April 30 "Pictures At An Exhibition"

 

 "PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION”
Readings: 1 Kings 8:1-30, Ephesians 6:10-20, John 6:56-69, Psalm 23
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, April 30, 2023

A piece of music I remember for my youthful days, partly because it was covered by a progressive rock group known as ‘Emerson, Lake and Palmer’ was titled ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ by the composer Mussorgsky. The music in the piece reflected different pictures the composer viewed in an art gallery.

One day I was sitting in a dentist’s waiting room and thumbing through a magazine article about the 23rd Psalm. It compared the 23rd Psalm to a series of portraits about spiritual life. I neither recall what the magazine was, nor who the author may have been, and I apologize to them if I am stealing their material. This idea, of the 23rd Psalm being an exhibition of pictures that speak to us about the love and protection of God, left an impression on me, and it’s those impressions I want to share with you today.

I invite you to walk through pictures at an exhibition of the 23rd Psalm.

1)    ‘The Lord’s My Shepherd, I shall not want’.

Here is a picture of peace, rest and care. Here is a lying back, sipping a cool drink on a wonderful summer’s day, enjoying the blue sky, no clouds in sight, green pasture. The grass is rich; everything is under control, because the shepherd has taken care of it. A cool stream is gurgling by, the birds are singing, the bees are buzzing, “It is well with my soul”. You are satisfied. You want for nothing.

There is neither worry nor hurry in this picture. Feast your eyes upon it. Sink down into that cool grass. Feel the warmth of the suns rays caress your face. Problems? What problems? Just savor the moment and squeeze every ounce of joy from it that you can. Perfect peace. Perfect rest. Perfect care. The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want. God is taking care of things. And we are one of the things that God is taking care of! It’s looking good in the neighborhood.

I’d like to leave you in this picture but we must move along to our next frame, and this one is not so pretty. Verse 4

2)    ‘I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.’

The sky turns black. The clouds roll in. The air becomes heavy and threatening. No more lying down in green pastures. The still waters have become an ugly torrent. The birds are no longer singing. That peaceful world has been shaken and swept away.

This is the ruins after 9/11. This is New Jersey shore after Hurricane Sandy has rolled through. I remember a congregational member I had in Liverpool describing what it was like to live through the Blitz when German planes dropped bomb after bomb upon the city. How they sheltered in a dark and suffocating concrete bunker and could hear the sirens and the sounds of the bombs falling, and prayed that the next one did not have their name on it. How much they feared the scene they would see when they emerged from the shelter.

This is a picture of dark desolation. And there is a question hanging over this picture. Where has the Shepherd gone? ‘My God, My God, Why hast thou forsaken me?’

If this were a movie, maybe the scene would pan to a busy Jerusalem street, where bruised and battered, wearing a crown of thorns, a man is carrying a cross through a cussing and blaspheming crowd. Harsh soldiers are driving Him forward. He stumbles and they force a member of the crowd to take up His cross.

You wonder if you could really look that defeated man in the eye. Alone. Despised. Rejected by humanity. A carpenter from Nazareth who left his nails and wood to minister the love of God to us, only to find himself stumbling up a hill towards the nails and wood of a crucifixion.

Where is the Shepherd? Look. He walks through the darkest of all valleys. He does not fear evil. He takes it upon Himself. He absorbs its darkness. For us. For you. For me. As the wind blows cold and the darkness deepens remember where the shepherd is. He walks through that dark place with us. Maybe unseen. Maybe barely distinguishable among all the other sights and threatening sounds.

Bit like that story of the footprints in the sand of life’s journey... those times when only one set of prints appear in the sand, are the times that He carries us. King David, the poet to whom the 23rd Psalm is attributed, many times had to flee for fear of his life from King Saul. David stubbornly maintained, “Lord I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me!”

The music that plays in the background is not “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” Rather we hear a gentle, yet confident voice that declares, “My dear child, I will walk with you. Hold my hand. We’ll talk about the “Why” and the “How” at a later time. For, now, just hold on tight. There is a light up ahead that you cannot yet see. Hold on and trust me.”

We must move on through our gallery. Our next picture is plain and simple. Maybe it’s a sculpture. Or even just an item or two laid up against the wall. A Shepherd’s Rod and a Shepherd’s staff. The last part of verse 4.

3)    “Thy Rod and Thy Staff, They Comfort me”

In this verse the word ‘comfort’ is in the sense of “To make strong.” A Fort is a place of strength. When our lives are under the protection of God’s Grace and love we are in a strong place.

