Love One Another Some More

Jesus said, "I give you a new commandment that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." [Jn 13:34-35]

When reflecting on this commandment of Jesus, it is important to know that in Greek there are three words that are translated into English as "love." The first of these is EROS [air-'os] which is erotic love or desire. It's the Barry White "Hey, Baby" kind of love. The second is PHILOS [fee'-los] which is the love of friends. The third is AGAPAO [ag-ap-ah'-o] which is the root word form for AGAPE [ag-ah'-pay]. This third Greek word is the one used by Jesus in the reading above. This is the highest and best form of love. It is not casual or easy. It is sacrificial and costly. It is the kind of love that Jesus showed us by giving his life on the cross for our sins. It is the kind of love he challenges us to show to one another

Therefore, when Jesus commands us to LOVE one another. He is challenging us to to see everyone as a child of God, worthy of the highest and best love we can offer to them. It is best summed up in the Sanskrit word NAMASTE which means "Bowing [namas] to you [te]." When people say NAMASTE, they are saying "the spirit in me recognizes the spirit in you." We may not always agree with one another. We may ruffle each other's feathers from time to time. But I do not think of myself as superior to you and recognize that the spirit of God dwells in all of God's children even those who may look, act and think a lot differently than me.

The AGAPE love spoken of by Jesus in John 13 should challenge us to the core. It is NOT a love that can manifest itself in hatred and hostility toward others. It is NOT a love that chooses to spread misinformation and lies in order to advance a political agenda. It is NOT a love that would work hard to defeat a hate crimes bill sending the message that it's O.K. to kill or hurt another person because we perceive them to be a certain way.

Who Would Jesus Hate? No one! Who would Jesus Kill? No one! Jesus even loved the Pharisees who plotted against him every step of the way. Sure, he got angry with their spiritual hypocrisy calling them "whitewashed tombs" because they looked pretty good on the outside but inside their political and religious agendas got in the way of their ability to show love and compassion. However, Jesus did love them and hoped that they would be transformed by his love for them.

It's time for Christians to stop hating and start loving. It is the greatest challenge any of us will ever undertake.

Love One Another

I wrote this poem which is based on John 13:34-35, our Gospel Lesson for this coming Sunday. I hope it challenges you as much as it challenges me!

----------

Love One Another?

Love one another as I have loved you

It seems so simple, so straightforward

But...love the "bleeding heart" liberal?

Love the "family values" conservative?

Love the Muslim? The Jew? The Buddhist? The Wiccan?

Love the illegal immigrant? The person of privilege?

Love the gay? The lesbian? The transgendered?

Love the peace protester? The warmonger?

Love the Iraqui? The Palestinian? The North Korean?

Love the Republican? The Democrat?

Love the homeless? The beggar? The AIDS patient? The death row inmate?

We tend to love with our fingers crossed

Looking for a loophole

Looking for a way to limit those whom we choose to love

Like the religious scholar who once asked Jesus

"And who is my neighbor?"

We love selectively, conditionally

We love those who look like us

Think like us, believe like us

Who would Jesus hate?

No one!

The only thing Jesus got angry about

Was spiritual hypocrisy

Those who claimed to love God

But could not bring themselves

To love all of their neighbors

Those who believed they were God's chosen ones

While treating others as if they were evil personified

Love one another as I have loved you

Maybe it's not so simple after all

But it is the mark

By which others will know

That we are disciples of Jesus

Permission to share this poem is granted as along as the following copyright notice appears along with it:

Written by David Eck, copyright © 2010. http://jesuslovesgays.blogspot.com.  Used by pemission of the author.

St. Peter's BBQ

"What God has made clean, you must not call profane...If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?" [Acts 11:9,14 NRSV]

In Acts 11 [a portion of which is our Second Lesson for this coming Sunday] Peter recalls the story of a vision he had in Chapter 10 of what I call the heavenly picnic blanket. God shows Peter this blanket and it is filled with all kinds of goodies that are forbidden according to the Holiness Code of the Old Testament. When God tells Peter to "kill and eat," Peter is appalled. He reminds God that he is an observant Jew and would never eat such things. God's response to Peter's protest is "What God has made clean, you must not call profane."

This vision changes Peter's thinking about who should be allowed in the church.  He gives orders for the baptism of a group of Gentiles who hear the Good News of Jesus and respond to it.  Peter sees that God's Spirit is alive and active in them and says that he will not hinder the work of God.

