Good morning,
Today is the first day of the new season of the Church Calendar which is called the half year of the Church, or the Trinity Season, lasting until just before Advent. The other half year of the Church Calendar, the half year of Christ, is much eventful and exciting, Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost are there. These two seasons, one is eventful and the other low key and not much event here. Also, the contrast between these two seasons is meaningful. We celebrated Pentecost last week, the day of the Holy Spirit, which inspired the disciples of Jesus, transformed them from just his disciples to the apostles, the dispatched ones who bare the authority of Jesus. In the Book of Acts of Apostles Chapter one, the resurrected Jesus promised them as “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Thanks to their apostolic works, Christian faith spread quickly all over the world just in a couple of centuries even to Asia. Holy Spirit was quite active and powerful to create the worldwide Christian Church, so the Pentecost is often called the Birthday of the Church. On Trinity Sunday and its Season, the Holy Spirit is working among us of course, but very different way. The real meaning of “Trinity” is rather unfamiliar to many of us, and “theological.” Theology is the theory for our faith and the Church. Through theological argument, we have to be explained what actually the Church is, how the Bible should be correctly interpreted and understood, and how do we systematically define our reality of the Christian Faith. Trinity is one of the theological explanations how our God should be understood. In its theory, God appears to us in three PERSONA in Latin, which means masks worn in the drama stage. The first persona is the Father in heaven, the second is the Son, is Jesus Christ, of course, and the last one is the Holy Spirit. Then these three PERSONA signifies One God. Three in One, it is said. At the middle age’s Catholic Church, one tricky question was asked to the prospective candidate for the future minister, Is Virgin Mary the Mother of Christ, or the Mother of God? How do you answer. The correct answer was the Mother of God, because Jesus Christ is the one persona of God, so understood at that time. Interesting but difficult to find the point, and we wonder “so what?” Where we can find vivid movement of the Holy Spirit in those “theological” discussion? However, the season of Trinity reminds us certain importance of these theological arguments. Why so, and what for? Yes, the work of the Holy Spirit is immensely powerful and inspiring, to recreate or reform our existences and nature. But it does not mean we will only live in the God’s world in heaven but in this earthly world with other people, where human theory, thinking and custom prevail. And the Bible says this our ordinary world is also created by God for us. We have to use our common understandings or reason of this world even when we speak of our Christian faith. And, the Church is the community of the human beings, which requires human rules and order, system and organization, as we can read from 1st Corinthian chapter 12. Through these structures, the Church functions well, and can carry out its mission to this World and our Society. Thinking these things, it is quite remarkable to read the Prophet Ezekiel’s story in chapter 37. After the destruction of the Israelite Kingdom in 6th century B.C., Prophet Ezekiel was forced to live in a remote country from his homeland. He was an exile. One day, God called him to invite to one place filled with the dead dry bones in a valley, and urge him to prophesize unto these dead corps. When he did it, then the Spirit of God blew over the valley and all the dry dead bones connected together with “a rattling sound,”(Ezekiel 37:8) covered with muscles, and skins, became a great band of the people. That miraculous experience gave Ezekiel the sure hope for the recovery of the Judean Community. Many of you have heard the Black American Spiritual, very comical song titled Dry Bones, which is taken from this Ezekiel 37’s story. The Phrase goes like below, you may sing together, Uh when y’ toe bone connecta to y’ foot bone, Y’ foot bone connecta to y’ heel bone, Y’ heel bone connecta to y’ ankle bone, Y’ ankle bone connecta to y’ leg bone, Y’ leg bone connecta to y’ knee bone, Y’ knee bone connecta to y’ thigh bone, Y’ thigh bone connecta to y’ hip bone, Y’ hip bone connecta to y’ back bone, Y’ back bone connecta to y’ shoulder bone, Y’ shoulder bone connecta to y’ neck bone, Y’ neck bone connecta to y’ head bone, Now hear the word of the Lord! It sings the work of the Holy Spirit quite remarkably, and all the bones were connected systematically and made the order of the human bodies. Human Organ, we may say. And into these human bodies, God blew his Spirit, as the day of the Creation of Human being in Genesis, “The Lord …breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2;7), ” and in Ezekiel Chapter 37, “they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.” (Ezekiel 37:10) so it is written. The power and the action of the Holy Spirit is crucial to our faith, as one PERSONA of God, and it should be acted on and realized through the Church order and its System. God works constructively or institutionally in our community through the Holy Spirit. Let us start our new Trinity Season to have full understandings of our Church Order and System, and our Faith as well, to find how the Holy Spirit is keep working among us. Let us pray. God, give us your wisdom and full understanding through our journey in this Trinity Season. And make our faith more clearly explained and well-conceived. and our role in our Christian Community System, also. Merciful Lord, guide us and encourage us every day of the Church’s half year to welcome this year’s Advent with a well-organized form of Kobe Union Church. In the name of our Lord, the servant to this world until the death of the Cross, Amen.