The Shepherds Rod was used to count the sheep. Jesus told that wonderful parable about how the good shepherd would go looking for even one that strayed from the fold. Our lives count to God. That is a strong place to be living from. We count. We matter. Our contribution to the life of our church is important. Every one of us has a vital part to play in God’s scheme of things.

The Shepherds staff, or crook, had a hook on the end of it. It could be put around the wayward sheep’s shoulders and neck to guide them back into line. As the prophet declared, “We all like sheep have gone astray." It is a strengthening thing to know that our God will come after us to guide is back into the right way when we go astray. Take a look at the rod and staff. Reach out a hand and touch it. Run your fingers over the wood. Feel the grain of the staff and know you count enough for God to guide your life with His strong love.

Now here’s our next picture. Verse 5

4)    “You prepare a table before me, in the presence of mine enemies”

A sumptuous table laden with every imaginable goody to enjoy. In West Virginia they'd call it a ‘Bean Feast’. This is not the place to be counting calories or worrying about cholesterol numbers. We walked through the valley, come through to the other side and the Father has welcomed the prodigal home. This is an Hallelujah, Amen, Resurrection bathed glory of a celebration. Enjoy the delights, the sounds, soak up that atmosphere.

God is here. You are the R.S.V.P guest. God has set the table. Your cup is bubbling over and it’s O.K. to let it. You can make a face at all the forces that told you that you would never make it, because you win, they lose. All the enemies of Christ are now revealed for what they really are, devilish losers who never had a chance of victory.

Some of you ladies, I know that before you go somewhere special you like to make a visit to the hairdressers, to the Salon. I know that when you come out of there you are glowing and woe betide us men if we don’t notice you have a hairdo that could make fashion models green with envy.

David says, “Lord, my head You anoint with oil.” That was his way of saying, “I am looking good tonight. I should be on the cover of Vogue. Look out fashion gurus, the new kid on the block has walked out on the catwalk and the flash bulbs have gone ballistic.” This is a meal to be enjoyed and basked in, and you have never looked in better shape to enjoy it!

Here is a call for us to let the goodness of God overflow upon us, to be anointed by the Holy Spirit, to allow the beauty of the presence of Jesus Christ around us and within us, to be something that we celebrate and bask in and bathe in.

One picture left. Verse 6 of our Psalm.

5)    “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever”

I realize it is a cliché, but as Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz, “There’s no place like home”. I don’t know what the home in your final picture looks like, but mine is one that I haven’t reached yet, but without a doubt it looks like home.

I can offer a few clichés, “Wherever I lay my hat is my home” and “Home is where the heart is.” Going beyond the clichés I know one thing for sure. Our resting places here on earth were never meant to be our final home. We’re all just passing through. And as we travel the pictures change and God keeps moving us along through the many different scenes of our lives.

Stick with God and surely goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life. Jesus spoke about many mansions being reserved for us in our Father’s house, that at the end of the road our hearts will find perfect peace and perfect rest. Such is the final picture in our exhibition. Let me take you through our pictures one more time.

• Firstly – a picture of tranquility where we want for nothing, for the Lord is our shepherd.
• Secondly – a picture of a dark valley, which though awful and desolate, is one that we do not travel through alone.
• Thirdly – A Shepherds Rod and Staff by which we are strengthened and comforted
• Fourthly – A feast to which we are invited and at which we are anointed by God’s love
•  Finally – a home for our restless spirits in the presence of God.

And the great thing about this exhibition is that you are not supposed to leave these pictures here. Take them home and share them with your friends.

To God’s name be the Glory.

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

April 23 "The Emmaus Experience"

Readings: Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19, Acts 2:38-41,1 Peter 1:17-23, Luke 24:13-35
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church on April 23, 2023

I want to build my message today around two verses from our gospel reading concerning the men on the Emmaus Road. Luke 24:16 “Somehow they did not recognize Him” and Luke 24:31 “Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him.”

Luke tells us this story, simply, yet in great detail, because the experience of these two men was representative of many followers of Jesus who would come after them. The story shows how it is possible to see, yet not see; to look upon but not recognize; to have the Risen Christ walk beside us, but not realize it.

The whole account hinges on two verses. Firstly there is a dark side to the story. Circumstances conspired to prevent them seeing Jesus. Secondly, there is a bright side to the story.  “Then their eyes were open, and they recognized Him.”

Firstly, let us consider the dark side of the coin.

Imagine it. These two fellows walking along with Jesus and they do not recognize Him! The simple fact is that they were in the presence of the One who defined history, the Risen Christ, but they didn't know! What kept them from seeing?

There is no hint in the passage that their physical sight was in any way impaired. They are not stumbling along, bumping into things. Their failure to recognize Him is coming from a different place altogether.

