The Thomas Syndrome (John 20:19-29) by Rev. Dr. Alan W. Deuel

Doubt, you can't escape it.  You can run from it , but you can't hide from it; it's a part of our daily lives.  In 1993, FBI agents conducted a raid of Southwood Psychiatric Hospital in San Diego, which was under investigation for medical insurance fraud.  After hours of reviewing medical records, the agents had worked up an appetite. The agent in charge of the investigation called a nearby pizza parlor to order a quick dinner for his colleagues.

Agent: Hello. I would like to order 19 large pizzas and 67 cans of soda.

Pizza Man: And where would you like them delivered?

Agent: We're over at the psychiatric hospital.

Pizza Man: The psychiatric hospital?

Agent: That's right. I'm an FBI agent.

Pizza Man: You're an FBI agent?

Agent: That's correct. Just about everybody here is.

Pizza Man: And you're at the psychiatric hospital?

Agent: That's correct. And make sure you don't go through the front doors. We have them locked. You will have to go around to the back to the service entrance to deliver the pizzas.

Pizza Man: And you say you're all FBI agents?

Agent: Yes, we've been here all day and we're starving.   Can you remember to bring the pizzas and sodas to the service entrance in the rear?

Pizza Man: I don't think so.  And he hung up.

We deal with doubt in the field of law.  In a criminal case for example, evidence against a defendant must be presented by the prosecution that's beyond a reasonable doubt, that no other logical explanation can be derived from the facts or that the facts are beyond dispute about any reasonable alternative being possible.  It means jurors have no doubts about the defendant's guilt or that their doubts are unreasonable. 

Yes, doubt is a normal part of everyday life.  We have doubts at times about our career, our health, our friends, our marriage, our children, our community, our church, our government or about our job, will it last for years or will I be layed off tomorrow.  We sometimes must deal with depression because of anxious struggles with self-doubt. 

And yes, when it comes to faith in God, to our spiritual life, to our walk with Christ, we also at times have doubts.  I do.  How about you?   We are children of a scientific, technological, relative, and skeptical age, an age which lends itself to doubts in regard to faith.  

For Christians there are personal expressions of faith-doubts.  “God, have you heard my prayer?”  “God, why haven't you healed him?”  “God, are you punishing me?” “God, will you help me?  “God, why did she have to die?” “God, why didn't this work out, it looked so promising?”  “God, I'm having trouble believing you care.”   “I can't believe this story in Scripture.”  “I don't know if I am saved.”    We may have doubts about God's being either all-loving or all-powerful.

So don't beat yourself up when you find yourself wrestling with doubts about your faith.  It is not a sin to doubt.  Doubt in terms of faith is not an aberration or a mental disorder or a character flaw.  

We find examples of doubt in scripture.  Thomas in this morning's lesson is one of the most remembered figures in the Bible.  People who don't read the Bible or rarely read it will often say, oh, yeah, doubting Thomas, I have heard of him.   Thomas was not in the upper room in Jerusalem when Jesus first appeared after his resurrection.  He was still grieving after hearing that Jesus had been crucified.  So he emphatically states:  “Unless I shall see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” 

It is the Thomas syndrome!  We all are familiar with it.  “God, prove to me that you exist.”  “God, show me a big clear sign, well, how about a little sign?”  “God, show me you are real.”  “God I'll believe if you will only answer my prayer.”

Have you ever prayed like Thomas?  I have.  We are by nature rational creatures. God has given us the ability to think, to assess the situation, to use logic and reasoning when making up our minds. We like to rely on empirical evidence, like Sgt. Joe Friday, on the television series “Dragnet,” who always said: “Just the facts ma'am.”  We like facts on which to base our opinions, views and beliefs.  We want to see it, to feel it, to touch it, to smell it, to hear it.  So without question, Thomas’ doubt was a honest and normal expression of being human.

Recall another biblical story of the healing of a boy by Jesus.  A father whose son was possessed with an unclean spirit is speaking to Jesus.  The father says:  “Jesus, if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.”  Jesus replies:  “If you are able, all things are possible for the one who believes.”  To which the father responds: “I believe Lord, help my unbelief.”   How many parents have uttered similar words: “I believe in you Lord, help my unbelief.”   “I trust in you Lord; help me to trust even more.”

Some of you may have serious doubts about the truth and meaning of the Christian faith.  Why do we sometimes have doubts about God?  Why is doubt a part of faith?  Remember, it’s not a sin to doubt. 

First, doubts arise because of the nature of our Christian faith.  In the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, verses 1 - 3, we read:  “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. By faith, we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.”   I Corinthians says:  “For we walk but faith, not my sight.”  It also says:  “For now we see in a mirror dimly, then face to face, not we know in part, then we shall know fully.”

Trust, belief, the conviction of things that are not seen, this is the language of faith.   Faith can't be proven with logic or science.  When a prayer is answered or a miracle occurs, a believer says, “Praise the Lord” and an unbeliever says, “Ah, it was just dumb luck or a coincidence.”  

Christian faith is a living and dynamic relationship with God in Christ.  And like any living relationship, whether with your spouse or a friend or your child, that relationship seeks understanding, it asks questions, it evolves, there are times of doubt, it changes, it grows, there are times of confusion, there are ups and downs.

Second, doubt arises because of God himself.  God is and remains ultimately a God of freedom and mystery.  The prophet Isaiah, in a moment of frustration, says:  “Truly you are a God who hides yourself.”  Faith is a relationship with a free and sovereign God.  God is not accountable to us.  God is not under our control or direction.  We cannot order God to do anything.   God won’t fit in any box, no matter how hard we try.  Yes, we can and do know God personally in Jesus Christ, and we say amen to that gift, and yet we realize that there are limits to how personally we can know God.  God is both knowable and unknowable, within our comprehension and beyond our understanding. 

Third, doubt arises because of our human predicament.  We must deal with questions about the existence of evil, disease, injustice and suffering.  Sin is the basic reason people resist believing in God.  But rationally, the existence of evil and suffering is without question an intellectual obstacle to faith.  We face challenges and problems, tragedy, and fear, which pose ever new questions for faith. 

Jesus our Lord understands more than anyone that his followers are going to struggle with seasons of doubt.  Jesus listened to the doubts and questions of his own twelve disciples.  Jesus listened to Thomas.  And Jesus hears us, you and me. 

Some of us came to faith because of the influence of our parents who were Christians.    It was their witness which first inspired us.  We inherited faith from them.   But sooner or later we must claim faith for ourselves, we must stand on our own faith. Why, because of life's challenges.  Am I a Christian because my parents want me to be or Am I personally committed to Jesus Christ because I want to be?

Faith and doubt is a fascinating dynamic.  The reality of doubt means we must on a daily basis cultivate our faith in God, develop it, deepen it, so that when the challenges of life confront us, we have a spiritual foundation of strength and hope and spiritual depth, and don't collapse in despair.  Faith is a conviction not a convenience.  It's not something we trot out on occasion.  Life's challenges means faith must be a way a life, a life-style. 

