Lectionary 21B

I preached this sermon in the Spanish service; the English translation is below.

Juan 6:56-69 

Oremos...

Que las palabras de mi boca y las meditaciones de nuestro corazónes sean aceptables delante de ti, Señor, fortaleza nuestra y redentor nuestro. Amén.

Los Juegos Olímpicos de París terminaron a principios de este mes y, si bien hay muchas historias inspiradoras sobre los atletas que compitieron allí, quiero contarles sobre uno de los gimnastas masculinos estadounidenses. Brody Malone era un gimnasta de la Universidad de Stanford que se lesionó gravemente al caerse durante su rutina de barra alta en marzo de 2023 durante un evento de la Copa del Mundo. Luego, Malone se sometió a tres cirugías para reparar el daño en su rodilla y no regresó a la competencia hasta finales de mayo, hace solo tres meses. Allí ganó su tercer título nacional completo y en junio compitió nuevamente y ganó su lugar en el equipo olímpico masculino de 2024 que ganó la medalla de bronce en París. ¹ El camino de regreso de Malone a los Juegos Olímpicos estuvo marcado por desafíos e interrupciones, pero estaba decidido.

Nuestro evangelio de hoy cuenta una historia sobre Jesús y sus discípulos, y escuchamos acerca de los retos que enfrentan y las trastornos que encuentran mientras siguen a Jesús.

Jesús está enseñando en la sinagoga, explicando lo que significa tener vida eterna. Y sus discípulos son desafiados por sus palabras. El evangelista Juan dice que Jesús los escucha quejarse por la dificultad que están teniendo, y Jesús les pregunta: "¿Esto los ofende?"

Nos queda especular sobre por qué están perturbados u ofendidos.

En el discurso de las últimas cinco semanas en el evangelio, Jesús les ha dicho muchas cosas.

El discurso comenzó con la alimentación de los 5.000.

¿Se ofenden porque dice que nunca rechazará a los que vienen a Él? (6:37)

¿Se ofenden, como los líderes religiosos, porque enseña con autoridad y les dice que vino del cielo cuando recuerdan a sus padres en Galilea? (6:38-42)

¿Se ofenden porque les dice que coman su carne y beban su sangre? (6:54)

¿O se ofenden porque dice que quienes crean permanecerán en Él y Él en nosotros? (6:56)

Después de todo, esperaban que viniera un Mesías que restaurara a Israel y derrotara a quienes los oprimen. ¿Cómo lograrán eso en el comer y en el beber? ¿Dónde están los ejércitos de los justos y la ruina y destrucción de nuestros enemigos? La gente debe estar perpleja ante Jesús.

Lo que aprendemos, por supuesto, es que Jesús no es un general militar y que ser discípulo no significa ser un soldado.

Jesús, el único Hijo de Dios, fue enviado por Dios para vivir entre nosotros, para comer, beber y tener hambre con nosotros, para experimentar toda la vida humana con sus propias desilusiones y sus alegrías, su desamor y sus milagros.

La vida eterna es un regalo que recibimos de Dios porque Dios quiere vivir en relación con su pueblo. Recibir el sacramento es la manera en que somos alimentados y perdonados por Dios, una y otra vez, no porque Dios nos quite nuestro perdón, sino porque nosotros, como los discípulos, a menudo nos alejamos de Dios en tiempos difíciles, quejándonos e insatisfechos.

Lutero escribió en su explicación del sacramento en el Catecismo Menor

Las palabras “dado por ustedes” y “derramado por ustedes para el perdón de los pecados” nos muestran que el perdón de los pecados, la vida y la salvación se nos dan en el sacramento a través de estas palabras, porque donde hay perdón de los pecados, también hay vida y salvación.

[Y estas] palabras, cuando van acompañadas del comer y beber físicamente, son lo esencial del sacramento, y quien cree en estas mismas palabras tiene lo que declaran y afirman, es decir, “el perdón de los pecados”.

Porque “creer”, especialmente en el evangelio de Juan, tiene que ver con estar en relación con Dios, creer que somos perdonados y tenemos nueva vida en Cristo también significa permanecer o morar con Dios, y confiar en que Dios está morando con nosotros.

Después de que algunos de los discípulos se alejaron y dejaron a Jesús, él se volvió hacia los doce que habían estado con él desde el principio de su ministerio y les preguntó: “¿También ustedes quieren irse?” Y es entonces cuando escuchamos la memorable confesión de Pedro. Le responde a Jesús: “Señor, ¿a quién iremos? Tú tienes palabras de vida eterna” (6:68).