For one thing they were preoccupied with other things, other thoughts. Obviously, they did not expect to see Him. They had  heads full of grief, disappointment, and frustration. Some people go through their whole lives like that. These two are so self-interested that they just cannot see that Jesus walks alongside them to share and dispense with their problems.

Some people come to church with heads full of frustrations, disappointment and grief, so much so that they don't expect to meet with Jesus, even when they attend a worship service. They don't expect Him to do anything for them. They fail to recognize His presence in among the liturgy and music and prayers. Yet Scripture assures us that even when only two or three gather in His name, He is here, in our midst.

They also appear to also be victims of their own presuppositions. They had an image of who Jesus was and what He was supposed to do. We read in verse 21 “We had hoped that He would be the one who was going to set Israel free.”

They had an idea that Jesus was meant to be a King, but only one who served their national interests, not those of all the world. They liked the idea of a King of the Jews, but one of the Gentiles as well? They liked the thought of Israel being raised to power, but the crucifixion was seen as fatal to the hope that could ever happen.

We can all fall into the same trap. We think of Jesus as how we would like Him to be. A revolutionary, a superstar, a superman, a politician, a teller of great truths, a wise sage, an ultra, other worldly godly man. The danger is that we dress Jesus up only in the robes we would like Him to wear. We project onto Him our desires and hopes and then claim those represent the true God. That's not Christianity, that's idolatry.

They are also in a place of unbelief. They had heard Jesus speak of resurrection, but they simply did not expect it or believe it to happen. They treated His words as just words. They heard the truth and labeled it as untruth.

You can't do that with the words of Jesus. His words are backed by the authority of His risen life. If Jesus tells us He loves us, then we are loved. If He tells us that only commitment to Him can bring out the best in our lives, then that is how it is.

The results of them not recognizing Jesus are easy to see. And what a dark picture is painted. Because they just did not realize the resurrection was a reality, they have not experienced it's uplifting power.

Sadness ruled their hearts. They were completely disillusioned about life. In v17 Jesus asks them, “What are you discussing as you walk along together?” and we read, “They stood still, with sad faces.” They really had the blues! (with a capital BL). All their hopes had just been extinguished. Again verse 21 “We HAD hoped that He was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” Notice they speak in the past tense. We had hoped, but now their hope had gone.

Their sadness, their darkness, their despair was the darkness of unbelief, through which Christ's light could not shine. They make a really sad speech in verse 21-24, something along these lines.

“Yeh, and you know what? It is now the third day since all this happened. And can you believe what some of the women did? They went to His tomb early this morning and couldn't even find His body. Then they come back and tell us this ridiculous story about some vision they had seen, and angels saying He was alive. Then, some of our friends went down there and found it just like the women said. Empty. But no body there.”

They actually say, “It is now the third day!” They had in mind the words Jesus had said about being raised to life on the third day, and there He was, right next to them, but because of their unbelief, they don't see it!

To be disappointed in Jesus leads to darkness and doubt. That's the dark side of the coin. “They were kept from recognizing Him.” But let us flip the coin over.

V31. “Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him.”

What led to the opened eyes, and the recognition of Jesus? It happened in a moment. Now you don't see Him, now you do. But we see can some of the things that led to it!

There were the opened scriptures. Luke 24:27. “And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He explained to them the scriptures concerning Himself.” Once they had recognized Him they say to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us?”

Under the influence of Christ's living influence the Scriptures they had known from childhood suddenly came alive with light. They saw the suffering servant of the prophets vision as the Jesus they had known. The Holy Spirit who had given the scriptures was  interpreting the scriptures to their understanding.

There was the burning heart. It is impossible to define the inspiration of the Scriptures. Some have defined it as “the inward glow that confirms the outward revelation.” If you have felt that “inward glow” you will know exactly what I am talking about. Those moments when you don't need any commentary or anybody’s opinion on a particular passage, because the words have jumped off the page and are digging into your heart.

And when that happens it can be like a big bubble welling up inside. It is God's word to you for that moment and it changes everything. That is what the “burning heart” is and when it happens to you, you cannot deny it.

The two disciples continue down the road and join other disciples in Jerusalem. Jesus again appears in their midst. Verse 45, “Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” how does revelation come? As they gather with open minds and hearts to learn and to worship, everything changes.

There is the breaking of the bread. The two men had urged Jesus to stay with them and eat with them. Verse 30 “And when He was at table with them, He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes recognized Him and He disappeared from their sight.'

