Pr. Joseph Crippen

The true gift, the miracle Jesus gives, is to be in the boat with you and me, giving life and strength and hope for our calling to be Christ.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Lect. 19 A
Texts: Matthew 14:22-33; 1 Kings 19:9-18

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

Wouldn’t this have been great to see?

Jesus walking on water in a storm, a group of terrified disciples, Peter trying it for himself? Ever since I was a child, I’ve wished I could have been there to see that.

But I’ve come to realize it wouldn’t necessarily strengthen my faith if I could. After all, some of the religious leaders who witnessed the raising of Lazarus didn’t come to faith in Jesus. They saw it as a last straw, the reason Jesus and even Lazarus had to be eliminated.

In the Upper Room on the Sunday after his resurrection, Jesus said, “blessed are those who trust in me without seeing.” Faith is trust without proof.

So if we can’t go back in time and see, and even if we could it wouldn’t help, and if faith is trust without evidence, how will we ever find faith?

Well, in this story the answer is in the boat.

Jesus climbs into the boat, after pulling Peter out of the drink. And the storm calms. He’s no longer a scary figure on the water that makes them think of ghosts. And for the first time in the Gospel narratives, people are said to worship Jesus.

Faith is found in the boat with Jesus, not looking out at the water for miraculous things to see. It’s Jesus’ way – and part of the reason he often tells people to keep quiet about the miracles.

Jesus came to restore the relationship between the Triune God and the people of this world, but not by by flashy miracles and interventions. He came to do it by relationship with us. With the believers, the searchers, the frightened ones, the doubters, the ones just looking for help, the lost and hurting ones.

Jesus creates a community out of love – the people in the boat with us – to surround us and support us and help us in our faith. And in the middle of the boat sits God-with-us, the One whose love is the reason for all in the boat to live.

And really, that’s the only way any of us have come to faith, isn’t it?

We call this room where we all sit the “nave” – it’s from the Latin for “ship.” And here in the boat of the Church we have met Jesus, have met God through him, have known the deep and abiding love of the Triune God, and been given the gifts of God for faith – bread and wine where God’s very presence dwells; water which not only cleanses us but brings us into new life from death; Word of God which guides and shapes and teaches and comforts and challenges.

Here, in the boat with Jesus, we can let go of our fear and marvel at what we know and see, and worship: “truly you are the Son of God,” we say with the disciples

See, this part of today’s story is always your truth. You may not see or experience identifiable miracles. But the Son of God is always in the boat with you, with me. Bringing you to faith. Calming your fear. Teaching you. Loving you. There is nothing to be afraid of if Jesus is in the boat. That’s the true miracle today.

But the boat isn’t Jesus’ ultimate goal for us.

It’s where he shows up to be with us, where he’s put us together, and helped us to faith. But it’s a boat, not a fortress. That means it’s going somewhere. Jesus and the disciples today are traveling to another place to do ministry.

Our nave, our boat, isn’t a sanctuary for us to hide in from the world. Paul says to the Romans today there are so many places who need to hear this Good News, so many places of ministry we need to reach – some literally neighbors to our boat, others that will take a little travel.

That means a few things.

First, you’ll want to pay attention to Jesus, to where he tells you your next place of ministry is, where he’s sending you to go, when Jesus teaches and guides and leads you and me in this boat.

And second, we’re not always going to get along inside the boat. The first disciples didn’t, so we shouldn’t expect that we will. Because Jesus fills the boat, not us, and brings whatever people he wants to. It’s his boat, after all. That can be hard. We naturally want to pick and choose our boatmates, and that’s just not our call.

And third, it’s a much bigger boat than just this nave – it’s the whole Church on earth now and throughout time. And especially with the Church on earth as it is now, that means that there really will be lots of folks in the boat with us that we just don’t like. But the thing is, Jesus knows our strengths and abilities, and brings folks into the boat who have differing gifts and abilities, all so the work that needs doing can be done. So he asks us to learn to love each other. And everyone else in the boat, as big as the boat is.

Because Jesus loves you. And all of them, too.

Not everyone gets a vision or a miracle to see.

But with God-with-us in the boat, like Elijah today, like Peter and the others, everyone gets the strengthening of faith and the gift of the Spirit’s power to do their ministry.

I’ll take that trade-off any time.

And I rejoice that all of you share this particular boat with me. And pray that together we’ll find the joy of seeing where Jesus will take us next.

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

These images are Good News of God’s persistent grace in bringing life and healing to all through you and through me.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, Lect. 17 A
Texts: Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52; Romans 8:26-39

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

Jesus is telling good news here.

That’s the truth in these parables of the reign of heaven. “Jesus went through Galilee,” Matthew says earlier, “proclaiming the Good News of the reign of heaven, saying it has come near.” (4:17, 23)

These images are all Good News. And that means there’s hope. For you. For me. For this world.

There’s hope in a tiny seed, Jesus says.

