Past…

Saul was in full agreement with Stephen’s murder. At that time, the church in Jerusalem began to be subjected to vicious harassment. Everyone except the apostles was scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. Some pious men buried Stephen and deeply grieved over him. Saul began to wreak havoc against the church. Entering one house after another, he would drag off both men and women and throw them into prison. Those who had been scattered moved on, preaching the good news along the way. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and began to preach Christ to them. The crowds were united by what they heard Philip say and the signs they saw him perform, and they gave him their undivided attention. With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many people, and many who were paralyzed or crippled were healed. There was great rejoicing in that city. (Acts 8:1-8, CEB)

Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. Penned by Oscar Wilde is very true. If it was meant in the connotation it is now taken or not is to be debated. But in the above passage, we see the person most of us look to as the one who started the majority of congregations in the bible approving of the killing of Stephen the first martyr. Saul, who is Paul, was there when Stephen was stoned to death, and while the text says he held the cloaks of those doing the stoning and did not participate, the above text says he did approve of the stoning and Stephen dying.

So Saul has a past that is not favorable. Just like most of the towers of our faith.

Do not let your past, or anyone’s past get in the way of God’s love.

Love like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

Denying Peter…

After singing songs of praise, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Jesus said to them, “You will all falter in your faithfulness to me. It is written, I will hit the shepherd, and the sheep will go off in all directions. But after I’m raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else stumbles, I won’t.” But Jesus said to him, “I assure you that on this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” But Peter insisted, “If I must die alongside you, I won’t deny you.” And they all said the same thing. (Mark 14:26-31, CEB)

Jesus told Peter what was going to happen and Peter still says, “If I must die alongside you, I won’t deny you.” Which for those of us who know they story is laughable.

It reminds me of the beginning of the movie, My Sister’s Keeper. There is a quote that reads, “If you want to make God laugh, tell God your plans…”

Peter’s plan was to die with Jesus, but when push came to shove, his self-preservation kicked in and Peter denied knowing Jesus, which Jesus said would happen.

So remember the rock of the original disciples didn’t hold it together and fell short. So don’t be hard on yourself when you fall away or look to self-preservation rather than following Christ.

Love like Jesus. Which means loving and forgiving yourself.

Loving People. Loving God.

Who are these people…

Then one of the elders said to me, “Who are these people wearing white robes, and where did they come from?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” Then he said to me, “These people have come out of great hardship. They have washed their robes and made them white in the Lamb’s blood. This is the reason they are before God’s throne. They worship him day and night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them. They won’t hunger or thirst anymore. No sun or scorching heat will beat down on them, because the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them. He will lead them to the springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:13-17, CEB)

Won’t this really be all of us in the coming kingdom?

Who are all these people? More as a hey I know those people and they are not the people I thought I would see here.

But remember when you see someone in the coming kingdom you don’t expect, there is someone there that doesn’t expect to see you either.

Focus on God and follow what God is calling us to do.

Love.

Loving People. Loving God.

clothe

Therefore, I have a request for the elders among you. (I ask this as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings, and as one who shares in the glory that is about to be revealed.) I urge the elders: Like shepherds, tend the flock of God among you. Watch over it. Don’t shepherd because you must, but do it voluntarily for God. Don’t shepherd greedily, but do it eagerly. Don’t shepherd by ruling over those entrusted to your care, but become examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive an unfading crown of glory. In the same way, I urge you who are younger: accept the authority of the elders. And everyone, clothe yourselves with humility toward each other. God stands against the proud, but he gives favor to the humble. (1 Peter 5:1-5, CEB)

Do not be proud.

But humble yourselves towards each other.

Seek to love as God loves and be in communion with all.

Love like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

Hired hand?

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. When the hired hand sees the wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and runs away. That’s because he isn’t the shepherd; the sheep aren’t really his. So the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. He’s only a hired hand and the sheep don’t matter to him. “I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep and they know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. I give up my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that don’t belong to this sheep pen. I must lead them too. They will listen to my voice and there will be one flock, with one shepherd. “This is why the Father loves me: I give up my life so that I can take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I give it up because I want to. I have the right to give it up, and I have the right to take it up again. I received this commandment from my Father.” (John 10:11-18, CEB)

I always wondered at this passage as a pastor. I feel like as a pastor I am the hired hand. One who is not the shepherd but is in place to care for the sheep while the shepherd is away.

I think we are all at times the hired hand.

What do we do to inflict harm on others?

How do we keep sheep from being a part of the fold?

How do we let the wolves have the sheep?

What can you do to be a better care giver to the sheep while the shepherd is away?