I wonder what it was that made them realize it was Him as He broke the bread. Maybe it was some mannerism or characteristic gesture. Maybe it was the first time they had actually lifted their heads from their sorrow and taken a good look at the stranger. We don't know. But we do know that as we gather around a table laid with bread and wine Jesus promise us His presence. A symbol is an interpretation to the heart. The Lords symbolic act in that Emmaus cottage was an interpretation. They knew He lived. And then... He left them to it.

What was the result of their open eyes?

When the realization of resurrection swept over them like a flood, all of life was changed by the experience. Everything was instantly different. Their ruined hopes are now reborn. Their drooping heads are now lifted high. Their smoldering hearts burst into flames of joy and the whole of life took on a different complexion. The great disaster had become the greatest triumph. This was it. They knew the man. Nothing would ever be the same again. Wow. They are excited. And can you blame them?

v33. “They get up at once and return to Jerusalem.” And what do they find? v23 “They found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying 'It is true! The Lord has Risen and has appeared to Simon'” They are having a real great time! Haven't you heard? Didn't you know? Nobody had to tell them to spread the good news. They couldn't help themselves.

That is the effect that Jesus has upon people when they realize that the gospel is not just a story. It sets your hearts on fire with joy. You know, throughout our lives Jesus Christ has been walking along with us. The 23rd Psalm? The Lord is my Shepherd. At every stage of the journey, He's there. Beside the clear cool waters. In the darkest valleys. The good, the bad, the ugly. Anywhere and everywhere is our Emmaus Road, wherever we welcome the presence of the living Christ into our lives.

And when we meet Him, we know Him. We recognize that He has been walking with us all along, but we had just not recognized Him. The fault is of our own making. We did not believe. We did not expect. We tried to control. We predetermined how things should turn out. We made idols of our hopes. We trusted in our self, not in God's provision.

Luke 24:16 “Somehow they did not recognize Him”
Luke 24:31 “Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him.”

May God open our hearts and lives this day. May we lift our bowed down heads and walk into the freedom of children of God. May the Scriptures words burn into our hearts. May we recognize His presence in our times of worship and gathering. May every breaking of bread be a moment of revelation. May the Emmaus experience be mirrored in our own encounters with the divine.

And may we be inspired to go out into this world in the light of the living Christ that changes everything. Tackle the darkness. Seek justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly. And all this to the glory of God. Amen.

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

April 9 2023, EASTER - "Our Amazing Day”

Readings: Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24, Jeremiah 31:1-6, Colossians 3:1-4, Matthew 28:1-10
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, April 9 2023

Easter is the Christian churches amazing day. There is nothing normal about the Easter story. At the center is the astounding claim that Jesus, whom the disciples had witnessed dead and buried, had been raised from death. Risen, not like a zombie to haunt them, nor simply come alive to their imaginations, but had been clothed with a resurrected body that pulsated with eternal life.

Over a period of days that follow they experience His presence in numerous ways. He eats with them. He teaches them. They see on His body the marks of His suffering. He comes and goes as He pleases, and locked doors prove no impediment. He is witnessed to not only by those closest to Him, but also by whole groups of followers.

Because of His living presence with them the disciples are changed. They are bowled over by hope. Nothing in their world is ever the same again. After His ascension they are granted power from on high, the very presence of the resurrected Jesus through the Holy Spirit within them and around them. Eventually they are prepared to live and die for the truth they have perceived, that Christ is Risen.

Easter is our amazing day. In Matthew's account this amazing day  begins with Mary Magdalene and another Mary going to visit the tomb of Jesus. They come not knowing what they are to do, yet they are drawn to the tomb out of their love and respect for the Jesus they had adored. They wish to honor Him, even though they know He is dead. They discover that His tomb is sealed and a guard has been set upon it.

It is the first day of the week. It was the first day of the rest of their lives. It was a new day. It was an amazing day. For their world is about to be shaken. Matthew describes it as an angel coming down from heaven, as an earthquake that rolls away the stone, as something that renders those in place to guard the tomb helpless and unable to keep it sealed.

It matters not that the other gospels describe things differently. These were events that were too earth shattering to put into words. Like witnesses to an explosion, all they can do is comment on the  fragments that remained. Who was there, what was said, how it all happened sequentially are but small things compared to what had happened. They show a startling disinterest in the details, because the amazing revelation they witness to seems to make them not so important.

What is that amazing revelation? It is found in the words proclaimed to the two Mary's. Verse 6. “He is not here; He has Risen, just as He said”. Let us explore this verse.

He is not here

I have heard people say that they would believe in God, but are frustrated by His absence. They prayed and nothing happened. They can't believe that a loving God would allow such terrible things to take place in the world. They don't know how to find Him. 