I believe this text applies to the LGBT community as well. We have been called "unclean" and "profane" for a very long time. We have been excluded and excommunicated by the church. And yet, it is quite clear that God's Spirit is alive and active in the lives of LGBT Christians. God continues to bless us and equip us for ministry in the church and in the world. It's time for the church to stop hindering the work that God is clearly doing in the midst of the LGBT community. Peter had a change of heart. My hope is that the church in our day and age will have a change of heart as well.

Sunday Sermon - Listening to the Voice of the Shepherd

4 EASTER C                                                 John 10:22-30                                             David Eck

04/25/10

I.  A shepherd and his sheep.

---This is one of the indelible images Jesus uses

---To describe our relationship with him.

---If we went to Sunday School as a child

---Chances are we saw a picture of Jesus

---With a lamb gently cradled around his shoulders.

Perhaps our teacher read us the parable

---Of the faithful shepherd who left the ninety nine

---Until he found the one missing lamb.     [Luke 15:1-7]

Perhaps we glued cotton balls on a piece of green construction paper,

---Gave them legs, eyes and ears,

---And drew our best stick figure Jesus right beside them!

Even if we don't know a single thing

---About shepherding, or what it's like to work on a farm,

---The image of a shepherd and his sheep

---Is comforting and reassuring to us.

It reminds us that Jesus has our back.

---It reminds us that when we get lost, Jesus will find us.

---It is an image of nurture and compassionate care

---That speaks volumes about the kind of relationship

---Jesus wants to have with us.

II.  This brings us to our gospel lesson where Jesus says

---"My sheep hear my voice.

---I know them and they follow me.

---I give them eternal life, and they will never perish."

This sheep reference is one of many

---That appear in the tenth chapter of John.

The chapter begins with Jesus referring to himself

---As the "gatekeeper" of the sheepfold.

To give you a visual image to go along with this

---In the hill country of Judea sheepfolds or sheep pens

---Were often constructed out of stacked stones.

These stones were placed in a rectangular or square configuration

---And shepherds would often build several of them side by side

---In order to take advantage of adjoining walls.

Each of these sheepfolds had a single gate.

---At night the shepherds would gather their sheep

---And place them in the pen

---In order to guard against predators and sheep rustlers.

The image Jesus paints here is one of safety and security

---Where Jesus says "the sheep follow him

---Because they know his voice.

---They will not follow a stranger…

---Because they do not know the voice of strangers."   [Jn 10:5]

The language used here is similar to our gospel lesson

---It reminds us that Jesus is the one who is our Protector and Defender.

---He will keep us safe and sound.

---Snug as a bug in a rug, as the saying goes!

Who among us does not find this image of Jesus

---To be comforting and reassuring?

Who among us has not experienced a time in our lives

---When we felt unsafe, or vulnerable?

Jesus promises us that he will be our safety and security.

---However, the sheep have to rise to the challenge

---Of learning to recognize his voice

---And not be lured away by the voice of strangers.

It is Jesus' desire to protect us and keep us safe.

---However, that protection is limited

---If we choose to follow the voice of strangers

---And keep on making bad choices in life.

---[More on that later!]

III.  As the chapter continues, Jesus switches his metaphor

---And compares himself to the gate or door of the sheepfold:

---"I am the gate for the sheep," he says.

---"Whoever enters by me will be saved,

---And will come in and go out and find pasture.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.

---I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."     [Jn 10:9-10]

This image is similar to the first

---And continues to expand the theme.

---Here Jesus employs salvation imagery

---And says that he not only desires to save us

---He also desires "that we may have life,

---And have it abundantly."

I believe this abundant life is not something

---That is ours only after we die.

---The abundant life Jesus desires for us

---Is meant to be enjoyed right here, right now.

As sheep who follow the gatekeeper's voice

---We are promised the fruits of the Spirit:

---Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,

---Generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.     [Gal 5:22-23]

We are promised abundant life,

---Which may include financial blessings from time to time,

---But it's primary focus is spiritual blessings.

When we do receive unexpected financial blessings

---The Spirit of generosity that arises within us

---Knows we must give a portion of those blessings away

---To those who are in need.

The abundant life Jesus desires for us

---Is not meant for us alone.

---It must be shared with the other sheep!

IV.  The final image in John 10

---Is where Jesus compares himself to a shepherd.

