Jesus as Friend

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Jesus as Friend
Series: Meeting Jesus Again - Part 1
2023 - A Lenten Journey

John 15:15; Matthew 9:9-12, 11:19

(based on the book Freeing Jesus, by Diana Butler Bass)

I don’t call you servants any longer, because servants don’t know what their master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because everything I heard from my Father I have made known to you.

John 15:15 (CEB)

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

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What comes to mind when you think of a friend?  Do you make friends easily or do you find yourself relatively isolated?  Do you feel accepted, included and truly loved among your friend circle, or do you generally find yourself surrounded by acquaintances, colleagues or others who may not really know you for who you are?  No matter how many friends you have, how often do you feel lonely?

For years, loneliness has been a growing epidemic in American culture.  Consider just a few statistics below from the Barna Research Group (www.barna.com/research/friends-loneliness):

In 2018, a study from health insurer Cigna found that most Americans report feeling lonely, left out and not known. This research mirrors a host of other reports and commentary on the increasing isolation of Americans.

The majority of adults has anywhere between two and five close friends (62%), but one in five regularly or often feels lonely. 

The interactions Americans have with their neighbors (those who live within easy walking distance)—which happen either weekly (39%) or daily (28%)—are usually friendly but consist mostly of a brief greeting with very little interaction otherwise (37%).

Given our cultural tendency toward individualism, isolation, lack of trust and vulnerability, overfilled schedules, fear of rejection, and countless other factors that play into our limited friendships, it may be difficult to relate when we hear Jesus calling his disciples “friends.”

Jesus, after all, is in heaven, sitting at the right hand of the Father, just like we say in our Creed every Sunday.  We know a lot about him from the Bible or from our childhood Sunday School teachers, but do we really know him.  If we’re honest, sometimes it may feel like he’s just too far away to be called a “friend.”

Religious leaders often mocked Jesus for being a “friend of sinners” (Matt 11:19).  In other words, Jesus was one of those people who hung out in “the wrong friend circles.”  I’m sure we’ve all met someone like that.  At first we thought maybe they could be a good friend, but then we found out who they hung out with, or something they believed that we didn’t like, or they’re affiliated with the wrong political party, the wrong religion, or any other number of groups we would prefer to stay away from.  Is it possible that if Jesus were still on earth, we might avoid him too, if for no other reason than we didn’t want to be associated with his friends?

Reflect this week on what friendship really means to you.  Try talking to Jesus as a friend.  Hang out with the kind of people Jesus hung out with.  Ask others about their friendships and why they would or would not consider Jesus a close friend.  Really listen to their stories. 

Deep down, what emotions come up when you think of Jesus as friend? 

What do you hear Jesus, your friend, saying to you?

Come and SeeJ

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Come and See
Series: Called - Part 1
John 1:35-52

When Jesus turned and saw them following, he asked, “What are you looking for?”
They said, “Rabbi (which is translated Teacher), where are you staying?”

He replied, “Come and see.”

John 1:38-39a (CEB)

Nathanael responded, “Can anything from Nazareth be good?”

Philip said, “Come and see.”

John 1:46 (CEB)

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Listen to this week’s sermon here:

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In her book, “Inspired”, the late Rachel Held Evans describes her earliest memories of Jesus. She, like many of us, learned to pray around the dinner table. “Thank you Jesus for my mommy and daddy, my sister and my food.” “The first thing I knew about Jesus,” she says, “ is that he was responsible for the existence of my parents, my sister, me, and my food. That seemed like good enough news for me.”

When asked as a teenager to share how she “came to Jesus,” she responded with confusion. There had never been a time in her life when she did not know Jesus, but she never “came to him.” Rather, Jesus had always come to her. Jesus had simply “always been there.”

We spend a lot of time and energy in churches trying to figure out the latest and greatest strategies to get more members and more money in the offering plate. On the whole, the church has become quite proficient at mass producing Vacation Bible Schools, Community Meals, polished worship services, and countless other programs and events in hopes to “draw people in.” We try hard to be “seeker sensitive.” There’s only one problem. There are fewer and fewer “seekers” to be sensitive too. People are not looking for a church. They have no need for church, no matter how impressive it’s programs and ministries, or at least that’s the general perception for so many valid reasons.

Somewhere along the way, in our desperation to “get back to the good old days” when church stood at the center of our community, we have lost our ability to introduce people to what they really need… the Good News of Jesus. Yes, people may meet Jesus in church, but more often than not, Jesus did not meet people in the synagogues or at the temple. He met them in the marketplace, at their jobs, in their homes, on the streets, in the leper colony, among the sick, at funerals, at weddings and parties and feasts.