The two Mary's who went to the tomb must have felt the same way. Why hadn't God protected the One they thought could save them? When He was so obviously innocent, how could God allow Jesus to be betrayed, tortured and crucified like a common criminal? Where were You God, when we needed you?

The first part of the angels answer is startling. 'He's not here'. Where is God? 'He's not here!' God was not in the tomb. God was not dead. God was not able to be contained or confined to any place, to any kind of understanding. God was not stuck in the past. God was not contained by the tragedy. God was not in the earthquake. God was not in the darkness. 'He's not here' declares the angel.

This is how our minds work. We want God to give us a reply. To say 'Here I am'. We want a God who stays still, who has a physical address and a geographical location. We want a God who is at our beck and call, who does what we ask. We want a 'Twitter' God, a God with a Facebook page and an email address.

We want a God who prevents bad things happening, not One who allows His beloved Son to be crucified and then claims that it was due to our sins that He suffered. We don't want a God who holds us responsible for anything. That kind of God, the God we make in our image and according to our needs and desires... 'He's not here'. The next part of the verse tells us why He's not here.

He has Risen

God is where the light is. God is where the life is. God is a happening.  God is where the action is. In the Psalm set for today, Psalm 118 we read, “The Lord is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation. I will not die, but live!” In the Old Testament lesson for today Jeremiah is a cheerleader telling the people; 'There will be a day when watchmen cry out : Come let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God”.

In our reading from Matthew the two Mary's are told; “Go on. Get out of here! He is not in this place. He has gone ahead of you!” As they leave that place, they are amazed! They don't know whether to laugh or cry.  Verse 8, “Afraid yet filled with joy, they ran to tell the disciples” . And whilst they are running from that place “Suddenly Jesus met them, “Greetings” He said. They came to Him, Clasped His feet and worshiped Him.”

How can we encounter the Risen presence of Jesus Christ? I believe it takes place as we go about doing the things He asks us to do and living the way He wants us to live. When we set our hearts to the task of being Kingdom people, the King has a habit of showing up.

We may not always recognize Him. He may come asking for help in the guise of a needy person. He may come to us as an encouraging smile from a total stranger. We may hear His voice in the midst of a TV program or through a random comment in an email or quote on a Facebook page.

We may hear Him in a sunrise or see Him in a random act of kindness. We may sense Him whispering in our conscience or nudging us to respond to a situation we are encountering. We may find that where others are starting to worry we are sensing His peace. We may find that when others are in despair we can't help but hope. 

And hopefully at such moments we will open up in worship and with deep thankfulness. “Suddenly Jesus met them, “Greetings” He said. They came to Him, Clasped His feet and worshiped Him.”

But we are not quite finished with the angels words. “He is not here; He has Risen, just as He said”. The final part...

Just as He said

Jesus, on numerous occasions, instructed the disciples that He would be raised from death on the third day. They listened. They heard. But they had to experience Him before they believed Him. That's how it is with the Word of God. We listen to it. We may read it. Yet it is only as we experience it that we truly believe it.

It is only as we seek to allow the Holy Spirit to make the stories of scripture our story that we break through to fresh revelation of what God can do in and through our lives. It is only as we believe on the promises that God reveals God's love through the promises.

God promises to be there for us when all others fail. God promises to provide what we need to be Kingdom people. God promises that in life and death nothing can separate us from the love of Christ if we but trust  Him to lead us and guide us.

But we have to act on God's word. We have to trust in God's word. It can't be just words, we need  to respond by being prepared to do what God asks us to do, go where God asks us to go, be the people God wants us to be. We have to lay aside our personal agenda and ask God to rewrite the story of our lives. We have to stop singing 'I did it my way' and start trying to do it God's way, every day, in whatever way God desires.

Then we will know God's promises are true. Then we will know His Risen presence. Then we will move beyond a life that is endlessly striving to find acceptance, to one where we know we are accepted children of the most High God.

Then we are free to be who God wants us to be instead of having to living up to other peoples expectations of us.  Then we will be able to discern where to invest our time, talents and treasures. Then we won't be afraid to invest the best of the rest of our lives in our relationships and families and our communities...  things that at the end of all days are revealed to have been the things that really mattered.

Easter Sunday. Our amazing day! The day we proclaim to the world... “It ain't over till it's over”. The day we are invited to wonder at an empty tomb and to invite the Spirit of the resurrected Jesus to invade our lives and fill our hearts with the possibilities opened to us through God's Kingdom, the Kingdom of hope that even death can not destroy.

I pray that the amazing good news of resurrection may capture all of our lives... that this will be an amazing day for us all. Amen.

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.