Walking alongside a field, Jesus sees a mustard plant flowering. He stops and says, “That’s what I’m talking about! God’s reign, the reign of heaven, is like that.”

A tiny seed carries the whole life and future of the plant inside it. Even if you can’t see it. It will germinate and grow and become a shelter for birds, a giver of shade.

Good news, Jesus says. That’s what you are! You might look and feel insignificant, small, unable to do much for this world’s pain, but you already have the glory of God’s love and grace within you. Living in God’s reign of love, you will grow and thrive and give shade and shelter in ways you can’t imagine now. You’ll be a blessing to others. Have hope in that, Jesus says.

There’s hope in yeast, Jesus says.

Walking along a village street, Jesus glimpses a woman through a doorway who’s making bread. He stops and says, “That’s what I’m talking about! God’s reign, the reign of heaven, is like that.”

Just a few little organisms placed in a big pile of flour start to grow, eat sugars, and a miracle seems to happen: a loaf rises out of that sticky lump, and once baked, it’s a delight to the eyes, the nose, the mouth, the stomach.

Good news, Jesus says. That’s what you are! You might look and feel insufficient, and the problems of the suffering world immense: what can so few do? But when you join with others and love as Christ in your little space in this suffering world, you change the chemistry of your world. From what seems unsightly and inedible comes nourishment for all, beautiful bread. Have hope in that, Jesus says.

There’s hope when you recognize real treasure, Jesus says.

If you found a treasure only you knew about, you’d do all you could to have it be yours. If you spent your entire life searching for the most beautiful pearl and found it, you’d sell everything to have it.

In God’s reign, love of God and love of neighbor transform and heal all things. Imagine this world, this city, if all loved God, all loved their neighbor. That’s the hidden treasure of God’s reign, that’s the pearl beyond price that you and I are invited to seek with all we have.

Good news, Jesus says. This way of vulnerable love I’m calling you to follow will bring joy to you and to those around you, transform your world. It’s a way of living that brings life to all. It’s the most precious thing you could know or seek. Have hope in that, Jesus says.

There’s hope in a big, wide net, Jesus says.

Walking beside the sea, Jesus watches people pulling in nets. He stops and says, “That’s what I’m talking about! God’s reign, the reign of heaven, is like that.”

And a net pulls in more than fish. Driftwood, old boots, even what some would call trash. Only the Netminder gets to decide what’s worth keeping and what isn’t. Now, Matthew’s added interpretation here says in the end times the good will be kept and the evil thrown on the fire. But that’s not Jesus’ verdict. At the cross, drawing all people, all things to himself, Jesus said, “every single thing in this net, in this world, in this creation, is mine and loved and redeemed by this.” Nothing will be thrown and burned.

This net opens up the joy of Paul’s strange words today about predestination that sometimes cause anxiety. Look carefully at Paul’s logic. He starts with “those whom God foreknew.” Well, the Triune God created all things, so is there anyone God doesn’t foreknow, any thing?

And all God foreknew, Paul says, God predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. Since God obviously foreknew the whole creation, then God also predestined all things to be shaped into Christ’s love. And those God predestined, God called, Paul says. Who wants to argue at this point that God doesn’t call everyone, everything? And those whom God called, God justified, and those whom God justified God glorified. Follow the logic: all are foreknown, so all are predestined to conform to Christ, therefore all are called, all are justified, all are glorified. God’s net is as wide and inclusive as the universe.

Good news, Jesus says. You might be an old boot, but God treasures you. “If God is for you, who is against you?” Have hope in that, Jesus says.

One thing here might give you concern: time is needed for all these to bring life.

The seed doesn’t grow to full stature instantly; the bread needs hours to rise. The treasure finder needs time to re-bury, get money, get title to the land. The merchant spends a lifetime looking for the beautiful pearl. And only when the net gets pulled up on shore is God’s treasure seen for what it is. Nothing happens quickly.

And that’s hard for us. We want things better now. We want a healed society where all are safe and loved and able to flourish and thrive. We want a world without war and hunger, a planet that is healing instead of burning up, we want the justice God dreams for all God’s children to happen now.

And maybe that’s why Jesus chose these images. Jesus invites you into the mystery of patient hope, asks you to ponder seeds and yeast and life-time searches, nets filled with things not immediately recognizable as precious. Have hope, he says. But learn patience.

Because “nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus.”

Even if it takes centuries, God will accomplish the healing and restoration of all things through this vulnerable love. These stories tell you God is persistent and steady and will finally get what God desires. Even if God has to die and rise to get it all started. Even if God has to work with tiny little seeds like you and me, people who struggle to see the treasure when it’s right in front of us, people who want to kick others out of the net.

At the cross, Christ drew all things into God’s embrace in order to send out all things for the healing of the creation. So God’s reign will come, is already near. Seeds are growing into trees, yeast is creating bread, treasures are found, nets are gathering in all things. Have hope in this. This is good news. For you. For all.

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