Brewing Theology With Teer Teer Hardy

April 28, 2024
John 21:2-18 Easter 5
The light of the resurrection pulls us out of shame and guilt and invites us into a new life in Christ. Jesus did not repeat his line of question to Peter to shame the Rock upon which the Church would be built but rather to be crystal clear that not only has Peter been absolved of his sin but also that shame and guilt are no longer necessary.
In the face of Peter’s public denial, Jesus gives Peter a great responsibility – “Feed my sheep.” A moment for which many of us would prescribe guilt or shame, Jesus prescribed grace.
The resurrection of Christ is not just a historical event; it is a living reality, the living hope that continues to transform lives today. Through the faithfulness of our resurrected Lord, the burden of shame and guilt has been lifted from our shoulders. No longer do we need to wallow in self-condemnation, for in Christ Jesus, we find forgiveness, restoration, and a fresh start.
When we return to our fishing nets after the Easter celebration, we can hold fast to the truth that our worthiness of love and belonging is not determined by our past mistakes or present imperfections. Instead, it is rooted in the unconditional love of God, demonstrated through Jesus Christ's life, death, and resurrection.
The burdens of shame and guilt are lifted, knowing that our gracious Savior truly loves, forgives, and accepts us. And we now live in the light of resurrection hope, let us respond to Christ's call with joy and gratitude, eagerly proclaiming his love to a world in desperate need of redemption.


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Psalm 23

When I saw that the Revised Common Lectionary assigned Psalm 23 this week, I thought, “Challenge accepted!” For many of us, Psalm 23 is reserved for funerals and memorial services. Every funeral and memorial service I have officiated has included Psalm 23. The other readings might vary, and the preacher may not even include the psalm in their sermon, but Psalm 23 stands as a bulwark in our times of grief. The psalmist assures us that our dearly departed family or friend “shall dwell in the house of the Lord”[i] while we dwell in grief.
But does the psalm more familiar to mid-week and Saturday memorial and funeral services provide us with a glimpse into the good news of the resurrection? Does Psalm 23 have anything to say to us today when we do not find ourselves gathering to grieve but instead are gathered to proclaim Christ resurrected?
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. The Lord makes me lie down in green pastures; The Lord leads me beside still waters, The Lord restores my soul.”[ii]
Our physical bodies require more attention and resources than we realize. I was shocked to learn this week that in 2022, in The United States, we spent $4.5 trillion, or $13,493 per person, on healthcare.[iii] This money was spent on keeping us healthy and alive: flu shots, appendectomies, in-grown toenail removals, and heart bypasses. When it comes to cosmetic procedures, we spent over $26 billion on being nipped and tucked.[iv] Add on gym memberships, visits to the barbershop, cosmetic products, and other odds and ends; we spend a fortune on ourselves.

The physical nature of your body is just one way you were created in God's image. God cares about the image you were made in more than the amount of money we spend maintaining or attempting to “perfect” what God deemed “good” long before we discovered Botox, facelifts, and hair dye.
 After hearing myself preach for nearly seven years, I can hear where it might be easy for some to say that I would argue that God has little interest in our physical wholeness. After all, I can sound like a broken record preaching the same old song of God’s grace. Yes, God loves you just as you are right now, but God loves you too much to leave you just as you are. The beauty of God’s grace is that God is unwilling to leave us as we are. God is interested in everything, whether our soul or physical body. Your whole self is what God loves, not this piece or that piece of you.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, emphasized the importance of holistic well-being, advocating for a balanced approach to spiritual and physical health. He believed that the pursuit of holiness encompassed spiritual disciplines and stewardship of our physical bodies. It is easy to think of the Church as only concerned with the eternal care of our community, but the reality is that because we proclaim that the Kingdom of God is already here, our physical bodies matter as much as our souls. Wesley’s words echo through the ages, urging us to embrace a lifestyle that nurtures both body and soul.
Nadia Bolz-Webber, a contemporary theologian, beautifully articulates the intrinsic worth of every human being in the eyes of the Divine. She reminds us, “What God claims to love, do not deem unworthy of that love. What God has called good, do not call anything other than good. What God has animated with God’s breath and endowed with a soul and God’s image, do not treat with anything less than dignity.”
It is easy to think that we are the only ones worried about the physical nature of this life. We spend so much time and effort on ourselves that we can forget that the Lord indeed cares for us.
Psalm 23 makes clear – through green pastures, still waters, and overflowing cups – that God is not only interested in making sure our physical bodies are raised

