like a full force gale

i was lifted again

A sermon on the Great Commission

*SLIDE: Faith and Doubt in the Book of Faith

Here at the end of Matthew the resurrected Jesus, the exalted Christ, meets his first disciples.

Now, the temptation is to paint this scene as a victory lap… 

But, if the resurrection is just the cherry on top of the story of faith, it rings pretty hollow to those of us who worship this Christ nearly two-thousand years later. Doesn’t it?

After all, many days victory seems far off, and if all we’re left with is a victory, then we have nothing for our hardest days…

Thankfully, Holy Scripture is honest about the way faith actually goes…

How Jesus meets disciples amidst the warp and woof of life. Amidst the same kind of trials and tribulations we wrestle…

Just notice the details in today’s resurrection account:

*SLIDE: ELEVEN Disciples

“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee,” reports Matthew. It’s not twelve anymore. That fellowship has been broken. One, the betrayer, is missing…

*SLIDE: DESERTING Disciples

Which serves as an inconvenient reminder, EVERY disciple had deserted Jesus. 

When Jesus meets the disciples in Galilee, only the women have met Jesus… Presumably, the other eleven are a little apprehensive about this meeting. Perhaps Jesus will reprimand them for defecting… 

As we know, though, that’s not what happens… 

*SLIDE: But…

But, when Jesus meets these broken, deserting disciples; he hands his authority over to them! 

He commissions them, of all people, to carry on HIS ministry!

Then, if that weren’t enough, he promises his presence to them for the days ahead!

And all this happens in Galilee…

*SLIDE: Galilee

Meeting the disciples in Galilee is significant.

Signifiant because Galilee isn’t just where Jesus’ ministry began and it’s not just where the locus of his ministry. Galilee is significant because that’s where the disciples are from! The land they call home!

Jesus calls the disciples to ministry in the places where they live!

*SLIDE: Mission is NOT for experts!

The mission Jesus calls disciples to doesn’t happen in far-flung, exotic locations. It happens in the day-to-day, mundane places we live our lives!

And, this mission is given, not to ideal disciples, but to real ones! Imperfect ones! Disciples who have failed! Disciples who carry the marks of their fractures with them.

And Matthew notes all that with three little words, “Now the eleven.”  

*SLIDE: Faith and Doubt in the Book of Faith

So it shouldn’t come as any surprise that Matthew describes the first Christian worship service as a mixed bag! As full of worship, and doubt!

Often, though, we paint doubt as the antithesis of discipleship. Don’t we? 

We have this idea that you can’t be a disciples if you wrestle with doubt. That you can only be a disciple once you’ve conquered doubt. Once you’ve gotten all your ducks in a row. Once you’ve taken a step out in faith.

BUT, every detail in this resurrection account counters that notion!

*INTERRUPTION*

Disciple: What?!?! 

Who said that?!?!

Me: Huh? What’s going on???

Disciple: Who is this?

Me: Ohmigosh! It’s happening! Our “enhanced” screen has connected us to someone who knows a thing or two what we’re talking about!

…Boy am I glad we paid for those upgrades.

Disciple: What? Who are you? What’s going on???

Me: Okay, I know this will be a lot, but we’re a church, in North America, in the year 2019. 

…We just celebrated Easter last week.
Ringing any bells?

Disciple: North America? 2019? Easter???

Me: Okay. Okay. I know this is confusing. 

How about this, who are you?

Disciple: Well…

Well, my name is Andrew; and my world’s been a little upside-down lately…
Truthfully, this is the least crazy thing to happen to me lately.

Me: Okay. Andrew…

Andrew, where are you from? What do you do?

Andrew: I’m from Galilee. 

I had worked in the family fishing company…

…But, for the last few years I’ve been a follower of Jesus…

Me: No way! You’re one of the apostles! 

You’re Andrew, Peter’s brother!

Andrew: Yes! 

Wait… How did you know that?

Me: It’d be too confusing to explain…

Do you mind if we ask you some questions?

Andrew: I guess…

Although, I don’t know if I’ll be much help… 

Lately, all I’ve had is questions…

Me: Tell me more. What do you mean?

