, “Why do you continue to live in an abusive relationship?

He might ask you, “Why are you so afraid?” Or “Why don’t you trust me?” There are all types of questions Jesus could ask but the one that would make me shake in my boots would be if Jesus drew his face close to mine and he gives a doggy-head-tilt and asks, “Really?”

Think about how unnerving a question that would be to get asked by him. 

“Really….what?” Now you’re worried that whatever you say is going to come out wrong and you begin to shuffle from side to side. Is he questioning something I have said or done? Is he incredulous with me? Today we have a Story where Jesus asks someone a pointed question and it is a question loaded with grace.

Today we find Jesus in Jerusalem at one of the Jewish festival days. The city would be teaming with people and animals for the Temple sacrifices. In the northeast part of the city, there was a small obscure gate into Jerusalem called the Sheep Gate and nearby a pool that was known for its healing qualities. It was a favorite location for people who were sick or wounded and off the beaten path for those Jews who wanted to remain ritually pure by staying away from “those types of people.” In other words, Jesus made a point to go there. Listen to the Word of the Lord.

John 5:1-18

5.1 After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 

2 Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. 3 In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. 5 One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk. 

Now that day was a sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, “It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.” 11 But he answered them, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’ ” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take it up and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there. 14 Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.” 18 For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God.  (John 5:1–18, NRSV)

I read this Story and it’s all I can do is to shake my head and ask, “Really? Did this guy stiff Jesus like that?” Jesus goes out of his way, approaches a man who is well-known to have been hanging out by the pool for a long time, and asks him a simple question. “Do you want to be healed?” Interestingly, the man does not even answer Jesus’ question but begins making excuses why he cannot get to the pool. Jesus at once diagnoses the real problem. The problem is not that the man cannot walk; the problem is the man is mentally and socially stuck in his learned helplessness. The man’s physical ailments were symptoms of a deeper brokenness; you see, the man had grown comfortable in his discomfort. His illness had become part of his identity. 

Jesus did not approach him and say, “Hi, I’m Jesus. Peace upon you.” He did not say, “Hi, what’s your name?” Jesus knew who he was and did not waste time in small talk. He understood the man’s identity was wrapped up in his illness. Biblical scholar, Amy-Jill Levine writes, “Identity can become so caught up in the sense of infirmity, especially if coupled with appreciation of sympathy and the willingness of others to help, that the status quo becomes the more comfortable position. Physicians have greater success rates when their patients want to be healed. Not everyone does.”[1]

Years ago, I had to take part in a family intervention for a member of the family who was an alcoholic. We all loved this person dearly but did not love the way we were treated when they had too much to drink. So, one Sunday morning at about 7 a.m., a psychologist who was trained in addiction issues came to the house. The whole family got up and we awakened our beloved who had the drinking problem and gathered in the den. One by one, we went around the room and said, “I love you very much but your drinking hurts me. When you have too much to drink, your personality changes and you say ugly things to me which you do not remember saying. I remember what you said and did and it hurts me deeply.” Then another child adds, “I love you, too. Yet, the other night when I had my friends over, you were so drunk you could not form your words. I was so embarrassed and had to defend your actions later to my buddies. I do not feel safe bringing my friends over.”

And one by one, we each expressed our love to this person but were also honest about our concern how this person’s drinking directly affected each of us. We wanted to jar them into realizing their identity was not tied to alcohol but with their vital relationship with all the members of his family. 

For all those years, this man had someone each day take him and place him by the Sheep Pool. It shaped how he saw himself and how he looked at life. Jesus who is the wellspring of Living Water offers healing and wholeness the pool’s waters could not provide. Jesus perceives the man’s need and acts upon it. The man stands up and walks. No longer can he rely on his old identity; now he has the opportunity to form and create a new identity for himself because of God’s graciousness toward him. And what does he do? He takes his mat and walks away. There is no record he even said, “Thank you” to Jesus. Sometime later, Jesus finds the man in the Temple and reminds the man of his new identity and gives him a gentle warning to live into it. Once again, Jesus is not acknowledged for what he has done; instead, the man goes to the religious officials and reports on Jesus; from this point on in John’s Gospel, Jesus begins to be persecuted. I can almost hear Jesus asking the healed man, “Really?” It would appear the man’s broken identity remained even though his broken body had been healed.

