Your Faith Journey - Finding God Through Words, Song and Praise Faith Lutheran Church, Okemos, MI

This is a special musical presentation of Rain Down! by the Singing Sinners at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Today we are celebrating the Ascension of our Lord. This actually happened on Thursday, 40 days after Easter. It is when Jesus officially, physically, goes back home. Luke feels it is important enough to share it in his Gospel briefly and then in more detail in Acts.

For the Gospel writer John, it was also important, as it was always death, resurrection and ascension. Although John only said it was going to happen, but never told the story, we only find the actual account in Luke-Acts.

When people leave us, to stay overnight for the first time, to go off to live elsewhere from what has been called home, we don’t really know when or whether we will see them again. It normally gives us pause. We may linger after that good-bye or see you later. It may take us a bit to resume and continue on. Sometimes it gets easier.

Then there is that time that we lose a loved one. It could be a friend, parent, sibling or partner/spouse. It hurts as we come to realize that we will not see them again until we go to join them. It can take time to move forward, at first it may be slow. Even after we get moving forward, there will be days or so that we stop and process before we can move forward again.

Even though leaving is part of life it is not easy. Moving forward and at what speed looks and feels different for everyone. The leaving/grieving process requires giving others and ourselves space. One needs to experience it, before we can move forward. Without acknowledging the feelings and giving ourselves permission we may always come back to the same place.
In turning to our Ascension Sunday stories, we are reminded that Jesus had told his disciples to remain in Jerusalem after the resurrection. He told them to wait for what God had promised. Jesus reminded them that he had been baptized by John the Baptist with water, but within a few days he will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

We know what is coming and that is the Holy Spirit, Pentecost. This happens 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection. The disciples did not know what they would be experiencing. Thus, Jesus was saying just wait and you will get what you need to be my witnesses.

Now I must say the disciples had a little bit different experience in Jesus leaving. While they were meeting together, they were wondering if Jesus was going to retore the kingdom of Israel. In other words, bring restoration back that God would be reigning. Jesus says, it is not for you to know when this will happen. I’m sure this caused great anxiety.

Jesus goes on to tell them that they will be his witnesses to Judea and Samaria and even to the ends of the earth. He is alluding to Jews and Gentles, that is everyone. This is the disciples commission to continue the work that he had begun with them.

Having said this, he was lifted up into a cloud before their eyes and taken from their sight. I can almost safely say that none of our loved ones left us in that way. What could they do but continue looking up. Is this it? Is he gone forever? Does this mean that we are on our own now? What was going to happen to and/or for them in Jerusalem?

It was normal for them to be lingering and taking some space to be in that moment. There are times that all of us need someone to say don’t forget that I am here for you and with you. Two messengers dressed in white stood beside them and asked, “You Galileans, why are you standing here looking into the skies? Jesus, who has been taken from you, this same Jesus will return, in the same way you watched him go up into heaven.”

I’m not sure how quickly any of us could have moved forward from there. First Jesus goes up into the air, then these two messengers dressed in white say Jesus will return in the same way. It is a great deal to process. There was at least some precedent for going up into the air as this is what Elijah did. Also, we are not sure what happened to Moses.

Moving forward is not easy as many of us have and are experiencing.

