Greetings friends far and near and welcome to the Tuesday, May 26, 2020 post from Peachtree Baptist Church, my name is Paul Capps, pastor. Today I’m thinking about adaptation. Soon we will have to be thinking about resuming services in our building, and all the changes that will happen in order for us to worship together again. It’s an older meme now but I’ve included the image in today’s blog portion - this idea that pastors had to pivot in an instant from one way they had been taught and expected to preach, teach and lead worship to a totally different model.  We joke about it, but the truth of course is that everyone in the world had to adapt in some way or another to the news of this pandemic, whether it was dramatically or not. I have read many articles and you probably have too: about how this pandemic has shifted priorities, about how it has a silver lining that will help us make better choices as a culture going forward, about how  we’ll have to adapt to the waves of loss will be with us for a long time, about how this pandemic has exposed our differences so that we might adapt to focusing on the common good. 

We are living in an extraordinarily complex time. Being ready to adapt is hard enough, but the actual energy involved in the process of adaptation is exhausting. Some of that is because we don’t want to change and resist it, but some of it is just because we are human.

On Sunday we looked at 1 Peter 5:6-10. I have gone back to this short passage several times over the past couple of days because it continues to provide me with a lot of encouragement. It is both a challenge and a comfort to think about all that these churches were going through in these beginning years of the Christianity and how they were having to adapt. Jesus had come and everything had changed. How were these new Christians going to reflect God’s ultimate purpose of restoration?

One day Jesus will return and we will adapt again, but it will be in an instant. It is something that the early church longed for, prayed for and expected. They believed that the very best thing that could happen was the return of Jesus. Are we as people of faith actively living into longing as well? It’s going to be different for everyone, but for me, I’m trying to be more patient and to practice the fruits of the Spirit, to humble myself and not think that I have answers beyond what Jesus has already given us, to give my anxieties over to God, to be alert, to resist temptation and to stand firm in knowing that God, by faith in Christ, has empowered me by the Spirit to adapt to looking as much like Jesus as I know how, no matter the circumstances. And to constantly be praying: come, Lord Jesus, come.

Greetings church family near and far, welcome to the May 22 2020 post from Peachtree Baptist Church, my name is Paul Capps, pastor.

Yesterday, we spent some time thinking through what it really means to suffer. We learned that what many may consider suffering right now is not at all what scripture teaches. Jesus, who suffered for others, calls us to suffer alongside those who are truly suffering due to poverty or violence or even to suffer for the common good so that all may be lifted up. And so we care as much for the health of others as we do for ourselves. It can be trying, but we can find joy in it as well. One of the ways we suffer alongside others is by practicing patience, one of the fruits of the Spirit.

This Memorial Day weekend I feel sure that many of us will need to practice a lot of patience. There will be more people on the road, and just generally out and about. If someone isn’t wearing a face covering and they are getting too close to you, practice patience, but also make sure you’ve got your face covering on. If you are stuck inside and still feeling anxious about getting outside among people, practice patience internally. Rely on the Spirit to remind you that Jesus promises peace, not as the world gives so that you can conquer fear (John 14:27). Practice patience with your family as you may be feeling the stress of demands, as you manage a variety of external expectations. Finally, allow yourself to name how hard life is right now. It doesn’t do God any honor by suggesting that everything is fine. Rather, praise God for your life and petition God to continue the hard work of restoration through you by the power of the Spirit. 

On April 30, when Thomas Ballew, our Music Associate recorded his extemporaneous piece inspired by the themes presented in Acts 1 and 2, he finished and said, “anything else you want me to play?” And so I told him that I’d been thinking about the idea of patience a lot, and he really related to that. So based on the theme of patience, he played. Today we offer it to you as well. You’ll hear joy and lightness, before the frenetic feeling we often have prior to losing our patience, which often leads to feelings of frustration and even anger before releasing it and finally regaining some footing, even as we are changed by the experience. I felt very blessed to be present when he played this and heard sounds coming from that piano that I didn’t know it could make. I hope you find encouragement in it as I did. All the best for your Memorial Day weekend. Look for an email on Sunday morning for the zoom link to join in for our weekly Bible Study and time of worship.