This morning, we too are asked by the text, “Do you want to be whole? Do you want to be well?” What is it in your life and in mine that defines who we are in ways that are not healthy or beneficial to us or others? This morning, we are given the invitation to lift those broken places within us and ask for healing and wholeness. Please pray with me…     

© 2025 Patrick H. Wrisley, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls, 8 West Notre Dame Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls, New York, and shall not be altered, re-purposed, published, or preached without permission. All rights reserved.

[1] The Gospel of John: A Beginner’s Guide to the Way, the Truth, and the Life by Amy-Jill Levine -see https://a.co/dOEou2f.

https://a.co/dOEou2f.
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The Voice of the Good Shepherd, John 10:22-30

Posted on May 12, 2025 by patrick h wrisley
The Good Shepherd by Robert Zünd (Swiss, 1827-1909)

A Sermon Delivered May 11, 2025 by the Rev. Dr. Patrick H. Wrisley.

Once upon a time, there was a fierce and brilliant Greek military commander named Alexander—the one we now call Alexander the Great. He conquered a vast empire stretching from Greece, down into Egypt, and east through Palestine and Mesopotamia, all the way to India. But Alexander died young—only 32 years old—about 300 years before Jesus was born. After his death, his empire was divided among his four leading generals. They split the territories into four regions: Greece, Egypt, what we now call the Middle East, and India.

One of those generals, Seleucus, took control of the region that included Palestine, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. This became known as the Seleucid Empire. Fast forward some 130 years: a ruthless king named Antiochus Epiphanes rose to power in that empire. He did something that sent shockwaves through the Jewish world—he erected a statue of the Greek god Zeus inside the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.

It was an act of desecration that sparked a full-blown revolt. A Jewish family known as the Maccabees led the charge. They fought back, and in 164 BCE, they reclaimed the city of Jerusalem. One of the first acts the Jewish people did was to go into the Temple and tear down that statue. They began to purify the Temple, stone by stone, removing anything defiled and replacing it with freshly hewn stone.

Then, they celebrated. For eight nights in a row, they held a dedication ceremony for the renewed Temple. That celebration became what we now know as the Festival of Dedication—or as we call it—Hanukkah. Finally, some 140 years before Jesus’ birth, the Jews had fully liberated their land and—for the first time in centuries—were operating as an independent nation. That lasted for about 80 years, until they invited Roman mercenaries in to help settle growing unrest from neighboring countries…and, well, we know how that turned out.

So, why do I mention all this?

Because it gives us the deeper context for today’s Gospel passage. You see, stories in Scripture aren’t told in a vacuum. Every word matters. Every detail carries weight. And John, the Gospel writer, is no exception.

At this point in John’s Gospel, Jesus has just healed a man born blind—on theSabbath. That miracle has stirred up tension with the religious leaders. They’re not just annoyed; they’re alarmed. And in the middle of this controversy, Jesus begins talking about himself as “the Good Shepherd”—the one who knows his sheep, whose sheep know his voice.

And if you were a Jewish leader standing there, you’d hear more than just a pastoral metaphor. You’d hear echoes of Ezekiel 34—a fiery condemnation of Israel’s false shepherds: the corrupt priests and leaders who fed themselves while neglecting the flock.

Now, here’s where things get sticky. Jesus has healed on the Sabbath. He just insulted the religious leaders. Now we pick up the story in John 10, verse 22:

John 10:22-30

10.22 At 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.’

Let’s pause a moment.

It’s winter. The Jews are celebrating Hanukkah—a festival of liberation, a celebration of God’s faithfulness in delivering them from oppression. It’s their Fourth of July. And where is Jesus? He’s walking in Solomon’s Portico—a part of the Temple complex associated with royal authority. This is the place where kings like Solomon once sat in judgment.

John is not just providing the reader a setting for his Story —John is making a statement. You see, Jesus is standing where kings used to stand and make judgements for the people, during a festival that remembers and celebrates God’s deliverance—and he’s being peppered with questions about whether or not he is the Messiah, the Davidic King. The people crowd around him and say, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

And Jesus responds, “I have told you—and you do not believe.”

The people are looking for another liberator, like Judas Maccabeus—someone to rally the multitudes and lead them in kicking out their Roman occupiers.  But this is not what Jesus has to offer; he is not offering political freedom from an oppressive regime. He is providing spiritual liberation and a new way of living in the world.  

The people want a warrior-king; Jesus gives them, well, a shepherd.

A shepherd who knows his sheep.

