Losing heads to peer pressure.
Sermon for Pentecost 6B
Mark 6:14-29 – The beheading of John the Baptist.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Have you ever done something that you didn’t really want to do, in order to impress some friends, of even to get the attention of that pretty girl or good looking guy?
For many people this has happened more then once, we have come up against peer pressure, and peer pressure has won.
A friend of mine told me once this great anecdote from his life, about peer pressure. His name is Paul. He grew up in the country, on a dairy farm. As Paul and his friends became teenagers, they began to look for things to do as a group during Friday evenings. So this particular Friday evening, they could think of nothing to do, so one of his friends suggested they tip a cow. Paul wasn’t really keen on the idea, since he knew that they could get in trouble, and also that cows get pretty darn angry if you wake them up, and can charge. So they pestered him for a while, so finally he gave in, and said that he would do it, as long as they tipped on of his cows, this way at least he knew the cow they were tipping. They snuck onto his farm after the sun went down, and Paul directed them to this old cow. He figured she was the lightest, and most likely the slowest, so she would be easy to tip, and wouldn’t catch up with them too quickly.
The group of young men, quietly creeped up beside her, pushed with all their might, and knocked her right over. As they ran away, Paul glanced back to see that the cow hadn’t gotten back up, that she wasn’t even trying to stand again. He watched for a minute or two, and realized something was wrong. He went back to her, and realized that they had given this poor old cow a heart attack, and she was now dead.
Now of course they had to cover their tracks. So they decided to take the tractor, push her body off the bank, into the river that ran along the local farm properties, and play it off as if they had never been there.
Two days later, Paul's dad sat him down for a talk, he wanted to discuss becoming responsible, and owning his own cow. His dad told him he would give him a cow for a fraction of the cost, only a couple hundred of dollars, and that Paul could start the beginning of his own dairy farm. Paul was excited that his dad seemed to trust him and jumped at the opportunity. His dad took his money, and told Paul that he could buy the old cow that he had killed earlier this week. Turns out that the neighbors had called to say that her body had washed up on their property. Paul's dad instructed him to go pick up his new cow.
Paul was mindful of ever lying to his father, or tipping cows again.
My friend Paul, caught himself up in peer pressure, and had to deal with the consequences of guilt and of course his father’s punishment.
Herod’s story takes this peer pressure to the next level. Herod wanted to make himself look real good in front of his friends. He needed them to know that he was true to his word, but also that he was a powerful man. He hosted this party in honor of himself. And he intended to make sure it was impressive. I can picture the banquet hall full of luxuries, exotic foods, beautiful music, and a dance that was so moving, the king offered even half his kingdom as a gift to his step-daughter, the dancer.
Now here is where we need some background information. As the Gospel recalls, Herod wasn’t quite sure how he felt about John. He saw that he was a man of God, and was fascinated at the things he had to say and the ministry that he cultivated, but he was also threatened by him. Herod couldn’t allow John to continue to spread the message that his marriage was unacceptable to God, but he also didn’t want to go to the extreme that his new wife wished he would. Whereas Herodias wanted John dead from the beginning, Herod was willing to keep him imprisoned, so that he did not harm this man of God, but so that his reputation wasn’t challenged either.
As we look back at the banquet. Herod offers his step daughter whatever she wants, he does so out of joy for her dancing talent. She being the teenager that she is, she doesn’t really know what to ask for, so she goes to her mom for ideas.
Instead of telling her daughter to ask for something that could help her in the long run, such as a piece of land, or power over an area of the kingdom, Herodias can only think about her own anger. Herodias is so consumed with her anger for John that she can’t even think about the welfare of her child, who has no legitimate claim to the kingdom of Herod.
Her daughter does as her mother says, and even tries to please her mother more, by requesting John’s head upon a platter and presenting it to her mother. This gruesome tale then comes right back to Herod.
As he sits in front of friends and guests, he seems to have no choice. He is so caught up in his need to impress people, that he doesn’t want to tell his step daughter no. Also, not killing John, after the public knew that John was speaking against Herod and his marriage, would have made Herod look weak.
Herod allowed John to suffer, so that his company would not be disappointed and he would remain powerfully feared and honored. John suffered for a tyrant, a tyrant who exercised his ultimate power, the power to banish people to the grave.