This is a special musical presentation of Shout Amen! by the Singing Sinners at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Even after the cutting and pruning we talked about last week, Jesus still comes back to love. The cutting and pruning is about letting Jesus clean up our lives in order that we can be more intimate, have a stronger connection with him. In today’s lesson, Jesus uses the example of the love that he has with God. From the Inclusive Bible we hear “As my Abba has loved me,. So have I loved you. Live on in my love.”
What kind of love is this? It is of course the agape or sacrificial love that Jesus demonstrated his entire life on earth. God loves Jesus sacrificially, Jesus loves us sacrificially and now Jesus says continue on in this sacrificial love. So Jesus says continue to do what I have commanded you to do, just as I have kept God’s commands to love another as I have loved you.
In reality, I don’t know if I want to love the same people that Jesus loves. Can you relate to this? People and that includes you and me, can put others down, and this is when we are living out all the isms that we can think of. In reality not one of is the same. At Faith we believe that God created all people equal, and everyone is worthy of God’s love. Our welcoming statement says this.
We, at Faith Lutheran Church, welcome you as a child of God. As Paul said in his letter to the Galatians, “for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.” (Galatians 3:26) We strive to be a place where everyone is welcomed and affirmed.
No matter your age, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, marital status, faith background, political leanings, or mental or physical ability – you are welcome as you are. As children of God, we are all one in Christ Jesus and rely on the unconditional nature of God’s love and grace to be our help and guide.
But what if someone doesn’t think and feel the way that we do? This is where I have to step back and realize that everyone is on a different journey. As much as I may have a problem with loving them, Jesus still does. This is where the cutting and pruning comes into play. As a human being and as a gay man I know that there are people who believe that I am going to hell and don’t believe that I should have the same rights as heterosexual people.
Jesus still commands me to love them. But why should I have to love them, could I just let Jesus love them? Unfortunately, that is not what Jesus is commanding me to do. As he is not physically here, he is asking me to continue in his love. But is Jesus really asking me to open myself up to hate, ridicule and discrimination?
No, I don’t believe so. I do believe that he is commanding me to find a way to love the person. For me, that is about showing respect. It is a slippery slope to love in this way, but there may be a way of showing respect and setting boundary lines for ourselves.
One of the first things that shows respect is to listen. We need to understand where a person is coming from before we can respond. It may be important to repeat back what a person has told us, not only to make sure that we understand but that they hear the words that they have spoken.
Use I statements when responding. The point is not to criticize or put them down, but to share where we are at and above all our experience. These may be all ways that you already use to connect with people. I remind you of this as we often encounter people who do the opposite and our command is to show a different way of connecting with people.
This is not easy, and we may be exhausted after one encounter. I do not believe Jesus wants us to get hurt. It is important to remember that we may not receive love back, but that Jesus loves us no matter what the other person may say or do. If you receive some love and respect back, the connection may be able to continue.
It is important to remember that Jesus loves us and we are commanded to love one another, regardless. We are not promised love in return from others. It is when we abide, reside, dwell in Jesus’ sacri

Easter 5 B – 04 28 2024

In our Gospel lesson today, Jesus is trying to prepare his disciples for his departure. This part of the Farewell Discourses. Jesus knows he will be going home, and he wants his disciples to be prepared. This is a pastoral moment, reminding them that they will not be alone, as he says “I am the vine and you are the branches.
Vine and branches – connected to each other. They are intertwined to the point that you have to work hard to tell one from the other. Jesus and his disciples are best friends. This sounds so good until Verse 2 comes along. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. 
Notice Jesus says that if the disciples are bearing no fruit, the branch is totally removed. It is those who are bearing fruit that will be pruned in order to bear more fruit. The disciples have already been bearing fruit, thus Jesus wants them to continue.
This is true, in order for new buds to form there needs to be trimming or cutting off. How many flowers do you have to cut off once they have bloomed and begin to wilt, before new ones can form and grow? Just like the Easter flowers that I have at home.
Jesus actually says that any branch that does not bear fruit needs to be cut off. Wait a minute does this mean that Jesus is letting his disciples know that as they continue without him that they will be expected to continue changing? I believe so. At this time, they don’t know what those changes will look like. Throughout their life with Jesus, what they have been taught and had been doing has come into question.
His disciples had questioned him as he continued to reframe their faith. Jesus was letting them know that he wouldn’t be there physically ready to answer the way that he had been. At the same time, he was reassuring them that he would not be leaving them alone.
You see Jesus says, this cutting off or pruning is not what cleanses you, but it is the word that he has spoken to them that cleanses. He says I know that you are scared of this pruning or cutting off, but it is not about your salvation, rather it is about bearing fruit. When you abide in me and I in you an d do the cutting or pruning, you will bear fruit, people will see me in you.
Cutting and pruning means change and I doubt the disciples were looking forward to it, but yet what had they been doing since they began to follow Jesus. Jesus had been reframing the law that they had learned. Jesus had been teaching that in order to love one another, meant that one would need to change their way of thinking and their actions.
The disciples had been doing it, but did not always find it easy. It often went against the culture and government’s laws. They were often in a difficult spot and as we move into the early church, sometimes they were jailed or stoned.
There are times in our lives that we are challenged to make changes that are not easy. Jesus is letting his disciples know that without cutting or pruning or making changes that they would not remain connected to him and would not be bearing more fruit. When we are not connected to him we began to die and lose the strength that we receive from him.
This cutting or pruning is not something that we do by ourselves. Jesus doesn’t say, “I’m going to sit and watch you stumble through fear while you see the change that could be made or make attempts to do it as Jesus knows that not one of us can make changes on our own. Jesus says apart from him, we can do nothing.
Unfortunately, my call here is to stir the pot and ask questions, as well as make suggestions on how to do things differently. This may make you feel uncomfortable. Although, my job is not to force you to do something.
There have been a number of events recently that people just expect to happen the way that they have always been done. If I don’t know how they have been done, they may not happen the same way. The seven last words of the

This is a special musical presentation of Partnership of Faith by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.