The aim is always to grow in our faith, to strive for a mature faith, for spiritual maturity.  Growth in understanding and growth in faith is only possible when we honestly confront our doubts and continue our daily and intentional walk with the Lord.  I like what one of my favorite theologian's says:  “An honest doubter is closer to the truth than a superficial or dishonest believer.”   Doubt can be a positive or negative factor when it comes to faith.  It can lead us to turning away from God or it can spur us on to fight the good fight of faith, to strive for understanding, to go further in our journey and seek to draw nearer to God.

Author Robert Louis Stevenson was a sickly child who was burdened by ill health for most of his life.  He died at the age of 44.  From skeptical beginnings, his spiritual journey eventually led him to become a man of radiant faith.  He started by debunking the Christian faith as the “deadliest gag and wet-blanket that can be laid on man.”  He referred to himself as a youthful atheist.  As he grew older, he began to have what he referred to as “his first wild doubts about doubt.”  Later, he commented:  “Tis a strange world, but there is a manifest God for those who care to look for him.”  Finally, Stevenson wrote:  “Faith is a good word to end on.”  So Stevenson went through his struggles of faith, until he found himself doubting his doubts and disbelieving his disbelief.

God calls you and God calls me to make a leap of faith. And to make that leap everyday of our lives. God invites us to stake our lives on a person and a power greater than ourselves - in the one whom we cannot see the imprint of the nails or touch his wounds with our fingers or put our hand into his side – even Jesus Christ.

In closing Thomas declares: “My Lord and My God!”  Jesus said to him:  “Have you believed because you have seen me?”  Yes one is indeed blessed if you have seen the Lord, if you have had a vision of God in your life.  Thomas doubted, but later was indeed blessed. 

You may have never seen the Risen Lord.  And yet you are here this morning worshipping him as lord and savior?   For remember Jesus’ blessing to you as well:  “Blessed are you who have not seen, and yet have come to believe.”  Amen!

Greetings! (Matthew 28:1-11) by Rev. Dr. Alan W. Deuel

A pastor writes:  “A friend of mine named John had a number of responsibilities in his job, including traveling to small rural communities to conduct funerals, where they didn't have churches.  He would go out with an undertaker and they would drive together in the hearse. One time, they were on their way back from a funeral and my friend was feeling tired.   He decided  to take a nap and went to lie down in the back of the hearse.

The undertaker pulled into a service station to gas up. The attendant started filling up the tank and was kind of freaked out, because a body was stretched out in the back.  While he was filling the tank, my friend woke up, opened his eyes, knocked on the window and waved at the attendant.  John said he never saw anybody jump so high and run so fast in his whole life.”  

Yes, when you abruptly see life, when you're expecting death, it shakes you up.   So it was on that first Easter.  On the third day, everything changed.  The disciples, the women and crowds thought they were going to see death, but instead they saw life!   And that shook people up.  History records that Jesus' followers, were shattered, disillusioned, and heartsick at seeing Jesus crucified, but suddenly they were motivated to witness to others with a newfound passion, power and purpose, because they had seen life, when they were expecting death.   We rejoice with Christians around the world today in remembering the astounding shock of Jesus' resurrection.

Two women went to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body with oil and spices as was the Jewish custom.  The women encounter an angel who says to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary – “Do not be afraid; He is not here, He has risen; Come and see; Go quickly and tell the disciples.”  Jesus the Risen lord appears to the women as they were leaving the tomb and says - “Greetings.”   Our Risen Lord says greetings to you, to us, this morning as well.

The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of the Christian faith, it's the linchpin of Christian hope, its the historical basis for the celebration of Easter.   Easter is a light in the darkness of this world.  For if you and I are merely earthbound creatures, with no promise of tomorrow; if aging, suffering, pain and death are all we have to look forward to, then nothing but darkness and sadness awaits us.   We read in I Corinthians: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.  If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.”  

But Easter announces a radically different word; the tomb was empty, God rolled away the stone, and God rolls away stones and opens tombs today.  The stone was not rolled back so Jesus could get out, but so others could get in, and see for themselves that Jesus had risen from the dead.   Because of the power of faith in Christ, as a pastor I have personally seen lives saved from tombs of despair, from tombs of grief, from tombs of shattered relationships, from tombs of meaninglessness and hopelessness.  

Dr. Bernard Thompson, Yale University staff to persons with drug and alcohol addiction issues writes:  “Really, the only widespread dramatic instances of remission, are to be seen among those whose will is redirected through a religious experience.”  Singer Natalie Cole who struggled for years with a drug problem said:  “Most importantly, I thank my Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, for his unfailing grace and mercy in my life.  He gave me the victory.”

The power that brought Jesus back to life, is available to us, to bring our spiritually dead selves back to life.  Easter announces that there is no grave deep enough, no stone heavy enough, no evil strong enough to keep Christ in the tomb and to keep us from the Risen Lord.   The world says evil is stronger than good, hate is stronger than love and death is stronger than life.  Christianity says no, not so!  Why?  Because on Easter Jesus the Risen Lord said- “Greetings.”

Easter declares there is hope for tomorrow, not hopelessness; there is life for tomorrow, not annihilation, not obliteration, not death.  Easter dares to proclaim this message, even in light of the global threat we face from radical extremist Muslim violence, killing and persecution. 

Easter points to the promise of a renewed creation, a new earth.  Easter points to an afterlife, a life to come, a life that awaits us, an eternal life beyond this earthly life.  Eternal life awaits those who surrender their lives, who trust, who believe in Him.  Scripture promises:  “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”   Life begins when we discover this truth for ourselves and act upon it.

I give thanks to God for the life and ministry of Rev. Robert Schuller, founder and pastor of the former mega-church, the Crystal Cathedral in Southern CA, who died April 2, at the age of 88.  He brought the Christian hope to millions of people around the world for over 50 years.  He wrote:  “I happen to focus on the secular world.  I'm not interested in talking to people who have religion.  I'm trying to talk to people who turn God off.”  He was famous for such catchwords as:  “Inch by inch anything's a cinch,” “God's care will carry you, so you can carry others,” “Selfishness turns life into a burden, Unselfishness turns burdens into life;” “When faced with a mountain I will not quit, I will keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, tunnel underneath, or simply stay and turn the mountain into a gold mine, with God's help.”  Rev. Schuller is now living the hope he preached during his ministry; he has begun his new life in heaven with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the communion of saints.

In light of the hostility in our world, we are constantly faced with our own mortality.  It is not a subject we spend a lot of time contemplating.   Easter declares God's victory over death.  The resurrection shows that even the seemingly indomitable power of death is inferior to the will and power of God.  Easter announces that Jesus' resurrection opens the future and assures us of a future. 

Listen to the testimony from the apostle Paul in I Corinthians; this is the core of our Easter faith: “I would remind you, brothers and sisters of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you, unless you have come to believe in vain.  I handed on to you, what I in turn had received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, then to the twelve, then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died, then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me.”   