Like there were for Herod, there are many powers that we struggle with in life. We struggle to remain true to ourselves, but then also to succeed in life by society standards, and to make impressions on friends, co-workers, and even strangers.
Pressure is on us from all areas of life. We are pressured to take care of family, to provide a safe place for them to live and to provide for their needs. We are pressured as a society to succeed financially, even in this struggling economy. We are pressured to look as if we handle tragedy and pain like it’s no big deal. There is pressure for us to go along with what society raises up as ‘cool’ or acceptable for people our age.
Don’t we often back our selves into corners, and do what is socially acceptable? Don’t we all walk past things in life sometimes? Walk past moments where we see blatant racism? Walk past situations where we suspect abuse? Walk away from things and people that if we get involved with it could become messy for us? Even though we know it’s wrong? Instead of reaching out to people who are seen as ‘undesirable’ by society standards, we move on, cutting them off from love, grace and compassion.
We deny people human rights all the time. Whether it gets attention in the media as the case of the two reporters that are imprisoned in North Korea or it is just known between the two people, such as when a child dismisses the feelings of another child in school because if they spoke to them or didn’t make fun of them, they wouldn’t be cool anymore.
The power of peers and society surrounds us like a tyrant, it threatens to remove us from power and prestige, if we don’t conform with it. So instead we cut other people out from the grace that is given to them. We choose to treat others poorly, so that we are not the ones that are treated like John the Baptist. Instead of sticking up for what we see is right, for living life as Jesus Christ has shown us through his life, we are scared to go against the pressures of society. We let the power of the tyrant rule our lives.
But there is good news in this story of John’s death. For the tyrant’s power has no hold over the power of resurrection!
When Herod heard of the teachings of Jesus, he automatically thought that John had risen from the dead. That death had no hold over this man of God. That must have terrified Herod, as well as comforted him.
He would be scared because it was possible for this man of God to come back and preach against him once again, but also Herod could be relieved as not having felt like he completely destroyed John. He seems to comfort himself with the idea of John being alive again, and that his actions in front of his friends, had no real consequences.
Herod is of course mistaken, and John was not the one responsible for the amazing acts that were being reported. However, there would be a resurrection. A resurrection that would strip power from the tyrants of the world. A resurrection that would strip power from death and the grave itself. A resurrection that would give life to people for all the ages past and all the ages in the future. A resurrection that was a promise of grace and love.
Jesus’ resurrection still has the power to transform the negative powers in our lives today. Jesus has triumphed over sin and death for us. His life, death and resurrection release us from the powers of society; they enable us to live within the grace of God, to be loved children of God, instead of tyrants to ourselves and others.
It was through another gruesome act that God’s love trumped all the abuses of power and reached out to embrace a suffering world. God reached out to you, through the pain of the cross to save you from the powers of the world, to show you that you and I are loved children of God.
We act out of that unconditional love, to break the tyrant like powers of the world that crush people’s hope and souls. We act out of God’s unconditional love when we take the time to care for the repressed people of society. We act out of that unconditional love when we participate in volunteer agencies and relief organizations, such as Lutheran World relief or the Heifer Project. When we volunteer our time at places such as “feed my starving children,” or even the summer VBS program here at Salem, we share that unconditional love, and help to change the lives of people through the transforming power of a resurrected Christ.
It is through that love and grace that we are invited to the banquet everyday. This is not the banquet of Herod which is full of self aggrandizement or where we will be offered half of a fractured kingdom, but instead, this is the banquet of Christ, were we are given life and love, and given the whole kingdom of God.
The message of the banquet of Christ cannot be stopped. The love of Christ will invade all parts of the world, all places full of tyrant’s power, and fills us with a life giving love, a power over the grave. Amen.
Labels: gospel, Jesus, John the baptist, peer pressure, ressurrection, tyrant
Questions and Answers
This is my sermon for Holy Trinity Sunday.
The text is John 3:1-17.
Holy God, Three in one, bless our hearts and our minds that we may hear your word, and live out your calling to each of us, to your glory. In your name we pray, Amen.
Answers. Aren’t we all looking for answers of some sort? Whether it be answers to questions such as, “will I have enough savings to make it through this economic crisis?”
Or will I make it through the layoffs at work, so I can keep my job.
Questions such as, How will I survive, now that my spouse is leaving me?
Or how can I go on now that this loved one has died?