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Today is Pentecost Sunday. It is the day to mark the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus’ disciples whom He had called into apostleship. It comes 50 days after Resurrection Sunday and 10 days after Jesus ascended to heaven. In fact, in some Christian traditions, Easter doesn’t end on resurrection Sunday; it extends until Pentecost! So, Happy Pentecost Sunday.
But what was it like on that first Pentecost Day? Imagine the deafening sound of a mighty wind, a windstorm suddenly taking over your house, the very place you’re watching this from. So mighty is this sound that multitudes of people troop to the place you are to see what’s happening. It must have been that terrifying and totally unexpected to have drawn that many people there. This, is what happened on the day of Pentecost while the 12 disciples of Jesus, now apostles, [having coopted Mathias in place of Judas] together with the women who walked with Jesus and the other disciples in the bigger company (about 120 of them) had gathered together with one goal – to wait for this Holy Spirit. They did not know what form He was going to come in; they had no idea what to expect. They only knew one thing: Jesus said to wait for the promise of the Father, and they were waiting. When this mighty sound filled the place, divided tongues as of fire sat on each of them and the Holy Spirit filled them. The Holy Spirit took control of them. They were no longer themselves; they began to speak in languages that weren’t their own, praising God and proclaiming His works (Acts 2:11). But what was the purpose of this infilling of the Holy Spirit? Recall Jesus had said in Acts 1:8 that “but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.” Friends, the purpose of the Holy Spirit is to speak the word of God to all the earth – in our Jerusalem, in our Judea, in our Samaria, and in our every end of the earth. It is not surprising therefore that on that first Pentecost day, Peter, on behalf of the other apostles spoke God’s word to the multitudes who had been drawn to the place and three thousand souls were added to their number. That was when the church as we have it today was birthed. It is the church’s birthday today! That is why in many places in the book of Acts (which is the book that details the early life of the church) when the Holy Spirit is mentioned, there is a mention of speaking the word of God to accompany it (see for example: Acts 4:31 – “and when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness”). The purpose of being filled with the Holy Spirit is to witness, to testify, to say something about Jesus Christ. It’s not primarily for signs and wonders. On that day, there must have been people needing healing (and many did get healed afterwards from the apostles’ ministry) but when the Holy Spirit filled them and Peter rose up to speak, it wasn’t to perform or work miracles. It was to testify about the Lordship of Jesus and the salvation He offers; to preach repentance and the turning of the hearts of men towards God. And on this day as we mark Pentecost and talk about being filled with the Holy Spirit, God wants to remind us of the job He has given us as was contained in our scripture reading from 2nd Corinthians 5. He has asked us to be His ambassadors (vs. 20). An ambassador is a foreigner in his host country who represents the totality of his country of origin. The US ambassador to Japan is not a Japanese, but lives here in Japan and represents and talks up the US to the government and people of Japan. That is who we are. No wonder the Bible says we are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20 – “our citizenship is in heaven…”) but we are stationed here on earth to talk up our Jesus and our kingdom to our hosts here on earth. “In this world, but not of this world”. When we come to Christ as our savior, there is a transformation of our status – now citizens of heaven. We (the spirit being) are recreated – that’s why He says we are new creation (vs. 17) and He fills us with the Holy Spirit to go round asking people; begging them, to be reconciled to God; to get to God themselves. God has committed to us the word of reconciliation. That, is our job – every one of us; not only the pastors. In fact, the Bible says those who are called to be pastors like our Pastors Claudia, Chuck, Tabuchi and Akiko….and others called to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, etc. have a defined role...and it is not to reconcile people to God; they