As you look out at our world today I ask you two questions – do you have hope for the future and what is the basis for your hope?  Christians around the world are not in worship today saying: "The stock market has risen. It has risen indeed." They have not gathered to say, "The dollar has risen.  It has risen indeed." Or "Google has risen. It has risen indeed."   The hope that has ignited the hearts, stirred the souls, and uplifted human beings across every continent and culture for two millennia is: "Christ is risen. He is risen indeed."

Easter confirms that Jesus alone, and no one else, is the Son of God, so let us take to heart these great promises of our Lord:  “There are many rooms in my Father’s house, I am going there to prepare a place for you, I would not tell you this if it were not so, and I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am.”  Jesus says: “Because I live, you shall live also.”  Jesus says: “I am the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in me, even though they die, shall live.”  

Yes, we celebrate Easter because on the third day, Jesus said, “Greetings!”  Alleluia.  Amen.

St. Patrick (Colossians 2:6-7; Ephesians 3:14-21) by Rev. Dr. Alan W. Deuel

St. Patrick's Day is almost upon us.  Our nation celebrates St. Patrick's Day Tuesday, March 17.   What comes to your mind when you think of this day?  Parades, Leprechauns, the color green, green beer, corned beef cabbage, an Irish wake, Irish music like “When Irish eyes are Smiling,” Irish poetry, Irish humor, Irish dancing, Irish pride are some of the things.

All of these are valid, but there is one thing more.  Christians, Protestants and Catholics, need to remember the giant Christian saint for whom this day is named.  St. Patrick is known as the Apostle to Ireland or the Patron Saint of Ireland.  The day represents Patrick's religious feast day and the anniversary of his death.  He died in the mid-fifth century in Ireland.  The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years.  On St. Patrick's Day, Irish families traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon.  This day occurs during the season of Lent, but prohibitions against eating meat are waived and people, dance, drink and feast.

Today we honor a humble, passionate, and gifted man, called by God to service in the name of Christ.  What we know about Patrick comes principally from his own writings – The Confession, which chronicles events of his life and another document titled The Letter.  He was raised in a Roman Christian home on the west coast of Britain but Patrick was not interested in Christianity.  He writes that as a young man he didn't believe in God and had no interest in the religion.

At the age of 16, an incident occurred which changed the course of his life forever.  He was kidnapped from the family villa in Britain, and taken aboard ship to Ireland, by Irish raiders.  He was enslaved in Ireland and forced to work as a shepherd for six years, and during that ordeal, filled with hardships, loneliness, cold and hunger, he tells how he turned to God in prayer and God turned toward Patrick.  He sensed God's personal presence, mercy and love and committed his life to Jesus Christ. Yes, it was out of being kidnapped and enslaved, that Parick opened his heart to God, and his life was turned around. 

He writes:  “I am Patrick, a sinner, most unlearned, the least of all the faithful, and utterly despised by many.  I was then about 16 years of age.  I did not know the true God.  I was taken into captivity to Ireland, with many thousands of people, and deservedly so, because we turned away from God and did not keep His commandments, and did not obey our priests, who used to remind us of our salvation.  And the Lord brought over us the wrath of his anger, and scattered us among many nations, even unto the utmost part of the earth, where now my littleness is placed among strangers.  And there the Lord opened the sense of my unbelief, that I might at last remember my sins and be converted with all my heart to the Lord my God, who had regard for my abjection, and mercy on my youth and ignorance, and watched over me, before I knew Him, and before I was able to distinguish between good and evil, and guarded me, and comforted me as would a father his son.”

Patrick prayed for deliverance from slavery.  And after six years, he heard the voice of God: “Your hungers are rewarded, you are going home, look, your ship is ready.”  Patrick made good his escape and traveled by foot for over 200 miles.  He writes:  “I came in God's strength and had nothing to fear.”  When he reached the south-east Irish coast, Patrick came upon a ship, which provided passage back to his home in Britain. 

Patrick knew in his heart of hearts that God had placed a call upon his life.  But he also felt completely unprepared, inadequate and uneducated for the task.  So after being home for period of time, Patrick left Britain and made his way to Gaul or modern day France, where he enrolled in a Roman Catholic seminary.  He was eventually ordained a priest and later a bishop.  He thought that now, at last, he was fulfilling God's call in his life.   Ah, but Patrick had only begun to grasp what God had in store for him.

Patrick writes:  “One night I had a dream, in which someone named Victoricus handed me a stack of letters.  I took one and at the top read the words:  ‘The voice of the Irish.’ Then I heard many Irish voices crying out, we beg you to come and walk among us once more.”  Patrick says he felt like he was stabbed in the heart.  He woke from the dream, knowing in his heart, that God was calling him to return to Ireland, to the emerald Isle, this time not as a slave, but as a Catholic missionary to walk among the Celts.

In 432, Patrick, now a trained priest, once again entered the world of the Celts, a world of tribes or clans, a world of  a primative war-like people, a superstitious and pagan world and yet a deeply spiritual world.  Julius Caesar had driven the celts out of Europe into the British Isles centuries before.  Celt is a Greek word which means “the stranger or the other.”  Their language was Gaelic.  The Celts saw the supernatural everywhere, in dark caves and on the tops of mountains, in people and events.  Their lives were filled with signs and symbols.  Gods and goddesses roamed the land, the realm of magic was embraced, but there was no knowledge of one true God, the creator, nor of Christ, the redeemer. 

This was the world God called Patrick to bring the message of the gospel to.   He of course knew the Celtic culture well.  Obviously, this was an important qualification which God had in mind, when God chose Patrick.  Patrick wrestled with the question -  How would he fulfill his calling to the Celtic people?  How would he introduce the Christian gospel to these people?

God gave him his answer.  He decided to look for ways to connect the message of Christ to the Celtic culture, to establish a synthesis between Christian traditions and Celtic traditions – and in doing so, Celtic Christianity was born.

For example, tradition says Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leafed plant, to illustrate the Christian teaching about the Trinity, that God's nature is Triune, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The Druid priests were still practicing human sacrifice, and Patrick convinced them that through Christ's supreme sacrifice on the cross, once and for all, human offerings to God were no longer required or needed.  These very Druid priests became priests in the monasteries.  Patrick incorporated the Celts worship, love and appreciation for nature, for the environment and transformed that passion into their roles as stewards/caretakers of the gift of creation God had given them.  Patrick reaffirmed the Celtic value of the equality of men and women in their culture, and taught that God had created men and women in His image.  Patrick re-affirmed the Celts natural love for wandering and translated that passion into the practice of making spiritual pilgrimages to draw one nearer to God. 

Patrick organized the clans or tribes into monastic or religious communities, where they worshipped, worked and prayed together among carrying out other traditions.   Patrick re-affirmed the Celts sense of the mystery of God, of the mystical and sacredness of life, into their understanding of God and God's gift of life as a sacred trust.  Patrick incorporated the Celts love of the arts and story-telling, poetry and music into their worship experiences bringing in Christian ideas and symbols into the Gaelic language.   Patrick directed the Celts passion for the ascetic life-style into the Christian spiritual disciplines of fasting after Jesus' fasting in the wilderness. 