There are many questions in our lives. We search often for long periods for answers to our questions. Sometimes just looking for comfort, sometimes looking for joy, and sometimes we are just looking in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some of our questions are genuine, and others are meant to be accusatory or to hurt another person.
No matter the answer we seek, we as human beings are always looking for answers, looking for reasons behind our lives, looking for ways we can improve either superficially or deep down to our core, we look for answers regarding our lives on earth, as well as what comes after.
As we heard in the Gospel for today, Nicodemus is also searching. Nicodemus, a Jewish high priest, comes to Jesus by night. With that statement already, I have questions. Now, why would a Jewish High priest be coming to Jesus? In the past it has been ill-intentioned, they have wanted to find ways of discrediting him, of arresting him on an illegal charge, and have wanted him to contradict scripture or Jewish law. So, already, a sentence and a half into the Gospel reading, and I’m suspicious of Nicodemus’ intent.
But, what does it mean that he came by night? How does that change the circumstances of his questions to Jesus?
It changes them in several ways, actually. First, coming by night, meant that he didn’t want it to be a big show out in the public square, so that instead of him coming to challenge Jesus, Nicodemus is coming honestly to find the answers to his questions, and to find if Jesus is truly the Son of God.
A second reason, why Nicodemus coming by night is so significant, is a Jewish teaching which tells the people that if they truly want to have a deep conversation with a Rabbi, so that they can get all the answers to their questions, they must come by night. The reasoning behind this is then that you have a quiet time set aside for answers. There is less commotion, and neither the person or the rabbi needs to run off to do things such as happens during the day.
So here is Nicodemus, coming to Jesus by night, confirming that Jesus is whom he considers a religious leader, that Jesus is who he is coming to for answers to his deepest questions. Nicodemus is also showing how much he respects Jesus, and is in need of answers.
Nicodemus in an attempt to have Jesus understand that he is here in truth and peace, states that Jesus must be a teacher from God, because of all the amazing signs, healings and miracles he has performed. He tries to compliment Jesus with saying that he knows that God is with him in some way, and Jesus then answers in a riddle of sorts.
He states that no one may see the Kingdom of Heaven without having first been born from above. It seems as if Jesus is answering a question, that hasn’t been asked yet. An answer that Nicodemus doesn’t seem ready or able to understand yet. It is in the response that Nicodemus gives that we understand that he is confused. He asks, “but how can someone be born again, can one enter the womb a second time?”
Nicodemus is thinking of human birth, thinking that it seems impossible that after one grows old on earth, that he can re-enter a womb to be physically born again. He asks questions, so that he might understand more, so that he may know what he needs to do in order to see the Kingdom of heaven.
There is an interesting play on words here in the Ancient Greek that the Gospel was written in. The Greek word, Ano-then, which we hear as translated as, born from above, can also mean, born again. In Greek there is in way to know which way this word has been used.
Nicodemus takes Jesus’ words to mean literally born again, whereas Jesus was speaking of being born from above. Being born of water and of the Spirit.
Still Nicodemus is confused, not sure what Jesus is even speaking about, not sure how the Spirit blesses or gives birth to a new people, not sure how baptism into the Family of God gives a rebirth of a new person as a child of God.
We like Nicodemus, don’t always understand what God is up to. We don’t even always understand God’s love or compassion.
As we grow older, we live through many trials, trials of faith, trials of endurance, trials of grief and depression, trials of drug habits, trials of persecution or rejection. We live through times that break our spirits, that beat us down, and tear us apart. We can wonder where God is in those trials, we can wonder how God is working in our lives, and even sometimes if God has left us, because it surely feels that way while in the middle of something painful.
We can question God’s presence in our lives, we can question God’s plan for us, God’s calling, and sometimes even God’s existence. The earthly world surrounding us, can often be a harsh place. We see death and destruction daily. We remember world events such as D-day, a day when many people’s lives were lost. We see news stories about 18 yr old boys who go missing for months, and who are known to have now been murdered in the country that they had at one time fled from, to seek refuge here. We hear stories of murder, of drug dealers and houses, we see our neighborhoods slowly getting boarded up because of the economy, we see families getting kicked out of the houses they are renting because of foreclosures. We hear about young kids getting involved with gangs because they feel there is no other place to turn. We hear about communities that turn young people away, chastise them, look down upon them and even sometimes beat them because of who they love.