Love like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

If you do it…

The apostles returned to Jesus and told him everything they had done and taught. Many people were coming and going, so there was no time to eat. He said to the apostles, “Come by yourselves to a secluded place and rest for a while.” They departed in a boat by themselves for a deserted place. Many people saw them leaving and recognized them, so they ran ahead from all the cities and arrived before them. When Jesus arrived and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then he began to teach them many things. (Mark 6:30-34, CEB)

Maybe a little twist on if you build it, they will come.

If you preach it, they will come.

When we read Acts and the stories in the gospels about people finding the disciples and Jesus, it isn’t the disciples and Jesus trying to convert people. They are loving like God loves and God is the one doing the converting.

We are called to be and do love.

Do not worry about the rest.

God has got this.

Just love.

Loving People. Loving God.

Speak the word

While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees confronted them. They were incensed that the apostles were teaching the people and announcing that the resurrection of the dead was happening because of Jesus. They seized Peter and John and put them in prison until the next day. (It was already evening.) Many who heard the word became believers, and their number grew to about five thousand. (Acts 4:1-4, CEB)

Many were incensed because they were preaching the good news.

Do it anyway!

We are witnesses to the Love of God. If we don’t speak the rocks will cry out and imagine how they will react then!

Love like Jesus and tell the world!

Loving People. Loving God.

Turn back

“Brothers and sisters, I know you acted in ignorance. So did your rulers. But this is how God fulfilled what he foretold through all the prophets: that his Christ would suffer. Change your hearts and lives! Turn back to God so that your sins may be wiped away. Then the Lord will provide a season of relief from the distress of this age and he will send Jesus, whom he handpicked to be your Christ. Jesus must remain in heaven until the restoration of all things, about which God spoke long ago through his holy prophets. Moses said, The Lord your God will raise up from your own people a prophet like me. Listen to whatever he tells you. Whoever doesn’t listen to that prophet will be totally cut off from the people. All the prophets who spoke—from Samuel forward—announced these days. You are the heirs of the prophets and the covenant that God made with your ancestors when he told Abraham, Through your descendants, all the families on earth will be blessed. After God raised his servant, he sent him to you first—to bless you by enabling each of you to turn from your evil ways.” (Acts 3:17-26, CEB)

Everyone acted in ignorance.

We all need to turn back.

Refocus our lives on Jesus and follow where God is leading us.

All of us have fallen short, but God always loves us.

Love like God.

Loving People. Loving God.

Add on…

[They promptly reported all of the young man’s instructions to those who were with Peter. Afterward, through the work of his disciples, Jesus sent out, from the east to the west, the sacred and undying message of eternal salvation. Amen. ][[After Jesus rose up early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and reported to the ones who had been with him, who were mourning and weeping. But even after they heard the news, they didn’t believe that Jesus was alive and that Mary had seen him. After that he appeared in a different form to two of them who were walking along in the countryside. When they returned, they reported it to the others, but they didn’t believe them. Finally he appeared to the eleven while they were eating. Jesus criticized their unbelief and stubbornness because they didn’t believe those who saw him after he was raised up. He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever doesn’t believe will be condemned. These signs will be associated with those who believe: they will throw out demons in my name. They will speak in new languages. They will pick up snakes with their hands. If they drink anything poisonous, it will not hurt them. They will place their hands on the sick, and they will get well.” (Mark 16:9-18, CEB)

The gospel of Mark is thought by the majority of scholars to end at verse 16:8. The woman left the tomb and said nothing to anyone because they were afraid.

But obviously, some scribe didn’t like that because now we have Mark 16:9-18…

Why are we so hung up on making sure we know that they really didn’t speak?

Why can’t we let the author of Mark use the literary understanding that the beginning of the good news doesn’t end with women not telling? It is gospel is only the beginning. We continue the story today.

So go and tell the good news.

Love like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

live in love

From the elder. To the chosen gentlewoman and her children, whom I truly love (and I am not the only one, but also all who know the truth), because of the truth that remains with us and will be with us forever. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, will be ours who live in truth and love. I was overjoyed to find some of your children living in the truth, just as we had been commanded by the Father. Now, dear friends, I am requesting that we love each other. It’s not as though I’m writing a new command to you, but it’s one we have had from the beginning. This is love: that we live according to his commands. This is the command that you heard from the beginning: live in love. (2 John 1:1-6, CEB)

The world would be a better place for you and for me if everyone would just live in love. If everything we did was about loving the other, and allowing all to know and understand they are loved, just think how great the world would be.

If love ruled, how great would life be?

Love like Jesus.

Live in Love.

Loving People. Loving God.