Patience, Case Maclaim

Welcome all to the Thursday, May 21, 2020 post from Peachtree Baptist Church, my name is Paul Capps, pastor.  Maybe you have read recently about people literally getting up in arms about face masks. Some people feel that being required to wear one is a violation of their civil rights. Others feel that those not wearing masks should be criminally liable. It has even erupted into violence. Someone not wearing a mask was attacked by someone else wearing a mask because they felt the unmasked person was too close. In another case, a security guard was killed because he told someone to leave a store because they weren’t wearing a mask. It is mind-boggling to me. How did we get to this point and how are we to respond?

What I have noticed in the attitudes of some people is that they believe they are suffering because they feel they are not getting what they feel they deserve. The hard truth for them and for all of us is that only God is deserving. We should not be surprised when life is hard. And we shouldn’t think that we deserve something more than others. In fact, our faith calls us into suffering. Peter writes in 1 Peter 4:1, “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude.” Paul writes in Romans 5:3-5, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Peter and Paul wrote these words because many Christians were truly suffering, physically suffering, many of them killed, because of their lifestyles. They were disrupting the class structures that had been setup to benefit the rich by caring for the poor. They were disrupting the household structures by living out the equality of God’s love, living into the hope of no Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female. They were being persecuted because they were willing to express the love of Jesus and suffer alongside those that Jesus loves.

We as people of faith should know how to love other people with the love of Jesus, right? Even when we are young we are taught the values of sharing, of putting the needs of others in the same place as our own needs. We are taught stories like the Good Samaritan and we are taught about how Jesus suffered and died so that we could know what true love and sacrifice looks like. We are taught about the fruits of the Spirit, that God seeks to develop love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control within us by faith. We are taught that loving God means loving others because God loved us first. We are taught that Jesus is coming to restore and renew all things and so how we treat others, ourselves and the earth should be a reflection of the love Jesus has for all creation.

And that is the attitude we use to reveal our faith so that others know we are Christians. We don’t seek our personal freedom or our economic benefit at the expense of other people; we wear masks and PPE with joy even if it feels like a kind of suffering because we care deeply about God’s love being expressed to others by our love for others. We stand up for those that unjustly suffer violence because Jesus unjustly suffered violence.

There is true suffering going on. And we should be in lament. Today I read an article about when it will actually be possible to mourn the deaths of the over 90,000 people that have already died. And we must mourn that loss if we claim faith because death is not what God designed for creation. 

Perhaps one of the most important ways we can suffer alongside those who are truly suffering during this time is to practice patience. We live in hope of a future and we patiently wait for it. It’s not easy, but can wait with joy in our hearts because we have been given the Spirit of God. Maybe hearing these words from 1 Peter 4:12-13 can aid us today: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in as much as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”

The CDC also has a detailed FAQ about face coverings

Hello all and welcome to the May 20 2020 post from Peachtree Baptist Church, my name is Paul Capps pastor and today we continue our look at the ascension of Jesus and what it continues to mean for us today, especially as we are unable to meet in our sanctuary.

Yesterday I was listening to All Things Considered on the way home, as I usually do, and though my commute is very short now, I heard an interesting but slightly disturbing story about churches and church life now that most churches haven’t been able to hold services for almost 10 weeks now. Read or listen for yourself, but the story ends with this interpretation: “support, solace, a spiritual bond - the things that matter in the worship experience but, for some people, the things they now see their church was not providing.” What struck me was that the church was being described as a place designed for people to receive something. As if they are the audience and are there to be entertained or inspired or in some other way get something they otherwise could not get if they weren’t physically present in that space, with that kind of choir, or that kind of architecture, or that kind of preaching.

It was a good reminder to me that when I am in the pews of a church, or on my couch at home, if I am in worship, regardless of the kind of building I am in, God is the audience of my worship. I am the worshiper. I am submitting to God my praise, my thanks and my love. I am not worshiping to receive something I have not already received, because God has already given me everything. 

We are not able to be in our church building, but it doesn’t mean we can’t live out our faith. It would be as though the disciples saw Jesus ascend into heaven and said, “Well, I guess that’s it then. It was a good ride, but now that he’s gone, I guess I’m realizing that I wasn’t actually being provided the support, solace, or spiritual bond that I had when I was able to worship him in person.”

What is that the disciples do? Let’s look at the last verses of Luke 24 again:  “When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.”