We live in a broken world. We are a broken people. We do wrong things, we sin, we hurt ourselves and each other. We question what goes on around us, we try to find answers to our questions, answers to the things that hurt us the most. We look for comfort, we look for love, we look for even just a little compassion.
Nicodemus came looking for answers, and he found love. He found love in it’s purest form, he found Jesus Christ, Son of God, salvation to all.
Jesus continues to tell Nicodemus the most important truth. The line that is most quoted from Holy Scripture, known from memory to many people around the world, a line that sums up the Christian faith. A line that brings us comfort and shows us what love truly is.
“for God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.”
This was the focus of our first Wednesday night happenings, this last Wednesday. We worked on memorizing this verse, and then discussed what it meant.
Now I know all the youth that were there know this verse well, so let’s say it out loud together. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.”
So that everyone who believes in him, may not perish but have eternal life. Everyone! This is not a conditional statement, it’s meant for everyone. God loved the world so much, that He gave Jesus Christ, God’s son, to die painfully on a cross, for you, for me, for us, for the world.
Jesus shares the answer with Nicodemus. He shares the truth with Nicodemus, he shares love with Nicodemus. Jesus gives Nicodemus life, eternal life.
Nicodemus comes with questions, comes with doubts, comes with struggles, comes with imperfections. And he receives all the answers he needs, although he might not understand them all. Even though he is broken, he is welcomed into God’s family, he is redeemed by the death of Christ, he is loved.
We are Nicodemus. We come with questions, we come with doubts, struggles, imperfections, sins, fear, and pain. And we receive the best gift of all time. We receive eternal life, life with God, life full of the love of God.
We receive a love that surpasses all our understanding. It’s a love that exists for us even when we do wrong. It’s a love that is there for us even when we don’t see it or don’t want it. It’s a love that is there for us when we think we don’t deserve it.
A love that inspires us to reach out and care for each other. A love that inspires things such as food drives, a love that inspires things such as listening to a friend who needs someone to talk to, a love that inspires things such as volunteering to help with a summer children’s program. It’s a love that changes our lives, that inspires us to live in new ways, to love our neighbor as we have been loved by God.
It’s a love that is there for you, even when we don’t understand.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, so that who ever believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. Amen.
Labels: gospel, Jesus, John 3:16, love, sermon
Just Breathe!
This is my sermon for Sunday, April 19th
The text was John 20: 19-31
It’s right about dusk, the sun has set for the evening, and the sky still has an eerie reddish glow to it. There is a crisp autumn scent in the slightly chilly evening breeze. I’m holding tight to the arm of my friend Danielle, linked arm in arm our bodies are tense and anxious as we slowly move forward toward the next corner. Our ears are straining to hear the sounds of anything that is to come and surprise us, but we are left only with the noise of the fallen hay and cornhusks that crunch beneath our feet. I can hear my heart beating fast, my breathing is short and shallow, I’m scared, I’m fearing what is to come. As we go to turn the corner of the corn maze, we pause slightly, fearing the inevitable. And then it happens, a masked character jumps out in Halloween Garb, and all that is left is the echoes of our screams in the night air, surrounded by others who are undergoing the same momentary panic.
Although my story is surrounded in the spooking spirit of Halloween, I can only imagine that the disciples feel that very intense sense of panic and anxiety as they huddle together in a locked room. As verse 19 says, “and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews.” The Jews here are not referring to the Jewish people, but instead are referencing the Pharisees, the Jewish leaders, the people that were persecuting Jesus and therefore now looking for the disciples.
Here the disciples huddled, fearing for their lives, questioning what had just happened, wondering what their future held.
I don’t know about you, but I know I would sure be questioning everything that happened.
I’d be wondering how the Messiah could be killed?
How he gave himself up to be killed upon a cross?
What I should be doing now?
How could I live my life under persecution?
How could I continue to spread the messages Jesus had taught me, when he wasn’t there to lead me?
I can picture the disciples sitting around saying very similar things:
what were they going to do now?
would they elect one of them to lead?
or would they all just break up and try to spread the word that way?
They sit huddled, nervous, worried about the future. Behind closed doors they worried about persecution, listened to every creaking sound, strained their ears to hear if someone was coming down the road, afraid if something was coming their way that they couldn’t handle, something that they were afraid of.