only do that in their capacity as Christians. As “people in ministry” as we may call them, their role is to prepare us to excel in reconciling people to God. In Eph 4: 11-12, Paul says “and He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”. They are to prepare us for the work of the ministry. “The ministry” suggests a defined object. Which ministry? The ministry of reconciliation! The service of bringing people into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Peter refers to the same thing using a different diction in Acts 6:4 – the ministry of the word. This is a daily commitment – always to be ready in season and out of season, looking for any and every opportunity to play our ambassadorial role. Since we need the Holy Spirit to perform this function, which doesn’t end until God calls time on us, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit at all times. Ed, popularly called magicEd, once did a children’s message where he demonstrated how by continuously filling a jar of vinegar and other liquids with fresh water, there gets a point where the contents of the jar become wholesome and easy to consume irrespective of the content of the jar previously. His point? By continually investing time in the Word, prayer, and other acts of edification, our old nature and its habits give way to a life that is always overflowing with the fruit of the Holy Spirit which we then pour out by fulfilling the ministry committed to us. So we are filled with the Holy Spirit, in order to pour out. We cannot pour out of an empty vessel. That is why the infilling of the Spirit is supposed to happen in our lives at all times. May today be the day we begin a journey of being constantly filled with the Holy Spirit, to pour out to others by reconciling them to God….and may the Church universal, rise up to its role being ambassadors for Christ on earth. Sermon: How to Walk with the Holy Spirit (Part 1) / Sunday, May 16, 2021 / Pastor Chuck Grafft5/15/2021 Hi brothers and sisters from Long Beach
So, this month and June we chose to make our theme "Walking with the Holy Spirit" which is arguably the core of the main message Kelly and I feel we carry and share with people and I’m excited to share at 2-3 messages on this topic! Salvation is key for people to get reconnected to God their creator and go to heaven- Receiving and being filled with the Holy Spirit is the key to powerful living and loving and bringing heaven to earth - to do all of the things we read we are supposed to do… But when in fact it's that ... we GET to do all these things! But without the power it really can be a burden and a duty- but with the power it's an adventure with God! Here's an example: A couple of days ago Kelly felt what we call a HS prompt or whisper to reach out to someone- we'll call her Pearla - Kelly texted her and Pearla was so happy to hear from her and called right back. She was staying with a mutual friend whom Kelly had also met at a Bible study Kelly ran at a rehab center. So, all 3 caught up and later that night Pearla called at 3 am in a panic. The other person had suddenly died. She called Kelly. Selah I won't give the whole story but - the following day we got a random piece of junk mail (show mail) - not ours- a total mistake- whose name was on it- this woman's- Pearla! And not an address even near our condo- (show map) I mean how do we process this kind of thing- BIG SELAH! we felt God saying, "you are key, God was clearly giving Kelly her name and saying press in." A couple days later as I asked God more about this I felt He said prioritize her in your busy daily life- those words. You might think the situation itself would warrant sustained attention but honestly, we know a lot of people in real trouble, and the days are full. Kelly called her later that day to check in - and of course mentioned the suspicious piece of mail -Pearla broke down. Only God could have made that happen. God was clearly saying - I'm here too. I can tell you this kind of stuff happens all the time for us and this is one aspect of walking with the HS and what I think we can all experience and why I love this topic! We believe this is supposed to be normal for us as Spirit filled Christians. The Bible tells us that the HS is our key relationship for our spiritual life- Jesus told his followers- wait, before you go out and change the world because you will need supernatural love and power which the HS gives In Acts 1 Jesus said: 5 For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized and empowered and united with the Holy Spirit, not long from now.” empowered and united – absorb that I think the two main challenges for this topic are: Increasing our Knowledge on the one hand - primarily from the Bible- and increasing our Experience with some practical steps- we all know how dry and lacking it feels to just get knowledge, but we also know how crazy things can get when one lacks knowledge to match their experience! (Show the balance scale and cards) So, if my objective is to help people with this key relationship I am often reminded of marriage. At the sermon lab we compared walking with the HS to marriage and other relationships- like could we actually make the HS our best friend? There are many ways to imagine the