One day, Patrick was sharing the gospel with a pagan tribal leader and was attempting to teach him the doctrine of the trinity.   Patrick bent down and plucked a single clover from the grass, the shamrock, holding it up showing three leaves, yet only one clover. 

On another day, Patrick was shown a stone, marked with a circle, that was symbolic of the moon goddess.  Patrick made the mark of a Latin cross through the circle and blessed the stone and made the first Celtic Cross. 

Patrick remained in Ireland for 30 years, crisscrossing the island, preaching the gospel, converting the people to Christ, baptizing, and organizing monastic communities composed of both men and women.   He was a man of vision, of tireless energy and completely dedicated to Christ.

The language of our two scriptures capture the essence of Celtic Christian spirituality.  The mystical, mystery, the sacred union, the sacramental, the personal, is at the heart of Celtic Christian faith.

I can imagine Patrick teaching his followers - “Continue to live your lives in Christ, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith.”    And in Ephesians: “I pray that according to the riches of his glory God may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.  I pray that you may have the power to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breath and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

There are many lessons that we as Christians can take from Patrick's life.   I think of two.  First, God took a terrible ordeal in Patrick's life, being kidnapped and sold into slavery, and brought something good out of it.  Patrick saw God's hand and purpose at work in the circumstances of that trial in his young life.  Romans 8:28 says, “In all things God works together for good for those who love him and are called to his purpose.”  This is how God works in our lives.  Patrick eventually forgave the Irish people and grew to love them in his zeal for the Celts to come to know Christ.   Second, Patrick used his God given talents, creativity, calling and devotion to prayer to develop an approach to bring the gospel to the Celts which connected to their culture rather than alienating them or condemning them.  He respected their culture, and found common ground to bring the gospel.    I hope Patrick's perceptive and forgiving faith and sensitive evangelistic style inspires you as a follower of Christ. 

I close with this familiar Irish blessing.  “May the Irish hills caress you, may her lakes and rivers bless you, may the luck of the Irish enfold you, and may the blessings of St. Patrick behold you.”  Amen!

Jesus was Transfigured (Matthew 17:1-13) by Rev. Dr. Alan W. Deuel

Rev. Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, NYC writes:

“One day I came home late from work.  It was a nice day outside and I noticed that the door to our apartment's balcony was open. Just as I was taking off my coat, I heard a smashing noise coming from the balcony.  In another couple of seconds I heard another one. I hurried out on to the balcony and to my surprise saw my wife sitting on the floor. She had a hammer and next to her was a stack of our wedding china. On the ground were the shards of two smashed saucers.

"What are you doing?" I asked.  She looked up and said, "You aren't listening to me. You don't see how serious this is.  If you keep working these hours you are going to destroy this family.  Your children and I need you. This is what you are doing." And she brought the hammer down on the third saucer.

I sat down trembling. I thought she had snapped. "I'm listening. I'm listening."   She smiled and said: “Good, now I have your attention and we proceeded to have an honest conversation that we should have had a long time ago.”

So do most people need to improve their listening skills?  Do you?   Talking, verbal communication, is obviously essential.  We use verbal communication in everyday conversations, in our professions, in education, in crying out for help.

Talking is a basic form of human interaction.  We spend 1/5th of our lives talking.  We engage in an average of 30 conversations per day.  We speak some 20,000 to 30,000 words per day.   The Urban dictionary even has a definition of a talking head:  “A ‘Talking Head’ is someone who never stops talking. They will corner you by your car after a long day’s work to tell you gossip about the neighbors or to ask you about the details of your day, so they can distort it and spread it throughout the neighborhood.”   

In this light, we turn to our morning story about a unique event in the life of Jesus’ disciples.  It is the indescribable point in time of Jesus’ transfiguration.  Try to visualize this scene.  Jesus is on a high mountain with his three closest disciples, Peter, James and John.  Suddenly, Jesus’ clothes become dazzling white, his face shines like the sun and His presence is transfigured before them.  He undergoes a complete metamorphosis, an extraordinary phenomenon which none of the disciples had ever witnessed before.

And if that isn't enough, two Jewish superstars, Moses and Elijah appear.  For us it would be like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln or Katy Perry and Justin Bieber and they are talking with Jesus.  The significance of these Jewish figures is monumental.  Moses represents the tradition of Jewish law and Elijah represents the prophetic tradition.   Peter was totally enamored with this moment and says to Jesus: “Lord, it is good for us to be here, if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

And while Peter is still speaking, a bright cloud overshadows them and from the cloud the voice of God speaks.    Jesus' presence is transformed, long dead Jewish heroes mysteriously appear before him and Peter keeps talking and rattling on about building shelters.  He doesn't stop to take it all in, to appreciate what was happening, to perceive, to comprehend, to listen, to experience this special spiritual moment.   Are we sometimes like Peter?   We are so busy talking that we don't stop to listen, to look around, to be aware of what is happening around us, to learn from, to be moved by and inspired by what is going on? 

And then comes a word from on high:  God says, “This is my Son, whom I love.  With him, I am well pleased.  Listen to him.”  God was revealing to the disciples Jesus’ true identity.  God was saying this is no ordinary rabbi, this is no ordinary prophet, Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus is Lord, pay attention, listen to him.  The presence of Moses and Elijah confirmed Jesus’ identity as the fulfillment of all God was doing and saying in the past in the law and the prophets of Israel. 

This mystifying story first conveys to us the critical importance of listening.  Communication is more than talking.  Listening requires energy, commitment and effort.   Comments like: “I don’t think you heard what I said “or “That's not what I said” or “You misunderstood me” or “Excuse me, please let me finish” to someone who constantly interrupts you, are all too common in everyday conversations.   Attentive listening is a gift to someone your speaking with.  Attentive listening is giving a person your full and undivided attention.  

Listening needs more than politeness, it requires interest and concentration and curiosity.  If you aren’t interested in the other person or in what this person is saying, you won’t be an effective listener.   Proverbs says, "He who answers before listening—that is his folly and his shame” and "Let the wise men listen and add to their learning.”   The book of James says, "Be quick to listen and slow to speak."  

A grandmother writes:  “One day my three-year-old granddaughter, Beverly, was playing with her toys.  Her mother, who was folding laundry across the room, noticed Beverly's shirt was dirty and needed to be changed. After calling her name two times with no response, her mother gave her the full three-name call: "Beverly Elizabeth Provost, did you hear me?" Beverly answered, "Yes, Mama. My ears did, but my legs didn't."

Listening can mean the difference between life and death.  In the fall of 2003 Nancy and I heard from friends and family about a string of wildfires in San Diego.  A police officer was quoted as saying: "We're begging people to leave, and they don't take us seriously. They want to pack some clothes, or fight it in the backyard with a garden hose. They don't seem to understand that this is unlike any fire we've seen.”  A man frantically warned his neighbors, only to have some disregard him.  He told of those who tried to save their televisions and computers before escaping. "They looked like they were packing for a trip. The ones who listened to me and left the area lived. The ones who didn’t died."

