From Our Brokenness by Cheri Holdridge (with an assist by Patti Lusher)

I have heard a story like this on several occasions. It goes something like this. A woman tells me that she ran into someone from her former church. The woman mentioned that she is divorced now. And her friend from her former church was stunned and could not even carry on a conversation with her. There was so much judgement within the other person that they could not carry on a civil conversation. They just walked away. The divorced woman knows she would no longer be welcome at that church as a divorced person.

I don’t get that. I don’t understand how someone who has suffered the pain of a broken marriage would then be shunned by a church. Church is supposed to be the place we go when we are broken. A failed marriage is painful. There are many reasons why marriages don’t work. But the simple fact is, no matter how hard two people may try, some marriages just don’t make it. But that is no reason to cast someone out of the circle of God’s love. This is the time when a person needs to be brought into the circle and surrounded by love and care. Both people need a church family where they can find healing. They are going to feel like they have failed. They are going to feel broken. This is a time when they need to be embraced by God and by a church family and told, “It’s ok; we all get a new start.”

Today we start a new series about Building a New Future Together. It’s about getting a new start. Because there are times in our lives when we all need a do over. We are going to spend a few weeks in the Old Testament book called Nehemiah. I am going to guess that most of us are not very familiar with Nehemiah. But it’s a great book of new starts and new beginnings. Nehemiah is a book about rebuilding our lives. I think most of us can recall a time in the past, or maybe right now, when our lives could use some rebuilding. Can I hear an “Amen”?

Let me start with a bit of context. The people of God lived in and around Judah and Jerusalem. In 586 BCE the capitol, Jerusalem, fell to the Babylonians. Many Jews were taken to Babylonia to live in exile. The temple which was the center of their worship was destroyed. And the wall around Jerusalem, which protected the people from invaders, was also destroyed. This was a devastating time for God’s people.

Some forty years later, the people were still living in exile. God called a group of Jewish exiles, refugees, to work for God. These were the four people: Esther, Zerubbabal, Ezra and Nehemiah. Nehemiah was called to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah was living in Susa, a town in Babylonia (which is modern day Iran). He was a government worker, working for the King. By this time the temple in Jerusalem had been rebuilt but things were still in bad shape in Jerusalem. The people were scattered. That is where our story begins.

One of Nehemiah’s brothers, Hanani, arrives in Susa from a trip to Judah, the region where Jerusalem is. Hanani reports to Nehemiah that the Jews who survived the exile and are living there are in bad shape. The conditions are appalling. The wall of Jerusalem is in rubble and the city gates are in cinders. This is devastating news to Nehemiah.

Why are walls so important? Because the city walls are what protect the people.

All ancient cites were surrounded by walls. Mike Slaughter writes that “Walls represent boundaries or structures. People without structures or boundaries create children without structures or boundaries, which creates families without structures or boundaries, which creates communities without structures or boundaries, which creates nations without structures and boundaries. Without walls a community or people are vulnerable or defenseless against attack. So when the people of God do not have clear God boundaries and God structures in our life, then we are very vulnerable to the attacks that would come against our families. There are also some very practical physical dimensions of a community without walls. If you don't have walls, it's not a safe place for trade. And if you don't have trade, you don't have economy. And if you don't have economy, you have poverty.” So you can see that walls were essential.

God uses several people here to begin to rebuild the lives of the people of Judea. Zerubbabal is called to go back and build the temple. Before you have walls you have a temple. A temple is the place where the people of God come together in community and recognize their identity. Ezra, who was the priest, re-establishes the altar. The altar is the focus of worship. And Nehemiah comes and re-establishes the walls which give the people safety.

It’s like this. We are the body of Christ. We cannot do this by ourselves. Each of us has a part to play that is necessary for God's rebuilding purpose in the world. God has equipped every person here. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s get back to today’s part of the story.

Nehemiah sits down and weeps. He mourns for days, praying and fasting. We don’t see this yet in the scripture, but Nehemiah is going to lead a huge rebuilding project. God is going to use him to do great things in Jerusalem.