How do the disciples respond to his ascension? They worship him first. And they were constantly in prayer. They put their focus on Jesus, regardless, and Jesus gave them the connection they needed to maintain the support, solace and spiritual bond they already had to continue the work of worship - they were given the Spirit of God. For a deep dive into those relationships, head to the several days worth of study on Acts 2 and the early church that I began on April 15. The early church modeled in the present the future that Jesus promised. They preached the gospel with their voices but also their lifestyle, sharing what they had in common with each other but their greatest priority was worship.

The work of Jesus, to model perfect well-being for all creation, is no longer limited by his physical presence. And we don’t need that kind of presence to continue that work. Neither do we need to be physically present with each other or physically present in a building to praise him for his work. God can, does and will do the work of Jesus in us by the power of the Spirit wherever we are when we focus on worshipping Him as King. I’m not saying it isn’t hard. But we shouldn’t associate being in a building with having faith, regardless of the activity. True worship is remembering that Jesus is the full measure of God and that all people everywhere can have full access to perfect well-being by faith in him. There are no barriers to that kind of hope, nothing can break the bond. I miss seeing all you, a lot, but I can still be confident that God can be represented in me by my worship.

When the disciples witnessed Jesus going away from them, they didn’t assume they were being abandoned. When we can’t access a church building because of the threat of sickness, we shouldn’t assume we are no longer being provided something that we couldn't otherwise receive. We can do great things through Christ by the gift of His Spirit no matter what obstacles come our way because we have hope. God, as the audience of our worship, empowers us to do the work of Jesus by the power of His Spirit even if there were no church buildings on this entire planet. In fact, there are places in this world where worshippers of Jesus can only meet in homes. I feel confident that they are finding support, solace, and a spiritual bond despite their adversity. They worship a God who gave them life through Jesus and through the power of the Spirit, they are working for a future life where only worship will remain.

The Peaceable Kingdom by Edward Hicks. Hicks painted about 60 versions on this theme.

Sunday, May 24 is Ascension Sunday, the one day each year we set aside to specifically remember Jesus’ return to heaven. On May 31, we will observe Pentecost, when the church remembers and celebrates God’s gift of the Spirit following Christ’s ascension. I think the ascension of Jesus is an often overlooked event that deserves a little extra attention.

Welcome to the May 19, 2020 post from Peachtree Baptist Church, my name is Paul Capps, pastor. What I find especially meaningful in thinking about the ascension of Jesus is the level of love he has for us. He promised the Spirit would ‘take it from here’ and he loved us and trusted that we would reach back and accept the call He places on us to move His story of redemption forward. As we continue to move through this difficult season I'm reminded of the gift Jesus gives us to freely accept his mission of restoration. Jesus rose above the Earth even though the Earth was and is still broken. He trusted us enough to know we would do great things in His Name by the power of the Spirit in us. And so we ascend as well, to a place where our love for others remains despite the brokenness we find ourselves in. Some put the economy first; some put themselves first. Jesus calls us above it to put God and others first; in heave,  also upon the Earth. Jesus calls us to ascend above it as he did on the cross, putting the lives of others before his own, and revealing in His resurrection a future where all people for all the time can have access to a heavenly life.

So let’s start with the word ascension. What does it mean and how is it used? The English word comes from Latin, and the usage it Latin is as a verb: to go up, climb up, rise, mount, the action of moving upward. She ascended the mountain, or the throne. Jesus ascended into heaven, an act of glorification that he had spoken to his disciples about earlier in his ministry. But only the gospel of Luke provides the story of the event itself, in Luke 24. Here’s the description from those few verses at the end of Luke:

Luke 24:50-53

When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

In the Greek, the language of the New Testament, taken up into heaven is one word, and it has the idea of being taken, carried or lifted in it. Luke also uses this word in Luke 9:51 which reads, ‘As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.’ This was the turning point in Jesus’ ministry and I think it’s interesting that Luke focuses on the ascension as the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry rather than the cross and resurrection, which is the case in the other gospels. I think this is due in part to the way Luke wants to portray the role of the early church in following in Jesus’ footsteps. And following Jesus means not only our relationship with God and one another now, but also our relationships when Jesus returns.