HS and images like the wind are not incorrect-it’s in the Bible! My concern is many people lack an added perspective which facilitates intimacy and a truly relational approach. Just like God can be that distant creator of the universe but can he also be daddy/ “abba” Just like Jesus offered a lot of analogies to help his followers- let me offer this one: I would say becoming a Christian is like getting married and the holy spirit could be called the physical part of the relationship. People can have physical relationships and not be married- just like people who are drawn to the new age and other very spiritual practices because - it has a reality that's appealing! The spiritual is like that as well- humans are wired for connection both physically and spiritually. And a non-spiritual relationship with God is not near as fun and exciting as it can be! And people can be married and not have a physical relationship. Just as people can be solid Christians and not be filled with and walking with the HS. We can’t make others wrong in this excitement. One of the weaknesses of many western countries is a basic lack of spirituality and people hunger for that- and when our churches don't offer that- we lose people who wander! In some parts of the world- like Africa- the spiritual realm is arguably as real as the physical - in those places it's not hard to encourage spiritual life- the challenge is to manage it and be sure it's HS guided! So, if this marriage example works, I feel people need permission to have and show true passion God--to have that in our relationship with him and in our spiritual walk. So, on the knowledge side its great if you google the Holy Spirit and just see all the potential! See what the Bible says Here are just a few of the HS benefits we can expect On a slide (Thanks Jack) so we don't get overwhelmed looking up each passage- but you can do that later. The Holy Spirit will: - teach you all things (John 14:26) - bring to your remembrance all that Jesus said (John 14:26) - Help you in your weakness (Romans 8:26) - intercede for you (Romans 8:26) - dwell with you and be in you! - you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you! Acts 1:8 Wow- okay, we could do a few classes (and might) just on all of these cool benefits, but this is key to know- we can have all this when filled with the Holy Spirit. But you won't likely ask for what you don't know about or that it’s there for you- which leads to Is there an extra step for receiving the HS apart from one's prayer for salvation? Ok, so here are a couple of the passages which lead people to think that: Acts 8:12-15 Here we read that the people of Samaria heard the good news of the gospel they believed and were baptized. THEN the church elders heard about this so they sent down Peter and John for one more thing- it reads: 14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that [the people of] Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 They came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; 16 for He had not yet fallen on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus [as His possession]. Or in Acts 19:1-6 Paul was able to help these people get all the details and the whole package- write this one down for later-homework! and maybe my favorite in this batch in Acts 10 where Peter is preaching Jesus and how to be saved (to these non-Jews!) and suddenly this happens: 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who were listening to the message [confirming God’s acceptance of Gentiles]. 45 All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. And what made them think that? 46 For they heard them talking in [unknown] tongues (languages) and exalting and magnifying and praising God. Then Peter said, 47 “Can anyone refuse water for these people to be baptized, since they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” Funny right- we have a plan we share like: Repent, Pray the sinner's prayer, get baptized and then receive the gift of the HS - but this!? I like to say this just goes to show there may not be JUST ONE right way and God is bigger than the boxes we want to make for all of this. Get humble and stay open! Okay, so this is all the time I have for today but hopefully this helps start your looking up all the passages in the Holy Spirit and building your knowledge and hunger! I am here today to tell you all the stuff we read in the book of acts Kelly and I -- and many others here at our little church have experienced - so good to know,fun to hear, and gives me of us boldness to share BUT Better if we can help YOU experience yourself! So, what I would like to do is pray with you for any who feel they be saved and sanctified by the blood of Jesus - amen! but perhaps they have never asked for this gift of the holy spirit and it's just as easy as the first step- by faith we ask- and what better passage to recall for this than Luke 11 9 “So I say to you, ask and keep on asking, and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking, and you will find; knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ..... skipping down to verse 11 11 What Father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you, then, being evil [that is, sinful by