The Shepherd’s Voice

Readings for Sunday, April 26^th
Acts 3:12-19
Ps 4
1Jn 3:1-7
Lk 24:36b-48

The Shepherd’s Voice – Sermon Audio

A visiting professor at the University of Alabama is giving a seminar on the supernatural. To get a feel for his audience, he asks: “How many people here believe in ghosts?” About 90 students raise their hands.

“Well that’s a good start. Out of those of you who believe in ghosts, do any of you think you’ve ever seen a ghost?” About 40 students raise their hands.

“That’s really good. I’m really glad you take this seriously. Has anyone here ever talked to a ghost?” 15 students raise their hands.

“That’s a great response. Has anyone here ever touched a ghost?” 3 students raise their hands. “That’s fantastic. But let me ask you one question further… How many of you have had a close relationship with a ghost?”

One student in the back raises his hand. The professor is astonished. He takes off glasses, takes a step back, and says, “Son, all the years I’ve been giving this lecture, no one has ever claimed to have a close relationship with a ghost. Come up here and tell us about your experience with this ghost.” The redneck student replies with a nod and begins to make his way up to the podium. The professor now believes he has something he can write a book about, so the professor says, “tell us about this relationship with this ghost.”

The student looks a little surprised and says, “Ghost?!? I thought you said ‘goats!’

Our Gospel text today says the disciples were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost when Jesus appeared in their midst. Remember the story in Luke 24 just before this is about two disciples on there way to Emmaus who have someone walking along with them and they fail to notice it is the resurrected Christ that’s walking with them.

Remember last week we talked a little about how fear can hinder our senses of differentiation or discernment almost making them inoperable. Fear can debilitate us in terms of recognizing fact from fiction. Here Jesus appears to them and they think it may be a ghost, not a goat.

Jesus, in a similar manner to our Gospel from last week tries to reduce their fear by saying “Peace be with you,” and then points out the nail marks in His hands and feet. Jesus says, “Touch me and see, a ghost does not have flesh and bones as I have.”

What kind of message can we draw from this text? What is Jesus trying to convey, not only to his disciples, but for us this morning? Two terms I want you think about to remember today:

1) Kettle of Fish
2) Autopilot

Let’s look at our first term Kettle of Fish – Jesus was pretty clear in his earlier message to the disciples. He told them that he was going to suffer and die, but the disciples did not have the framework to believe or understand what Jesus was telling them. Even for us at times, our framework in this world at times gets turned on it’s head.

There was a news report about an Army veteran named John Crabtree who had been receiving benefits from the government. He had been wounded in Vietnam and was now on permanent disability. One day, out of the blue, he received an official notification from the government that he was dead. Needless to say, this was quite a shock!

Mr. Crabtree wrote the government a letter stating that he was indeed very much alive and would like to continue receiving his benefits. The letter did no good. He then tried to call the government. (Have you ever tried calling the government? This required the patience of Job and the persistence of Noah!) The phone calls didn’t change the situation. Finally, as a last resort, Crabtree contacted a local television station, which ran a human-interest story about his situation.

During the interview, the reporter asked him, “How do you feel about not being alive?” Crabtree chuckled and said, “Well, I feel a frustrated by it, have you ever tried to prove you’re alive?”

The world had been turned on its head for the veteran Crabtree. Now here is where the term Kettle of Fish comes into play. Jesus’ world had been turned on its head and he had to now prove to the disciples that he was alive. Jesus asked for something to eat so the disciples gave him some boiled fish. Jesus ate it and then he began to explain to them how his plight, his path, his pilgrimage is the fulfillment of scripture.

It was believed in the mind of ancients that angels can not and don’t eat normal food. Because Jesus not only shows his wounds from the crucifixion, but he eats boiled fish they rule out him being an angel. He’s obviously, not a ghost because they could see and touch him? No! In the minds of the disciples as it should be in our minds as well, Jesus proved he was alive, human.

If asked, if you had to prove it, what evidence would there be of your faith? What’s your Kettle of Fish today? When Peter was asked (1 Peter 3:15) he said, “but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you.” Always be ready, willing to talk about your faith!

When Peter says sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts he’s telling us to understand our faith, what Christ has done for us by going to the cross on our behalf. Find a Kettle of Fish that works for you, stand up for the faith, be ready to make a defense of the hope that is within you. Sanctify Christ as Lord and share the hope that is in your life.

Let’s turn our focus from kettle of fish to Autopilot. Jesus used a Kettle of Fish to help the disciples see, to understand that he was alive, but then he begins to talk about what I call Autopilot. God is in control. Many of us don’t recognize this fact. We don’t like to admit it. We resist it with much of our energy and effort, but in reality, the bottom line is, God is in control.

Jesus said, “everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Jesus opened their minds to understand scripture. When our minds are open, when we recognize God’s power in scripture, when we realize it’s not about us, but it’s about God, then we begin to comprehend a world on autopilot, God in control.

Have you every talked with anyone involved in AA, or Al-Anon, or anyone who struggles with sexual addiction or pornography? Most people I have counseled or spoken with over the years admit it wasn’t until they came to a place in their lives where they realized there was a force in play that is bigger than themselves, only then they were they able to experience a turn around.

Autopilot, Jesus message to the disciples here was that the plan God had for him needed to, it had to be fulfilled, God was in control, a world on Autopilot. Is this something you recognize?

Over the years I have gone through some very stressful times. There have been points when because of that stress, I have said Lord I don’t know if I can hold up under the load. I have been forced on my knees and my heart was greatly distressed. For me it wasn’t until I realized that ultimately, God was in control, then I was able to cast all my cares on Him. (1 Peter 5:7)

I once heard a sermon about how to keep our lives into focus. I always wanted to have this kind of focus, but it always seemed out of my grasp. The simple point was we need to keep the most important things most important. If we believe God is in control we must live with that focus.

We should have this message in front of us all the time. Put it on our computer screens, put it on your phones, but always keep that message in the forefront. One suggestion was to put a 3×5 card on our bathroom mirror. We did this, and it now reminds us every time we walk by that God is in control.

We may not always like this message or feel like God is in control, but stories from scripture remind us over and over again that autopilot is real, God is in control. Look at the life of Joseph from Genesis, he was sold into slavery, into exile, his brothers meant it for evil, but in the end Joseph said, “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.” We have the stories of Abraham, Noah, Moses, Daniel, Esther, Ruth, Paul, Timothy and the stories go on and on.

We have Paul telling us in Romans 8:28 That all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Kettle of fish and Autopilot, keep these two concepts in mind this week. Kettle of fish – what makes your faith real in this world, and autopilot how is God in control of your life.

Over the last few months, weeks, days and many of us have talked and written at length about how we as a church need to understand our mission and vision in this world and in our community. I could say we should use the terms Kettle of fish and Autopilot, but for most people that would be too vague. I think it’s too vague even as a tag line, what do you think?

God’s grace, Christ’s love and our hands. God’s grace, Christ’s love is all about Autopilot, about God being in control. The Kettle of Fish is all about our hands, about living out our faith, about exercising the ghosts in our life that get in the way of living out the hope and grace that God has placed within us.

Kettle of fish and Autopilot – imply, mean, they specify, that in the end Jesus shall reign where’er the sun. God’s kingdom will stretch from shore to shore, till the end of time. God’s grace is abundant, it’s real, it’s available, and best of all it’s free because of the reign of Christ’s love in our lives, our hearts, our minds, and in our world.

As we share bread and wine today at God’s table of grace think about the gift we have all received. We are marked with the cross of God’s grace, and Christ’s love for service to the world.

Amen

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