The connection between the Spirit being given and the ascension of Jesus has a parallel in the Old Testament as well. When Elijah ascended in 2 Kings 2 Elisha asked for a double portion of his spirit and that Spirit was acknowledged by the other prophets. But it was only Elisha receiving this gift. The gospels also connect Jesus and John the Baptist and their prophetic rolls to Elijah and Elisha. The difference in Luke and Acts is the fleshed-out idea of the Spirit made available to all people precisely because Jesus died, was resurrected, ascended, remains at the right hand of God, gave His Spirit and will one day return. Christ's work of restoration exampled in his resurrection continues from Heaven through us in the power of the Spirit by faith in Jesus. It’s a kind of tether or constant outpouring. Jesus was fully human but also fully God. In is heavenly throne now He and God and the Spirit, One but the distinct, provide us with the ability to continue Jesus's work of restoration until it is completed on his return.

The Ascension, James Tissot, Brooklyn Museum.

Yesterday’s post was pretty heavy. These are heavy times. But we can be assured of the hope we have in Christ Jesus; Jesus is in us by faith in him. And into that belief, we are guided by the Spirit, because we are not capable in our broken humanity without the divine to help us defend against evil and to advocate on our behalf to continue moving God’s universal plan of redemption forward.

Welcome all to the Thursday, May 14, 2020 daily post from Peachtree Baptist Church, my name is Paul Capps, pastor. Today I want to provide some ways for you to practice your relationship with the Spirit of God in you. First, if you are unsure of your faith, God is reaching out to you even now, seeking to use you to make a difference in this world. When you surrender to knowing God by faith in Jesus, the Spirit will begin a new work in you. And if you are a person of faith, you know, as I know each and every day, that I am not doing what I could be doing because of my weakness and rebellion, but I am confident that I am being transformed even as this whole world groans for redemption. And so today I offer to you some very practical ways to practice that work of advocacy for the fruits of the Spirit.

I’ll start with information, then inspiration for practicing the work.

It is a little risky to suggest places to go online because it may seem as though I am fully endorsing views, but that to me is simply another symptom of the evil one, the prosecutor at work, trying to divide us into walled islands in a pretentious act of disrupting God’s plans of redemption. I would encourage you not to be baited. Being human means remembering that we get it wrong most of the time, but keeping in step with the Spirit means looking for places that represent the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

A few days ago I mentioned an article from Christianity Today about defending against conspiracy theories. In the article, Ed Stetzer suggests that Christians are especially susceptible to conspiracies and need to be very careful. And just Monday, the leadership at BioLogos put out a similar article, providing ways for Christians to respond to attempts at division with well-being.

I have heard from colleagues that they have found it hard to discern good information from bad regarding this pandemic. For me personally, Johns Hopkins continues to effectively collate and distribute data and research, I have personally found their Covid site very helpful in feeling confident about information related to the pandemic

During this time I continue to be inspired by my alma mater, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Their president Dr. Scott Sunquist recently wrote a powerful piece about putting our understandings of God’s justice into practice. He uses the recent murder case of Ahmaud Arbery as an example for taking action.

Finally, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship should be a bookmark on your browser, and a follow on your Facebook and Twitter feed. They are working hard to help churches figure out unified ways to begin co-existing with this virus. One very helpful blog post posted just yesterday was reporting the surprise that more people are attending online services weekly compared to before the virus.

Of course there are other organizations that are working hard to represent the advocacy they experience by the indwelling of the Spirit in them. I look forward to how we as a church and the body of Christ may become more active in recognizing our steps with the Spirit as we seek to serve our resurrected Lord.

Yesterday we talked about the ask sandwich. In between the bread of belief in Jesus and the bread of truth in the Spirit, we have the ability to ask for God’s work to be done in us and it will be done. Sounds easy right? Also, now I’m hungry and want a sandwich!

Welcome to the daily post from Peachtree Baptist Church, my name is Paul Capps, pastor. We have been feasting at the table of the Last Supper for the past several days as Jesus gives his final speech to his disciples in the book of John, focusing on John 14. Today we look at the way Jesus describes the Spirit in the chapter. In verses 16 and 17, he says this: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to help you and be with you forever - the spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” And in verses 25 and 26 he says, “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

It has been a pretty long era as we wait for Jesus to return, but right now, we continue to live in an age of grace, an age of the Spirit. When we talk about asking Jesus to do things in his name, we most often ask for all the wrong things because we keep rebelling against Christ’s law of love. Often it’s because we lack imagination and belief doesn’t take hold in our hearts. But when we believe, Jesus promises the Spirit is there at our side seeking to be our advocate, like a lawyer who is only truthful, and a defender who is always on our side. The Spirit prods us, guides us, comforts us, keeps us accountable, keeps us from giving up, keeps us from losing our imagination, keeps us in such a way that God continues to make a temple out of us. 