Listening also reveals one’s values.  Listening shows respect, it affirms the worth of people, it builds strong relationships, it accepts feedback and criticism, it allows one to learn, it shows humility, it generates ideas, and it builds loyalty. 

It’s been said: “Many people do not listen with an intent to understand, they listen with an intent to reply.”  People express a political opinion we disagree with and we immediately begin organizing our arguments for our retort.  People share a problem they are having and we are quick to tell them about a similar or more serious problem of our own.  Listening requires understanding and empathy and patience. 

Studies continually point out a steady decline in parent-child communication.  Parents complain that their children don't listen to them and children complain that their parents don't listen.  A key reason in the past 50 years has to do with the amount of time children and parents spend talking to each other.  Technology in the form of television, cell phones and video games has greatly decreased the time parents and children engage in meaningful conversation.

The story of the transfiguration further says that God speaks to us and wants us to listen.  “This is my Son, whom I dearly love, listen to Him.”    What is one way to describe a Christian?  A Christian is one who listens to the Lord.

One reason we don't listen is that we already have our minds made up.  We don't seriously seek God's will and word.  We don't pray to try to discern God's will before a decision that is facing us.  In the movie The Man with Two Brains, Steve Martin plays a brain surgeon.  He has fallen in love with a conniving temptress.  Standing before the portrait of his late wife, Martin asks for guidance: ”Just show me a sign. Should I marry her or not?”  Suddenly a cold wind begins to blow, sending an icy chill throughout the room, and a voice wails – Noo, nooo, don't do it.  The wall splits in two and the portrait spins errily on the wall saying Nooo, while the furnishings in the room crash around him.  Then everything is still and Martin says:  “Well, since you won't show me a sign, I guess it's okay to marry her.”

Recall the experiences of people in the Bible.  Like the apostle Paul who three times appealed to the Lord about an ailment, a thorn in the flesh and the Lord said: My grace is sufficient for you.”  Paul listened to the Lord.  Or the woman caught in adultery whom Jesus forgave.  He said to her: “Go and sin no more.”  This woman listened to the Lord.  Think of the prophet Elijah.  He had escaped to the wilderness and was hiding from the Jerusalem authorities in a cave.   The lord was not in the wind or the earthquake or the fire.  But the Lord spoke in the silence.  Elijah listened to the Lord. 

I still clearly remember some years ago, when in the middle of the night, I awoke, half asleep and half awake, my stomach in knots about a problem I was worried about that was going on in the church.  Can you believe that, a minister waking up anxious about some problem in the church?  And suddenly I heard clearly and distinctly these words: “Be Not Anxious.”  At first, I was stunned.  Then I realized something.  The anxiety in the pit of my stomach was gone.  I was at peace.  God had spoken.  And thank God I had listened.

Finally, we are to listen because listening is a way of obeying Jesus’ Lordship over our lives.    Jan, a staffer with Athletes in Action, after attending a conference on evangelism, was relaxing in the hotel whirlpool. Two girls joined her in the tub. One of them, named Brittany, began telling her friend about an upcoming Wiccan gathering she was planning to attend. 

Jan says: “Normally I would have tried to argue with the girl about Jesus, but I decided to listen instead. I said something like: "Wow, you sound excited about this!"   This was all the encouragement she needed to launch into a five-minute explanation of why she was so attracted to neo-pagan rituals. The bottom line was that she'd had a traumatic time in high school and the Wiccas accepted her. She said, "I've gone through such pain just trying to make it through high school.” 

I said: "I’ll bet you would like to be free from all the pain you've gone through and what came next completely floored me. With tears streaming down, she said, "Sometimes I wish I could be born all over again. I'd really like to start over from scratch." After a pause, I asked if she would really like to be born again and then shared with her the gospel of God’s love in Jesus.”

Yes, we need to listen to God and to one another because the Lord speaks to us and through us.  Jesus was transfigured.  Hallelujah. Amen!

We Have Known and Believe God's Love (I John 4:7-12) by Rev. Dr. Alan W. Deuel

This coming Saturday is Valentine's Day.  I like the commercial for Valentine’s Day where a self-conscious, shy little boy, knocks on the front door of a house.  A cute little girl opens the door and he presents her with a valentine.  She smiles and invites him into her house.  He walks in and is immediately greeted by a group of little boys who wave to him.

  

Valentine's Day is about love.  How do you define love?  It’s used in a variety of contexts.  We see bumper stickers which say: “I heart my dog,” and there is a picture of a poodle?”   People say: “I love what your wearing,” “I love pizza,” “I love to read,” “I love your house,” “I love sushi,” “I love America,” “I love Hawaii,” “I love my wife,” “I love my husband,” “I love my children,” “I love my grandchildren,” “I love ice cream sundaes.”  Now that goes without saying.

Love's connection with Valentine’s Day has ennobling beginnings.  The day was established by a Catholic Pope in 500 A.D.  Valentine was a priest in Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius II.  He was young, handsome, wealthy, and passionately in love with his fiancé.  As they were eagerly awaiting their wedding day, the Roman emperor declared that all Christians were guilty of treason and to escape punishment, they had to worship the Roman Emperor and profess "Caesar is Lord."   Valentine was a Christian who believed that Jesus alone was Lord.   He refused.   He was arrested, tried, and condemned to death.

While awaiting execution, Valentine wrote love letters to his fiancé—romantic letters, assuring her of his never-ending love.  On February 14, 259 A.D. he was martyred for his faith.  The tradition of Valentine’s Day is rooted in a testimony to Christian faith and love.  Valentine’s legacy lives on whenever people express their love to people on this day.

But classic Greek literature also warns us about love; for love can become marred, distorted, corrupted, such as in the story of Narcissus in Greek Mythology.  Narcissus was a hunter, renowned far and wide, for his handsome appearance.   He was proud and vain about his comeliness and despised everyone around him.   The spirit of hubris, Nemesis, lured Narcissus to a pool, where he saw his own reflection in the water and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely his reflection.   He was so enraptured that he couldn’t pull himself away from the pool and eventually died gazing at his reflection.  

Narcissism is a corrupt form of love.  One is totally self-absorbed.  There is no room for others.  One feels no sympathy or empathy for others.  You only love yourself.

My point is that we need an authoritative guide to truly understand the nature of love, and that truth is found in the Bible.  Without the scriptures, the definition of love is totally capricious and arbitrary.  It is purely subjective.  It's a matter of personal opinion and your opinion is no better or worse than my opinion.  And that's a problem.  Why?  Because some men or women think controlling someone, dominating them, exerting power over them, making them dependent upon them, even abusing them is love.   But they are wrong. 

In English we have only one word, love.  In the Greek language of the New Testament, we find different words for love.   Philos means brotherly or sisterly love.    It denotes a type of love which exists between family members or between friends.  Like parents raising their children, or siblings caring for one another or friends helping each other.  Feelings play a large role in this kind of love.