A shepherd who feeds the sheep.

A shepherd who waters the sheep.

A shepherd whose sheep recognize his voice.

A shepherd who leads, protects, and never abandons them. 

Jesus says:

My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.

This past Friday, I hopped into the car and took a ride over to Manchester and Northshire Bookstore. If you remember, Friday was pouring down rain and we were under a flash flood advisory. Creeks and rivers were overflowing; fields were mud bogs. Between Granville and Pawlet along the Mettawee River there is a sheep farm with hundreds of sheep standing around in the mud. What hit me is that they were not standing up on the green high ground; they were wandering around near the overflowing river just begging to be swept away on a log sluice you see at 6 Flags! And then I remembered something.

Sheep are not the sharpest tacks in the box.

They’re not the brightest creatures.

They have poor eyesight.

They tend to blindly follow others in the herd, even into danger.

They’re messy.

They’re smelly.

But—they have excellent hearing.

They learn the voice of their shepherd.

They respond to the tone, the cadence, the rhythm of his or her voice. They trust that voice. And they follow that voice—because that voice leads them to green pastures, still waters, and safety away from the overflowing river.

Friends, that is the kind of shepherd Jesus is.

He does not lead with an iron rod, but with a gentle nudge and a push.

He does not demand loyalty—he invites trust.

He does not lead from behind beating the sheep with a stick – he leads from the front calling them by name.

And once you and I are in his care, nothing—no one—can separate the Shepherd from his lambs.

Beloved, let me invite you to still yourself today and I want you to listen to the Shepherd’s voice today. What are the places in your life where fear has frozen you, where doubt has hampered you, where addiction muddles you, or where doubt is robbing you of your dreams? Are you looking for quick-fix solutions when what you really need is a spiritual reboot? 

Because here’s the Good News: The Good Shepherd is calling.

He says, “I know you. I see you. I hold you in my hand. And nothing—not death, not fear, not failure—can take you away from me.” Friends, remember the words of Isaiah 43:

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Beloved, that is the voice of liberation. That is the voice of Easter. That is the voice of the Good Shepherd who intimately knows you by name. In the Name of the One who is, was, and is yet to come. Amen.

© 2025 Patrick H. Wrisley, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls, 8 West Notre Dame Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls, New York, and shall not be altered, re-purposed, published, or preached without permission. All rights reserved.

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When Jesus Meets Us Where We Are, John 21:9-19

Posted on May 5, 2025 by patrick h wrisley
Photo by Yassin Chykry on Pexels.com

A sermon delivered on May 4, 2025 by Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.

If we zoom out to 40,000 feet and look at John’s gospel s a whole, we can see how John’s begins and ends his story in a beautifully structured way, bookended by a prologue and an epilogue. The prologue opens with the powerful words: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This sets the tone for the rest of the Gospel, which unpacks who Jesus is and reveals his divine purpose. Today, we turn to the epilogue—the closing scene of John’s story. And here’s the main point I want you to hear: God goes out of God’s way to meet us exactly where we are.

John 21 centers on two key figures: Peter and the Apostle John. Our focus this morning is on Peter, and we encounter him and the other disciples having breakfast with Jesus on the beach. But to fully appreciate today’s passage, it helps to recall Peter’s last words to Jesus before the crucifixion. At the Last Supper, as Jesus explains what’s to come, Peter declares, “Lord, where are you going? Why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus looks at him and replies, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times”[1] Let’s now listen to the Word of the Lord. It’s Sunday morning and the disciples have gone fishing.

John 21:15–19

9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. 

 15When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” 19(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”[i]

Over a recent observance of Lent a few years ago, I watched The Chosen, a TV series about Jesus and the disciples.[3]  I’ve come to love it as it is the most realistic, relatable series on Jesus I’ve seen. You can download the app in the Apple or Google store—it’s actually the first fully crowdfunded TV series. The character portrayals are refreshing. For example, the actor playing Matthew presents him as a socially awkward but brilliant, neurodivergent tax collector who is treated as an outcast. Meanwhile, Peter is portrayed as brash, quick-tempered, always spoiling for a fight, trying to live into Jesus’ call to be “the Rock.” In the series, Peter constantly belittles Matthew for being a traitor to his Jewish people.

Many scholars believe Jesus asks Peter these three difficult questions in our text today to reverse Peter’s earlier three denials. In John 18, the rooster crows—and Peter’s betrayal is complete. Today’s passage, however, is one of reconciliation and restoration[4]. 