nature], know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!” So, let's ask. Next time I speak I will share with you "7 practical ways to walk with the Holy Spirit in everyday life " but for now let’s go ahead and ask and if you are not sure- just ask for more! I know some might stop to disagree on the when and how but when we look at Acts 4:31, we see there is more And when they had prayed, the place where they were meeting together was shaken [a sign of God’s presence]; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness and courage. Okay, lets pray. Sermon: “On Eagle’s Wings; God Carries Us” / Preacher: Rev. Claudia Genung-Yamamoto / Scripture: Deuteronomy 32:11/ May 9, 2021Happy Mother’s Day! Happy Festival of the Christian Home as it is called in some churches. There are many ways one can become a mother. One can be a mother by giving birth or by adopting a child or by becoming a foster parent. But there is another way. Anyone who has ever given birth to an idea or to a dream or to a new project can also be considered a mother. Using this definition, Rev. Toyohiko Kagawa, a well-known pastor, evangelist, author and activist who was born in 1888, was like a mother in that he started so many new ministries – a ministry to the poor, the planting of new churches, the first Tengokuya Café, starting the co-op, and so on. He had a dream, a vision of a new society where all people are equal and everyone helps one another. He started alone but he later, he married Haru-san. She helped Kagawa by caring for the children in the slum and would put eye drops in their eyes as so many suffered from trachoma. Because of the living conditions in the slum, she also lost sight in one of her eyes. Haru was his partner in his ministry. The Kagawa’s has three children of their own. They cared for others as a loving mother would. Also, using the other image I gave, they gave birth to many more projects that would benefit the poor. It is Toyohiko Kagawa’s name we remember but let’s not forget Haru and how she also helped him. There may have been “mothers’ in your life – people who have helped you on your way. People who have carried you. Maybe it was your own mother or someone else in your life. My mother, Ruby, who was born in Texas in 1922, was someone who encouraged me to do my best, to stand up for justice, to serve the church, and love God. She was a role model for me. Her love for me carried me up through seminary and after I became a pastor. Mother’s Day is celebrated all over the world in different ways. In the US, the original Mother’s Day was started in 1870 by Julia Ward Howe. She was active in the peace movement and the women's suffrage movement. She gave birth to the idea of Mother’s Day as a Day of Peace. When Anna Jarvis died in 1905, her daughter, also named Anna, vowed to honor her mother's anti- war proclamation by creating a national Mother's Day. In 1914, US Congress designated the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. When thinking about Mother’s Day, I can’t also but think of images of God as mother. However, the Bible has many images for God. The one I choose for today is one my favorites and I have many favorites. But I choose this one for today from Deuteronomy 32:11 “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them, and carries them. “ Here are some other scriptures with the image of God as an eagle. Psalm 91:4 God will cover you with God’s feathers, and under God’s wings you will find refuge; God’s faithfulness will be your shield. Exodus 19:4 You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. The images of God as a mother eagle can also be found in the books of Exodus, Job, and Revelation and in Deuteronomy along with other images of God in other parts of the Bible. Something interesting about eagles though is that both male and female eagles care for their young. One of the most intriguing things about eagles is how they teach their young to fly. Here is what happens. When the time is right---when the mother eagle, who is generally stronger and larger than her mate decides it is time for her baby eagle (eaglet) to fly, she takes her baby on her wings, and flies high into the sky. Suddenly she swoops sharply downward, forcing the baby eagle into solo flight. The baby eagle starts flying but is still learning so goes fluttering down. But then the mother swoops up from underneath, and catches the bay eagle on her wings. Then she carries her baby high into the sky again and they try again and again until baby eagle gets it and is flying on its own. God, our scripture says, is like a mother eagle who nurtures us, when we are weak, but always aims at the goal of our independence, maturity, and strength. God carries us when we need to be carried and watches over us. In a moment Pastor Chuck will share his message and his own special image of God and after he finishes, you will hear a story from Olivia about her mother in Jamaica and Olivia’s her leap of faith in trusting her mom to keep her from falling. We need to trust God. God will not let us fall. There are many challenges in our lives, but God catches us. God teaches us. God helps us to grow. God wants us to grow up spiritually, that we might stand in real relationship with God, growing daily in the likeness of the One