And if there is a defender, then there is also a prosecutor, which is a term the Hebrew Bible often uses to describe the Evil One. The one who tries to convince that we can’t possibly be made to represent God’s plans for this world and can’t possibly do the kinds of works Jesus did; the one who tries to convince us that we are just flesh and bone, that the kinds of works that will outlast all others are rooted in idolatry, hatred, jealousy, selfish ambition, rage and tribalism. But as Paul said in Galatians 5, those who live like that will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

The Spirit Jesus spoke about it is here on this earth and in our hearts by faith in him. The Spirit helps us distinguish truth from untruth, even as we get it wrong so very often. And we get it wrong because we substitute human law for Christ’s law, human kingdoms for the kingdom of God. We get it wrong because we are faithful to our culture and history and human family instead of being faithful to the gospel and to becoming the family of God, to being transformed into a temple of God. We think having peace is the outcome of our pursuit for comfort when comfort is in fact our idol. We think patience is simply not acting out on the rage in us. We think that goodness is doing what’s best for our personal worldview rather than the common good. There are so many ways the prosecutor baits us and trolls us. But the Spirit is there to defend against evil and to be our advocate. Doing the works of Jesus is just not possible without the help of the Spirit. When we believe in Jesus, we put our lives in God’s hands, and we are set free to ask for God’s will to be done because the Spirit advocates on our behalf. But it’s hard work. We are weak. But the Spirit is strong.

In thinking back to Galatians and all the ways we get it wrong, the apostle Paul also provides ways to get it right. And during this pandemic, these things need to be defended on a different level. A very personal level. As domestic violence is on the rise, as conspiracy theories abound, as racism is fueled, as people lose their healthcare, their jobs, and even their lives, we need an advocate. We need a defender. We need to know not only what to ask, but what to do. And so hear these words from Galatians 5:22-25 as we close today:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (NIV)

Pathway of Peace by Mary Martin via instagram

Over the next few days, we’ll be continuing our study of John chapter 14. Today we are looking closely at verses 14-17. You’re welcome to start with me here but I would encourage you to check the May 6-8 posts on the sermons page of our website as well as yesterday’s post for the first portion of John 14.

Thanks for participating in our daily posts from Peachtree Baptist Church, my name is Paul Capps, pastor. Before we dive back into John 14, I hope that you all are staying healthy, both physically, emotionally and spiritually. My hope is that these posts can help a little in all those areas and can be a place of oasis, but also a place that can challenge you to act upon your faith. Scripture can indeed both be comfort and prod, and there are many things we all could be doing that better represent Jesus during this time.

One of the ways we can understand that challenge is to understand the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In this long speech at the Last Supper, with the disciples listening to Jesus and trying to understand his sometimes enigmatic way of speaking, Jesus introduces the idea of the Spirit. The concept of God’s Spirit certainly wasn’t new to the disciples, but Jesus describes the Spirit in two distinct ways: as an advocate and as truth. These two descriptions are important because of what Jesus had just said prior in verse 14: “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Unfortunately, many Chrisitians down through the centuries have taken verse 14 and plucked it out of the Bible without the verses that come before and especially without the verses that come after. Without an understanding of a relationship with God by faith in Christ and without an understanding of the Spirit, we are not asking in Christ’s name but in our own. In other words, we are not representing Jesus when we ask, we are just representing ourselves.

Jesus says ‘ask anything and I’ll do it,’ but prior to the ask in the previous verses, belief comes first - that Jesus perfectly represents God. And not only that, but the things his disciples would ask would be things Jesus himself had done and would do. Then in verse 15 Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commands.” So if the meat is ‘ask anything,’ it is sandwiched by belief and obedience.

When we ask something of Jesus, the framework for the asking is a submissive relationship with Jesus. Jesus is King. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is the way, truth and life, and we are not. But when we submit to the law of Christ, and put our faith in him, Jesus will do anything we ask in his name, because only his name exists within us. We belong to Jesus and Jesus has taken residence in us by faith. Our identity begins to be transformed into looking like Jesus.