Previous to the reading for today, Mary Magdalene witnesses the risen Christ, and she goes on to tell the disciples of her encounter. But the question becomes, why then would the disciples still be afraid if they heard Jesus had been risen, that their beloved Teacher was back upon the Earth, that the prophecy had come true, the Messiah had risen from the dead? Why still fear?
But see, they were afraid, they were afraid of being persecuted, afraid of what people thought of them, of the way Jesus’ message had affected the leadership of the Temple, they were afraid of being killed like Jesus was.
Not only were they panicking because of their previous association with Jesus, and what the Pharisees thought about Jesus’ teachings, but now, Jesus’ words had come true! He had risen from the grave, and they were bound to take the wrath of the Pharisees for it.
The Pharisees feared that Jesus would be found alive, that’s why they had stationed guards outside the tomb. They feared that Jesus would try to get a message out from beyond the grave, they didn’t think that he could actually rise from the dead, but that his disciples would spread a false message. And yet, the disciples heard he was alive, Mary Magdalene told them that she saw him, and they were now terrified and just sat in their locked room unable to do anything else.
In our own lives, we are often paralyzed with fear. We, like the disciples, have heard the message of Jesus’ resurrection, we have reflected, sang, cried, worshipped, praised, prayed, and waited for his rising from the dead. And yet we still have fear.
I walked through that corn maze, knowing that there were people there roaming around to scare the patrons, Heck, that’s what I had paid for, but I was still afraid. I still crept cautiously to the corner, my breathing breaking into a belabored beat, anxiety arising within the air.
I knew I would be surprised at some point, I knew that there was truly nothing in that maze that could hurt me, but still, STILL I feared!
We, as a people, as children of God, as Children of the Resurrection, we fear. We have heard the resurrection story, and yet we are afraid. Fear runs through the air.
Fear motivates violence in the streets, fear motivates war in foreign countries because there might be terrorists, fear motivates racism, sexism, homophobia, ageism, ableism, and classism.
Fear is present. Fear is tangible.
Fear is in the dark street you have to travel down in order to get home after your overnight shift,
Fear is in not having enough money to put food on the table,
fear is in being beaten by your spouse,
fear is in drinking problems,
fear is in the economy,
fear in a recession,
fear is in the foreclosures,
fear is in worrying you can’t provide a better future for your children,
fear is in breaking out of stereotypes,
fear is in asserting your humanity,
fear is in the violence that get’s portrayed against women,
fear is in piracy in the seas,
Fear is present in many different ways.
Some fear having a black man as president,
some fear change in politics,
some fear not being in charge,
others fear not having control over their life due to drug habits,
or having to give up a drug habit, incarceration, rehabilitation, renovation, renewal, rebirth.
We fear persecution. Persecution because of who we are, what we do, what we look like, how much money we have, where we went to school, what we do for a living, what we believe in, what we stand for, and who we are associated with.
Like the disciples, persecution is a real thing for us.
We get questioned about why we are Christian, why we believe in Christ, why we go to church, why we try to help others out, why we speak the good news, why we talk about Jesus, why we sing about Jesus, why we give thanks for the things going right in our life.
When it seems like life is out of control, when fear has paralyzed us, when we question ourselves, when we are worried about the rent, food, or our job, there he is, Jesus. Right there with us in the room.
The disciples were gripped with this fear, they were closed off, locked in a room, with no one coming in or going out, it was just them. But then suddenly there was another, one who wasn’t with them physically before.
I don’t know about you, but my first reaction would have been to fall out of my chair. Here suddenly was another person, but the room was locked, no one knew they were there, their worst fear came true, they had been found.
But Jesus, brings them a new message. He tells them, “Peace be with you.” This typical Jewish greeting brought them back to the moment, their breathing stabilized, they realized who this was. It was their Master, their teacher, their beloved Messiah.
Jesus did more then just bring them a word of peace, did more then offer them a traditional greeting, Jesus brought peace, peace as an end of persecution. Peace as an end of fear. A new peace, peace that fulfills what he told the disciples before his death, In John 14: 27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” Jesus gave them a new peace, a peace that passes all understanding, a peace that gives us a new life, gives us eternal salvation, that can be there to comfort us through the trials.
I can only imagine, that the disciples are sitting there shocked. They were told by Mary Magdalene that he had risen from the dead, and he himself told them that it would happen, but yet here he was in front of them right now. I imagine all ten of them, standing there with their mouths open wide, eyes open wide in amazement.