---"I am the Good Shepherd," Jesus says,

---"The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…

---I know my own, and my own know me."      [Jn 10:11,14]

The reference to the cross is unmistakable, here.

---Jesus reminds us that those who listen to his voice,

---And trust him as their Shepherd, will have abundant life

---Not only here, but even after death.

To borrow imagery from Psalm 23,

---Even as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

---Jesus will lead us to the green pastures and still waters

---Of his heavenly kingdom.

---There we will find shelter and safety for all eternity.

This shepherd image is the climax of the chapter.

---It is the message of Good Friday and Easter Sunday

---That we have recently celebrated.

Jesus is our Great Shepherd, the Gatekeeper, the Door of the Sheepfold.

---He is the one in whom we will find safety, security and abundant life.

I don't know about you, but sign me up for that!

---O Lord, I want to be in that number

---When the saints go marching in!

---When the sheep make their final journey

---To the green pastures of the Kingdom of God.

---Can I get an Amen?

V.  Jesus is our Good Shepherd

---He is the Gatekeeper and Gate all rolled up into one.

Perhaps the only question we need to explore this morning

---Is how can we be sure we are listening to his voice

---And not the voice of strangers?

How can we be sure that we are entering into Christ's Sheepfold

---And not fall into the hands of sheep rustlers?

Well, it will not come as a surprise to anyone in this room

---That Christians argue about this all the time!

Some Christians have a list of things we must believe in

---If we are going to be considered part of Jesus' sheepfold.

Others say it's all about our desire to have a relationship

---With Christ, the Good Shepherd, and the rest will take care of itself.

So, how do we know that we are listening to the voice of Jesus

---And not the voice of strangers?

---Is it about belief?  Is it about relationship?  Or a combination of both?

Well, there are about a million ways I could answer this question.

---But the way I'm going to answer it this morning

---Is through Abiding Savior's Guiding Principles

---Which the Church Council adopted in October 2006.

Hopefully, everyone in this room is familiar with them.

---If not, they are posted on our church's web site

---And there are printed copies of them available in the narthex.

These Five Principles are what we use as a church

---To ensure that we are listening to the voice of Christ our Shepherd

----Instead of the voice of strangers.

Believe me, there are Christians out there

---Who would vehemently disagree with us

---On these five principles,

---But they are the way that we have chosen

---To define ourselves as a church.

1. GOD ALWAYS COMES DOWN

We believe there is NOTHING we can do to earn our salvation,

---Win God's forgiveness or buy eternal life.  

---Romans 3:28 says, "we are made right with God through faith

---And not by obeying the law [NLT]."  

God came down to us in Jesus.  

---God still comes down in bread and wine, in water and word,

---And in the fellowship of believers.  

----The only thing we can do is accept this gracious gift through faith

---And say "Thank you."

2.  JESUS IS OUR CENTER

We believe Jesus died on the cross for our sins.  

---John 3:16 says, "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,

---So that everyone who believes in him may not perish

---But may have eternal life [NRSV]."  

This is the center of our faith and our church.  

---However, we also believe that godly people

---Can disagree with one another on a variety of issues.  

We honor this diversity of thought and affirm

---That we can learn a great deal from those

---Whose opinions are different from our own.

3.  EVERYONE IS WELCOME

We believe that everyone is welcome at Abiding Savior

---No matter who they are or where they are on life's journey.  

Galatians 3:28 says, "There is no longer Jew or Greek,

---There is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female;

---For all of you are one in Christ Jesus. [NRSV]"  

This means we strive to make Abiding Savior a community of grace

---Where people do not have to be afraid

---Of being rejected or excluded because of who they are. 

4.  EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING TO OFFER

We believe God has blessed everyone with a diversity of gifts 

---"to equip the saints for the work of ministry, 

---for building up the body of Christ."  [Eph 4:12, NRSV]  

We are committed to helping everyone discover their unique gifts

---And encourage them to use these gifts to serve the church and the world.

5. LOVE CHANGES PEOPLE

We believe people aren't changed by rule books, lectures or laws;

---They are changed by love.  

---Something happens when we meet the God

---Who loves us and welcomes us home.

In John 15:12, Jesus said, "This is my commandment,

---That you love one another as I have loved you."  

---We seek to follow Jesus' example

---And strive to love God, each other and the world

---Through acts of justice-making, compassion, service and prayer.