Conocemos a Pedro. Sabemos que, si bien tiene este momento brillante, no siempre es tan confiable o comprometido. Sabemos que es excitable e impulsivo y, a veces, tiene miedo y pone sus propios intereses por delante de seguir a Jesús. Pero aquí lo hace bien. Aquí acierta.

Él y los demás apóstoles han observado a Jesús y lo han escuchado. Pedro sabe que Jesús es el propio Hijo de Dios y el único que puede ofrecer perdón, vida y salvación y se compromete a seguir a Jesús y proclamar que Él es el Mesías y el Señor.

Estar en relación con Dios, permanecer en Dios y aceptar la presencia y la voluntad de Dios para nuestras vidas es una tarea continua y diaria. Si bien somos salvados por Dios y perdonados por Dios, y nada nos separa del amor de Dios, siempre seremos desafiados a alejarnos de Dios porque el mal, los poderes y los principados aún existen en el mundo, tratando de convencernos de que nos alejemos de Dios, mintiéndonos sobre quiénes somos y a quién pertenecemos.

El desafío del discipulado de seguir a Jesús de todas maneras.

En el Encuentro de Jóvenes de la ELCA, la Dra. Jacquelyn Bussie habló desde el escenario principal y contó su historia de cómo quedó viuda de repente y descubrió el amor y la alegría de todos modos a pesar de la trágica experiencia y la tremenda pérdida.

En la vida habrá obstáculos, desafíos y decepciones. Una invitación al discipulado no es una invitación a la tranquilidad y a la liberación de las preocupaciones. Es una invitación a vivir en espacios sagrados y a caminar con el Dios que te conoce, te ama y te perdona. Es una invitación a encontrar una nueva vida cuando todo esta boca abajo y nada va como lo habías planeado, y a vivir en  fe de todos modos. Porque, como preguntó Pedro, ¿a dónde más podemos ir?

Oremos.

Dios bueno y misericordioso,

Gracias por tu Hijo Jesús y por el don de la vida eterna que nos has dado como tus hijos. Ayúdanos a resistir aquellas cosas en nuestras vidas que nos alejan de Ti o tratan de separarnos de Ti. Llénanos con Tu Espíritu Santo y capacítanos para seguirte incluso cuando sea desafiante o difícil. Oramos en el nombre de Jesús. Amén.

 

John 6:56-69

The Paris Olympics finished earlier this month and while there are lots of inspiring stories about the athletes who were there competing, I want to tell you about one of the American men’s gymnasts. Brody Malone was a Stanford University gymnast who was seriously injured in a fall during his high bar routine in March 2023 during a World Cup event. Malone then had three surgeries to repair damage in his knee and didn’t return to competition until the end of May, just three months ago. There he earned his third all around national title and in June he competed again and won his spot on the 2024 Men’s Olympic team that won the bronze medal in Paris.[i] Malone’s road back to the Olympics was marked by challenges and disruptions, but he was committed.

Our gospel today tells a story about Jesus and his disciples, and we hear about challenges they face and disruptions they encounter as they follow Jesus.

Jesus is teaching in the synagogue, explaining what it means to have eternal life. And his disciples are challenged by his words. The evangelist John says that Jesus hears them grumbling about the difficulty they are having, and Jesus asks them, “Does this offend you?”

We are left to speculate about why they are disturbed or offended.

In the discourse over the last five weeks in the gospel, Jesus has told them many things.

The discourse began with the feeding of the 5,000.

Are they offended because he says he will never drive away those who come to Him? (6:37)

Are they, like the religious leaders, offended because he teaches with authority and tells them that he came from heaven when they remember his parents in Galilee? (6:38-42)

Are they offended because he tells them to eat his flesh and drink his blood? (6:54)

Or are they offended because he says that those who believe will abide in Him and He in us? (6:56)

After all they have expected a Messiah to come and restore Israel and defeat those who oppress them. How will eating and drinking do that? Where are the armies of the righteous and the ruin and destruction of our enemies? The people must be perplexed by Jesus.

What we learn, of course, is that Jesus isn’t a military general, and that being a disciple is not about being a soldier.

Jesus, God’s only Son, was sent by God to live among us, to eat and drink and hunger with us, to experience all of human life with its own disappointments and its joys, its heartbreak and its miracles.

Eternal life is a gift we receive from God because God wants to live in relationship with God’s people. Receiving the sacrament is how we are fed and forgiven by God, again and again — not because God takes away our forgiveness, but because we, like the disciples, often turn away from God in hard times, grumbling and dissatisfied.

Luther wrote in his explanation of the sacrament in the Small Catechism

The words “given for you” and “shed for you for the forgiveness of sin” show us that forgiveness of sin, life, and salvation are given to us in the sacrament through these words, because where there is forgiveness of sin, there is also life and salvation.

