John S Gospel and Psalm 40 Work Together in Some Surprising Ways This Weekend

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John 1:29-42,

29The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' 31I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel." 32And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' 34And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God."

35The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!" 37The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?" 39He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. 40One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed). 42He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).

Psalm 40:1-11, 2017

1I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. 2He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. 3He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD. 4Happy are those who make the LORD their trust, who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods. 5You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you. Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be counted. 6Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. 7Then I said, "Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. 8I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." 9I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; see, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD. 10I have not hidden your saving help within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. 11Do not, O LORD, withhold your mercy from me; let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever P a g e | 2

John 1:29-42, Psalm 40:1-11, 2017 John’s gospel and Psalm 40 work together in some surprising ways this weekend. Psalm 40 begins in the desolate pit and miry bog and ends with these words;

“Let you steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever.” This plea might be perfectly understandable after rescue from such a beginning, But is it reasonable to expect? We know that in life we cycle through good times and bad, tough stuff and the joyful experiences. We slip into and are rescued from the desolate pit and miry bog over and over again. You could be in either of those places right now.

“Keep me safe forever might be your plea.” We can hear a similar theme in Jesus question to the guys who started following him around;

“What are you looking for?” These guys had heard John the Baptist say P a g e | 3

“Hear is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” And for whatever reasons unknown to us, and maybe them, they went after Jesus;

“Where are you staying?” Is that really what they were looking for? I doubt it. What difference does that make? I think some of the Lamb of God stuff is what they were looking for, And they became 2 of Jesus 12 disciples. And here is where the psalm and gospel readings meet. John has witnessed the coming of the Son of God, the Lamb of God, into the world. Having been told that the Son of God was the one upon whom the Spirit descends, he witnessed that in the Jordan River as he baptized Jesus. Here he is a few days later proclaiming Jesus the Lamb of God. He is out evangelizing to anyone who will listen. In our psalm the psalmist is drawn up out of the desolate pit and miry bog by God who has raised his ear to hear the plea, P a g e | 4

And set the psalmist on a rock, making his steps secure, putting a new song of praise in his mouth. And then the psalmist goes out and shares what God has done with everyone who will listen; This is evangelism, sharing the good news, the story of God in the life of this one man or one community. The psalmist says this is what happened to me, O God, I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation, spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation! And he is not the only one. As I was preparing for bible study with the Ruth Circle this week found tucked in between the bible study material for this month and next an article written by Renee Larson. She begins with a story about sitting in a Kentucky Fried Chicken in Debuque Iowa and seeing a man sitting in there who looked sad and lonely. Right or wrongly she assumed that the man’s wife had died. She turned to Ben, her husband, and said she couldn’t bear it if he died. Within the year Ben was dead. P a g e | 5

I remember reading the story about Ben’s death back in 2010. He, Renee and Ben’s cousin Jonathan, all seminarians hoping to become pastors one day, were on a mission trip in Haiti when the earthquake struck. Ben died in a building collapse where the three of them were spending time with children that day. Renee and Jonathan survived and had to come home without Ben’s body because they couldn’t recover it for several days. Renee and Jonathan were cared for by a Presbyterian group who had just arrived. In the article Renee talks about being a widow, how hard that is, how she got through it, And conversations she had with other widows along the way that were a help to her. I found a video on the internet in which she talks about living a resurrected life, and how important resurrection was to her. Renee, in that article and video says this is what happened to me. I lost my husband whom I loved dearly in a tragic way and yet I live a resurrected life through God’s healing,

 in conversation with others, P a g e | 6

 The smile, the embrace,

 Driving down the road in the winter with the windows down, the heater turned all the way up and music full blast.

 Serving people of God, and serving with them to be with incarcerated children. Renee shares her story of rescue and deliverance through God’s love and grace manifest in Christ’s resurrection. Rescue comes in the new life she has. She is remarried and has a son. This is evangelism, Telling of God’s drawing you up out of your troubles. Allowing God to put a new song of praise in your mouth and then sharing it. Telling of the good news, with no restraint, Not hiding what God has done in your heart, telling of his faithfulness and salvation. Here is an interesting part of this, however, and a part that holds us back. I read this during the week and I believe it is true. P a g e | 7

“Faithful proclamation of the gospel flows from a genuine relationship with God and cannot be faked.” I hesitated to say that, but it is important. The ability to give a faithful proclamation is not a measuring stick of the genuiness of you relationship with God. I understand it like this. If you look at your life in a way to be able to see the work of God in your life you have a story to tell. You need to be able to see you life in the context of faith, and God’s activity in it. When I was going through seminary I had to write at least three autobiographies. I was surprised that each time I did it became more about God’s rescuing me, healing me, inclining to me and drawing me up out of my troubles and setting me on a rock all through my life than about me and my suffering, And that rock was faith found in the church, life with others, God’s story in the scriptures and a closer relationship with Jesus. In Psalm 40 the rock is a physical place, steady and firm. P a g e | 8

In John’s gospel we read that the rock is the man who up to that point had been called Simon. Jesus said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” ( which is translated Peter)., And which means rock. I tell you Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” again a steady and firm place where God’s love, grace and salvation are given to all. You have not been in a safe place all you life. You have been in trouble, suffered. You have been in need of rescue before, and God has been there. God has loved you through all your life. You have a story to tell. Can you see the story? Can you share it? Amen