A second word is Eros which refers to erotic love, sensual desire, romantic love.   As a pastor, I see examples of romantic love in talking with young couples preparing for their wedding.  But I have also witnessed it with older couples, who have been married 50 years, who ask me to officiate at a special service to reaffirm their wedding vows.  Emotions are an integral part of this form of love.

The third word for love, found more than any other in scripture, is Agape.   Agape love is not dependent on emotions or feelings.   It doesn’t mean agape love always lacks feeling, that its devoid of love, not at all.  Agape love may also involve feelings.  The key here is that agape love is not dependent upon emotions, its not driven by emotions, it doesn't rely upon feelings to motivate one to love another.

Agape love refers to sacrificial love, self-less love, unconditional love, in spite of love, no strings attached love, the love we express with no thought of credit or recognition or accolades.   Agape love is not quid pro quo love.   

I John uses the word agape when it says: “Since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.  How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?”  

Agape love opens up the heart of God.  In this love we actually see into God's heart.  It is loving the way God loves.  It is loving someone, whether or not you like them. You can love someone and not like them, or love them and like them.  But as humans, we can also like someone, like them a lot, but not love them.   God isn’t interested in whether we like or dislike someone.  Not at all.  God is interested in whether we love someone.  Jesus commands us to take the higher road.   

Jesus practiced agape love in his ministry.  Agape love is the ability to love a stranger as you would a friend.  Jesus healed strangers, like the man with the withered hand, he fed the hungry whom he didn't know, he taught strangers about the kingdom of God, like the crowds in the sermon on the mount. 

No, the Bible isn’t sentimental or romantic when it comes to talking about agape love.  It clearly places the accent on actions and behavior, rather than emotions.   I John 3:18 says:  “Let us love, not with words or tongue, but with actions and truth.”   Agape love is not just talking about doing something, its not about words alone, but doing something.  Agape love does involve words when it comes to speaking the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable or risky to do so.  Agape love is sometimes Tough love, making tough decisions about someone, not following your heart, but following your head.  It's not easy to do, but sometimes its the right and necessary thing to do.

Our culture puts the emphasis on feelings.  We can say this refers to Eros love.   We hear: “Let your feelings guide you, follow your heart.”  Is that bad or wrong? No. Feelings are fine to a point.  It's important to trust our gut or intuition.  The problem is that feelings are fickle.  They vacillate; you can feel one way at one moment and the opposite way at the next moment.  They run hot and cold.  Our feelings surprise us, sometimes they shock us.  Feelings are spontaneous, unpredictable, impulsive, spur-of-the-moment, uncontrollable, right?  

C.S. Lewis in his classic book Mere Christianity says: “Love, in the Christian sense, does not mean an emotion.  It is a state not of feelings but of the will.  Christian love for our neighbors is quite a different thing from liking or affection.  We like or are fond of some people and not of others.  This natural liking or fondness is neither a sin nor a virtue.  It is just a fact.  Feelings are not what God principally cares about.  If we are trying to do His will we are obeying the commandment to love God and others.”  

Agape love is an act of the will, a decision to take action, a choice to do something based upon  an understanding of and an accountability to God’s will.   It says – “I will honor my commitment to you regardless of how I feel.”  “I will help you even though I don’t know you.”  “I will do the very best that I can for you, even though I don’t feel like it.”  

I John says: “Whoever does not love, does not know God, for God is love.”   Do you agree with that?  To cast an indifferent eye toward the plight of your neighbor, to not be moved by the suffering of others, to look with complacency at the needs of people around you and do nothing, is an indication that one does not know God or worship God or honor God.

Conversely, I John says:  “If we love others, this shows that God lives in us and his love grows in us.”  This passage teaches that our ability to love is grounded in our knowledge and experience of God’s love for us.  By the power of the Holy Spirit within us, by our knowing that God loves us, we are moved to love others in response to God's love.  We are able to love with commitment and sacrifice and compassion and enthusiasm, because we believe God's love is constant, steadfast, and unbreakable and because we have known and believe in God's love.    

Agape love reveals one's character and conduct.    Agape love is doing the right thing, the good thing, the generous thing, the necessary thing.   For agape love is rooted in scripture, in values, in principle, in truth, in faith, faith in God and our desire to obey and please God.   We have the power to love others, because we know in our heart of hearts, that God deeply and passionately loves us and commands us to love others.   And out of our gratitude to God for his saving love and his blessings we are free to love in obedience to His will.    

If you were not loved as a child growing up in your family, you will have a more difficult time expressing love to others, later in life.  This is true.  But by God's grace, we all can learn to love, no matter what our family life was like.  Through faith in God and the power of God at work in our hearts and minds, the capacity to love can be released in you.  I John 4:19 says:  “We love, because God first loved us.”    Agape love is not blind, its eyes are wide open, it is not fickle, but tenacious; it is not weak, but strong.  The greatest of God’s gifts to us, is the ability to love.  I truly believe at the end of the day, Christ will say: “I gave you your life, how did you use it to love others?”

I think of Padre Outfielder Will Venable, who volunteers as a tutor with students at Monarch School, a school for homeless young people here in San Diego.  I think of the story of the brave little 7 year old girl, who survived a plane crash in Kentucky in early January that took the lives of her family.  She trudged through dense woods in frigid temperatures for more than a mile. Shaking and upset, she found herself on the doorstep of Larry Wilkins's home.  Larry took her in, called 911 and saved her life. 

Eli Wiesel is a Romania-born American novelist, political activist, and Holocaust survivor said:  “The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.”  I close with a quote by Christian author Francis Schaeffer: “If we do not show love to one another, the world has a right to question whether Christianity is true.”   Yes, God demonstrated his love for us, He sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Let Christ's love inspire you to love others.  Amen!

They Devoted Themselves (Acts 2:37-47) by Rev. Dr. Alan W. Deuel

I remember a conversation some years ago with this guy about the church.  He was being fairly critical.  I asked him if he had gone to church very often.  He said “no.”  I invited him to come and check it out.  He said:  “Sorry pastor, but I'm not a joiner, I don't really need to be around people.”

Do you need community and friendships?  Research studies show just how significant they are.  A 2006 study of 3,000 women with breast cancer found that those with a large network of friends were four times more likely to survive, than women with limited social connections.  A study involving almost 3,000 Americans found that people with close friendships are far less likely to die young.

But despite this irrefutable scientific evidence, our life-style as Americans is becoming more solitary. Since the late 1980s, according to surveys in the United States, more people are saying that they are feeling isolated and lonely.  Why is this?  Perhaps because people are opting for more personal freedom, independence and time for themselves.   Perhaps we don't trust one another the way we used to.  We are wary, cautious, guarded about establishing friendships.  Perhaps people are more disinclined toward making commitments, they are “commitment adverse,” about investing all that's required in establishing new friendships or in maintaining current relationships.  What do you think?  We know this fact of life.  If you don't invest energy and time and involvement, then community, friendships, relationships will gradually fade and die. 