These Five Principles are the way we ensure

---That we are listening to the voice of Jesus

---And not the voice of strangers.

There are those in other churches and denominations

---Who would disagree with us on these Five Principles.

---However, I challenge anyone to spend some time with us

---And see if they can come to any other conclusion than

---Jesus is the Shepherd of this Sheepfold!

---Abundant life is springing up everywhere!

---God's people are being loved, fed, equipped

---And sent out into a world where many

---Are lost sheep in search of a shepherd.

Friends in Christ, let us rejoice today

---And give thanks that Jesus is our Good Shepherd.

---May we follow his voice, now and forever.

AMEN

Stand Up, Take Your Mat, and Walk

"Although we might use different words to describe it, most of us know what is killing us. For some it is the deadly rush of our lives; for others it is the inability to move. For some it is the prison of our possessions; for others the crushing poverty that dooms our children to more of the same. Few of us can choose our circumstances, but we can choose how we respond to them. To be saved is not only to recognize an alternative to the deadliness pressing down upon us but also be able to act upon it. Even those who have no choice but to be carried toward safety on stretchers will eventually be given the chance to take up their mats and walk, and even those whose legs still will not work can discover who agile a healed spirit can be." --Barbara Brown Taylor, "Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith"

"Stand up, take your mat and go to your home." These are the words Jesus spoke to the paralytic in Mark 2 who was lowered on a stretcher through the roof by four of his friends. It's a dramatic scene that has been played out on felt boards in Sunday School room ever since I was a kid. There are two interesting dynamics in this story. The first is the relationship between the paralytic and his friends. Everyone should have friends like this. Everyone should have friends who go way out of their way to steer us toward the source of healing and new life even if it means carrying us bodily on a stretcher! This is especially true in the LGBT community where our friends often become our adopted families. One of the keys to navigating life successfully is having good friends you know you can count on.

The second dynamic we need to examine is the relationship between the paralytic and Jesus. The command is given "Stand up, take your mat and go home," however the paralytic needs to own these words for himself. He needs to have the faith that Jesus is the source of haling and new life and claim this power for himself. Our friends may help us get there but, ultimately, we need to embrace the good news for ourselves. What is this good news? The good news that Jesus cares passionately for us and desires that we "have life and have it more abundantly." [John 10:10]

There will be some people, who will tell us that because we are gay or lesbian or transsexual that we are not worthy of God's grace and mercy. Don't listen to them. They want to put God in a box.  However, it has been my experience that God is "unboxable." Just look at the story in Mark 2. Jesus is offering healing to this man, no conditions attached. The religious leaders can only cry "blasphemy" and grumble about Jesus' actions. He's not following the rules. He's not acting the way a good rabbi should. Jesus' gracious treatment of the paralytic remind us that God's love and grace cannot be contained by us or by our theology. It is open and accessible to all no matter what letter of the alphabet we identify with.

Barbara Brown Taylor is right. We know what's killing us. May it also be true that we know the one who offers us healing for whatever wounds we have sustained in this world. It's time for all of us to stand up, take our mats, and walk into the love and grace of God.

Don't Worry. Be Happy?

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear....Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today. [Matt 6:25, 34, NRSV]

This is the advice Jesus gives us in today's reading.  If we look at the context carefully [vs. 24-34] we will notice that the word "worry" appears six times in the span of eleven verses Apparently Jesus is trying to tell us something and the message is loud and clear. It can be summed up in the words of an old Bobby McFerrin song from the 1980's "Don't worry. Be happy." The song drove me nuts then! It still drives me nuts today!

"Don't worry. Be happy?" Isn't that a bit unrealistic? Isn't that simply looking at the world through rose colored glasses? How do we do this? After all, there is much to worry about in our complicated and mixed up world: We worry about global climate changes. We worry about the war with Afghanistan and Iraq. We worry about our finances. We worry about our health. LGBT people worry about job security, legal protection for our partners, becoming the victim of a hate crime....and the list goes on. Don't worry. Be happy? It seems like a tall order to fill. and yet, this is the message of Matthew 6.

Perhaps Jesus is telling us that the key to leading a less worrisome life is to have faith in a God who not only cares for wild birds and wild flowers but who cares for God's "wild" children as well. Cyndi Lauper, a staunch LGBT rights advocate and general all around diva, once put it this way: "God loves all the flowers, even the wild ones which grow on the side of the road."