[And these] words, when accompanied by the physical eating and drinking, are the essential thing in the sacrament, and whoever believes these very words has what they declare and state, namely, “forgiveness of sin.”

Because “believing”, especially in John’s gospel, is about being in relationship with God, believing we are forgiven and have new life in Christ also means abiding or dwelling with God, and trusting that God is abiding with us.

After some of the disciples turned away and left Jesus, he turned to the twelve who had been with him from the beginning of his ministry, and asked them, “Do you also wish to go away?” And that’s when we hear Peter’s memorable confession. He answers Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (6:68)

We know Peter. We know that while he has this shining moment, he is not always so dependable or committed. We know he is excitable and impulsive and sometimes he is afraid and puts his own interests ahead of following Jesus. But here he does well. Here he gets it right.

He and the other apostles have watched Jesus and listened to Him. Peter knows that Jesus is God’s own Son and the only One who can offer forgiveness, life and salvation and he commits himself to following Jesus and proclaiming He is Messiah and Lord.

Being in relationship with God, abiding in God and accepting God’s presence and will for our lives, is an ongoing and daily task. While we are saved by God and forgiven by God, and nothing separates us from God’s love, we are always going to be challenged to turn away from God because evil and powers and principalities still exist in the world, trying to convince us to walk away from God, lying to us about who we are and to whom we belong.

The challenge of discipleship to follow Jesus anyway.

At the ELCA Youth Gathering, Dr. Jacquelyn Bussie spoke from the main stage and told her story of being widowed suddenly and discovering love and joy anyway despite the tragic experience and tremendous loss.

In life, there will be obstacles. There will be challenges. There will be disappointments. An invitation to discipleship is not an invitation to ease and freedom from worries. It is an invitation to dwell in holy spaces and journey with the God who knows you, loves you and forgives you. It is an invitation to find new life when everything has turned upside down and nothing is going as you planned and live in faith anyway. For, as Peter asked, where else can we go?

Let us pray.

Good and gracious God,
Thank you for your Son Jesus and for the gift of eternal life given to us, as your children. Help us resist those things in our lives that draw us away from You or try to separate us from You. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit and empower us to follow you even when it is challenging or difficult. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[i] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brody_Malone, accessed August 24, 2024.

"N is for Nicodemus" The Good Book Summer Series

 John 3:1-10

Today we are finishing our Good Book summer sermon series. We have heard eight stories from the Bible that we don’t hear in the lectionary readings, or we’ve heard something new in a story we thought was familiar.

This morning falls into the latter category. We hear about Nicodemus a lot in the lectionary. He’s no stranger. In some years, he shows up in Lent and in others, on Trinity Sunday, and now we’re hearing his story again.

I like to remember that Scripture is a living Word, so whenever you hear a Bible story, even if it’s familiar, you are different, the Holy Spirit speaking to you through God’s Word is different and so you may expect to hear something new in it.

The evangelist John tells us that Nicodemus comes by night to Jesus. He is a religious leader of the Jews, a Pharisee, but even with all of his “book-learning”, hearing about Jesus has him asking new questions.

John doesn’t tell us why he comes by night, under the cover of darkness. And we don’t hear anything more from Nicodemus until he speaks up briefly during a heated debate among the Pharisees in the 7^th chapter of John’s gospel.  And then he goes dark. He’s silent, and absent from the Jesus story, until after the crucifixion, when he brings one hundred pounds of spices to anoint Jesus’ body at his burial.

As Dr. Anna Carter Florence wrote, it was “too much, too late”.[i] She asks us to wonder “what might have been, if Nicodemus had acted on his first conversation with Jesus.”[ii]

Instead of wringing his hands and deciding it was wiser to wait.

Instead of being silenced by critics or bullies.

Instead of preserving his own comfort, his own status, and his own privilege.

Speaking up is never easy. It is never comfortable. It takes courage and steadfastness.

So does discipleship.

Remember, in the waters of baptism, every one of us is claimed by God and “sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.”[iii]

So, when Jesus says in verses 7 and 8:

Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit...

he isn’t talking about someone else, but each one of us.

The Holy Spirit is “the very breath of our life”.[iv]

The Greek word used for Holy Spirit – pneuma – is the same as the word for wind and breath. Like wind and breath, the Holy Spirit isn’t something we can see or touch, but we recognize its presence, and we can respond to its movement in our lives.

This story challenges us to believe in what we cannot see, just as we do when the wind rustles through the trees or our breath rises in a puff on a cold morning.

