I spent my Junior year abroad at St. Andrew’s University in Scotland.

One day a friend invited me to see a most beautiful place there.

 I invite you to journey there with me now…
in your mind and Spirit….

Today’s Psalmist begins:
           “Restore us, O God of hosts;
            show the light of your countenance,
                       and we shall be healed.” (Psalm 80:7)

 Restore us…
          reveal your Light…
      heal us…..

Authority and transformation…
these are the topics of this morning’s readings.

 The chief priests and elders of the people question Jesus as to his authority to teach and to heal:
      “By what authority are you doing these things
       and who gave you this authority?…”

This morning I begin with a story related by Archbishop Desmond Tutu in his work with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa:

 “‘He had many wounds.’

 “She spoke with the precision of a coroner….”

In these days and times,
            the more news I read or hear,
      the more overwhelmed I feel
with the suffering and pain and senseless violence in the world.

And, in the news, at least,
language is often disrespectful and demeaning…

Which leads me to wonder what is our role as Christians….

Peter has just proclaimed Jesus’ true identity: he is the Messiah!

And Jesus has just proclaimed that Peter is the foundational rock of the Church.

Immediately following these pronouncements,
Jesus begins to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem,
               undergo great suffering at the hands of the Temple leaders,
                                   be killed,
      and then be raised on the third day.

To which Peter objects….

It was a cold and windy day in the rural hills of Scotland,
so I zipped up my down jacket over my wool sweater,
      and I tightened the scarf around my neck.

 Some other students and I had gathered for a retreat,
and as a part of the program,
we were sent out to bring back a sign of the kingdom of God….

“Have mercy on me, Lord!”

 Today’s Gospel story begins like so many others:
someone comes to Jesus asking for help and healing….

I remember as a child,
perhaps late elementary school age,
  an advertisement for these little floatation devices that you could strap on to the bottom of your feet –
            kind of like the floaties children put on their arms
when learning to swim….

As some of you know,
            Ray and I are trying to get rid of as much grass as possible
      and plant non-invasive native plants to serve as pollinators
and support our ecosystem….

Back in my younger years,
I used to have visions of a beautifully manicured lawn…
                the kind I saw printed in full color in gardening magazines… the kind that invites bare feet…
     the kind that is soft and gentle and cool on the skin
with nary a prickle or biting ant….

“To what will I compare this generation?”

Jesus asked that question thousands of years ago….
I am guessing that every generation asks the same question!

 To what will I, or we, compare this generation….?

Practice

              pure  

                        presence….

As I was reading the texts for today, two things stood out for me:

            “do not be afraid” and

                        “resurrection….”

The accounting of names is always important.

 Names are the ways that we identify ourselves….
and one another.

 “What names are you considering?” we ask new parents when he hear of a pregnancy.

 The lack of names is also important…..

The Pharisees asked Jesus’ disciples,          
  “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

The Pharisees didn’t understand….

Today is the only Sunday in the church year devoted to a church doctrine.

 I could ramble on for 10 or 15 minutes, trying to get at something that took well over a century to hammer out in our Creed, but this morning I really want to address this question:

What difference does belief in a Trinitarian God make in our lives?

“Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6b)

 The apostles wanted to know.

 They had hoped that Jesus would restore the kingdom,
but their hopes were dashed when he was crucified….

This morning we find Paul on his 2nd missionary journey,

            having gained some new followers of Jesus

      and having gained some folks who want to kill him….

This morning our texts talk about sheep, shepherds, and abundant life.

 While all the readings are connected, I want to focus on Psalm 23…