But before Nehemiah can do anything, he sits down and weeps. He weeps for the brokenness of all his people.

Pastor Mike Slaughter writes that “Restoration begins with brokenness. God uses people whose hearts are broken by the things that break the heart of God.” Think about it. Nehemiah has a good job working for the King. He probably has a pretty comfortable life. But when he hears about his brothers and sisters living in poverty in Jerusalem and living at risk because there is no city wall to keep them safe, his heart breaks.

And did you notice what else he does? He sits down. He stops everything in order to pray. We have to stop, and to sit down in order to know the heart of God. We have to sit down in order to get in touch with brokenness.

We are all so busy. We keep busy because we don’t have to pay attention to our pain if we are busy. We can numb the pain with work, or shopping, or sports, or hobbies, or addictions. But if we STOP, and put ourselves in the presence of God, we will have an opportunity to see our own brokenness and the brokenness of the world. This is when the rebuilding can begin.

Here at The Village we want to be a church where you can stop, and pay attention to the brokenness in your own life and the world, and give it to God. We want to be a church where you can find healing and rebuild. Like the woman I talked about at the beginning of my sermon who went through a divorce, we want to be a church where hurting people like her can come and find community.

Some of you have come here because you have been beaten up by the world, and you need the healing that God has to offer. Sadly, some of you have even felt beaten up by other churches, and you need the healing that God has to offer through a church like this, where everyone is welcome and accepted. The rebuilding of lives starts with naming our brokenness and giving it to God.

Because here is the thing. Everyone is broken. And God loves us in our brokenness. Some of it is caused by other people, and some of it is caused by our own choices. But whatever the cause, God loves us and God wants us to have a new start.

So we need to be like Nehemiah. We need to take time to sit down with God and name our brokenness.

What is your brokenness? What separates you from God? What separates you from your brothers and sisters in this room? We all have something we want to change.

This is the good news: God can heal us. God wants to rebuild our lives. God wants us to know that we are loved by God and we can be whole again.

I want to invite you to write down your brokenness on a piece of paper, and give it up to God today. Whatever it is that you need to let go of, write it down. We are going to pass around a basket to collect your pieces of paper, and we are going to put them on our altar table and give them to God.

No one will see it. I will throw them away for you after the service. Only God will see what you write.

We Are The Witnesses by Cheri Holdridge (with an assist by Patti Lusher)

I feel sorry for the disciples. They get a bad rap. They get portrayed as simple minded bungling idiots who got to spend so much time with Jesus and never seemed to get it right. Today’s story is one more example. They don’t fare well in today’s reading.

They are doubters. The women have come back from the tomb with the miraculous news that Jesus has risen from the dead, but the male disciples? Well, they are skeptical. Anything could have happened. The body could have been stolen for one. A bodily resurrection? Come on.

Then two of them are walking on the Road to Emmaus and it happens. They meet the risen Jesus, and they do not even recognize him. I mean how stupid can you get? This is your best friend! Your teacher. He walks up to you and asks what you are talking about and you say: “Mister you must be the only one in Jerusalem who has not heard about what happened in the last few days.” And then they tell Jesus all about Jesus and how he was a great teacher and then he was crucified and taken to a tomb and how the women went to the tomb and found it empty. But some of the men went back to the tomb and did not see Jesus.

Then he calls them “thick-headed! and slow-hearted!” He says: “Why can’t you simply believe all that the prophets said? Don’t you see that these things had to happen, that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into his glory?” Then he started at the beginning, with the Books of Moses, and went on through all the Prophets, pointing out everything in the Scriptures that referred to him.”

They got to Emmaus and Jesus looked like he was going to walk on but they asked him to come have a meal with them. Finally when he sat down at the table and took some break and broke it and blessed it, they recognized him. But then he disappeared.

Don’t you feel sorry for those disciples? How could they be so unaware? So full of doubt that they had no clue they were with Jesus? I suppose grief might do that to a person. Grief is a powerful force.

