everything's changing around me
Prayer: Lord, may the words of my lips and the meditations of all our hearts humbly follow you. Amen
Greetings sisters and brothers. It is truly my honor to be back here with you all today. You have supported me, and I have prayed for you often. We have always been bound by something very deep and personal.
For those of you I may not have had the pleasure of meeting, my name is Ryan Cosgrove and I am a member of Luther Memorial. I am a student studying to be a pastor, and this fall will begin my last year of seminary. I will be studying in Washington D.C., and I just completed a year-long internship at a Danish Lutheran congregation in Seattle, Washington.
As I’ve gone through this process of working to become a pastor you all have supported me greatly. That support has sustained me, because as fun as this process of becoming a pastor can be, it is also challenging.
In fact, I remember one time when I found myself deeply reconsidering this call to be a pastor. During my first year at seminary I took a preaching class, and the first sermon I had to write got an F.
An F.
I don’t think I had ever gotten an F before. I was rattled by this. So I went to the professor and asked what I could do next time to get a better grade. The advice I got hurt. The professor suggested I look into a different profession.
Walking back to my dorm room in the Gettysburg rain, I felt alone. There I was in a different state away from all my friends, failing. It was terrible. In that moment I found myself wondering, why would God lead me to this place? Why would God lead me all the way to Pennsylvania just so I could fail?
I imagine you all have stories that relate, too:
Perhaps at work you’ve been asked to lead a project you don’t feel ready for, or maybe you’ve been laid off. Or perhaps you’ve found yourself wondering why God lead you to a place when you were taking a difficult course, or when your child is having trouble in school. Perhaps shifting into retirement has been harder than you thought, or you miss your workmates.
Perhaps you are wondering why this congregations would be lead to the process of calling a new pastor, again…
In one way or another we all find ourselves being led to these difficult places. We know these places, those places where death seems to reign. When we find ourselves in these places we can’t help but wonder, why.
We are not alone in struggling to understand, either. When we find ourselves in these places new and unexpected places we can’t help but wonder, why. Today’s gospel is about this same struggle.
Peter, who had just been described as the rock that Jesus would build the church on, is now called the rock Jesus could trip over.
When Jesus tells the disciples that he is going to suffer, die and be raised on the third day Peter; who just confessed that Jesus was God’s child, the messiah; says the most natural thing. Peter, the rock, says in effect, “God would not let this happen!”
And who could blame him?
Peter gave up everything to follow this messiah, God’s child, Jesus. Peter obviously had incredible trust in Jesus. When Jesus says he is going to suffer and die Peter is shocked, obviously Peter doesn’t want this to happen to Jesus.
Who would?
Why would God lead Jesus to the cross?
It just doesn’t make sense, and Peter has sense enough to say, “God forbid!”
Why this place? Why the cross? Why humiliation and suffering? Peter knew Jesus was the messiah. Why would the messiah be killed? Why would Peter’s trust lead him to that place of death and humiliation?
This struggle of Peter’s is the same struggle we find ourselves in. Why would our trust in God lead us to these new and uncertain places?
Why would God want this for us?
Honestly, when I find myself confronted with the call to some place I would rather not go, I do not know why God would call me there. In those moments it is hard for me to understand why.
Jesus, however, says it has something to do with our temptation to set our mind on human things. Apparently, for Jesus, when one sets their mind on the things of God, they are able to see those new and uncertain places differently.
In our calling to discipleship we try to follow Jesus, and suddenly we find ourselves called to this new place. We find ourselves called to a place where death and defeat seem to reign.
When we find ourselves called to these places, when we survey they dangerous terrain, like Peter we say the most rational thing: Surely God would not call us there!
Still, though, we’re called to those places. We’re called to get behind, or follow, Jesus to those places. We are called to follow Jesus to those new and uncertain places regardless of how challenging or intimidating these places might be.
Earlier I said that Jesus seems to think that if we set our mind on the things of God we can see the calling to these places differently. There is something to that. When Jesus tells the disciples that they are to follow Jesus to Jerusalem where the religious and civil authorities will kill him, Jesus also says God will raise him.
Isn’t that remarkable?!?! Jesus will be raised after three days!
Like Peter, though, all we focus on is the suffering and death. Yet, when Jesus calls us to follow him, he gives us a promise. With our mind set firmly on where we think being a disciple should lead us, we miss the promise we’re given.
However, we’re still called. We’re called to those new and uncertain places. We’re called, fearful and trembling as we are, to those new places clutching a promise. A promise that as God’s disciples, Jesus goes before us to those places we’re called. A promise that in those new and uncertain places we’re likely to encounter the resurrected Messiah, God’s child, Jesus.
I’ve been reading your newsletters, and I imagine it might be easy to feel like we’re being led to an uncertain places. School is about to start and we’re in the process of calling a pastor, again. Going through this process can seem intimidating and challenging.
Yet this is exactly where God is calling us. We’re called, we’re called to follow Jesus to those new and uncertain places, and we’re blessed that Jesus has gone before us and around every corner we’re likely to encounter our risen lord. We’re called to these places because the world needs our witness.
Now as you find yourselves called to go through the process of deciding how you will follow Jesus into this new future, we are at least certain of one thing; we have a promise. As you call a new pastor, have picnics, have water oasis’ and the like we have a promise that God has given us and is with us in our calling to the future as this congregation.
Earlier I told you a story of a time when I found myself thinking that this calling led me to a place I would never want to go. Well, this same calling has also led me to other places as well. This same calling has led me to Luther Memorial Church. This same calling has led me to you all.
You all have been the risen Christ for me. You have given me new life where death seemed to reign.
After I gave my first sermon here, one of you came to me and said, “You just belong up there.” This promise has sustained me. Even after failing that first sermon, your support came to me. You have also financially supported me. You have encouraged me. You have been the risen Christ bearing a promise to me in a new and uncertain place.
Thank you.
Thank you for getting behind Jesus and faithfully following, regardless of how challenging it may have been for you. Thank you. And keep following. Jesus has called you, and this place; Grand View, Des Moines, this place, the people here need you. As you follow your calling encountering the risen Lord you become the same promise you are searching for, for others searching.
God has called you.
Amen
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