We don’t always feel, see, or hear God. Does that mean God's not there?

There are a lot of reasons we end up feeling alone. For some, it’s taking pride in self-reliance.

For some, it’s a lack of trust.

For some, it’s a trust issue. Trust has eroded in recent years while fears have multiplied. All of that fear can seep into our relationships: we keep others at a distance, we establish boundaries, we reject them before they have a chance to reject us. Plus, the pandemic made isolation our status quo. Trust plummets when we don't see each other consistently.

It becomes a vicious cycle. Life gets hard, we feel threatened, we push others away. Life gets harder, we then feel more threatened, we push others farther away.

This is Naomi’s cycle in the book of Ruth. Having suffered titanic loses, she tries hard to push away the last two people in her life. Ruth, however, will not leave. In this sermon we look all the small, seemingly insignificant connections that produce the kind of love that won’t let go.

When the resurrected Lord appeared to his disciples, the first thing he said was, “Peace be with you.”

The world is full of conflict, internally and external. We’re overwhelmed, we’re exhausted, we’re conflicted, What do we do!? Please Lord tell me…we’m scared to mess this up. We still need the peace that only Jesus can give.

Give us peace. We long for peace.

Names aren’t just words or sounds. Names are important. They enable us to make sense of the world. Names are how we talk about things and people. When you want to get someone’s attention, you say their name. When you want to wake someone up, you say their name.

In our passage this Easter, we see just how powerful a name can be. Mary is at Jesus’ tomb after his crucifixion, and she is distraught and weeping over Jesus' missing body. Until the gardener said a single word. Mary. He said her name, Mary. And all of the sudden, a spell was broken. His voice broke through her grief and fear. It wasn’t the gardener. It was Jesus. He was alive. And he spoke her name. Her name.

Maybe, like Mary, you’ve suffered. Maybe you have a few extra names. Names people have given you. Names you’ve given yourself. And like Mary, you’re at the tomb, deep in despair. Then. Jesus. You think it’s just the gardener, but it’s Jesus. He speaks your name. Your real name. Out of all the names, yours. Out of all the people, you. God has come out of the grave and God is looking all around…for you. The name we speak on Easter is Jesus. And the name he speaks is yours.

There is a raging battle all around us. The world is full of corruption. Too many violent systems exploit the weakest and most vulnerable, historically children, and women, minorities, and anyone who was different or seen as undesirable. There is a force that makes things harder. That allows and fuels greed. That sows lies and betrayal, that leads to miscommunication and murder.  It’s an enormous Evil, as big as the whole mass of humanity and so pervasive that it infects the heart of every person who’s ever lived. 

In our passage this week, we watch as Jesus comes face to face with our evil, broken, overwhelming system. As he got passed up the pyramid of power. And as he never raises a finger to hurt a single person. He doesn’t lash out with his fists and he doesn’t pick up a weapon. Instead, he came into the middle of the battlefield, and he doesn’t fight - he rescues.

We too are called to the battlefield, but we are also not called to fight. We don’t carry swords or guns or hatred. We enter the battle armed with love. With joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Gentleness. Self-control. We are called to do everything we can to rescue people and stop the fighting. We love them so that they can feel the love of Jesus, so that they might choose the One who has chosen them.

Have you ever felt like something was too good to be true? So you approach it with skepticism, or try to make evaluate it logically, efficiently, wisely. Some things just have to be known - to be experienced - before we believe it.

At first, Jesus seemed too good to be true. But then multides began talking about him. And as the disciples met him, listened to him, and saw him usher in a new Kingdom, they believed in him. And then, in our passage this week, Jesus tells them that it’s all about to come crashing down. Maybe they were right all along, and it really was too good to be true.

And yet, God has a plan. A plan to send the Holy Spirit to empower his disciples to be his body in the world. To go out, and be the good news. To show the goodness of the resurrection. To carry his name to all people. We, the church, are the body of Christ, and the proof that God’s plan to redeem creation is trustworthy and true.

Failure comes in all shapes and sizes. Governments fail. Politicians fail. Banks fail. Churches fail. People fail. And if we dwell on our failures, the narrative shifts in a critical way…it’s not that we failed at a task or assignment…it’s that we ARE a failure. And all of the sudden, we’re in shame territory.

Shame anchors us to our worst moments - something we’ve experienced, done, or failed to do - and says, “THIS…this ugliness, this failure makes you unworthy of connection.” Left alone, shame will destroy us.

In our passage this week, Peter faces a moment of failure when he denies Jesus three times. And he could have chosen to hide from his shame. But instead he stayed. And jumped out of the boat to be restored with his risen Lord. Join us as we consider how we too can leap out of the boat and be restored to healing and to freedom.

Sometimes feeling pride is a good thing. Authentic pride, experienced in response to a specific event or accomplishment, or felt towards a person or a group that we care about, can lead us to feeling more confident and fulfilled. Feeling pride inspires us to do and be our best.

Being proud though, is often where we run into trouble. Being proud leads us to have an inflated self-image. Being proud is a symptom of self-centeredness. And this kind of pride is sneaky. It grows up like weeds, and takes over, controlling our thoughts and our actions, our relationships, and how we navigate our place in the world. It shows up in ways we don’t expect, or in ways that we wouldn’t even think to identify as pride.

In our passage this week, Peter’s pride sprouts up while Jesus displays his humility by washing the disciples’ feet. Join us as we reflect on what we can learn about letting go of our pride by accepting the grace of Jesus, and following in his footsteps.

Do you ever feel anxious about gift giving? We want to give amazing gifts, gifts people will love and enjoy. Because when we’re giving gifts, we’re not only thinking about what the other person might like, we’re also aware of what our gifts say about US. If we really want to give someone a gift that they’ll love, we’re much better off simply asking: “How can I show you that I love you?” and listening to their response.

And in our passage this week, Mary gives Jesus a gift that sets an example for us of how we can show God our love for Him. Her gift was a way for her to give her whole self to Jesus. Because what can we give God that God doesn’t already have? What does God want? We don’t have to guess. We know. God wants us. Our whole selves. Without reservation. Without holding back. God doesn't need anything, but God gives himself to us…and WANTS us to give ourselves in return. All of us.