Andrew: Well, this Jesus I had been following. 

Me and the others had hoped he would be the one to lead us to freedom. 

Only, a few days ago he was arrested, sentenced to death and crucified…

Then, three days after his crucifixion two women, Mary, came and told us that Jesus had been raised!

That we were to meet Jesus here in Galilee.

And I know this part sounds crazy. I thought it was too, but we got to back Galilee, and I know this sounds hard to believe; but Jesus met us here!

In fact, that’s where I’ve just come from…

Me: Wow! That must be a lot to take in!

What are you feeling? What are you thinking?

Andrew: I’ve been asking myself that lately, too…

It’s almost too much to believe… 

Me: Yeah, I understand that…

Andrew: What’s even harder to believe, though, is what Jesus told us!

Me: What do you mean?

Andrew: Well, Jesus told us to carry on his mission…

Me: …Yeah, that must be a trip…

You know, that’s something we’re thinking on today. How faith and doubt are always in this wrestling match. 

BUT, how Jesus doesn’t pass on us because of our doubts. Jesus doesn’t wait for us to pull it together before he pulls us to him…

Andrew: Yes! I know what you mean!

That’s what I’m struggling with, too! 

When Jesus met us today, I was sitting there thinking it was all too much. Wondering how it could be. 

And then, while I’m having those thoughts, Jesus tells us he’s handing his authority over to us! That he wants us to make disciples for him! 

To baptize in his name. To teach what he taught.

It just seems to be too much…

It was hard enough to trust Jesus when he was here. And now we’re supposed to carry on his mission?!?

I just don’t know if we’re up to it…

…I’m having my doubts…

Me: I can understand that…

*Look away from screen, to congregation

…It’s wild, though, Isn’t it? Because we know those doubts weren’t enough to stop Jesus’ mission. 

That from those eleven, Jesus’ mission has continued to this day! To here! To every corner of the globe, in fact!

Andrew: Huh? What do you mean? Who are you talking to?

Me: Uh… Never mind.

It’d be too much to explain…

What if I just pointed out Jesus never called you or anyone because you were perfect. Jesus just meet you in the thick of it. Didn’t he?

And now Jesus is just calling you to meet others there; in that wrestling match between faith and doubt. The struggles of life.

…Don’t you think you could do that?

…It’s not a matter of being perfect, it’s a matter of talking to others about this Jesus who meets us in the midst of that and rescues us. Saves us.

Andrew: Yeah! That’s true. If there’s anyone who can talk about that, it’s me and the others!

I guess these struggles aren’t anything new. Are they? 

They’re always been there… 

I guess I had just hoped they’d go away. That I would be able to master them. 

But maybe I don’t need to! Maybe that’s not my job! 

Maybe that’s my master’s job! That’s what Jesus does! 

After all, he’s done it plenty of other times, hasn’t he?!

…I’ve got to get going!

Me: No! Wait!

We’ve still got a lot more questions!

Andrew: No! I’ve got to go! 

If I know the others, if they’re anything like me, they’re struggling with these same doubts and questions! 

I’ve got to go share this Word!

Bye

*Rushes off screen

*SLIDE: Screen goes black

We’re all like that. Aren’t we? We all think discipleship is about perfection. 

If that were the case, though, it wouldn’t be faith. I mean, it’d be faith in us, but not faith in our Lord. 

The promise of faith, though, is that Jesus is for real people. People who live in the real world, and wrestle with real struggles.

We carry the marks of our fractions and failures with us. Don’t we? 

And we always think they are marks that disqualify us from discipleship.

But as it turns out, Jesus uses them as marks for evangelism. Marks to bear witness to the promise that Jesus meets us in the thick of it, scars and all. Marks to bear witness to the promise that Jesus’ faithfulness is, not only what matters, but what brings salvation!

Everything changed on Easter. Not because Jesus taught us how to be self-sufficient. Everything changed on Easter because when Jesus overcame death, he overcame anything that would get between us and him!

Discipleship isn’t about our perfection, it’s about Jesus’ faithfulness!

And that’s something to sing about!

“Lord, You Give the Great Commission”