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Sermon for Proper 14A, track 2 (RCL)August 9, 2020“Jesus came to them”St. George’s Episcopal ChurchThe Rev. Robert G. EatonInterim RectorThere are plenty of words of comfort, and even comfort in power, that have greeted our ears today in the lections for this – can you believe it – this 10th Sunday after the Feast of Pentecost. Where has the time gone! And more importantly, when will all this COVID-19 virus be gone? Our ears have become sensitive to words of hope and comfort. Today, we have even heard words not out of Jesus’ mouth, but certainly about the Truth of Jesus’ action toward us, and even our ministry towards others.Lord, let your word only be spoken, and your word only be heard. Amen.The Rev. Dr. Robert Sims, at that time pastor of Redeemer Lutheran, Atlanta, reminded me in a sermon almost 25 years ago of a very compelling word of comfort from the story of Jesus Walking on the Water in the midst of that storm. I’ll get to that word in a moment. But to preface his sermon he told the story of a young mother who was toy shopping in a store dedicated to toys of every shape, size, style, and purpose.She had one particular toy in her hands and was examining it, obviously questioning the toy’s stimulating or playful value. Finally, she turned to the salesman and said, "Sir, don't you think this toy is a bit complicated for a little child?" The clerk answered: "Madam, this is an educational toy. It is designed to help the child adjust to living in today's world. No matter how the child puts the toy together it is always wrong."Pastor Sims then asked the obvious application question, “Do you ever have the feeling that your life is like that educational toy?”As in, no matter how you try to put the parts together it always comes out wrong. There are plenty of things that happen in our lives that JUST go wrong, and it may have nothing to do with whatever we might have done, or didn’t do. Car radiator hoses can spring a leak, even when you are trying to deliver food to somebody housebound, you might trip while walking on the cement sidewalk, even while you are on your way to visit someone in the hospital, and of course, you know, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, kind of thing. And as you know, there will always be someone in your life who will also say the obvious judgement, “You should have changed the hose.” “You need to pick up your feet when you walk.” “You shouldn’t have been there.” All those may or may not be the case, you see. One thing’s for sure, they are not particularly Comforting words. We might even categorize Jesus’ words to Peter as not comforting, “Oh ye of little faith; why did you doubt?” Hunh? Can’t you hear the turnaround blame? If you allowed me to come to you, why did you let me start to sink! At least the word was instructive (and Peter did learn to be an incredibly faith-filled disciple of Jesus Christ, did he not!).Surely that thought that “no matter what you do you, you will always get it wrong” must have been the case with all of the 12 disciples, all at once, as in the gospel lesson for this day. Back on land, after a long day of teaching and healing, Jesus took them aside and told them to get into the boat and cross the sea. He intended to join them later. And so, as obedient followers of Jesus, they set sail. At first everything was fine but then darkness came, the wind began to howl, the waves hammered against the boat and they were terrified. Hey, we’re following Jesus! Why is this happening? What went wrong?!At this point in the story, somebody is looking for something comforting – a word, an action, anything.Let’s see what words we did hear in the scripture today. Starting with the Elijah story:Arise and eat (well, that’s always a good response in the midst of fearful things, eh?)And he ate and drank and on the strength of that food walked 40 days (comforting to know you can last that long in case you are out of food)Yet I will leave 7000 faithful in Israel (that is, you are not alone)And then to Paul:The word is near you, in your heart and on your lips (God is near you!)If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart He is risen from the dead, you will be saved. (what great eternal assurance)For those in the know, these comforting words back then, “There is no distinction between the Jew and Greek. For “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” (that’s good news)And how comforting that “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!” (I do try to preach good news, so my feet personally are comforted!)And what comfort to all those disciples in the boat, when everything seemed to be coming out wrong! And they thought the storm is bad enough, but now even worse, “It’s a ghost!”, But it is the voice of JESUS reassuring them and saying, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.”Then, strangely comforting words to Peter after Jesus saved him from drowning, Jesus said, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”I know, you’re wondering, Fr. Rob, that’s a stretch. How those are comforting words, I don’t’ get it? I’ll tell you why. They are comforting because they are words that could still be heard by Peter alive. He thought as he sank he was a goner. And if he had been, he would never have heard the words of Jesus, or of anyone else on earth again. ANY words he could hear at that moment would be comforting.Perspective is powerful, isn’t it?It’s perspective jokes and riddles and stories that I love the most.Like this one, How many pyschologists does it take to change a lightbulb?”And the answer is, “Only one. But the lightbulb really has to want to change.” Seriously, though, from a man who knew difficult calls, as he became campus minister at Ohio State University, just five months after four students were killed at Kent State University, 80 miles away, Pastor Roger Van Harn, summarized this Jesus and Peter detail in this way: “Those of us who live in more polite societies and therefore neither give nor receive rebukes easily may be inclined to wonder why Jesus could not have found something to praise in Peter for his noble effort. But this (smaller) part of the story is not about cultivating self-esteem; it is about the grace of the Son of God who saved a disciple from death