What if the church itself has become our idol? Just like the golden calf, church has come to function like a mediator between us and God so we don’t have to climb the mountain in the cloud of thunder and lightning where God’s Holy Presence may consume us. Instead, we are content to sit at the base of the mountain saying, “This church is the god who brought you out of Egypt.” So long as we are in the church, we feel comfortable and safe. We have “come to Jesus” by building walls between us and the rest of the world. We want to leave each Sunday morning feeling good about ourselves, having been encouraged and inspired in worship, but not challenged or convicted. We want just enough of “Jesus” to fill up our Spiritual gas tank for the week, but we are not overly comfortable with the thought that he might just walk out the door with us. Like the imaginary ghosts in Disney’s Haunted Mansion, Jesus may just follow you home, or to the restaurant or the bar, or to work, or anywhere else you may go.

In John 1:46, Nathaniel wonders, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” In truth, there are many people in our world to day who might ask us, “Can anything good come from the church?”

Philip did not reply by inviting Nathaniel to Nazareth. He didn’t talk about how great the town was, about all the hidden gems there that nobody noticed. He didn’t tell him about all the great meals and fellowship opportunities or the amazing entertainment that was available. Nazareth was not the point. Philip didn’t need to defend the goodness of Nazareth. He wanted Nathaniel to meet Jesus.

What would it look like if we stopped trying to defend and promote our churches and instead just invited people to meet Jesus? They may come to your church or they may not, but in the end, attending a service or an event at church is not the point. The Good News is not that the church came into the world. The Good News is that God came into the world, wrapped in flesh, to dwell among us.

When we invite people to “Come and see,”, what exactly are we inviting them to? Do we want them to come see our beautiful sanctuary, our inspiring choir, our brilliant Sunday school teacher, our new preacher, or our favorite potluck recipes? Or might we simply invite them to Jesus.

“Can anything good come out of church?”

I don’t know. God can make beautiful things out of the dust, so surely he can bring something good out of Nazareth or the church. But that’s not the point. It’s not about Nazareth. It’s not about the church.

It’s about Jesus. Come and see him for yourself. Come and see the God who has stepped out of heaven to find you.

Come and see.

The Holiday Jesus Celebrated

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The Holiday Jesus Celebrated
Series: Happy Holy Days - Part 3
John 10:22-23; Isaiah 52:7-15; 2 Maccabees 10:1-6

The time came for the Festival of Dedication in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple, walking in the covered porch named for Solomon.

John 10:22-23 (CEB)

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

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They cleansed the temple and made another altar. Then they struck flints to make fire and they offered up sacrifices after a lapse of two years, and they prepared incense, lamps, and the sacred loaves.  After they had done these things, they bowed to the ground and pleaded with the Lord that they would not experience such misfortunes again, but if they should ever sin, they would be disciplined by him with fairness and not turned over to slanderous and barbaric nations.   On the anniversary of the temple’s defilement by foreigners, on that very day, the sanctuary was purified, on the twenty-fifth of the month, which is Kislev.  They celebrated eight days with cheer in a manner like the Festival of Booths...

2 Maccabees 10:1-6 (Apocrypha)

The festival we read about above in the account of the Maccabees is known today as Hannukah.  Before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Jerusalem had been taken over by the Greek Empire under Antiochus IV.  He had murdered the high priest along with 40,000 inhabitants of Jerusalem, banned all sacrifices, Sabbath observances and feast days at the temple, and dedicated the temple to Zeus.  His greatest act of desecration and defilement occurred in 168 BC when he slaughtered a pig on the sacrificial altar.  Antiochus IV had one end in mind, the complete annihilation of the Jewish people, which every empire before him had seemingly failed to accomplish.

In response to this desecration, a priestly family called the Maccabees led a multi-year uprising.  This small group of zealots accomplished the impossible by taking back the temple and overcoming the Greek occupation.  When they restored the temple, they purified it and relit the sacred candles.  The legend is told that they only had enough oil for one day, but the lights continued burning for 8 days until replacement fuel could arrive.  Whether the miracle of the oil is factual or not, the miracle of the Jewish victory over those who had desecrated their temple is firmly established in history. 

In the Jewish calendar, Hannukah is a relatively minor holiday, though it has gained cultural prominence in part due to it’s proximity to so many other winter holidays, and especially Christmas.  As Christians, we must never forget that without Hannukah, there is no Christmas.  Without the miraculous victory of this small band of faithful Jews, there would have been no Jews to carry on David’s line.  Without the Maccabean victory and the rededication of the temple, there is no Zechariah and Elizabeth, no Mary or Joseph, no John the Baptizer, and no Jesus.

