Sunday
04/15/18 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s
Sermon Title: “So what happened exactly?”
Old Testament
Scripture: Psalm 4
New Testament
Scripture: 1 John 3:1-7
Gospel Lesson: Luke
24:36b-48
Welcome again my sisters and brothers, on this our Native
American Ministries Sunday, this the Third Sunday of Easter, this the Sunday
that we are hosting again Romanian Missionary Ramona Petrella Cummings, and maybe
a couple of other things, as well!
Since this is Native American Ministries Sunday, today is a
special giving opportunity in the life of the United Methodist Church, where we
can support Native American seminarians, pastors, and Native American outreach.
Feel free to pray, and to give to this special giving Sunday, as God calls you
to do so. Feel free to also do the same for Ramona’s ministry.
As our church bulletin says this morning however, I am going
to give a very brief message. In part, I am doing this to give you a small
message, as I was on vacation last Sunday, but also to hopefully help support Ramona
and her work. Anyone that is working to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and anyone
who is working to build God’s kingdom, is generally someone that I support.
The question though, is why do we as Christian do what we
do? Why do we serve, love, heal, and forgive? You see, all of us are called as
Christians to serve God and share the gospel of Jesus Christ in various ways, but
some of us are called to go where there is great suffering. For millions and
millions of Christians, we generally believe that Christ overcame sin and death
on the cross, that he was resurrected, that he is alive well, and that he will
return one day in glory. For so many of us, this is our motivation and our
transformation that causes us as Christians to do what we do.
Knowing the risen Christ, believing
in His gospel, and living it out, can result in God putting us in places and
situations that we never imagined. Many of us also know that the Christian
Church is worldwide, and that we are the biggest faith in the world. Due to
this, it shouldn’t be a shock to us to know that we have many millions of Christians
serving, loving, working, and caring in places where God’s people need the most
love, help, and kindness.
This
leads me to this morning’s gospel reading from the gospel of Luke, and my
sermon title of “So what happened exactly?” In this reading, Jesus Christ,
after his resurrection, appeared to his disciples. Specifically, the gospel
reading says:
“Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch
me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And
when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their
joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you
anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it
and ate in their presence”. (Lk.
24:36b-43, NRSV).
For me, and for millions and millions of Christians, not
only do I believe that Jesus was God in the flesh on earth, that he loved,
healed, and forgave, and died for our sins, I also believe that he rose again.
I also believe that he appeared for 40-days to his disciples and many, and then
ascended to heaven. Jesus therefore, is alive and well, and will return one day
in glory.
Serving Christ, preaching and following the gospel of Christ
takes on a powerful new meaning then when we believe that the savior we follow
is truly alive and well. This belief fuels us to change the world, to share the
Good News of Jesus Christ, and sometimes to go far and wide to show people the
great love of Jesus Christ. When Christ is alive in us, we begin to see the
world differently, and the gospel calls us to change the world into what Jesus
called us to change it into.
“So what happened exactly,” this morning? Well I believe
that Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, physically presented his
resurrected body to his disciples, that he ate with them, and that he then told
them again just who he was and is. This reality, this truth found only in Jesus
Christ, is so powerful, that it has changed me, and it has changed millions
upon millions of others through the world. Due to this, when we answer the call
to serve Christ, sometimes that call might just take us to a place like Nicaragua,
or to Romania. Be ready for God’s call! Amen.
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