before his faith could qualify him for anything. Jesus’ rebuke told the truth in love and gave Peter yet another lesson in discipleship. (The Lectionary Commentary (Eerdmans, NY: 2001) p.89)Now like the one word I put into the mouth of Pastor Van Harn - this SMALLER part of the story - there is another comforting word from this gospel story which defines, but it is not out of the mouth of Jesus. However, it is out of the Word of God in telling the story.Like Pastor Sims preached, “They were alone and afraid in the darkness of the night adrift on a bottomless sea... and then Jesus came.” There it is, that comforting word. To use a negative word image from the story to make a strong positive statement, let that thought sink in for a moment. Everything was wrong... and, then, sometime between 3am and 6am, … what happened? He came to them. Jesus came to them. Do you hear these four words? Do you hear the power in their comfort?These four words divide life and death, ease and dis-ease, function and dysfunction, judgement from eternity. With these words God draws a line in the sand of every soul... and then Jesus came. These four words can be applied to every story, every testimony, every healing, every witness to the risen Jesus and conversion within the New Testament, and frankly, the Old Testament messianic hope. The lepers gathered on the side of the road. They had been cast out by their families, abandoned by their friends. Alone they cried out in their pain... and then Jesus came. The demoniac, a man possessed by an evil spirit, raging out of his control, agonizing in his tortured mind... and then Jesus came. The disciples gathered in the upper room hiding behind locked doors for fear of the Jews... and then Jesus came.Do you hear the power? Do you hear the story of life being told today as we heard from our fellow St Georgians in their Easter season testimonies? Do you hear what’s being said? It is the story of your life being told. Or could be if you let him come to you now.You know, perhaps the details are not the same but the essentials are there. It's the story of your life, your struggle, your hurt, your fear, your anxiety, your pain. It's all there. And so can He be.Imagine the millions and millions of lives across the centuries which tell the story of pain that suddenly went away, of wrong that was suddenly made right, of the blind that could suddenly see, of the deaf who could hear, of the lame who could walk, of the lepers who were cleansed, of the poor who had good news preached to them. Hear the story and know that the bottom line of every single one is spoken in the four words...and then Jesus came.That being the case, this story is as much about your salvation in Christ, and those moments when you can testify to having seen or known that the risen Lord Jesus had come to you. And if you haven’t, yet, then it is time for you to get out of the perceived safety of a boat in a storm and come to Jesus, just as He has come to you. Friends, as much as we wish we could do SOMEthing about the storms that circle us right now, this IS the time and you DO have to do something about any semblance of being arm’s length from the risen Jesus Christ. You can't sit there in the boat forever. Why? Because the safe place is not in the boat. The safe place is on the sea. Why? Because that's where Jesus is and where Jesus is, life is.Those are downright, powerful, comforting words. And Jesus came to them. To you. Where Jesus is, life is. Now here is an interesting part of virtually every witness to the risen Jesus and the resulting testimony. The basis is this, that because you have come to Jesus, and His spirit lives within you, wherever you are, so is Jesus. You are not Jesus, you give testimony to him. But his spirit, the Holy Spirit, dwells within you, so that you are a walking ambassador of Christ, literally.And this is why so many testimonies that include tales of woe, and demise, and despair, and depression, and confusion, and addiction, and endless questioning, and travail, and grief, and hurt and pain and abuse and trampling and hopeless illness, even lesser hurts and pains, will also include how someone – some in-the- flesh Christian person – came into their moment and season of agony. And that person, somehow, intentionally or unintentionally, spoke words of comfort, or prayed, and it was like Jesus had just stepped into your life and placed you in the Father’s arms. And it was so POWER-ful a moment of comfort that you have never forgotten.Two examples from the New Testament, Saul, defender of the Jewish faith, was on the road to Damascus to imprison Messianic Jews, and then came Jesus. Saul was knocked from his horse and left blind. And then a double blessing, because then came Ananias to bring healing and the offer of salvation through baptism, and the power of the Spirit. This same Saul, later to use his Roman name, Paul, is the one who wrote today’s words, “How will they know, if there is no one to tell them?”And the beggar who couldn’t walk. And then came Peter and John, claiming the power of Jesus, and he was healed -- because Peter knew Jesus was there. In fact, it is quite comforting to know that Peter himself was often the man who comes into the story of God’s power released into someone’s life, or many people’s lives at once. But then as I said, Peter learned the lesson of faith.This is actually where you all who have already known that Jesus came to you in whatever situation you were in, and your testimony gives witness to it, where you all get out of the boat and walk in faith bearing the risen Christ, to bring him into the lives of others. An outrageous word of faith and comfort at the bell pepper stand in a grocery store, a prayer for God’s grace and healing after Church, a phone call prompted by the Holy Spirit in you late on a Tuesday, and you are the divine appointment for that person to still have hope. He may come in a brilliant vision and in power; most of the time our testimonies are of some follower of Jesus here on this earth, who can be said to have “then showed up.” But the words of the Gospellor in today’s story are rock-solid faithful promise of God, “I will come to you.”In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. ................
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