Jesus is prepared for this though, and immediately tells them to look at the holes in his hands, to view the cut in his side, although they don’t ask, he verifies for them that he truly is Jesus, and that he is here standing before them, not a ghost, but a true flesh being.
The disciples rejoice in Jesus’ appearance, peace has been brought. Now that the disciples are breathing easy, Jesus does another amazing and gracious thing for the disciples. He commissions the disciples, “Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”’
Then Jesus imparts the Holy Spirit on them, ruach in Hebrew, literally meaning the breathe of God. He breathes on them, and they are filled with the Spirit. Breathes on them. Just the breath of Jesus fills them with the Spirit, how amazing is that? He doesn’t need to touch them, or tell them anything, he just breathes on them.
He breathes on them just like God breathes on Adam in Genesis 2: 7 “Then the Lord formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.”
Just as God breathed life into Adam, Jesus breathes life into the disciples. The fear doesn’t matter any more, there is only eternal life through Jesus. Jesus breathed on them. How close do you think you would have to be to breath on someone? A couple feet? A foot? Five inches? One inch? I think you would have to be pretty darn close to breath on someone. And that’s what Jesus was, he got all up in their grills, got personal, and breathed on them. [breathe on them]
Well, I’m here to tell you, Jesus does the same thing for each and every one of us. Jesus breathes on us. He gets up close and personal, and breathes on us. [breathe]
He breathes life on us [breathe],
breathes the holy spirit on us [breathe],
breathes away the fear [breathe],
breathes away the anxiety [breathe],
breathes away the pain [breathe],
breathes away the loneliness [breathe],
breathes away the self mutilation [breathe],
breathes away the money issues [breathe],
breathes away worries [breathe],
breathes away the stress of two or more jobs [breathe],
breathes away the troubles [breathe].
Jesus breathes life into us [breathe],
giving us a new life through God, giving us new life through love, giving us new life though grace.
Now it doesn’t end there folks, there is two parts to breathing. In order for our lungs to fill with air, we inhale the oxygen [ inhale] and exhale the carbon dioxide [exhale].
We inhale the goodness, the life giving force [inhale], and exhale what we can’t use [exhale]. We inhale to stay alive [inhale], and exhale to get rid of the poisons and in order to inhale again [exhale]. It is a natural thing, you inhale [inhale], then you exhale [exhale]. You fill your lungs with life [inhale], and you exhale that which you cannot use [exhale]. But here’s the key to the workings of the universe. We think that what we can’t use isn’t useful, but it is. If we didn’t exhale, we would be harmed, but when we do, plants are given life. Trees, plants, shrubs, bushes, daffodils, tulips, roses, lilies, marigolds, carnations, poppies, pansies, and every other type of greenery need the carbon dioxide we exhale.
Jesus breathes life into us [breathe], and we breathe out life to others [breathe]. It’s not something we have to do, it’s just something that happens, it’s a natural product of breathing in the Holy Spirit.
Jesus gives the disciples a last message. “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” The disciples are given an option, either they can forgive and let go, or they can hold onto sins within themselves, Jesus gives them the power of proclamation, the freedom of forgiveness. Jesus gives them the ability to forgive others, to breathe life into other people, to show other people that God gives them life, God forgives them, and Jesus has given them the breathe of a new life. The disciples can either sit in fear of persecution, or they can forgive others sins, and be forgiven. They can give life through the spreading of the Gospel message.
Jesus has that same message for us. We are given the gift of forgiveness, we inhale the sweetness of a sunny summer day in the spirit [inhale], and we exhale the gift of forgiveness to those who have done us wrong, who question us, who persecute us [exhale], and forgiveness is given. We inhale the Spirit, inhale the gift of Jesus’ love [inhale], and exhale the grace and forgiveness onto those who surround us [exhale]. We inhale, and we exhale.
So come on breathe with me, inhale the holy spirit [breathe in] and exhale the Gospel story into the world [exhale]. Inhale, and exhale. Inhale, and exhale. 2x
That’s what the message of the Resurrection is. Jesus came back to breathe life into us, Jesus came back to give us life, to give us eternal life through love. Jesus breathes on us, Alleluia!
Inhale, and exhale.
Breathe!
Amen.
Labels: breathe, gospel, holy spirit, Jesus, john, sermon, sharing