in whose image we are made. You will hear more about the image we are made in from Pastor Chuck as well. Our God has no desire to keep us in the nest. Our God is bent on pushing us out of the nest on the spiritual questing that results in human growth. God stays with us though and does not ever leave us. Deuteronomy’s portrait of God as a mother eagle comes in the context of reminding the Hebrews how God had liberated them from slavery in Egypt, and carried them forward toward self-determination in their own land. God carries us in times of trouble as well. As I think about this text, my thoughts go back to my own mother and how her prayers carried me. she raised her four children with the goal of helping us to become independent. My mother died at the age of 81 in 2003 and I do miss her and my father. But I carry within me some of the strength that my mother gave me and more than anyone else in this world, my mother taught me what the love of God is like. The love of God is determined, just as the love of the mother eagle’s is. It pushes and prods each of us to mature and grow. It promises that, as we do, strong wings will bear us up, again and again. That is a mother’s love. That is God’s love. Amen. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mothers’ Day Reflection / By Pastor Chuck / Passage: Genesis 1:26-27 (Amplified) / 05-09 -21Passage:
Genesis 1:26-27 Amplified 26 Then God said, “Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. ------------------------- Hi KUC family and friends First, this is not a sermon. I wanted to share a moment I had with the Holy Spirit the other day and I hope it encourages you to deepen your relationship with God by how you see him and how you approach him. Yes- HIM- hmmmm, that IS the traditional view of God and he is our father, and we know that's Biblical but...the other day I was just laying down for what is one of my best connect times with God each day- it’s not my Bible Reading which is great and fun with our new One Year Bible program on Saturdays- I suggest you check this out! No, this time is some of my best prayer time but for many it may sound different. I lay down and close my eyes and mostly listen- I will sort of shift gears and let my spirit be in control and let my mind and body take a rest- I often get ideas or people's names or images of things and I feel that most of these things are some forms of the Holy Spirit sharing with me` - and I do take notes but try not to mess up the flow! So, a week or so ago I had this sense of revelation- I had been thinking about a sermon I plan to give in the near future on my brother- and how much I look up to him and how close I feel we have become in recent years- but you may wonder if you know I have no biological brother! - Right, I have recently been drawn by the passages and image of Jesus as my brother: like Hebrews 2:11 Both Jesus who sanctifies and those who are sanctified [that is, spiritually transformed, made holy, and set apart for God’s purpose] are all from one Father; for this reason, He is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, So, hopefully this does not mess up your theology and let me share more on this later, but I suddenly felt like I had a new idea- to me anyway- it felt new- so God is my father, and we could say Jesus is my older brother...might the Holy Spirit be like…. my mom! That cracked me up because it felt like this amazing idea and revelation but then immediately like that's not really that amazing or unique, so I kept praying and meditating on this and I was taken back to this passage from Genesis 1 Here it is in my fav translation, the amplified: Genesis 1:26-27 26 Then God said, “Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. So, I hope this clicks for you as it did for me- God wanted to make people like HIM/THEM so he/they made them male and female so...if male and female and,” like God”- why do we say all 3 of the trinity are all male? At least we should ask…. I mean we all sort of know that God is actually neither male nor female but- I challenge you to ask yourself: How do you approach God in prayer? I would say How close you and others FEEL to God depends a lot on how you IMAGINE HIM or...dare I say it...her! So, just to conclude and probably really mess up a bunch of you- A few years ago, it occurred to me that my image of God – how I chose to picture him matters and could be cultivated- and if so- whom would I intentionally picture I tried to think of the kindest, most loving, wisest, best version of a human I could think of- ok – then…THAT should be the way I imagine God – unless he directs otherwise I felt that the old white man with the beard -which is the picture most of us grew up with - made me nervous and definitely not like sharing! I like how Jesus kept giving us stories and examples to try to understand God and the Kingdom of God with familiar daily scenes which now unfortunately are often not as easily understood but he was taking these kinds of liberties to help people So, when I sit and try to picture...who best FEELS like all the attributes of God I have ever known or seen…. I got it- I had an image and have kept it for years- it works for me and it is… A Black grandmother- big and dark and warm and sensitive but