Pr. Joseph Crippen

Listen to the Shepherd’s voice and follow to life and joy.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
The Fourth Sunday of Easter, year C
Text: John 10:22-30; Acts 9:36-43

Beloved in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Why did the Christians at Joppa send for Peter?

At this point in Acts, Peter was becoming known for being able to heal. But Tabitha was dead.

When Peter came, Luke doesn’t say they asked for anything. Peter went upstairs to pray for her, met many of her friends who were mourning. They showed Peter all the clothes she had made for them, talked about what a wonderful person she was. Nothing was said about raising her.

Now, Luke says that this resurrection became known throughout that city, and “many believed in the Lord” because of it. But if you’re only trusting in Jesus as the Messiah because of Tabitha’s resurrection, that could be a problem.

The Judeans also have a problem of knowing how to trust Jesus.

How long will you keep us in suspense? they ask. Tell us plainly, are you the Messiah?

At this point in John’s Gospel, Jesus has healed, fed thousands, taught many, and become known in the north, in Galilee. But now he’s in Jerusalem, at the Temple. And the Judeans want their own answers. As we heard in Adult Forum last week, there likely was some urban snobbery among the Judeans about rubes from up north in Galilee. So they wanted to know for themselves.

But one chapter earlier, in Jerusalem, Jesus healed a blind man and it caused a stir. A Pharisaic investigation was launched, people were questioned, the man himself was grilled, it was big. They certainly knew of this.

And so Jesus says that words aren’t going to help; he’s already told them who he is and they didn’t trust that. So, he says, look at what I’m doing. You’ve seen for yourself.

But it’s not enough. So, what do they need to trust Jesus? John says he wrote his Gospel so that you, too, could trust that Jesus is the Messiah, God’s Son, and, so trusting, have life in his name. So, their question is also your question: what do you need to trust?

No matter what Luke says, don’t expect Tabitha’s experience.

Sure, lots in the city came to faith because of what Peter did. But Jesus only raised three people from the dead. Later in Acts, Paul will raise someone. Peter never had raised anyone before, and never did again as far as we’re told. It was rare even then. And 2,000 years later, Tabitha is dead now; she’s not walking among us. And all her lovely friends met their deaths without an apostle handy to divert the funeral.

The problem with believing in Christ because of Tabitha’s story is that it’s likely never to happen to you or me. If God thinks such resurrections, or even eye-opening miracles, are what you need to trust Christ, why are they so rare? And if they’re not what God thinks you need, what is?

Jesus tells you today: I’ve shown you all you need.

If you want me as your Shepherd, listen to my voice. Follow me. Then you’ll know. Nothing prevents the people of Jerusalem from becoming Jesus’ sheep except their unwillingness to listen to his voice and follow. And nothing prevents you. You’ve seen what you need to see.

You’ve seen that God in Christ loves you beyond and through your sin and offers you unconditional forgiveness, a life cleansed from guilt and shame. So you don’t need to fear what you’ve been, only boldly be who you are in Christ.

You’ve seen at the cross and empty tomb that God’s love cannot be stopped by death. That not only will you have life in Christ after you die, but countless believers before you have told you that resurrection life is possible now, abundant, rich, fulfilled life following in the way of the cross, the way of Christ. So you have a path right before you, ready for you to walk without fear, to being a kinder, more loving, vulnerable, embodiment of God’s love, and a bringer of God’s healing to this world.

You’ve been fed here at Christ’s forgiveness table, guided here by God’s Word, blessed here by God’s people, and given strength and support.

And you’ve seen that the risen Christ has promised to be with you, so you can ask for your faith to be strengthened, for God’s Spirit to fill you, so you can trust in your Shepherd, even without all the evidence we always seem to want.

And that’s the true joy of Tabitha’s story.

Tabitha was a follower of Christ who changed her world with her love and generosity. She lived in a community that also loved in Christ’s name, made a difference, cared for their neighbors. They had life in Christ that helped them face their fears and live with boldness and courage.

They heard the voice of their Shepherd and followed. And rejoiced in the life of love they had, a life that was all they could think about when their sister died. Peter raising her was an unexpected extra. The joy there is the life of a community of faith that served others and made a difference in the world.

My sheep hear my voice and they follow me, Jesus said.

And nothing can snatch any of my sheep from my hand, nothing.

That’s all you need to know to trust in your Good Shepherd. The One who gives you abundant life here, even in a world of death and fear. Who fills you with the Spirit to transform you and your life into a loving grace and gift for the world. Who holds you always, no matter what, in this life and even through and past the death that awaits us all.

