Concord Wesley UMC Sermon Podcast Rev. Cheryl L. Meachen, Pastor

Matthew 28:16-20
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Commissioning of the Disciples
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him, but they doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”[a]

John 7:37-39
Rivers of Living Water
37 On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, 38 and let the one who believes in me drink. As[a] the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart[b] shall flow rivers of living water.’ ” 39 Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive, for as yet there was no Spirit[c] because Jesus was not yet glorified.

1 Corinthians 12:3-13
3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.

4 Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit, 5 and there are varieties of services but the same Lord, 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of powerful deeds, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

One Body with Many Members
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

John 17:6-11
“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you, 8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I have been glorified in them. 11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.

John 14:15-21
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, you will keep[a] my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,[b] to be with you forever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be[c] in[d] you.

18 “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me, and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”

John 14:1-14
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Jesus the Way to the Father
14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe[a] in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?[b] 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.”[c] 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know[d] my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, but if you do not, then believe[e] because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me[f] for anything, I will do it.

Luke 24:13-35 (NRSV further below)

Scripture Reading is from First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament, copyright 2021by Rain Ministries, Inc., Used by permission of InterVarsity Press, Downer’s Grove IL

From the dedication:
We pray the First Nations Version will bring healing to those who have suffered under the dominance of colonial governments who, with the help of churches and missionary organizations, often took our land, our languages, our cultures, and even our children. As our Tribal Nations work hard to reclaim what has been stolen, it is our hope that the colonial language that was forced upon us can now serve our people in a good way, by presenting Creator Sets Free in a more culturally relevant context.

Key to scriptural references:
Creator Sets Free – Jesus
Village of Warm Springs – Emmaus
Honored by His Father – Cleopas
Village of Peace - Jerusalem
Seed Planter Village – Nazareth
People of Iron - Romans
One Who Hears – Simon
Wrestles With Creator – Israel
Drawn From the Water – Moses

Luke 24: 13 – 35

On the same day, two of the followers of Creator Sets Free were walking to the Village of Warm Springs, seven miles out from the Village of Peace. As they walked along, they were talking about all that had happened. Creator Sets Free came alongside them as they walked but their eyes were kept from seeing who he was.
He said to them, “What are you talking about?” They stopped walking and a look of sadness fell over their faces. One of the men, Honored by His Father, answered him, “How can you not know about the things that have happened in the Village of Peace? You must be from far away. “What things are you talking about?” he asked.

About Creator Sets Free from Seed Planter Village. He was a prophet from the Great Spirit, with powerful medicine, who did many good things among all the people. The head holy men and other leaders handed him over to the People of Iron to be put to death on the cross. We had hoped that he would free the tribes of Wrestles With Creator from the People of Iron. It is now the third day since they killed him on the cross, but today some women told us an amazing story. Early this morning they went to his burial cave and found that his body was not there. They told us about visions of spirit-messengers who told them he was alive! Some of our men went to see with their own eyes and found the empty cave, but they did not see Creator Sets Free.”
“Why are your hearts so slow to believe the words of the prophets?” he said. “It should be clear to you that the Chosen One would suffer first before he would be lifted up and honored above all.”
So Creator Sets Free told them his story, beginning with Drawn From the Water and all the prophets. He showed them how all the ancient Sacred Teachings were written about. the Chosen One and pointed the way to him.
As they entered the village, he walked on as if to go farther. They said to him, “Please, stay with us. It is late and the sun will soon set.” So he went into the lodging house with them. When they sat down to eat a meal together, Creator Sets Free took some frybread into his hands. He gave thanks and broke it, giving each of them a piece. Suddenly, their eyes were opened and they knew who he was, but he vanished right in front of them.
The men looked at each other in wide-eyed wonder and said, “It felt like our hearts were on fire when he was talking with us on the road, showing us the meaning of the Sacred Teachings!”
They got up without finishing their meal and walked back to the Village of Peace as fast as they could, for the sun was setting. They found where the eleven had gathered together with the others. They were saying, “Our Wisdom Keeper is alive! He has shown himself to One Who Hears.”
So the two men told them what had happened on the road and how their eyes were opened when Creator Sets Free broke the frybr