Sermon Notes Easter 5 Year A

In a few moments we’ll declare the creed, the statement of faith.
So here’s a question for you… Why do you believe?
What happened in your life that made you believe in God?
What was it that made you a follower of Jesus?

Think back to those times when you doubted - what was it that brought you back?
Whatever it was – one thing or a thousand – how wonderful for those divine expressions.
Whatever the answer, likely different one for each – for our faith journeys are unique.
And those journeys bring us to different ways to pray and praise, to connect, to serve.

Membership as part of the family of God – letter to Peter addresses this: being part of the make-up of the faithful

Life is full of variances in our journeys: membership becomes identity.
Army vs Navy

With all this effort on who is in and who is out, do we miss the bigger picture?
(re-read vss 11-12)
Summary: Believe in Jesus. For whatever reason you can.
Not your neighbour's reason, not your mother's reason, not the reason for the person sitting next to you.
You've already demonstrated that you want to believe;
of all the folks who are non-believers, non-religious, SBNRs, non-worshippers, etc.: you're here.

Jesus gives us exactly what we need, if we're willing to receive it.
And that’ can be a challenge!
even the disciples - with the Lord right in front of them - had a hard time with it.

BUT - Jesus continues to reach out to us.
Give us what we need.
Many ways, many opportunities, many reasons to believe.

Work of being Easter people is more than sorting out who is 'in' and who is 'out' - it's about loving unconditionally - as Jesus first loved us.
It's about welcoming the stranger
caring for the sick -- advocating for the oppressed -- teaching the faith -- supporting one another in our belief.

Why do you believe?
Because you're in a relationship that includes our God, the risen Christ, the person next to you in your pew, the clerk at the store, the atheist in the coffee shop...
you're in these holy connections with community because God wills it.
God puts us in relationship with one another so that we might exercise our faith, and consider our belief, and live out that belief in real, tangible ways.
So let us go out and do the works of God - based on our own belief, our own faith journey, with God's great world.
So don't let our hearts be troubled - let us believe in God, believe also in Jesus - and live in the household of God.