Amen, sister! Can we have the faith that God cares passionately about us, God's queer children? Can we have the faith that God will provide for or basic needs so that we can focus on the justice and healing work God has called us to do?

Good As New: A Radical Retelling of the Scriptures translates this verses 33-34 with striking clarity: "Center your minds on God's New World. Use your energy to create a just and fair society. Then you can live it up! Don't fret about the future. It's pointless to worry about things before they happen. Live one day at a time."

Sounds like good advice to me!

Jesus and Nicodemus

Jesus said, "Do not be astonished that I said to you, you must be born from above. The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." [John 3:7-8, NRSV]

Several years ago I attended a faith and arts retreat which focused on how our faith influences the art we create and vice versa. One of the Bible passages we studied over the weekend was the story of Nicodemus and Jesus which is found in John 3. I'd like us to look at this story in a slightly different way than we may have done so before. Nicodemus comes to Jesus with a statement "We know that you are..." He wants to put Jesus in a box. He wants to categorize him and put him in a place that is safe and comfortable.

Jesus, on the other hand, tells Nicodemus that he doesn't know anything. The Spirit of God cannot be put in a box and is, in fact, as hard to pin down as the wind. It blows all over the place in any direction it likes. It is wild and unpredictable.

This drives Nicodemus crazy, and we see him struggling with this concept as he dialogues back and forth with Jesus. In the end, we don't really know if Nicodemus understood what Jesus way saying. The story is left open ended.

One of the insights we gain from this story is that we cannot put Jesus or the Holy Spirit inside a box. Both of them move in mysterious and surprising ways. Some Christians would like us to think that someone cannot be gay and be Christian as if the two are polar opposites. Experience has shown me, as well as many other people of faith, that God's Spirit wind is blowing mightily in the lives of LGBT people in amazing and creative ways. Jesus, as well as the Holy Spirit, cannot and will not be contained by doctrines, creeds or orthodox teaching. This presents some believers with a theological conundrum, just like Nicodemus. The question which remains to be answered is will they fight in vain to keep Jesus in a box or will they acknowledge that this is a futile and foolish effort.

Sunday Sermon - Breakfast With Jesus

3 EASTER C                                                   John 21:1-19                                             David Eck

4/18/10

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS

I.  Can we imagine what it would be like to have breakfast with Jesus?

---Would he take us to a chain restaurant like Denny's or IHOP

---Or does he prefer small, independent bakeries

---Who serve whole grain goodies and Organic Fair Trade coffee?

Would he invite us over to his house

---And do all the cooking himself?

---Or would he ask Martha to be his guest chef

---Since she is always cooking up something delicious in the kitchen?

Once we sat down at the table with Jesus, what would we talk about?

---Would we say "Boy, Jesus, it sure was a tough winter this year."

---Or "So, what kind of hobbies do you have?"

Would we we so awestruck that we wouldn't know what to say to him?

---Or would we be absolutely terrified of what he would say to us?

Can we imagine what it would be like to have breakfast with Jesus?

---It might seem like a silly question.

---But it is a question worth pondering nonetheless.

I. In William Paul Young's inventive and playful novel The Shack,

---Young imagines such a breakfast and the conversation that ensued.

---However, in his story the main character, Mackenzie,

---Has breakfast with God instead of Jesus.

I'm going to share a portion of their conversation this morning

---But fasten your seatbelts because God does not appear to Mackenzie

---In a form we would expect:

"As Mack entered the main living area,

---He heard the sound of a familiar Bruce Cockburn tune drifting from the kitchen

---And a high-pitched black woman singing along rather well:

---'Oh love that fires the sun, keep me burning.'

Papa emerged with pates on each hand

---Full of pancakes and friend potatoes

---And greens of some sort.

She was dressed in a long-flowing African-looking garment,

---Complete with a vibrant multicolored headband.

---She looked radiant, almost glowing.

'You know,' she exclaimed 'I love that child's songs!

---I am especially fond of Bruce, you know.'

She looked over at Mack who was just sitting down at the table.

---Mack nodded, his appetite increasing by the second.

'Yup,' she continued, 'and I know you like him too.'

Mack smiled.  It was true.  Cockburn had been a family favorite for years.

'So honey,' Papa asked, continuing busily with whatever she was doing.

---'How were your dreams last night?

---Dreams are sometimes important, you know.

---They can be a way of openin' up a window and lettin' the bad air out.'

Mack knew this was an invitation

---To unlock the door into his own terrors,

---But at the moment he wasn't ready

---To invite her into that hole with him.

---'I slept fine,thank you,' he responded

---And then quickly changed the subject.

---'Is he your favorite?  Bruce, I mean?'

She stopped and looked at him.

---'Mackenzie, I have no favorites;

---I am just especially fond of him.'

'You seem to be especially fond of a lot of people,'

---Mack observed with a suspicious look.

---'Are there any who you are NOT especially fond of?'

She lifted her head and rolled her eyes

---As if she were mentally going through

---The catalog of every being ever created.

---'Nope, I haven't been able to find any.

---Guess that's jes' the way I is.'

Mack was interested, 'Don't you ever get mad at any of them?'

'Sho'nuff!  What parent doesn't?

---There is a lot to be mad about

---In the mess my kids have made

---And in the mess they're in.

---I don't like a lot of choices they make,

---But that anger, especially for me,

---Is an expression of love all the same.

---I love the ones I am angry with

---Just as much as those I'm not.'"

III.  This brings us to our gospel lesson for today

---Which contains the marvelous story

---Of the disciples having breakfast with Jesus.

The setting is the Sea of Tiberias

---Which is another name for Lake Galilee.

In the first part of our gospel lesson

--The disciples have fished all night and caught nothing.

If this story sounds familiar, it should.

---Luke tells a similar story in his gospel.

---Only he places it at the beginning

---When Jesus first calls the disciples to "fish for people."

In John's telling of the tale, Jesus is standing on the beach

---But the disciples don't recognize him.

He calls out "Children, you have no fish, have you?"

---Which is to state the obvious

---And must have left the disciples thinking

---"This stranger on the beach is not very observant!"

They politely, or maybe not so politely, answer "No."

---The stranger then instructs them

---To cast the net on the right side of the boat

---And they will find fish there.

The disciples throw the net in the water.

---It explodes with fish.

---A light bulb goes off in one of the disciples' heads

---And he exclaims to Peter, "It is the Lord."  It's Jesus."

Now, I'm not sure why they were fishing naked.

---But Peter throws some clothes on

---And swims to shore.

The other disciples head to shore in the boat,

---Dragging the net full of fish behind them.

Now, don't get distracted by the number of fish, 153.

---I researched it this week

---And there is absolutely no consensus

---As to what this number means.

It is a detail that doesn't effect the meaning of the story.

---If John meant it as a symbol for something

---It is a symbol that has been lost to time.

---So, suffice it to say that there was a whole mess of fish!

IV. When everyone reaches the shore,

---They see that Jesus has built a charcoal fire.

---He's already cooking some fish

---And has bread with him as well.

He instructs the disciples to throw a few more fish on the barbecue

---And then we hear the marvelous invitation

---"Come and have breakfast."

As they have breakfast with Jesus

---We get to eavesdrop on a conversation between Jesus and Peter.

---Their conversation is not unlike the conversation

---Mack has with God in The Shack

The purpose of their conversation is clear.

---To paraphrase Papa from The Shack, 

---Jesus is trying to "open up a window and let the bad air out."

A few chapters earlier in John's gospel

---Peter had denied Jesus three times.

---Furthermore, John mentions nothing

---About Peter being present during Jesus' crucifixion.

In other words, Peter messed up big time.

---He brought a lot of emotional baggage with him

---As he sat down to have breakfast with Jesus.

The amazing thing about their conversation

---Is that Jesus doesn't rehash the past.

---He doesn't mention Peter's failures.

He simply asks him "Do you love me?"

---He asks him this three times

---As if to erase Peter's three denials.

Love becomes the agent of transformation in Peter's life.

---Love, not anger, not chastisement,

---Becomes the healing balm

---That enables Peter to move forward in life.

V. It's so much like Mack's conversation with Papa in The Shack

---That it scary.

---I cannot help but think that the author

---Had Peter and Jesus' conversation in mind

---When he wrote his book.

Going back to the conversation I quoted earlier,

---Papa told Mack that he was "especially fond of" all God's children.

---And that's "Jes' the way I is."

Mack seems a little dumbfounded by this

---And askes God, "Don't you ever get mad at any of them?"

