Holy Trinity Ankeny

In this world full of suffering and pain, we often ask God, “Why?” Some even assert that if there is suffering in the world it is proof that God does not exist unless a compelling answer can be given. What if “Why” is the wrong question? The message of the Book of Job offers no answer to Job’s asking God why. Instead, God is present to Job. When we suffer, the question to ask is, “Who?” and “Where?” Jesus is the embodiment of God’s answer. God is present in our suffering.

When confronted with the troubles of the world or the decline of our personal life we can long for something new, something that fixes things, solves our problems. We tend to look for the quick fix, the silver bullet, the latest and greatest advice. Scripture tells us that the reign of God doesn’t work that way. Mustard seeds, growing seed, sprigs of a cedar tree are signs that God is at work. The new creation dawns slowly, patiently and often, as something we can only observe as God works.

I grew up in a church that had an enormous sanctuary. It was filled with stained-glass windows. There was plenty of real estate for depictions of stories from the Bible. Not one inch was dedicated to depicting Jesus as a thief. In the Gospel today, Jesus tells a story about binding a strong man and plundering the house. Is Jesus the strongman or the thief?   Genesis 3:8-15 | 2 Corinthians 4:13 - 5:1 | Mark 3:20-35

Keeping Sabbath is more than an outdated day off exemplified by the blue laws of a bygone age. The purpose of Sabbath is to rejoice and honor God’s creation and every creature. It is to proclaim freedom and assert that we are more than what we do, more than our accomplishments, more than economic cogs in the machinery. We are children of God! Jesus is himself the Sabbath bringing joy and peace to our lives.

Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the middle of the night when the shadows are long and the places to hide are easy to find. Nicodemus is a Pharisee and coming to ask Jesus questions can be problematic for him. That fateful night Nicodemus brings all of his questions and seeks confirmation for what he already knows. If his story ended that night, he would be just a nice little footnote. But his story doesn’t end there. Isaiah 6:1-8 | Romans 8:12-17 | John 3:1-17

Ezekiel sees a valley full of bones that represent the people of God. Peter and the disciples see a world where God’s people are scattered, divided, and grieving the death of their Lord. Today, God’s people are a shrinking bunch, unsure of how to proceed in a world that thinks they are irrelevant. When we can’t imagine a way forward, the Spirit comes with power to create and a vision beyond our expectations.

Eternal life is not the same thing as the resurrection of the dead, nor is it simply this life extended past death. Eternal life is not something we earn or build from our efforts to get rich, successful, or busy. Eternal life always was, will always be, and is present right now. You just have to look at Jesus to see what is and trust that he has given it to you.

We can spend a lot of time waiting for God to do something about the brokenness of our world and the challenges of life. The Book of Acts, however, says that it is not our impatient waiting on the Spirit to act that is the problem. The Spirit has preceded us and plowed the ground already. The Spirit impatiently anoints even as we argue about who is worthy to be in the church. When we wonder what God wants us to do, is it possible we already know the answer? Has the Spirit already spoken and our preconceptions and biases, our resentments and self-justification, are just in the way of God’s grace and love in our lives?

The ancient Celtic Christians named the Holy Spirit the Wild Goose. The Holy Spirit is wild and untamed. Our Acts reading today is about Philip’s encounter with the Holy Spirit and his Wild Goose Chase.   Acts 8:26-40 | 1 John 4:7-21 | John 15:1-8

In Jesus’ day, there would be times when multiple shepherds would bring their flocks together. Whether by accident or on purpose, they would gather them in a paddock, an area that was walled off to keep the predators out of the flock. The sheep would mingle together and do all the things sheep do. Now that presents a problem for the shepherd. How do you tell your sheep apart from the other shepherd’s sheep?   When the shepherds would leave the paddock, they would call out to their flock. The sheep would hear their shepherd's voice and would follow. The shepherd's voice is key. The sheep know which shepherd is theirs and they follow. The sheep know… But sheep are still sheep.  Sheep wander off… Sheep fall into ravines… The Shepherd still needs to go and find them when that happens.   The shepherd’s voice is key. Jesus tells us today, “I know my own and my own know me. They know my voice.”   Acts 4:5-12 | 1 John 3:16-24 | John 10:11-18

The resurrection of Jesus reveals that God’s way is the way of life, light, love, peace, hope, and wholeness. Whenever these things break through the darkness of the world it is a moment of resurrection. Sadly, we don’t see it, nor do we often want to accept this eruption of new life. We are resistant to the resurrection.

We live in the age of the individual. We are a lonely, fragmented people often at each other’s throats. The resurrection of Jesus binds people together in love to stand against the individualism that makes everything about “me.” “Doubting” Thomas struggled in despair and doubt because he was not with the others when Jesus first appeared. The church in Jerusalem in Acts “held” all things in common and lived in joy. Readings: Acts 4:32-35 John 20:19-31

The Gospel of Mark ends at chapter 16, verse 8 (other endings were added much later). It is an odd, perplexing end that leaves us with an empty tomb and three women who say nothing to anyone. Yet, maybe Mark was less concerned with what happened then and more concerned with what happens now. The resurrection means that God is loose in the world, unrestrained and persistently confronting us with life, love, and grace. What do you say about that?

I grew up thinking that the word hosanna meant something triumphant. Knowing that it means something else entirely changes how I see Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  Mark 11:1-11

The cross is the chief symbol of our faith, a sign of the saving work of Christ. What does it mean “to be saved?” Some would say it is assent to beliefs. Others point to a religious experience. Those are not, however, works of Christ. They are things we do. In John’s gospel, Christ’s work on the cross is bigger than forgiving sins. It is to judge the world, drive out the evil, and draw all people to himself.

Pastor Twila Schock, Vice President for Church Relations and International Programming for Mosaic, one of our mission partners, is our guest preacher. Mosaic empowers people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in their unique pursuit of happiness.

We often have an image in our head of what Jesus looks like and how Jesus should act. The Jesus of John’s gospel is not the safe, tame, domesticated Jesus of my childhood. A domesticated Jesus doesn’t have anything to say about how we live our lives and would never flip any tables. This Jesus is the undomesticated Jesus who isn’t afraid to flip the tables in our lives that get in the way of following Jesus.   Exodus 20:1-17 | 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 | John 2:13-22

It seems like from the moment we enter the world the effort to find and follow our own way is what we are about. Every toddler at some point says “I do it myself!” To take up one’s cross and follow Jesus however, means not going our own way but following in the way of Jesus. Peter finds that out today as Jesus says, “Get behind me, Satan.”