So these men were convinced and went to tell the other disciples. They said, “We have seen Jesus.” And suddenly Jesus appeared in the room with them and said, “Peace be with you.” They were scared half to death and thought he was a ghost, but he said, “Here, touch me and see that I am flesh and bones.” But the scripture says: “They still couldn’t believe what they were seeing. It was too much; it seemed too good to be true.”

He asked for some food so they gave him some fish and he ate it. Then he began to teach them again. “Everything I told you while I was with you comes to this: All the things written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms have to be fulfilled.”

He showed them how to read their Bibles. “He said, “You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations…. You’re the first to hear and see it. You’re the witnesses.”

You’re the witnesses. When I read this it frightens me. Jesus left the whole mission to this rag tag bunch of disciples. The whole future of the church is left to these doubters who could not even recognize Jesus when he walked right up to them.

How could he trust them? One had betrayed him. Another had denied him. All had deserted him at the cross. Then they had doubted the resurrection. They had been afraid of him when he stood right in front of them.

And yet, Jesus just kept teaching. He never stopped teaching. He never stopped trusting them with the most important message in history.

He said: “Your life can change because God forgives all your sins. From this moment on, you belong to God.” That is the message. “God loves you and your life can be better.”

Jesus told them, “You are my witnesses.” And now “We are the witnesses.” We are the only mouths Jesus has on this earth.

It is our job to tell people the good news: “Your life can change because God forgives all your sins.”

Do you believe that? Do you believe that God forgives all your sins? All your brokenness? All your shortcomings? God loves you and forgives you. You can have a new start today, at this very moment. That is the gift of the resurrection. That is the message that Jesus came back to tell the disciples one last time.  You can start over.

Knowing that message, we are to share that message with others. Who do you know who needs to hear that message? Do you have a friend who is discouraged? A brother or sister who is in despair? Do you know someone who is doubting his own self-worth? Do you know someone who does not love herself?

I know it sounds scary to share your faith with someone. But we share good ideas with others all the time. We recommend a great restaurant, a good new movie we just saw. We recommend the fitness center or the new workout routine we are using. We give referrals for a plumber or an electrician.

Doesn’t it seem a bit odd that we would not share a recommendation about the most important thing in our lives? Our trust in God. God is the one who lifts us up when we fall down. God is the one who heals our sorrows. God is the one who forgives us and helps us to feel whole again. Why would we keep that a secret? Why would we hide this great resource from our friends and co-workers?

I know, you don’t want to sound like a crazy Bible thumper. You don’t want to be pushy. But it’s not pushy to say, “God loves you and God wants you to have a joy filled life.” It’s a gift.

I remember so many conversations I have had with people. I say something like this to them: “God wants you to have joy in your life. God made you and God loves you.” It often brings tears to a person’s eyes, and such a sense of relief. They are suffering and it is a relief to know that God still loves them.

You don’t have to be a pastor to tell someone that God loves them. Anyone can do that. It is a gift. A precious gift. Way more valuable than a restaurant recommendation.

Here at The Village we want to give you a chance to practice telling your story. So our Retreat this year is called “Tell the Story.” The retreat is May 2nd from 9:30 am to 3 pm. The details are in the program. I hope you will attend. Karen and Lisa who are leading it promise it will be fun.

We are the witnesses. We are the ones who tell the people out there that God loves them. We are the only voice that Jesus has in the world today. If we don’t tell the story, who is going to tell it?

We may feel like those first disciples. We may have days of doubt and uncertainty. But then we come together here, to hear the good news. We are forgiven. We are blessed. God loves us. God walks with us through the difficult times. And God lifts us up because God wants us to have lives of joy. This is our story. It’s a story worth sharing. We are witnesses. So let’s go and tell that story. Amen.

We Are The Witnesses by Cheri Holdridge (with an assist by Kurt Young)

     You know, I feel sorry for the disciples. They get a bad rap. They get portrayed as simple minded bungling idiots who got to spend all this time with Jesus and never seemed to get it right. Today’s story is one more example. They don’t fare well in today’s reading (Luke 24:13-49 from The Message paraphrase for those following along on the Internet) . 
 