also strong and sure and wise in ways that just mess us up in her seeming simplicity and yet depth. So, the other day I suddenly felt like - YEA, “in their image” God made mankind---- in their image: male AND FEMALE! It was okay for me to imagine - for greater closeness- to be more open- to love more freely- to imagine the Holy Spirit as this black grandmother or as a mom whom I call every day and visit as often as I can I hope you will meditate on this and just ask God- is it okay to imagine and see God with new eyes - see if it helps you- if not, never mind ok! Ok- so I just wanted to share this with you- as we start the month of May and our theme of “Walking with the Holy spirit” and if you smile like me and feel your guard go down imagining an older large black woman on a porch saying: “Honey come on up, sit down and let's talk.” But first she gives you one of the best hugs you’ve ever had, and you relax and cry a little, for no reason, other than it feels so good to be loved and you feel so loved. Ok, lets pray.... Sermon: “Their Eyes Were Opened” / Scripture: Luke 24:13-35 / Rev. Claudia Genung / 05-02-20215/1/2021 Of all the appearances of the risen Christ, this one about the Walk to Emmaus is my personal favorite. There were other appearances –Christ revealed who he was to Mary in the garden. He showed Himself to the disciples and to Thomas, and to Peter and to John beside the Sea of Galilee. But this meeting on the Emmaus road, with the living Savior, is powerful and touches my heart. Something else interesting is that Luke is the only one of the four gospel writers to include this story. Luke only chose to record two post Resurrection appearances of Jesus and the Emmaus Road experience is one of them. However, Luke may have thought this post resurrection story was a story that would encourage our faith. It is indeed true that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is central to our faith. Paul puts it like this: “..if Christ has not been raised from the dead, your faith is futile” (I Cor. 15: 17) Yet, have you ever been surprised how little space all four Gospel writers give the post Resurrection appearances of Jesus? Matthew just has one Chapter out of 28, Mark devotes one Chapter out of 16, Luke - only one chapter out of 24, John devotes two Chapters out of 21. In Luke was Jesus’ appearance to the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35) and the other (Lk 36-49) is when Cleopas and his friend go directly back the seven miles (about 11 Kilometers) from Emmaus to Jerusalem and tell the other disciples what has happened and while talking, Jesus appeared in the room where they were meeting. We know from Paul, that there were at least 514 men – not counting the women such as Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, saw the risen Lord. (see 1 Cor. 15:3-8). The Emmaus story can also be for us both a literal and a spiritual journey. It tells the story of two disciples who, after the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord, walk from Jerusalem to their village of Emmaus. But it also outlines for us the journey that we all take from not recognizing Jesus, to understanding what the Scripture says about Jesus, to recognizing Jesus for who He is, and finally to our giving witness of what we have experienced. There is even more. As our CEN (Christian Education and Nurture) Ministry Team leader Meg often says, let’s take “a deep dive” into this passage. So we have here before us two grieving disciples and they most likely felt their faith and future were shattered. It is hard to imagine their feelings but there may have been a time in your life you felt this way, too, about your own future and even questioned God. The disciples could have been feeling that God had somehow abandoned them. They may have lost hope. In times of disappointment or discouragement, perhaps over the loss of a loved one, we need faith in God to give us hope and meaning in our lives. This is when we need our faith community. We need prayer, we need to read God’s Word and allow God’s Holy Spirit to pull us through. For some people this will happen easier than it will for others. At times, our faith may waiver. However, believing what we do not see is faith. And through faith, the reward we get is to ultimately see what we have been believing. Let’s get back to the story. The disciples are walking with their weary bodies and empty spirits. Jesus has died. He was the one everyone thought would save them and redeem Israel. What the disciples are experiencing since crucifixion is called “moral injury.” They feel grief, shame, sorrow and maybe even PTSD. Let’s now try to imagine ourselves in the story as this is another way to delve deeper into scripture. (If it helps, for those watching, close your eyes now to imagine yourself in the story.) Let’s say you are on this dusty road as the unknown companion of Cleopas. What time of day is it? What is the weather like? Is the sun beating down on your back or is it a bit chilly? What are the smells on that road? Do you see plants growing on the side of the road? What are the sounds you hear? How does your body feel? Are there tears in your eyes from the dust? Or, are they from grief? Cleopas and you have heard reports about Jesus