A fundamental theme that runs through all of scripture is community.  The Old Testament speaks about the community of Israel and the New Testament speaks about the church or the Christian community.  There are different dimensions of the church: we are a worshiping community, an evangelical community, a ministering community, a learning community and a fellowship. 

I want to focus our thinking upon the church as a Christian fellowship.  The biblical word in Greek is Koinonia, which translated means - “Christians sharing together in and with Christ.”  It is the experience of sharing together in Christ and his benefits.  For example in I John we read: “We declare to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” 

Koinonia or Christian fellowship is sharing together as partners, as spiritual brothers and sisters or brothers and sisters in faith in Christ's benefits: in Christ's love, in unity and mutual support, in the body and blood of Christ in the Lord's Supper, in the Holy Spirit, in His grace and forgiveness and power, in His promises, in his blessings, in his sufferings, and in his future glory.  By God’s grace, and the power His Word and Holy Spirit, we are and are becoming a fellowship in Christ.

Recall our lesson from the book of Acts.  The first Christians in Jerusalem shared their life together in and with Christ.  They held all things in common.  They would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to one another as needs arose. Imagine that.   This practice of the church in Jerusalem, of holding things in common, lasted about a generation.  Believers spent time together – devoting themselves to the apostles teaching, enjoying a common fellowship, worshipping in the temple, sharing meals in their homes, praying together, supporting one another, praising God and enjoying the good will of all the people.   The early Christians experienced encouragement, strength, caring, and faith in their life together.  

How are we doing as a Christian community?  How are we doing as a fellowship sharing in and with Christ?  Do you feel God's love abides in our life together?  Someone might be thinking:  “Well pastor, we aren't perfect.” I agree. Only Jesus was perfect. Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.  The church is made up of saved and forgiven sinners called together and growing together in Christ.   By God's grace, we must constantly strive to reach Christ's ideal of a Christian fellowship, knowing full well that we will never reach it to a state of perfection.

I think of Christian community in terms of an analogy from nature, like the flying patterns of Canadian geese.  A group of engineers wondered why Canadian geese always fly in a “V” formation, so they did a study on the subject.  They discovered that the flapping of each goose’s wings provided an upward lift for the goose that followed.  When all the geese were flying in perfect formation, the whole flock had a 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.  Each bird was dependent on the others to reach its destination.  Here is synergy at work.  The whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts.  Is that an apt metaphor for the church?

Koininia is further about harmony, aiming always for unity in our life, worship and mission.  In Ephesians we read: “Making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  Does this mean we are always going to agree with one another? Does it mean we are always going to like each other?  I don't think so.   It means learning to agree to disagree, as brothers and sisters in Christ.  Jesus never commanded - “Like each other.”  He did say - “Love one another.”

Koinonia means we learn to respect one another and trust one another, even when we disagree and still cooperate in building up our community.  It means to learn to accept and embrace different personalities.  Do we have different personalities here at PBPC?   I’ve said to myself “Alan, you don't always have to be right, you don't always have to get your way, so get over it.”  “I've had to say it more than once.”  Being open to and truly listening to the views and ideas and opinions of others, while articulating your own views, is true koinonia.

Koinonia is at times a joy and delight isn’t it?  There are memorable times in which we experience joys like hearing inspiring music in worship or sharing in a rewarding time in ministry.   But alas, there are also difficult times, frustrating times, disappointing times.  This was so in the early church as well as we read in the New Testament.

In Christian fellowship people feel like they belong.  There is a spirit of acceptance and inclusiveness.  New people are made to feel genuinely welcomed.  There is an open and warm climate - not a cliquish, aloof and closed and cold environment.  New people feel valued and are invited to participate and get involved.  People reach out to newcomers.  

There is a spirit of hospitality in koinonia.  People feel affirmed, appreciated and recognized.  They feel like they count, that they matter.  Barriers and walls can be broken down so that strangers can become friends in Christ.  In the letter of Ephesians we read: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven you.”    Not a bad picture of Koininia.

Koinonia is further characterized by a spirit of joy, energy, enthusiasm and hope.  A spirit of light rather than darkness, grace rather than guilt, freedom rather than control pervades the community.  Christian fellowship promotes hope rather than despair, pessimism and hopelessness.  It is hope founded upon God in Christ, hope for our lives, hope for our church, hope for our world, hope for the future.  The good news is that Jesus Christ is committed to transforming us into a Christian fellowship through the power of His Word and Spirit.  Let’s open our eyes and ears, our hearts and minds for signs of Christ’s Spirit at work within us.   

I close with this quote from the book Life Together about Christian fellowship by the distinguished German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who died in a concentration camp in 1945.  He writes:  “It is true that what is an unspeakable gift of God for the lonely individual, is easily disregarded and trodden under foot by those who have the gift every day.  It is easily forgotten that the fellowship of Christian community is a gift of grace, that any day, could be taken from us.  Let us thank God on our knees and declare: It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are called to be in community with other Christian brothers and sisters.”  Amen!

God's Unpredictable Call (Acts 10:9-33) by Rev. Dr. Alan W. Deuel

William or Bill Klem, known as the "father of baseball umpires," was a National League umpire in Major League Baseball from 1905 to 1941. He worked 18 World Series, which is a major league record.  Klem was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953. 

He was beyond passionate about America's favorite pastime, declaring "To me, baseball is not a game, but a religion."  He umpired for 37 years and was the first umpire to use arm signals while working behind home plate.  He became known as "the Old Arbitrator," due to his keen eye for calling balls and strikes.  On one such occasion, as he crouched and readied behind the plate, the pitcher threw the ball, the batter didn't swing, and for an instant, Bill said nothing. The batter turned and snickered, "Okay, ump so what was it, a ball or a strike?" To which Bill responded, "Sonny, it ain't nothing 'till I call it."

Calls in baseball come only from the umpire.  The umpire has total authority in making the call.   Calls in life, whether in baseball or in some other aspect of our lives, are very significant aren't they?    We wait, we worry, we work, we pray, we prepare, we hope, we network, but the call for an opportunity or a chance or a decision ultimately comes from someone else.

So it is in the life of faith, in our spiritual lives.  In the Christian life calls ultimately come from God.  Calls to us to do something, to go somewhere, to accept an opportunity, to take on a responsibility, to fulfill a task, to get a second chance, are unpredictable, occasionally unusual, often surprising, and sometimes even strange and odd.

I think of rather strange calls in the Bible.  Jesus called a group of tough, grizzled fishermen to follow him and to become fishers of men.  God called the prophet Jonah to go to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrians, the hated enemies of the Jews, and preach a message of repentance, but Jonah refused and ran from the presence of the Lord and he ended up in the belly of a large fish for his trouble.  God called Moses to go to the omnipotent Pharoah, who had absolute authority over life and death, and tell him to let the Israelites go from slavery in Egypt.  Esther, a Jews, the queen of Persia, was called by God to go to King Xerxes 1, the King of Persia, to tell him about a plot to commit genocide against the Jews, but in doing so she risked her very life. 