They are doubters. The women have come back from the tomb with the miraculous news that Jesus has risen from the dead, but the male disciples? Well, they are skeptical. Anything could have happened. The body could have been stolen for one. A bodily resurrection? Come on. 

Then two of them are walking on the Road to Emmaus and it happens. They meet the risen Jesus, but they do not even recognize him. I mean how stupid can you get? This is your best friend! Your teacher. He walks up to you and asks what you are talking about and you say: “Mister you must be the only one in Jerusalem who has not heard about what happened in the last few days.” And then they tell Jesus all about Jesus, right?  How he was a great teacher and then he was crucified and taken to a tomb and how the women went to the tomb and found it empty. But some of the men went back to the tomb and did not see Jesus.  They didn’t see any Jesus, they didn’t see any angel. 

  

Then he calls them “thick-headed! and slow-hearted!” He says: “Why can’t you simply believe all that the prophets said? Don’t you see that these things had to happen, that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into his glory?” Then he started over at the beginning, with the Books of Moses, and went on through all the Prophets, pointing out everything in the Scriptures that referred to him.”

They got to Emmaus and Jesus looked like he was going to walk on but they asked him to come have a meal with them. Finally when he sat down at the table and took some break and broke it and blessed it.  Finally, they recognized him. But then he disappeared.

Don’t you feel sorry for those disciples? How could they be so unaware? So full of doubt that they had no clue they were with Jesus? Maybe grief might do that to a person. Grief is a powerful force. 

So these men were convinced and went to tell the other disciples. They said, “We have seen Jesus.” And suddenly Jesus appeared in the room with them and said, “Peace be with you.” They were scared half to death and thought he was a ghost, but he said, “Here, touch me and see that I am flesh and bones.” But the scripture says: “They still couldn’t believe what they were seeing. It was too much; it seemed too good to be true”; oh those disciples. 

He asked for some food so they gave him some fish and he ate it. Then he began to teach them again. “Everything I told you while I was with you comes to this: All the things written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms have to be fulfilled.”

He showed them how to read their Bibles. After all this, he had to teach them how to read their Bibles.  “He said, “You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations…. You’re the first to hear and see it. You’re the witnesses.” 

You’re the witnesses. When I read this it frightens me. Jesus left the whole mission to this rag tag bunch of disciples. The whole future of the church is left to these doubters who could not even recognize Jesus when he walked right up to them.  And Jesus is leaving the future of the church, the existence of us here today, up to them? 

How could he trust them? One had betrayed him. Another had denied him. All had deserted him at the cross. Then they had doubted the resurrection. They had been afraid of him when he stood right in front of them. 

And yet, Jesus just kept teaching. The risen Jesus doesn’t stop teaching them.  He never stopped teaching. He never stopped trusting them with the most important message in history. 

He said: “Your life can change because God forgives all your sins. From this moment on you belong to God.” That is the message. “God loves you and your life can be better.”

Jesus told them, “You are my witnesses.” And now “We are the witnesses.” We are the only mouths Jesus has on Earth.  It is our job to tell people the good news: “Your life can change because God forgives all your sins.” 

Do you believe that? Do you believe that God forgives your sins? All your brokenness? All your shortcomings? God loves you and forgives you. You can have a new start today, in this very moment. That is the gift of the resurrection. That is the message that Jesus came back to tell his disciples one last time.  You can have a do over. 

Knowing that message, we are to share that message with others. Who do you know who needs to hear that message? Do you have a friend who is discouraged? A brother or sister who is in despair? Do you know someone who is doubting his own self-worth? Do you know someone who does not love herself? 

I know it sounds scary to share your faith with someone else, I know. But we share good ideas with others all the time. We recommend a great restaurant, a good new movie we just saw. We recommend the fitness center or the new workout routine we are using. We give referrals for a good plumber or an electrician.