April 14, 2024
Romans 12:1-10
Look, I get it; change is difficult. Renewal is even harder. But I am thankful that God has not left me with the faith or theology I had when I was younger. I give thanks every day that God is renewing my faith. God makes me see people in my midst, truly see them in ways that my prejudices would otherwise prevent. Because Christ’s Grace and faith are reckoned to me, my understanding of others is transformed. This is a transformation of the church as a body.
Through the renewing of our minds, God is inviting us to a spiritual transformation. Spirituality is not a some product that can be marketed or consumed. Not a yoga retreat and not by the church. Not even ours. Instead, spirituality is a new life, a transformed life. It is a human response to seeing “the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror.”Practices like prayer, worship, the study of the scriptures, and other spiritual disciplines are all ways God nurtures us as an act of spiritual transformation.
Being conformed and transformed by God, is part the spirit of our Methodist DNA. John Wesley was engaged in spiritual renewal within the Church of England. Wesley upset many in the church, but he always viewed his work as being part of the established church, being part of Christ’s body, not apart from it.
To be “metamorphosized into God’s image,” as Paul writes, is not something we do. There are no intellectual accomplishments by which you can make this happen. The transformation we experience is something God is doing to us. It is the byproduct of being encountered by the living God. How good is the news that you are transformed, redeemed, and saved by the Risen Christ? Why would you want your mind to be conformed to this world when you could experience Christ’s transforming grace?


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April 7, 2024
Genesis 1:26-31
Psalm 139:13-16
Easter 2
The resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for our whole selves – our bodies, minds, and souls.
Who we are - every part of our being - is wrapped up in being created in the image of God and is tied up in Christ's life, death, and resurrection.
From the beginning of humanity, we have been declared “good” by God. Do we always act “good?” Certainly not, but God called what God created, you, “good,” so you are good regardless of what you or others may say about you.
You are “good” regardless of your actual or perceived flaws.
You are “good” regardless of what others may say about you.
You are “good” regardless of what you say about yourself.
In a world that often demands that we filter ourselves through the lens of what popular culture demands, God says you are good to go. This is because we know that God loves you just as you are and that God loves you too much to leave you just as you are. When I say, “God loves you too much, leave you just as you are,” I am saying that God is making you more and more like Christ.
Is God making us into the Saviors of the world? No. We already have one of those and live our life, died our death, and in his resurrection, we find hope for not just eternity with God but for the fullness of physical life.
The promise of bodily resurrection is the continuation, a divine “Amen!” from the One who created us and declared us to be “good.”


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March 31, 2024
John 20:1-18
Whatever the reason you came here this morning, our risen Lord is calling you by name, calling you to you in the midst of your grief or doubt. Calling you in the middle of joyous laughter and fun with onlookers says your behavior is inappropriate for the location. Calling you, just as he called the disciples away from their nets, calling you to a new life of following him, a life that promises new life.
The grace of God, the love of God, is all around, especially on days like today. We all arrived here this morning in our Easter, best looking for one thing or another, and like Mary, we find that our risen Lord has plans for us that do not match what we had planned for ourselves. And that’s the good news of this day, is it not? No matter how we found ourselves here or for what reason, Christ still calls out to us by name. Calling us by name, like Mary, Jesus is inviting us to new life is only possible through God‘s grace.
“Whom are you looking for?”
Alleluia! Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!


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March 24, 2024
John 12:12-29
In our procession of fools, we miss that there is so much more to this story.
In each stop between the Mount of Olives (Palm Sunday) and The Skull (the cross), Jesus is gathering all of humanity into him, the very best and the very worst we have to offer. No prayer or ritual must first be spoken or performed on our part. And that is grace.
If Jesus calling Lazarus from his tomb last Sunday was the prelude to Holy Week, then Palm Sunday is Act One of a larger story. A story that we all have been baptized into, Soraya included. Fleming said it best, “the testimony of the four evangelists (gospel writers Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), the testimony of the Christian church, is that in this event, in this godforsaken death, the cosmic scale has been conclusively tipped in the opposite direction, so that sin and evil and death are not the last word and never will be again.”
There is so much more to this story.


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