Follow that Voice you know so well, step by step, day by day. Listen, and let the Spirit change you. And in that following you will find joy. And so will everyone who knows you.

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen

It is in scars that we know God’s love and are God’s love.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
The Second Sunday of Easter, year C
Text: John 20:19-31

Beloved in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Thomas understood all along.

And all he asked for was what his friends already received.

Did you notice? Easter night, when Thomas was gone, Jesus spoke peace to the women and men in the Upper Room. And he showed them his scars, the marks of his wounds. Of course Thomas would want that, too.

Now, Jesus said to Thomas, but also to us, that we are blessed if we come to trust him without seeing as Thomas and the others saw.

But Thomas was right. Even we need to see those scars, somehow. In those beautiful marks made by wounds on the body of the Son of God, we definitively know God’s love. The scars tell you everything.

It’s more than simply confirming it’s Jesus, for them and for us.

Jesus’ scars are the indelible marks of God’s love, God’s willingness to be wounded, killed, to embrace you and all and the whole creation. A wounded God knows the power of love, and rejects the love of power. And that God is the God who loves you and holds you. So when Thomas saw the scarred Jesus, he said, “My Lord and my God.” The scars revealed God to him.

Jesus’ scars also permanently remind you and me and all who follow what love is, what our call is. So many Christians have used the faith to gain power or domination over others. You can’t if you always remember you follow a scarred God who was wounded and killed to show true love. Christ’s scars keep us honest about the point of Christian faith and the path of Christly love we’re called to walk.

These scars also tell you something about your own woundedness.

And we’re not comfortable with our own scars. They remind of past pain we don’t enjoy reliving. Scars on your heart from inner wounds or brokenness, or scars on your body from physical infliction, are signs of past suffering, of frailty and mortality, not something we want to advertise, in case people think less of us.

We can also simply be embarrassed by our scars. Scars inside and outside make you seem different from others. It’s uncomfortable to feel different.

So we unfortunately tend to hide our scars, physical or spiritual. But if you learned to embrace your scars that’s not only a healthy way for you. It could also teach you empathy for others. And your scars might even be a sign to others of hope.

That’s what Jesus’ scars tell you.

You know you can trust God because Jesus’ scars show God is willing to be wounded for your sake and for all and for the world. But your scars and the scars of others also help lead to trust. If those wounds, and the scars left behind, aren’t hidden but embraced, aren’t a source of embarrassment but a source of empathy, scarred people are signs of healing.

It’s a reversal of the common wisdom. We know that those who are harmed in life often harm others in turn. “Hurt people hurt people,” we say. And that’s often true. But it’s also true that hurt people can find healing and empathy and, embracing their hurt, their wounds, their scars, become great healers, people of love and grace.

So if your scars, and the wounds that caused them, can draw you into the heart of love for others, as God’s scars draw you into the heart of God’s love, you will be a blessing in this world. Likewise, if you’re looking for someone who can help you, love you, guide you to healing, look for their scars.

Seeing others’ scars will comfort you – you’ll know you’re not alone.

When you meet someone who can understand your pain because they’ve gone through pain themselves it’s a blessing. Everyone’s suffering is different, but if they’ve been wounded, too, they can be a great comfort to you.

Because you know you’re not alone. When you look into another person’s eyes and see acceptance, love, even sorrow and empathetic tears, you know that there is someone, this one, who has known pain. You’re not the only one. By embracing their scars, they are God’s love to you.

And you could be that comfort to others, if you embrace and learn from your scars.

Seeing others’ scars also gives hope – healing is possible.

When you see someone who loves you and walks with you who not only has been wounded themselves but has the scars to show for it, you can find hope. If they’ve found healing on their path, healing is possible for you. Whenever it happens, however long it takes – it’s always different for everyone.

And if you don’t hide yours you could be that hope to others.

Thomas was right. The beautiful scars of the risen Christ were the sign that God could be trusted.

That even death can’t stop a love willing to lose everything for the sake of another.

Because of those scars, disciples actually became believers, people who trusted that they were still loved completely by God, and that this path of love they’d been trying to follow was still a path of hope and healing for them and for all. That’s why they went out living and proclaiming this love and got wounded, even killed, to share this love and grace of God. They bore their scars and became as beautiful to others as the risen Christ was to them.

Blessed are those who can trust without seeing. That’s true. But we all could use a little of what Thomas wanted. So look for God’s scars and trust they are life for you. Look for the scars in others if you’re looking for someone who can help you in your healing and hope. And let your scars, and the wounds that caused them, lead you to be the empathy, hope, comfort, and healing that those you meet will need.

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen