FIRST READING Genesis 1:1—2:4a
Chapter 1 1 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2 the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 6 And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. 8 God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9 And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made the two great lights — the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night — and the stars. 17 God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. 20 And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” 21 So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” 27 So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” 29 God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Chapter 2 1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. 2 And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation. 4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
PSALM Psalm 8
1 O LORD our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! 2 you whose glory is chanted above the heavens out of the mouths of infants and children; you have set up a fortress against your enemies, to silence the foe and avenger. 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars you have set in their courses, 4 what are mere mortals that you should be mindful of them, human beings that you should care for them? 5 Yet you have made them little less than divine; with glory and honor you crown them. 6 You have made them rule over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet: 7 all flocks and cattle, even the wild beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and whatever passes along the paths of the sea. 9 O LORD our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
SECOND READING Acts 2:14a, 22–36
14a But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, 22 You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know — 23 this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. 24 But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. 25 For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; 26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live in hope. 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption. 28 You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ 29 Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, ‘He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.’ 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’36 Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
GOSPEL Matthew 28:16–20
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS
Have you ever been hard at work on something and so focused that you seem oblivious to what’s going on around you? Perhaps it’s your favorite TV show, a game on the computer, a term paper or like me a sermon. Whatever it is, you’re concentrating, focused, yet suddenly you’re aware that someone, somewhere is watching you. The other day I was working on the bulletins, with my back to the door, when suddenly I could just tell without even looking up that someone was standing in the office with me.
I’m not sure what made me aware of their presence. It may have been the way they moved or even that they disrupted the flow of the air coming from the fan. This person, mind you, wasn’t trying to be nosy. She had a quick question and was simply trying to see if I was too busy to chat for a moment. But somehow I became aware that someone was there. Has that ever happened to you? It’s as though some sort of sixth sense kicks in and you can feel the presence of someone close by.
One afternoon I was dozing peacefully having been asleep for about an hour when suddenly I had that same feeling … like someone was there. Close by. I tried to convince myself that it was the hazy vestige of some dream I couldn’t quite recall. But still that feeling was there. Of course this whole time my eyes were closed and I was more or less feigning sleep. I thought to myself, “Oh well, I might as well open my eyes to see who’s out there.” I opened my eyes, and there not two inches from my face were the brown, intent eyes of Krystle, she must have been about three at the time. She blinked, and said, “Haaaa!” It was a game that she and Terry used to play with each other.
After peeling myself from the ceiling, it came to me that there was that feeling again. Even with eyes closed, it was clear that someone, somehow, was there. It’s hard to describe as anything but a sense of presence. And for the life of me I cannot figure out what makes it work or not work. Maybe this happens to you? The reason I bring this up is because today’s Gospel passage has Jesus telling us that He will always be with us.
We must acknowledge, I suppose, that we speak about people being with us like this quite a lot. Over the years I’ve had people tell me that after a loved one has passed they could still feel their presence with them. Maybe, in a way much like that sense of presence, we do feel that they’re still here. I wonder if this sense of presence is the way that Jesus intended to be here.
Let’s think about this. Here Jesus issues this “Great Commission” to us all. He says that “all authority” has been given to Him. He instructs His followers to go and make disciples of all people, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He then proceeds to instruct His followers – for our purposes, that’s you and me – to teach these new disciples to obey the commandments that He gave us. One of the things I’ve pondered when reading this passage is that if subconsciously Jesus knew how difficult a task He was laying on us, because almost like an afterthought He says, “And don’t worry because I’ll be with you always … even to the end of the age.”
It reminds me of Terry when she was teaching the girls to ride a two–wheel bike. Naturally, they loved those training wheels. They were great. They could ride the big kids’ bike and never had to worry about falling down. Then one day I went out and removed the training wheels. Needless to say the girls weren’t happy. They complained to Terry that they couldn’t possibly ride the bike now. And Terry came outside and held the bike while they got on and said she’d hold onto it while they rode. They were agreeable to giving it a try as long as they thought Terry was holding on so they wouldn’t fall. Of course, two minutes later they looked back and they were circling the cul-de-sac with Terry and me watching from the other end. They’d been riding on two wheels without Terry holding on and they didn’t even know it. I am with you always, Jesus promised.
Some might call this a hoax. Some might even look at this as a metaphor for a God who lets us think He’s in control and then walks coolly off into the cosmos. But I don’t think so. Terry wasn’t holding on to the seat of the girls’ bike, but she was there. Not only was she there to pick them up if they fell, she was really and truly there. They could feel it. It was that presence thing. Even though she was a couple of hundred feet away, watching with some satisfaction, they knew she was there.
Jesus directs us to go out and make disciples. But here’s where the English translations fall a bit short. In the Greek were actually being commanded to go and math-ayt-yoo’-o or to teach all nations. To many this may seem like a synonym, make or teach. But I think there’s more here. When you look the word math-ayt-yoo’-o up in a Greek dictionary it means to we’re not called to go and “convert” or simply proselytize people as many have been taught, we’re called to share the Good News and teach them about what it means to be a Child of God. We’re directed to be a mentor, a guide and a means of support as they walk the walk of faith. As workers in God’s kingdom, we’re to grow disciples in much the same way that Jesus developed His disciples. It’s not something that’s once and done, it’s not about “getting people saved”, it’s about taking the time needed to transform people’s lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. And it all starts with caring.
When you stop and examine the process Jesus used, it all began with love. We’re to follow Jesus’ method and model and develop new disciples with love. We’re to grow them, to nourish and lift them up gently, fully, wholly. The days of whacking people over the head with a Bible as though you have some superior start in life are over. Nonetheless, the call is the same as it’s always been. We’re to go out there and teach all nations helping people to become disciples. I suspect deep down, this isn’t new information to any of us, but it does beg the question, what is your response to this call?