To which God responds: "Sho'nuff!  What parent doesn't?

---There is a lot to be mad about

---In the mess my kids have made

---And in the mess they're in.

---I don't like a lot of choices they make,

---But that anger, especially for me,

---Is an expression of love all the same.

---I love the ones I am angry with

---Just as much as those I'm not."

I'm certain that Jesus was disappointed with Peter.

---He had so much potential, and yet,

---He made such a mess of things.

However, Jesus also knew that hatred, wrath and anger

---Would not help Peter to move forward.

---Only love could do that

---And so he asked him three times

---"Simon, son of John, do you love me?"

---As if to say "As long as you love me, we can fix the rest.

---As long as you love me, we have a foundation to build on.

---As long as you love me, everything else will take care of itself."

Each time Jesus asked Peter this question

---Peter responded with increasing intensity,

---"Yes, Lord you know that I love you."

---"Yes, Lord you know that I love you."

---"Lord, you know everything;

---You know that I love you."

Jesus tells him to "feed my lambs."

---As if to say "I will know that you love me

---By the way you show that same love to others.

---I will know that you love me, 

---By the compassionate acts of service

---You perform to your neighbors in need.

---I will know that you love me,

---By living a love that is defined by love:

---Love of God, love of neighbor, love of self."

"Simon, son of John, do you love me?"

---"Yes, Lord you know that I love you."

VI.  Going back to Mack's conversation with God in The Shack,

---Mack seems to be perplexed by the fact

---That God is "especially find of" all of God's children

---And so Mack probes God a little deeper:

"But," Mack paused.  "What about your wrath?

---It seems to me that if you're going to pretend to be God Almighty,

---You need to be a lot angrier."

"Do I now?"

"That's what I'd think.

---Weren't you always running around

---Killing people in the Bible?

---You just don't seem to fit the bill."

"I understand how disorienting all this must be for you, Mack.

---But the only one pretending here is you.

---I am what I am.  I'm not trying to fit anyone's bill."

"But you're asking me to believe that you're God,

---And I just don't see..."

---Mack had no idea how to finish his sentence,

---So he just gave up.

"I'm not asking you to believe anything,

---But I will tell you that you're going to find this day

---A lot easier if you simply accept what is,

---Instead of trying to fit it into your preconceived notions."

"But if you are God, aren't you the one

---Spilling out great bowls of wrath and throwing people

---Into a burning lake of fire?"

Mack could feel his deep anger emerging again,

---Pushing out the questions in front of it,

---And he was chagrinned at his own lack of self-control.

---But he asked anyway,

---"Honestly, don't you enjoy punishing those who disappoint you?"

At that, Papa stopped her preparations

---And turned toward Mack.

---He could see a deep sadness in her eyes.

---"I am not who you think I am, Mackenzie.

---I don't need to punish people for their sin.

---Sin is its own punishment, devouring you from the inside.

---It's not my purpose to punish it; it's my joy to cure it."

"I don't understand..."

"You're right.  You don't," she said with a smile still sad around its edges.

---"But then again, we're not done yet."

VII.  Brothers and sisters in Christ

---Jesus has invited us to join him for breakfast.

---We accept that invitation every time

---We gather around this table for bread and wine.

This meal is a kingdom meal, a love feast.

---We bring our sins, our brokenness to this table.

But Christ doesn't desire to punish us.

---Christ desires to feed us with love and forgiveness,

---With the healing balm of grace and mercy.

Jesus knows full well the bad choices we make in life

---Take on a life of their own

---And punish us of their own accord.

What we really need in order to move forward is love.

---The love that always comes down.

---The love that "bears all things, believes all things,

---Hopes all things, endures all things."  [1 Cor 13:7]

---The love that never ends. 

As we feast on the bread and wine

---And enjoy having breakfast with Jesus,

---He asks us one simple question:

"Child of God, you do love me?"

---To which I hope we respond "Yes, Lord you know that we love you."

Then, as we leave this sacred space,

---Being loved and fed by Jesus,

---Our task is to feed God's lambs.

We feed them with the same love we have received from Jesus.

We feed them not by judging them

---Or telling them they're going to hell.

We feed them by inviting them into a relationship

---With the living Christ who desires to transform them

---From the inside out.

This is the good news of  the gospel.

---It is the good news of Easter.

---The only way we can really respond

---Is by saying "Thanks be to God!"

AMEN