In our New Testament lesson from Acts, the disciple Peter had been on a journey, and has come to rest in the home of Simon the Tanner in Joppa, a small seaport town on the Mediterranean Sea.  He goes up to the roof of the home to pray and has a vision.  Remember that the Jews had very strict dietary laws.  Peter sees the heavens open, and something like a large sheet descending from heaven, and it contains all kinds of animals, reptiles and birds.  A voice from heaven says:  “Peter, get up, kill and eat.”  Peter is shocked and confused and shouts:  “Lord, I cannot eat anything which is unclean.”  The voice comes to Peter again: “What God has created do not call unclean.”  This happens three times and the vision ends. 

While Peter is trying to understand what this vision is all about, three men representing Cornelius, approach the house and request to see Peter.  The representatives tell Peter about their leader, Cornelius, a Gentile, a non-Jew, who has been on a quest for the truth.  The representatives ask Peter to journey with them to meet this man who was known as a man of prayer, a righteous and God-fearing man, and respected by many Jews. 

The next morning Peter and the representatives travel to Cornelius's home in the nearby seaport town, Caesarea.  The Spirit had told Peter to go with them and he obeyed.  Peter knew that going with them broke with Jewish tradition, that it was against the rules of Judaism.  He is feeling uncomfortable as he nears the home of Cornelius.  He knows the laws of Judaism prohibit him from eating anything unclean or associating with people who were unclean, like Gentiles. 

And then Peter remembers the vision from God.  It was an “A-HA” moment.  He remembers what God said in the vision: “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.”   And Peter suddenly realizes something profound – the vision wasn't just about dietary rules, it was about something much bigger, it was about people.  The unclean animals in the vision represent the Gentiles, and Peter understands in a monumental moment, that God is not just the God of the Jews, but the God of the Gentiles, the God of  all human beings. 

How incredibly difficult this new awareness must have been for Peter.  It changed everything he had been taught since childhood.  It was a new truth that he was trying to get his mind around.  Isn't this true about how God works in our lives?  God was in this vision preparing Peter in advance of his visit to Cornelius.  God prepares us in advance for some future situation like God prepared Peter.

We may wonder why something is happening in our life, why we are going through something, why were are wrestling with some issue, and then the “A-HA” moment comes, the pieces begin to come together and we realize later that we were being prepared for sometime in the future.   How often do we miss the benefits of God's preparation because we are impatient or because we don't listen and pay attention?  Peter did listen, and a something entirely unexpected was about to happen in his life and God used him in a powerful way. 

The story continues and Peter enters the home of a Gentile, which previously he would never have done, and shares the Gospel about Jesus with Cornelius.  Peter forgets the religious barrier, and tells Cornelius the story of Jesus birth, life, death and resurrection.   The Holy Spirit comes upon the Gentiles who are listening to him.  And he baptizes Cornelius and the other Gentiles in the Spirit. 

God gets our attention, yours and mine, in different and sometimes unusual ways and when God gets your attention, pay attention.  When God lays something upon your heart, to go to someone, to call someone, to get involved in some issue, to take on some new task, to accept an assignment, then listen and go.  God may even specifically give you the name of an individual to pray for or to call or to reach out to.  God will lay it upon your heart, as an opportunity to share God’s grace with another through your presence, your forgiveness, your kindness, your courage, and your investment of time and love.

I think of times when out of the blue, someone pops into my mind, and I decide to contact them and they say:  “You know I was thinking about you, so glad you called, or you know I have been dealing with a difficult time in my life, thanks for calling.”  Was that a call from the Spirit?  Was God prompting me?  I believe so.

To have a personal relationship with God means you must be open to the possibility that the Spirit of God will prompt you, guide you, direct you, and call you, maybe even in a vision.   True, we are not infallible about whether or not we are hearing from God.   So it helps to understand that God’s will is always in sync with the truths and principles that we know from Scripture.  God’s call is always in line with the gifts and abilities, with our strengths that God has blessed us with.

Sometimes the Spirit prompts us through events in our lives and other times through thoughts: a thought to write somebody, to serve somebody, to get involved,  to make a commitment, to do something, to confront somebody.  Two things are for certain in the realm of God's kingdom.  God calls us to fulfill His purposes and often God's calls are uncomfortable, strange, unusual and even risky.

Rev. Bill Hybels writes: “God sometimes calls us to an ominous and dangerous place. History is filled with men and women who said no to fear and changed the world.  But imagine if they had given in to the paralyzing effects of fear on their lives.  Imagine the apostle Paul, fearing resistance or rejection, choosing to stay home rather than embarking on the missionary journeys that took the message of Christ throughout the known world. 

Imagine Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. giving speeches filled with gentle hints about the evils of segregation, because he feared pushing too hard. Instead, King championed the civil rights movement against racial segregation in the United States.

Think of Malala Yousafzai, the young woman and Pakistani activist, who at the age of 12, was an advocate for human rights, education and equality for women in Pakistan, who lived in a town where the Taliban had banned girls from attending school.  Imagine, if she was silent because she was too frightened by the death threats she received from Taliban extremists.  Instead, she became even more vocal about the educational rights of children and women and survived a 2012 assassination attempt.  She was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize nominee in 2014.  She now resides in England.”

Rev Hybels concludes:  “Imagine yourself, fully aware of the mission and vision God has placed in your heart to advance his kingdom in this world, and yet you are held hostage to phobias, irrational worries, and destructive fears of failure, harm, or rejection. If you don't fulfill the mission God assigned to you, who will?”

Yes, like the disciple Peter, God calls us into Christ's service, God calls us into the work of His kingdom, God calls us to fulfill His purposes, and those calls are sometimes uncomfortable and even risky.

I close with this story told by the noted Christian author, speaker and activist Ravi Zacharias, about his co-worker Michael Ramsden, a Christian pastor from Iran.   “As pastor Ramsden was driving with his wife, they stopped in a small Iranian village to purchase some water.   Before entering, the minister noticed a man holding a machine gun and leaning against the wall outside the store. The minister's wife looked at the man's face and the gun, then put a Bible in her husband's hand and said, "Give that man this Bible." Her husband looked at the man, his menacing beard and his machine gun, and replied, "I don't think so." But she persisted: "I'm serious. Give it to him. Please, give him the Bible."

Trying to avoid the issue, the husband said, "Okay, I'll pray about it." He went into the shop, purchased the water, climbed back into the car, and started to drive away. His wife looked at him and said, "I guess you didn't give him the Bible, did you?" Looking straight ahead, he replied, "No, I prayed about it and it wasn't the right thing to do." She quietly said, "You should have given him the Bible," and then she bowed her head and started praying. At that point, he turned around and told his wife, "Fine! If you want me to die, I will."

When the minister returned to the store, the man with the machine gun was still standing against the wall. The minister approached him and placed the Bible in his hand. When the man opened it and saw it was a Bible, he started to cry. "I don't live here," he said. "I had to walk for three days in order to get to this village. But three days ago an angel appeared to me and told me to walk to this village and wait until someone had given me the Book of Life. Thank you for giving me this book."   Yes, you never know, God's calls are sometimes totally unpredictable.  Amen!