"Feed My Sheep" - But Who Are They?

   

John 21:1-14

I have often wondered what it would have been like to have been in that boat and experienced the risen Christ calling from the shore.  I wonder, when it was pointed out to Peter that the voice calling belonged to the One he'd denied knowing only a short time ago, about the rush of emotion - elation, disbelief, conviction, hope - he, Peter, would have felt.  It had to be extreme because the author of the Gospel tells us that Peter threw on some clothes and jumped into the water to swim ashore.  The others rowed the boat ashore, so close were they.  And I can't even imagine the exchange of those first glances between Peter and Jesus - the recognition, the guilt, the acknowledgement of his failure to stand by his Lord at the early morning trial, and on and on.  All of that playing out in a matter of moments, as they stood there speechless, probably, taking it all in oblivious to the others laboring to make their way in with their amazing catch of fish.
   And then, the conversation around the fire while they watched in astonishment as Jesus, whom they knew had died a horrible death yet whom they knew was right there in front of them, ate with them, laughed with them, talked about the future with them, and then asked Peter those three haunting questions: "Simon, Son of John, do you love me?"  (Interesting that Jesus calls him "Simon", after renaming him "Peter" earlier on.  Maybe this was Jesus' way of contrasting who Peter had been with who Jesus was presently calling him to be.)

"Tend my sheep"

   And I wonder, when Jesus told him to look after His sheep, if Peter thought about nudging "the disciple whom Jesus loved" and urging him, "Ask Him who He's talking about!"  And I can hear Jesus responding, "Peter, who aren't they?"
  We'll be exploring all of this and more this Sunday, April 14th, at Ft. Collins First UMC.  Join us!
   And if you have any stories about "tending Jesus' sheep" - wherever you encountered them, I'd love to hear them, and if they fit, to include them in the sermon on Sunday.
   Easter Blessings,
   Pastor Steve
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Christ is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!

We had an amazing celebration of the resurrection yesterday at Ft. Collins First United Methodist!  We began before 6 AM with a sunrise service led by Pastor Bryson, his wife, Sarah, and a great group of hardy jazz musicians who presented the hymns and special music of Easter in a fresh way.  This was followed by breakfast and our three traditional worship services through the rest of the morning.  The music at these services was outstanding, as well, and I am grateful to Scott Finlay, Karen Stoody, Char Loomis, our excellent Sanctuary choir and handbell team, and a fabulous brass quintet of guest musicians for enhancing our services with music that truly became a "thin place" for me and many others yesterday.

In addition, I am grateful for the many hundreds of persons - members and regular attenders of Ft. Collins FUMC and our numerous guests - who were with us and expressed their joy over the resurrection of Jesus through this time-honored tradition of worship.  You blessed us incredibly with your presence and energy.

But most of all, I want to express my thanks and praise to our risen Lord, without whom none of this would be taking place!  I think the way I and so many others felt upon leaving Church yesterday - uplifted, renewed, encouraged, joyous - underscores the message: the more things change, the more they stay the same.  There is nothing quite like knowing a risen Lord who leads us in the way of salvation.  Praise be to God!

Next Sunday (April 7), Rev. David Dalke will be leading worship with a sermon entitled, "Those Pesky Eavesdropping Guards" - an intriguing invitation to see what David has to say as he interprets the Scriptures and living-in-faith for us in worship.

God's blessings, All, as you ponder the meaning of the resurrection and allow the joy of the women and the other disciples who first heard the news to fill your hearts.

Pastor Steve
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The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

I know that is a strong cliche, but it sums up my thoughts as I approach the celebration of Jesus' resurrection this coming Sunday.  With all the change that human societies have undergone since Jesus walked the streets of Galilee, Samaria, and Judea, we like to think that we have outgrown the need for a Savior.  And yet, the empirical evidence suggests a different take.  The world remains fraught with conflict and strife, oppression and injustice, pride, prejudice and hate - the kinds of things that led to Jesus' crucifixion in the first place.

But, in addition to what we can all too readily point to as problems in societies all around the world, we can also point to the hunger for authentic, life-giving spirituality, even if those hungering for it don't necessarily want to turn to traditional religion to find it.  We can also point to the many who find in Christianity a doorway to relationship with God, and not just a doorway but an escorted, Spirit-led pilgrimage to that relationship.

And like the problems of the world whose roots can be traced back into antiquity, so these phenomena also reach back into history, causing me to conclude "the more things change, the more they stay the same."  We are today in as much need of good news that leads to hope and redemptive living as our forebears were centuries, even millenia, ago.  It is the privilege of the church to be not just the proclaimers of this good news this weekend but its ambassadors, as well.

Join in the celebration of Jesus' resurrection somewhere this Sunday.  If you don't have a church home, we at Ft. Collins First United Methodist would be honored to have you join us.  Check out service times and our location at www.fcfumc.net.

The blessings of this great mystery of life and death and life again be yours,

Pastor Steve
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The Journey of Lent on a Road Marked "Healing"

As we continue our Lenten journey at Ft. Collins First UMC, we look at "healing" this Sunday, March 17th, as the answer to our need of being "infirm".  "Infirmity" is an odd word that we don't use that much in conversation, but it has a much broader semantic range than "illness" or "sickness".  Not even "debilitating condition" connotes what "infirm" does.  If being "firm" describes a state of wholeness of body, mind, and spirit that we all might hope for, then being "infirm" describes everything less than that.  Not all of us are sick or have a debilitating condition, but all of us at one point or another exhibit some degree of infirmity.  And the Good News - the Gospel - in light of that is that the grace-filled presence and love of God are the healing balm that can restore us to the place of wholeness that we seek.