In God’s Holy Spirit, we have this living presence with us. And just as with a living Word, it does not leave us unchanged.  “The experience of God’s Spirit is never merely an inward experience of God’s presence” though.[v]

The Holy Spirit is a creative and life-giving power, and like the other gifts we receive from God, it is not for us to “hide under a bushel.” (Mt. 5:15)

It is not ours for our own sake, but, as Luther’s Small Catechism says in the explanation to the third article,

the Holy Spirit has called [us] through the gospel, enlightened [us] with his gifts, made [us] holy and kept [us] in the true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy the whole Christian church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one common, true faith.[vi]

The Spirit is ours in community and leads us out and into mission beyond our doors.

As I reflected on the things we cannot see or touch, but we believe are there, in addition to wind and breath and Spirit, I considered love. You see love when it is put into action, when as Stephen Ministers say it has “skin on it”. It is the idea behind saying, “We are God’s hands and feet in the world,” or “You may be the only Jesus someone meets.” We are commanded to love our neighbors. (Mark 12; Matthew 22)

When we remember “God’s Spirit is with us wherever we go and in everything we do” we love our neighbor well, finding the courage to speak up against injustice, to risk our comfort or status for the sake of those who do not have a voice, and to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to others.

As disciples we must be focused on who Jesus is and what Jesus has done – given us new life, fed us and forgiven us – and respond to the Spirit moving in us and among us.

Let us pray…

Good and gracious God,

We give you thanks for giving us Your Son Jesus to lead us.

Help us follow with boldness, using our voices to speak up for those who cannot.

May we respond to Your Holy Spirit with openness and not fear.

We pray in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

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[i] Anna Carter Florence. A is for Alabaster. 169-170.

[ii] ibid, 170.

[iii] “Holy Baptism”. ELW.

[iv] Lois Malcolm. Holy Spirit. 12.

[v] ibid, 11.

[vi] “Luther’s Small Catechism”. ELW.

Lectionary 19B

I preached this sermon in the Spanish service; the English translation is below.

Juan 6:35-51 

Oremos…

Que las palabras de mi boca y las meditaciones de nuestro corazón sean aceptables delante de ti, Señor, fortaleza nuestra y redentor nuestro. Amén.

En las primeras palabras del evangelio de hoy, escuchamos a Jesús relacionar el pasado de Israel con el presente. El evangelista Mateo a menudo compara a Jesús con el profeta Moisés, y Juan evoca una comparación similar en esta parte de su evangelio.

Con la señal que se muestra en la alimentación de los cinco miles que precede a estos versículos, se pretende que recordemos la alimentación de los israelitas en el desierto, cuando comieron el maná que Dios les proporcionó.

La profesora del Nuevo Testamento Susan Hylen escribió: “El recuerdo de la historia del maná no era simplemente que Dios alimentó a Israel, sino que comer maná [simbolizaba] aprender la sabiduría de Dios y cumplir la ley de Dios”. ⁱ

Pero

donde Moisés era el profeta de Dios,

Jesús es el Hijo de Dios;

donde el maná era alimento para el cuerpo,

el “pan del cielo” alimenta tanto al cuerpo como al Espíritu;

donde el maná era perecedero,

el “pan de vida” es eterno.

En el evangelio de Juan, ya no miramos hacia atrás, hacia nuestros antepasados ​​y los acontecimientos del pasado, sino que nos dirigimos hacia Dios Padre y el aquí y ahora.

La predicadora y maestra luterana Karoline Lewis dice:

Creer en Jesús aquí es hacer la conexión de que él es tanto el pan que Dios provee que da vida como también la fuente del pan. ⁱⁱ

En el evangelio de Juan, creer en Jesús siempre tiene que ver con estar en relación con Jesús.

Y negarse a creer —rechazar la relación— significa muerte y separación de Dios. Rechazar el pan del cielo es lo mismo que rechazar a Jesús.

Al escuchar a Jesús hablar, primero con la multitud que interactuaba con él y estaba agradecida, y luego con los líderes religiosos que eran más escépticos con respecto a él y su enseñanza, lo que le oímos decir es: “en mí ven a Dios de una manera en que nunca antes lo habían visto”.ⁱⁱⁱ

Jesús no ignora sus dudas, su falta de comprensión o su incertidumbre. Él reconoce la humanidad expresada en su respuesta.

Pero con la paciencia de un maestro, Él se explica una y otra vez, invitando a su curiosidad y llevando a la gente más profundamente a una nueva comprensión de quién es él a lo largo de este discurso.