How do you feel about your responsibility as an evangelist and mentor? How do you feel about this part of being Christian? About the inescapable reality that as Christians, we are called to go out and share the gospel to those who haven’t heard it? How do you feel about our commitment to invite people, not just to come to church on Sunday, but to invite them into our lives, into our community, into the transforming and healing love of God in Jesus Christ? Based on the way most people react, it seems to me that people are uncomfortable with Jesus’ command.
I would even go so far as to say, that there are those who feel uncomfortable even naming themselves publicly as a Christian, let alone inviting others to join us. And to be honest, I haven’t always been as forthcoming as I should. There have been times when I’ve seen an opportunity to offer Christ, to offer the life of this wonderful community to someone who could really use it … and I didn’t. Why? Probably because I didn’t want to be associated with those television guys who cry alligator tears in front of the camera while stealing money from widows and orphans. I don’t want to be identified with those religious men and women who prostitute themselves praying with presidents while giving their blessings to lies and deceit. I don’t want to be connected with a faith which is little more than a photo op. Another reason is that I’m a good polite white conservative male, and I don’t want to push my point of view too hard, lest someone think I’m being too aggressive. But that’s just my excuses, what reasons might you have?
Why do we go week after week, month after month even year after year without asking someone to come to church? I was at the convocation the other day and our Dean, Pastor Hanes, who by the way will be with us at Homecoming this year, cited a very alarming statistic. On average, a Luther invites a person to come to church with them once every 27 years. And yes, I said years, 27 to be exact! So why do we go weeks, months or years even, without telling someone about the love you’ve experienced through God’s work in our church? Why do we go months without sharing the acceptance that you have gained in the love of Christ? There are lots of reasons and excuses; it’s not always an easy thing.
One reason could be that people don’t like to be evangelized. They stoned Stephen, and they beat Paul and the others within an inch of their lives. They then threw them into prison, not once but several times! Here in the US we don’t experience that level of persecution like many do in other countries. But I think persecution is coming for confessional Christians. Let me repeat that warning; as confessional Christians, we will see persecution in our lifetimes. And I’m not the only pastor that feels this way. That’s the reason that this offering of love to the world is a risky business. People are so used to compromising their belief’s, to pain and the craziness of the world, that they think it’s normal, and anyone who suggests anything different, that there might be an alternative, is considered either intolerant or just a little crazy.
In fact, I know someone who gave a gift subscription to a certain magazine. On the cover, it says something like, “A Magazine of Conservative Journalism.” Now, this friend took one look at the word “conservative” and has refused steadfastly even to read the magazine, which comes to their house each month. They want nothing to do with any alternative to the way things are. Suffice it to say, there are lots of reasons why we might be a little shy about going out there. And we’ve only touched on a few. But this is where Jesus’ promise to us comes in.
This is why Jesus said, “Don’t worry, I’ll be with you.” Even until the end of the age. This means not only is Jesus present with us now, but for all time and eternity. No matter where you’re or what you’re doing, God is with us. You might become aware of it in the same way I sensed Krystle staring at me in my sleep. You may experience it like some unseen hand guiding you from down the driveway. Or you may encounter the presence of the living Christ in a totally different and unique way, which belongs to you only. Wherever you are in this spectrum of experience, I’m here to tell you it’s real.
I’m here to say that as we examine the challenge to share the love we have in God, we need to know that His love accompanies us as we go. Wherever we are, whomever we’re talking to, whatever challenges or sorrows are visited upon our life, the power of the love of God in Jesus Christ is with us. This love isn’t like some familiar and disingenuous peck on the cheek. This love isn’t like the taste of a good pastry that’s gone before the coffee gets cold. God’s love is a love stays.
Its presence walks with us, sits with us, holds us close, and bids us share it. And the operative word here is “share.” Our call to share the Good News isn’t a call to arrogance. It’s a summons to humility and gentleness. We’re called to move forward, offering Christ, not in bluster with trappings of worldly power, but in true surrender to the ways of love. This is necessary for our own integrity. It’s also necessary because of the people we will meet.
The un-churched, the un-faithed, the atheists who march about announcing that they don’t believe in God, these are the folks with whom we need to reach out to. And the underlying truth is, that most of the alleged atheists we meet are not atheists at all. In fact, most of them haven’t really given a lot of consideration to notions about or experiences of God. What they don’t believe in, is the Church! What they reject is the heavy-handed, irrelevant rantings of some denominations and TV preachers. And the reality is, it’s not the church we’re called to believe in! We’re called to believe – to follow – to trust – in God’s love as it has been brought to us in Jesus Christ. Yet many of us, who try to meet the challenge of inviting others into the love of God, shy away, not because of this, but because of what some in the Church have done.
Once and for all, let’s today say loud and clearly that the Church has had its problems. But the focus isn’t the church as a structure, it isn’t even the people in the church, we are merely God’s instruments; the focus is Jesus Christ. So maybe, just maybe it’s time we move forward, past what the Church has done about evangelism and claim anew the Great Commission. Let’s reject the old ways of manipulation and coercion, the evangelism of guilt, shame, and threats. And let’s cast upon the waters new bread, new hope, new offers of gentleness and love.
So let’s offer the Jesus we know in open, loving Christian community. The one who accepts us all as we are, redeemed through Christ, and calls us into community and solidarity, who challenges us to embrace ministries of justice and compassion, who holds us close and walks with us every inch of the way, even unto the cross, if that’s our path. So the challenge is ever before us. I invite you. I encourage you. I’ll even double dog dare you if needed: “Go, and develop disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them about the love of God in Jesus Christ.” And don’t worry about what may come, Jesus’ promise is good, He will be with us always as we do this … even unto the end of the age.
Amen.