Doesn’t it seem a bit odd that we would not share a recommendation about the most important thing in our lives? Our trust in God. God is the one who lifts us up when we fall down. God is the one who heals our sorrows. God is the one who forgives us and helps us to feel whole again. Why would we keep that a secret? Why would we hide this great resource from our friends and co-workers?

I know, you don’t want to sound like a crazy Bible thumper or Holy Roller. You don’t want to be pushy. But it’s not pushy to say, “God loves you and God wants you to have a joy filled life.” It’s a gift.  That’s a gift. 

I remember so many conversations I have had with people. I say something like this to them: “God wants you to have joy in your life. God made you and God loves you. You are a beloved child of God.” It often brings tears to a person’s eyes, and such a sense of relief. They are suffering and it is a relief to know that God still loves them. 

You don’t have to be a pastor to tell someone that God loves them, God wants a better life for you. Anyone can do that. It is a gift. A precious gift. Way more valuable than a restaurant recommendation. 

Here at The Village we want to give you a chance to practice telling your story. So our Retreat this year is called “Tell the Story.” The retreat is May 2nd from 9:30 am to 3 pm. The details are in the program. I hope you will attend. Karen and Lisa who are leading it promise it will be fun and I believe them. 

We are the witnesses. We are the ones who tell the people out there that God loves them. We are the only voice that Jesus has in the world today. If we don’t tell the story, who is going to tell it?

We may feel like those first disciples. We may have days of doubt and uncertainty. But then we come together here, to hear the good news. We are forgiven. We are blessed. God loves us. God walks with us through the difficult times. And God lifts us up because God wants us to have lives of joy. This is our story. It’s a story worth sharing. We are all witnesses. So let’s go and tell that story. Amen.

Go! Tell His Disciples by Cheri Holdridge (with an assist by Patti Lusher)

The Gospel of Mark is believed to be the oldest of the four Gospels in the Bible, and it is the shortest. That makes sense. The later Gospel writers added more stories and embellishment. Mark kept it simple.  In Mark, there are no birth stories, no Mary and Joseph with baby Jesus in the manger. His story begins with the baptism of Jesus as an adult. Mark’s gospel ends as abruptly as it begins.

In fact, it ends so abruptly that we believe monks who were making copies of Mark’s gospel early on, added some verses. They did not like the ending so they added some resurrection appearances like those in the other Gospels. But the original ending, the one Mark intended ends with verse 8 which is what we read for you today.

The women came to the tomb to anoint the body and found the huge stone had been rolled away. They saw a young man dressed in a white robe in the tomb, presumably an angel. The young man told them: “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. ⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.”

Now what do you think happened next? The women must have gone and told the story, because here we are. Somehow the story got out there. It got written in Mark’s Gospel. We heard it. They must have left with great joy ready to spread the Good News. But that is not how Mark’s Gospel ends. At least not the original ending.

The Gospel ends with these very troubline words: ⁸So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

They were afraid. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, were faithful followers of Jesus. These women had presumably stood at the foot of the cross and watched Jesus die when the male disciples were too afraid to be there and went into hiding. Now, the fear overcame the women. Now, when the miracle has occurred, the women freeze. They panic.

Fear is a basic human emotion, isn’t it? We have all felt it. Anxiety is related to fear. Anxiety is a worry about future events, and fear is a reaction to current events. About 18% of Americans suffer from some sort of diagnosable anxiety disorder. That is almost 1 in 5. I would call that an epidemic of fear. We’re not all afraid all the time. But at any given time, a good number of us are afraid. Fear can paralyze a person. You know this. Fear at its worst, results in panic attacks. Symptoms include increased heart rate, perspiration, dizziness, trembling and a sense of fear of losing control and going crazy. Other symptoms include chills or hot flashes, nausea, chest pain and crying. Fear and anxiety are real problems.

Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, upon hearing that Jesus had been raised from the dead, were filled with fear. And Mark ends his Gospel with these words: “They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

It makes me sad that they were afraid. Such good news, and they could not bring themselves to believe it. They could not bring themselves to share the Good News. So they went home in fear and despair.