Another thought to consider about healing comes from Georgetown University Visiting Professor, John Pilch.  He says that "healing is the restoration of meaning to life".

What I love about this way of thinking about healing is, first of all, that it is open to all of us, and secondly, that whether or not a cancer is cured or a mental health condition alleviated, we can still have meaning restored to our lives through the love and presence of God.  And the Christian community is at its best when we are reminding each other of that power and possibility through love for one another.

Healing...the restoration of meaning to life.  Blessings in the name and Spirit of the divine Healer of us all.

Steve
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The Journey of Lent on a Road Marked "Return"

“Some biblical texts say that the exile happened because of sin.  But sin is not the primary image used for the Israelites’ predicament – exile was their problem. … What they needed was not primarily forgiveness…, but a path out of exile, a way to return ‘home’. … [And] if our problem is exile, we need a path of return – we need ‘the way of the LORD’ as Isaiah 40:3 puts it.”

– Marcus Borg, Speaking Christian

Continuing our Journey of Lent this coming Sunday, we'll be exploring another gift of the season, that which could be called "return".  Using the Israelites' experience of exile as a connecting point (pardon the pun), we can find ourselves cut off from any of a number of relationships that help to give our lives definition, meaning, place, and belonging.  As a result, we drift in the sea of insignificance, isolation, discouragement, and alienation.  In this case, forgiveness is not the remedy; "return" is.  Now, depending upon the circumstances that led to the exile, it may be that repentance is a necessary precursor to return.  But repentance isn't the end goal; returning home to the community which grounds us is.

We can experience exile from spouse, children, extended family, workplace, church or faith community, social groups, or individuals.  Some have experienced exile in the form of incarceration, and "return" in the form of serving one's sentence or being paroled has a poignancy that some of us can't even imagine.

Whatever the cause of the alienation, when return is possible, the restoration of well being is often enough to swamp out the worst of the exile, so hungry for acceptance and belonging is the human soul.  Rich images of return from exile abound in the Biblical literature and in our experience, and it will be this that will provide focus for our traditional worship services this Sunday.

If anyone has stories of exile-and-return that you're willing to share, I'd be more than happy to receive them and work them in on Sunday, if appropriate.  God's peace be with you in the week ahead.

Speaking of positive images of Lent, what are taking on this season (as opposed to giving up) as a life-giving spiritual practice?

Steve
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The Journey of Lent Begins

We embarked on the journey of Lent yesterday, Ash Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013.  Instead of the customary focus on sin and penance, our observance of Ash Wednesday at Ft. Collins First UMC emphasized the "gift" of our mortality, with the ashes we gave to each other, symbolizing that finality of our lives.  How in the world can that be seen as a gift?  The Scripture readings and reflections that Martha Conant assembled for our consideration called us to the deep truth that only if we take stock of our morality can we truly live with the fullness God envisions for us.  It was a truly blessed evening we shared in worship last night in our Chapel.  I was so moved by the age range we had in worship - folks of all ages including not a small number of children with their moms and dads.  Very rich and meaningful - thank you all for coming.

And now we begin the journey that is Lent, then.  The season gives us a chance to "journey in time", making available not only the metaphor of pilgrimage but also markers along the way.  This coming Sunday, Feb. 17th, we'll be focusing on what forgiveness offers us in terms of "living into the fullness of life" I mentioned above, with a sermon entitled "The Journey of Lent on a Road Marked 'Forgiveness'".  Note that the starting point for this is NOT how sinful we are against God but how we need to receive from and give forgiveness to others in order to be fully alive.  One of the resources I will be using is a book called Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace by Miroslav Volf, who was here among us last year as a visiting theologian.

If you have any thoughts on this subject you'd like to forward, I'd be glad to hear from you.

Steve
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The More Excellent Way

The Scripture text for this Sunday, Feb. 10th, raises a few possibilities for exploration in worship.  1 Corinthians 13 is Paul's putting a fine point on the driving dynamic of the Christian life: love, the kind of love that has its source in God and which relativizes the importance of all other abilities.  Reflecting on the competition and infighting in his Corinthian church over spiritual gifts, Paul insists that without love, even the most beneficial of such gifts is of no worth.

I'm approaching the sermon from a couple of different angles:
1)  Comparing the giftedness of the congregation today with that of the congregation in Corinth and exploring the manifestation of the love of God among us.  How does it show up?
2) Recognizing the changes taking place in society today with increasing numbers of persons distancing themselves from organized religion and yet hungering for vibrant spiritual connections with God and others, the kind of love Paul writes about has the potential to help us who believe in the church transform it, so that it can be the kind of community that nurtures their spiritual journeys - and ours in the process.

Furthermore, I'm excited to have Sarah Lillie playing special music for us, "I Am Nothing" by Ginny Owens, at all three of the traditional services.

If there are thoughts you have on this that you want to contribute, please feel free to comment.

God's blessings to you,

Steve
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