The late New Testament scholar Raymond Brown writes, “The (i.e. Jesus’) choice of Peter is a demonstration of God’s working in the weak things of the world.”[5]  In other words, if there’s hope for Peter, there’s hope for people like you and me.

I love this story because it reminds us that the Great God Almighty—Maker of heaven and earth—comes to meet us in the midst of ordinary life. God takes the initiative. God seeks us out—just as Jesus sought out Peter on the beach. And God still meets us in our own lives—whether we’re in boardrooms, classrooms, examining rooms, or even standing in line at Market 32.

But there’s another layer to this story. God doesn’t just meet us physically where we are; God meets us spiritually where we are, too. You can hear it in the subtle shifts in Jesus’ conversation with Peter.

Three questions. Three commands. On the surface, they sound repetitive—but if we look closely, they’re not. Three times Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?” and three times Peter responds with growing emotion, “Lord, you know I love you.” Each time, Jesus responds with a charge: “Feed my lambs,” “Tend my sheep,” and “Feed my sheep.”

Here’s where it gets interesting. English has just one word for love.  The koine Greek of John’s Gospel has several. 

There’s eros (romantic love), phileo (brotherly, sisterly love), and agape (sacrificial, intentional, inconvenient, willed, grace-filled love). In this conversation, two of these appear—agape and phileo.

Some scholars argue that these two terms are used interchangeably.[6] But I lean toward a different interpretation—that John chose his words carefully. John’s Gospel is filled with unique vocabulary and theological symbolism. I believe he intentionally used these specific words for love to show us that God meets us spiritually where we are.

Here’s what I mean:

Jesus asks: “Simon, son of John, do you agape me —sacrificially, intentionally, inconveniently, willfully, grace-filled love me?”


Peter replies: “Yes, Lord, you know I phileo you and love you like a brother.”

Jesus asks again: “Simon, son of John, do you agape me sacrificially, intentionally, inconveniently, willfully, grace-filled love me?

Peter again replies: “Lord, you know I phileo you and love you like a brother!”

Then, a third time, Jesus shifts his question: “Simon, son of John, do you phileo me and love me like a brother?

And Peter answers with emotion: “Lord, you know everything — you know I phileo you — I love and have affection for you as a brother.”

Let’s pause a moment: Jesus is asking Peter if he has the love for him that can expresses itself through sacrifice, inconvenience, intentionality, and grace like Jesus’ love was expressed to Peter on the Cross. Peter’s reply is, “Lord, you know I love you like a brother.” Peter pulls up short and Jesus adapts. For whatever reason, Peter isn’t ready or capable at that moment to profess or expresses agape-filled love to Jesus; at least this time, Peter is honest about it unlike his conversation with Jesus during the Last Supper the night he was betrayed. Peter offers Jesus what he can offer at that time and that is phileo—a heartfelt, brotherly, affectionate love to Jesus. And Jesus accepts it. Jesus receives the love Peter can give. The Peter today is totally different from the braggadocio Peter at the Lord’s Supper. Jesus meets Peter in his broken humbleness which is where Peter should be if he is to be the Rock of the Church.

Friends, that’s good news for us. It tells us that God meets us in the exact place we find ourselves—physically, emotionally, spiritually. God holds high hopes for us as disciples, but God also shows grace in meeting us in our imperfection. This is not a God who stands far off, arms folded, waiting for us to measure up. This is a God who draws near and says, “Follow me. Walk with me the best you are able.”

Beloved, this morning Jesus comes to meet us where we are. Can you hear him ask you, “Do you love me?

And we each must ask ourselves, “How will I answer?”

Do we, like Peter, love Jesus like a brother or do we love Jesus like he loves us — all in? The good news is this: no matter where we are in our faith, the Lord meets us there—and then takes us by the hand and leads us where he wants us to go. In the Name of the One Who is, Was, and Who is Yet to Be. Amen.

© 2025 by Patrick H. Wrisley, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls, 8 West Notre Dame Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801.  Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church Glens Falls, New York and shall not be altered, re-purposed, published or preached without permission. All rights reserved.

[1] John 13:36-38

[2] 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.

[3] To see or learn more about The Chosen, please see https://watch.thechosen.tv.

[4] The New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume IX (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995, p 806.

[5] Frederick Dale Bruner, John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans’s Publishing, p. 1225.

[6] Ibid.

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