Let us pray:

“Lord, may these words from my mouth and this meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.”

Amen

Two weeks ago, I shared a very personal story in my Sunday sermon.

I spoke how the Lord greatly renewed my faith, some sixteen years ago now, through the holy meal of the Eucharist.

The word Eucharist is taken from the Greek and the word means:  “thanksgiving.”

In the Eucharist meal we receive Jesus Christ to which we are deeply thankful.

I was and I am grateful.

Sixteen years ago, I was just starting seminary and I was really wrestling with God and with my faith but at the same time I felt a persistent call from the Lord to a life of faith and service.

At Wartburg Seminary every Wednesday during morning chapel we received Holy Communion.

It was there at the table of the Lord that I received a very real spiritual healing.

The weekly meal brought healing and resurrection to my spirit at a very difficult time in my life.

The healing came for me at a time when I needed God to come to me and to ignite my faith.

The risen Christ appeared to me in the bread and the wine of the Eucharist and I felt a peace and a joy that I desperately needed at that time of my life.

I was experiencing a lot of pain at that time of my life and Jesus healed me.

Holy Communion is more than simply bread and wine.

Holy Communion is a miracle.

It is a miracle of God’s grace and mercy shown to us through Jesus’ body and blood.

It is the way that God uses through his Son to call his children home.

The Eucharist meal is a means of grace which means it is the way that Jesus calls us by name.

And please know that Jesus goes with you from the table.

So, it is not as if you receive Jesus in the Eucharist and then he is gone.

Jesus goes with you out from the worship service to a life of faith and service.

In my preaching you have noticed that I often turn my sermons back to meal – it is because not only do I believe in the words that Jesus said on the night in which he was betrayed but I have personally experienced its salvific power.

Jesus says in today’s Gospel reading, “My sheep hear my voice.  I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.”

The sheep – that’s us – we hear Jesus’ voice.

We hear his voice and we welcome and receive his presence.

The Psalmist says in Psalm 23, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

With Jesus comes blessings and abundance and grace.

Now this does not refer to material abundance or success or fame.

The Psalmist is referring to those things that truly matter in life – peace, joy, happiness, love.

And in Revelation chapter seven we hear that the Lamb at the center of the throne will be our shepherd, and he will guide us to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe every tear from our eyes.

Jesus will comfort us in our suffering and pain in this life and he will be with us to the very end.

These verses from Scripture give us hope for the future and these verses give us hope today.

In the light of God’s Word, in the real-presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, in the shared hope that we carry within – we move forward as the people of God at this time and in this place.

In this Easter season be open to miracles, trust in the movement and the power of the Holy Spirit at work within us, know that resurrection and new life is possible through Jesus Christ.

May Jesus’ healing presence be with us.

In Acts chapter nine a woman disciple named Tabitha became ill and died.

She was a deeply spiritual woman who devoted her life to helping others and to acts of love and charity.

Tabitha lived a life of faith and service.

When I think of Tabitha, I think of women saints who have greatly blessed the church of Christ over the years.

Tabitha, was such a disciple of Jesus.

When the disciple Peter finds out that Tabitha is dead, he immediately comes to the room were Tabitha laid.

Now this is where this Bible story gets very interesting.

Peter knees down on the ground.

Then he begins to pray.

And then he says, “Tabitha, get up.”

Tabitha opens her eyes and she rises.

Tabitha who once was dead is now alive!

Peter preforms this miracle through the power of God.

The same Peter who was scared and afraid.

The same Peter who denied Jesus.

The same Peter who turned away from Jesus – is now in Jesus’ name healing and raising the dead.

Now Peter trusts in Jesus, he follows Jesus, and he is living in the light of Christ.

We too are given power and boldness and new life to do great things in the name of Jesus.

Like Peter after seeing the risen Lord we may be tempted to return to the familiar – to return to what we know, to dismiss the resurrection as an idle tale.

Peter returned to fishing.

It is not as if Peter should never go fishing again but now in the light of the risen Christ he is called to much greater things.

As we go about our day to day lives, we are called to greater things in the name of Jesus.

Often like Peter we resist.

We hold on to our pain because we do not want to let it go and to give to Jesus, we do not trust in the full power of the Holy Spirit, we may not really believe in the resurrection and the gift of new life that come to us even now.

But Jesus continues reaching out to us – never letting us go.

That is what Jesus did for me in the Eucharist sixteen years ago now during the season of Easter and that is what he does for me still.

It is what he does for all of us.

He reaches out to us with his real presence – to that we ever eternally grateful.

And so may the Lord bless you with his real presence in the bread and wine of the Eucharist.

May you hear his voice and may you follow him now in this life and may you follow to eternal life in heaven.

And may the peace and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with you now and always.

Amen.