Years later when Jesus steps into the temple during the Festival of Dedication, the people question his identity.  “I have told you,” he says,” but you don’t believe, because you don’t belong to my sheep.  My sheep listen to my voice.  I know them and they follow me.  I give them eternal life… I and the Father are one.” (John 10:25-30). 

In some ways, Jesus is rededicating the temple to the people of God rather than those who have allied themselves with the current Roman occupation.  While Christmas often gets lost under the cultural trappings of the season, may Hannukah invite us once again purify and rededicate our own lives to God in the midst of a world that is still not our own.

The Eternal Dance

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The Eternal Dance
Trinity Sunday
Sunday, June 12, 2022
John 16:12-16

“I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t handle them now. But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won’t draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said.”

John 16:12-13 (The Message)

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

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Why does the Trinity matter?  Who cares if God is three or one or one-hundred?  Why have we spent thousands of years of church history struggling to figure this out.  God is God! Isn't that enough?

We cannot understand the Three-One God rationally, but the Trinity shows us that for all eternity, God is a relational being and exists forever in a state of perfect love and harmony among Father, Son, and Spirit.  When John writes that "God is love," he is not speaking in the abstract.  God truly exists in a relationship of perfect love.

Here are just a few implications:

• Creation:  Humanity was created because love naturally seeks to reproduce itself, to love more persons and also to be loved by them.  This is a core reason why human parents desire to have children, despite the physical and emotional pain they know will result.

• Relationships: It explains why humans desire relationship and why as God says, "It is not good for man to be alone" (Genesis 2:18).  If we are made in the Divine Image, than our need for relationship is part of the image of God.

• Sin & Evil: It explains the existence of sin and evil.  God did not arbitrarily choose to give us free will so that we would rebel and unleash thousands upon thousands of years of destruction upon his creation.  Rather, because God is love and created us in the Divine image to be in a loving relationship with Father, Son and Spirit and with one another, God could not have created us without the freedom to choose.  Love is not truly love if it is forced.  If you knew your spouse or your parents or your children could not possibly choose to reject you, would you really believe their love was real?  Their love for you is defined by the fact that they choose to love you, and your love for them is also love freely given.

• Salvation: It explains the nature of salvation, because Jesus said that we should abide in him or be one with him as he is one with the Father (John 14:9-12, 15:1-11 ;17:21-22).  God's entire purpose in redemption is to restore us to the perfect harmonious relationship we shared with Father, Son and Spirit in the Garden of Eden.

The Trinity is not a math problem to solve.  The Three-One God is a dance to be danced, a song to be heard and sung and played, a masterpiece of beauty to be enjoyed, a life to be lived and a love to be loved. 

We may not ever fully understand it, but the Three-One God is inviting each of us to join the Eternal Dance.  Will you accept God’s invitation?

When the Rooster Crows

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When the Rooster Crows
I Have Seen - Part 3
Sunday, May 1, 2022
John 21:4-19

He 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.

John 21:17

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

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We had seen Jesus several times since that unbelievable morning when we found the tomb empty.  There was no question for any of us now that he was alive, but life still wasn’t quite the same. 

The roosters still crow every morning, reminding me of all I’ve done wrong.  They remind me of how unworthy I am.  I thought I was a sinful man when I first met him, but now I knew that I was even more of a sinner than I had once realized.  I wonder if he still would have wanted me to join him if he knew how much I would fail him.  Would he have still called me a friend if he knew that when he needed me the most, I would turn my back and claim not to know him?   

I was the chief of sinners, but Jesus forgave me.  Jesus loved me.  And I wanted so badly to love him no matter what the circumstances.  Every morning I hear the roosters crow and I hear those people in the courtyard saying “Aren’t you one of Jesus’ disciples?”

“Yes, yes I am a follower of Christ,” I answer myself.  “Not a very good one at times.  And I certainly don’t deserve to be.  But I still love him and he told me to fish for people and to feed his sheep.  And no matter how many times I fail, that’s exactly what I’m going to keep doing…”

“…I know now that Jesus will forgive me when I fail, but I don’t want him to have too.  I can’t stand the thought of disappointing him again.  I wonder sometimes, if he still feels the nails every time I fail.  Does he hear the crowd cry “Crucify” again.  If I’m causing him pain, then I really need to change, because I just can’t bear the thought of hurting him.” [1]

When the rooster crows reminding me of all I’ve done, I know I’m forgiven, but I also know that Jesus has trusted me with so much more.  “The world will fasten a belt around you and take you where you don’t want to go,” he told me… but then he said, “Follow me.”

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[1] lyrics from “Can You Still Feel the Nails”, Ray Boltz