How often do we hear the message of Jesus, and fail to believe it? How often do we allow ourselves to give into fear? This message can’t be true. How can a man be God and come to earth to love us like God? How can God love us unconditionally? How can God forgive us when we are so broken? How can God keep giving us another chance when we keep messing up?

How could God die on a cross for us? Because he wanted us to know he would do that for us – that is how much God loves us! How could Jesus be raised from the dead? It’s impossible. And yet, that is just what happened.

We don’t have proof. But we have witnesses who saw and believed. You see, the women may have been afraid for a while. And Mark wanted us to understand just how afraid they were. I guess because Mark understands how afraid we can be. Mark knows that it is hard for us to understand and accept how much God loves us.

But here is the thing. Even though Mark’s Gospel, in its original form, ends with the women going home in fear, and not telling anyone. The story does not end there. They must have gotten over their fear. Somehow they began to talk, because we have the story, right? The story got out somehow. Eventually, they told. And why? Because the story is too amazing to keep to yourself. The women, no matter how afraid, HAD TO TELL THE STORY.

Eventually they were bursting with joy and had to tell, no matter how afraid they were that everyone would think they were crazy. They had to tell: “Christ is risen! He is not in the tomb, and an angel told us, he has risen from the dead! It’s a miracle! Christ was not defeated by death. When he told us the temple would be destroyed and rebuilt in three days he was talking about himself!”

You see, a story this great, has to be told. Fear does not win. Love wins.

So what about us? On this Easter morning. How will we tell the story? Because you see, we give into fear just like Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome. This is our story, but we don’t walk around telling it. Because we don’t want to push our religion on other people. We don’t want to be seen as Holy Rollers. And so we are afraid to share our faith with others.

And yet there are hurting people out there who need a miracle. They need a Savior. They need to know that death is not the end. Do you know how many people are terrified of death because they think it is the end? Lots of people. People don’t have a sense that we belong to God and when we pass from this earth our spirits live on in eternity with God, so they fear death. The resurrection is our promise that we do not die, but we live with God forever.

But more than that, the resurrection is the promise that in this life, when we feel dead, we will pull through. There is hope. God is with us, and there is light at the end of whatever dark tunnel we are in. We are not alone. Jesus came to show us that God loves us and God walks with us through whatever sorrows and challenges we face in this life. There are people out there who need to hear that message and we are the only messengers they have. We need to tell them. We are Mary Magdalene and Mary and Salome for them.

So how do we do that? When you encounter a friend or co-worker who is discouraged, you could say something like this. “I don’t want to be pushy, and maybe you already have some spiritual practices, but if not, have you ever tried to pray? Because when I get discouraged, I pray, and it helps. I would like to pray for you if that is okay.”

They may say “no thank you.” Or you may get an ear full about how they have been hurt by the church. But you might get a “thank you, I would appreciate your prayers.”

Then of course, you need to pray for that person. Even better if they will let you pray with them at that moment. Don’t worry about being eloquent. Just say a simple prayer from your heart. And then keep praying for them daily in your own prayer time, and in a few days check with them and see how they are doing.

You might invite them to come to church with you. Offer to give them a ride. Tell them why this church matters to you.

This is what it means to witness to the love of Jesus in 2015. When we find someone who is discouraged we offer to pray for that person, and we invite them to worship. We also offer a listening ear. Don’t try to fix them, leave that to God. Just listen. Sometimes a person just needs to know that someone will listen and care. Doesn’t it feel good to be listened to?

What an Easter miracle it would be, if we could all get over our fear of sharing our faith, and simply offer to pray for a friend when they are hurting.

Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of James, and Salome were so afraid when they learned that Jesus had risen from the dead that they went home and did not say anything to anyone. That is what they did at first. But that was not the whole story. We are here today because they got over their fear and went out and told the good news. They shared the message of God’s love for all of us. 

Today, we are called to share the good news. Christ is Risen. Death does not have the last word.  Love wins. So go, tell the world. Tell the hurting people you know. Christ is Risen. We are not alone. We are loved by God. Amen.