So what are the commands of Jesus? We look to scriptures. We read the story of the gospel, the good news of a King who died for us and was resurrected so that we can have life beyond life and who ascended to God but asked God to give us another advocate, like Jesus, to help us to stay true to his commands here on earth until he comes again. And why do we keep the commands of Jesus? Because we love him, we accept him, we entrust ourselves fully to him. When we have those things even a little bit figured out, we start to know what it means to ask anything of him in his name. But there’s one more key to making any of it possible, and that’s the Spirit. 

Tomorrow we’ll look more closely at the way Jesus describes the Spirit and how important the role of the Spirit is in knowing Jesus and representing God’s work in the world. I hope you’ll join us.

https://stushieart.com/

Today we are revisiting the virtual concert from April 4 presented by Lamar Savage, our organist and Thomas Ballew as well as the piece inspired by Acts 1-2 from Thomas presented last Saturday.

1. "Be Still and Know"

2. "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms"

3. "How Good It Is to Thank the Lord"

4. "Take My Life, and Let It Be Consecrated"

5. "I Received the Living God"

6. "Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus"

7. "In Remembrance"

8. "Praise to the Almighty"

9. "O Lamb of God"

10. "O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing"

11. "The Palms"

12. "Just As I Am"

Peachtree Baptist Church joyfully presents Thomas Ballew extemporaneously interpreting Acts 1-2 on our grand piano, recorded live on April 30, 2020. You can listen to it here on our YouTube page.

When Jesus says, “I am the Way,” he implies the opposite - we are not. Humans are not the way to God’s future. Our way is completely broken. We are not the truth, we lie constantly and we are always trying to take advantage or have advantage. We are not the life, we die. But by faith in Christ, God decides to work in us despite our humanity. Isn’t that an amazing thing? How often do we become frustrated and give up on other people? Sometimes we even give up on ourselves. But God has chosen to not only continue reaching towards us, God became one of us to show the way that we might join God in the work of redemption and restoration.

Welcome to the May 8, 2020 post from Peachtree Baptist Church, my name is Paul Capps, pastor. We’ve been looking at John 14:1-14. Yesterday we talked about Jesus preparing places, you might want to check out that post before entering this room. He ended by saying, “You know the way to the place where I am going.” And Thomas, the one we appreciate for trusting but wanting a lot of verification, says, “Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” And to that Jesus responds with what is arguably some of the most famous words but also what some of the most weaponized words in the Bible.

John 14:6, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” 

There are two main ways these words have been mistreated, misused and abused and they both have to do with exclusion. People have used them as a way of saying that eternity is an exclusive club limited to those people that have come to their side of understanding - that if you believe in our way of understanding God, then you’re in. But if you don’t, you’re out. It has been used to exclude rather than include. On the other side, it has been used by some to say that  Jesus is creating exclusions to God by limiting their access; that there are many ways to God.

What maybe both groups forget is the exclusive nature of the Temple, about which Jesus is speaking and has been speaking. When he was talking about his Father’s house, the many room and preparing a place, he was talking about the temple. It helps to remember that only the high priest, and then only once a year, could enter the place where Jews believed God’s presence existed on earth.

So rather than some kind of exclusive message that is based on a negative, we should read these words in their positive: Jesus answered: I am the way and the truth and the life: Everyone comes to the Father through me, not just the high priest, not just the Jew, but also the Greek, also the Gentile, also you and also me. Everyone has access to God through Jesus because he is God on earth and because he has ascended and left his Spirit to indwell within us so that we also become representatives of the way. And God does this despite our humanity. He is the way, and we are not. We can’t fit God into our boxes of understanding, regardless of what religion we claim. God won’t fit into our boxes, but Jesus will come and fill us so that we can fit into God’s cosmic plan of redemption. It is a movement of inclusion, not exclusion; a faith that breaks down barriers instead of boxing people in. It is a way of truth that leads to life beyond life, not just life beyond death. It was hard for those disciples to grasp. And they still didn’t really understand where Jesus was going. Because after Thomas asked his question about knowing the way, Philip follows up by saying, “Lord, show us the father and that will be enough for us.” 

Let’s meet together on Sunday in our zoom worship to see how Jesus responds. And come back tomorrow to hear again the beautiful music that Lamar Savage, our Organist and Thomas Ballew, our Music Associate have made during this time of distancing. See you Sunday!

One of the details of The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel is that God is the one desperately reaching and Adam’s arm just happens to be lazily up.