Es importante destacar que Jesús no estaba reemplazando lo que los israelitas creían acerca del Mesías. Lewis escribe nuevamente:

“[Él] está tratando de demostrar que todo lo que los judíos saben acerca de su historia, lo que está registrado en las Escrituras y en los profetas, cómo han oído y aprendido de Dios” se encuentra en su revelación de haber sido enviado por Dios el Padre. ^iv

En mayor contraste con Moisés, Jesús promete que nada ni nadie se perderá por él. (v. 39) Su audiencia recordaría que toda una generación de israelitas se perdió en el desierto durante el éxodo cuando Moisés los guió desde Egipto hasta el río Jordán. Pero aquí Jesús está diciendo que “la presencia de Dios está dondequiera que esté el creyente”. ^v

Incluso cuando está en un desierto, en un tiempo seco y desértico donde la conexión con Dios parece tenue o incluso ausente;

o cuando las distracciones nos impiden pasar tiempo con Dios de maneras que alimenten nuestra hambre de Dios o hagan crecer nuestra fe;

o cuando los desafíos nos hacen preguntarnos dónde está Dios y si Dios escucha nuestras oraciones o todavía nos ve o nos conoce;

o cuando nos sentimos tan mal que no creemos merecer el amor de Dios.

En todos estos casos, la promesa de Dios es que Él está presente y activo en nuestras vidas y en nuestro mundo, proveyendo para nosotros y para una vida abundante en Cristo. Dios nos envía a Jesús para que esté con nosotros, para alimentarnos y cuidarnos.

Amén.

John 6:35-51

Let us pray…

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

In the first words of the gospel today, we hear Jesus connect Israel’s past to the present. The evangelist Matthew often compares Jesus to the prophet Moses, and John evokes a similar comparison in this part of his gospel.

With the sign shown in the feeding of the 5,000 that precedes these verses, we are meant to recall the feeding of the Israelites in the wilderness, when they ate the manna that God provided for them.

New Testament professor Susan Hylen wrote, “The memory of the manna story was not simply that God fed Israel, but that eating manna [symbolized] learning God’s wisdom and abiding by God’s law.”[i]

But

where Moses was God’s prophet,

Jesus is God’s Son;

where the manna was food for the body,

the “bread from heaven” feeds both body and Spirit;

where the manna was perishable,

the “bread of life” is eternal.

In John’s gospel, we are no longer looking backward toward our ancestors and the events of the past, but we are directed forward toward God the Father and the here and now.

Lutheran preacher and teacher Karoline Lewis says,

To believe in Jesus here is to make the connection that he is both the bread God provides that gives life and also the source of the bread.[ii]

In John’s gospel, believing in Jesus is always about being in relationship with Jesus.

And refusing to believe — refusing relationship — does mean death and separation from God. Rejecting the bread from heaven is the same as rejecting Jesus.

As we listen to Jesus’ talking, first with the crowd who engaged with him and was grateful, and then with the religious leaders who were more skeptical of him and his teaching, what we hear him say is, “in me you do see God in a way you have never seen God before.”[iii]

Jesus doesn’t dismiss their wondering, their lack of understanding or their uncertainty. He recognizes the humanity expressed in their response.

But with a teacher’s patience, he explains himself again and again, inviting their curiosity and drawing people more deeply into a new understanding of who he is throughout this discourse.

Importantly, Jesus wasn’t replacing what was believed by the Israelites about the Messiah. Lewis again writes,

“[He] is trying to make the case that what the Jews know about their history, what is recorded in scripture and in the prophets, how they have heard and learned from God” is all located is his revelation of being sent from God the Father.[iv]

In further contrast to Moses, Jesus promises that nothing and no one will be lost by him. (v. 39) His audience would remember that a whole generation of Israelites were lost in the wilderness during the exodus when Moses led them from Egypt to the Jordan river. But here Jesus is saying that “God’s presence is wherever the believer is.”[v]

Even when it is a wilderness – a dry and desert-like time where connection to God seems tenuous or even absent;

or when distractions mean we don’t spend time with God in ways that feed our hunger for God or grow our faith;

or when challenges have us wondering where God is and whether God hears our prayers or still sees us or knows us;

or when we feel so low that we don’t think we deserve God’s love.

In all of these, God’s promise is that God is present and active in our lives and world, providing for us and for abundant life in Christ. God sends us Jesus to be with us, to feed us and care for us.

Amen.

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[i] Susan Hylen. Commentary on John 6:35, 41-51.Working Preacher. Luther Seminary.

[ii] Lewis, Karoline M. John: Fortress Biblical Preaching Commentaries (p. 90). Fortress Press. Kindle Edition.

[iii] ibid, p. 92.

[iv] ibid

[v] Lewis, p. 91.