being alive again after being crucified and are wondering if is true or not? You don’t know for sure. But then you’re joined by a stranger. You feel like you should know who it is. There is something familiar about this person but you just don’t seem to remember. The stranger begins chatting to the two of you and, incredibly, he says he has no idea what has happened! So, you recount the whole story to him of what has happened as you share your grief. Cleopas and you say these words found in verse 21, “ but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. “ ( Luke 24:21 ). “We had hoped” are words weighed down by hopelessness and your grief keeps you from recognizing Christ. Then, the stranger starts talking about the Hebrew Scriptures and begins to explain that it was necessary according to the prophets for Jesus to die on the cross. The stranger also explains the meaning of many more Scriptures. The stranger says to remember the stories about how God has worked in the past – how he has worked through the sufferings of people like Moses, the prophets and the suffering servant of Isaiah. “Hasn’t God brought victory and redemption through that suffering?” the stranger asks. The stranger, who is Jesus of course, also says something else : “O foolish men, and slow of heart to trust and believe in everything that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25) It seems rather harsh! In our sermon lab last Saturday, one of the participants mentioned that Jesus was being very real and very frank with them in calling them foolish. Jesus may even had been a tad annoyed with Cleopas and the other disciple, (which, by the way, is still you), for not getting it! Did Jesus, in his discussion of Moses and the prophets on the road to Emmaus, remind the disciples of what Moses’ said and what is written in (Deuteronomy 30:14 that “the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.” As the stranger talks, something powerful happens inside Cleopas and, if you can still imagine again being there with Jesus, you feel your heart beginning to get strangely warm. In fact, it starts burning! But you cannot articulate why as of yet. He says some more things and only you know what they are and these words touch your heart and you feel the fire within you. It’s dusk so it is time to find food and shelter for the evening. Following the custom of the day, Cleopas invites the stranger to eat together and to spend the night. You find lodging and everyone sits down to eat. That’s when something peculiar happens! The guest becomes the host! The stranger takes bread and blesses it. He then breaks it and shares it - just as we break bread at Communion and just as Jesus had broken bread with his disciples for. It is at that moment “their eyes were opened and they recognized him.” All because of the bread, the Word and the One who is present in them. Jesus was not a stranger anymore. In our sermon lab last Saturday, one of our participants said Verses 30 and 31 stands out because it emphasizes the Spirit of serving at all times. The disciples never recognized him until Jesus began to serve them. As Christians, our lifestyle and service, to a large extent, draws people closer to God when we serve one another. Another participant in sermon lab pointed out that we may not recognize Jesus until we show hospitality and love to our neighbor, whoever that neighbor may be. When their “eyes were opened,” they saw the risen Lord. Jesus was with them. When our “eyes are opened” we see Jesus but we do not stop there. We see the needs around us. When our “eyes are opened” there is no going back. We cannot close our eyes to the pain of the world. Rev. Toyohiko Kagawa was born in 1881. He was a pastor who felt the needs of the world and did something about it. His heart burned with love for the poor and the oppressed. The Holy Spirit moved him to see the needs of others so he moved from seminary into a slum in Kobe at the age of 21. He served the poor by preaching, starting clinics, organizing unions, teaching children, helping farmers in later years by starting the co-op and wrote many books. He served with all his heart and soul. Google him. You will find much more. Rev. Kagawa in the slum with children Rev. Toyohiko Kagawa opened the eyes of the society back then to God’s love and how we can transform society. He spoke about God’s love and how we translate that love into action to “clear our own corner of creation.” His life is an inspiration for us even today. Those of you watching this service in Kobe can go to the Kagawa Memorial Center in Sannomiya where there is a museum that features his life and ministry. Please go if you have the chance and get inspired! We are all God’s people – forgiven, renewed, fed by Word and Sacrament and sent into the world to proclaim and live the news! In fact, we are the church! Pastor Chuck has often said to us, “Be the Church!” We are the people who are called, the people gathered around the Word and Sacrament. We are the people who are sent into the world opening our eyes to the world around us. We are people guided by the Holy Spirit. We are walking into the world with Jesus Christ who has opened our eyes and our hearts. Amen |
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