Happy Puppy Sermon

Jesus can be such a downer.

Not that it’s his fault.  He led a pretty tragic life.  Died at 32 for a crime he didn’t commit.  Executed in the most brutal way possible at the time.  Forced to carry the instrument of his own death.  Mocked and ridiculed by the very people he tried to save.  And even his closest friends abandoned him when things got tough.  When a sliver of hope opened up and Pontius Pilate offered the people the chance to free one of the prisoners from death, the crowd chose Barabbas, a man condemned for murder and insurrection.  As we come up to the Easter season, we tend to talk a lot about the death of Jesus and our own broken nature.  About how horrible we are to one another.  About how petty and small we can be.  I look at the story about the crowds wanting to stone to death the adulterous woman and Jesus saying to them, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone,” and realizing none of us would qualify to do it.  I would hope none of us would want to stone another living being but then I’m reminded of the hate crimes against the LGBTQ community, the Muslim community, and the Asian community for just being who they are.  Or how Joseph’s own brothers were so jealous of him that they first plotted to kill him and then instead sold him into slavery and profited off his misery.  And talking about being petty, I remember the story of the guy in the temple talking about how he is so much better than other people while disguising it as a prayer.  And while each week, I hope you walk away feeling inspired and empowered to do amazing things in the name of Christ, it can be depressing to see how hurtful, petty, and selfish we can be.  Every once in a while, we just need a reminder we are worthy of being loved.  That God don’t make no junk.

Sometimes we need a sabbath day even in worship.

A day where we can simply rejoice in being the Children of God and remind ourselves of the God who loves us.  We don’t want church to become a chore or a task – we have enough of those days during the week. The idea of constantly pushing yourself without taking a break is a part of our culture, as if taking time off means we aren’t committed or that we don’t have the same effort as someone else.  But would you be surprised that idea isn’t something new?  The Romans used to bad mouth the Jewish people for taking a sabbath day, characterizing them as lazy for doing so.[1]  But today we know so much more about the idea of rest – rest from work, rest from computer screens, rest from social media[2] – the prescription is clear; we need rest.  Normally when we talk about needing a break it usually is a reference to work life, and the statistics are clear.  Men who don’t take a vacation are 30% more likely to suffer from a heart attack than men who do.[3]  Working long hours in general increases mortality by 20%.  There have also been associations between long work hours and type 2 diabetes, weight gain, and increased alcohol use.[4]  But we need rest in other areas of life, too.  Today’s message is just a happy puppy.  It’s a message where the only purpose is to fill you with happiness and love.  To remind you of the God who loves you.  To walk away feeling as if you were surrounded by puppies.

There are so many inspirational passages in the Bible.

So many stories of hope and encouragement.  If you have a Bible or a Bible app on your phones, please go to the book of Acts in the New Testament, chapter 4, verse 8.  Acts 4:8. All throughout the Bible are stories of people coming from different circumstances who are given another chance, who are filled with doubt, and who are put into unusual positions.  Gideon and Moses both doubted where God was leading them, but when they put their trust in the Lord, he turned them into powerful leaders.  Deborah was lifted up as a leader of the Israeli people in a time when women were looked down upon but was so blessed by God even the men in her army bowed down to her.  And the story of the criminal who was crucified next to Jesus might be the most inspirational of all.  A man who led a life of bad enough to be sentenced to a horrible death, but who recognized Jesus as savior and Jesus offers him salvation.  “You will be with me in paradise.”  No one is past redemption.  And everyone has hope for something better.  Then we hear this story about Peter and John.  Let me set up the story.  Peter and John are passing by the temple telling everyone they meet about the glory of Jesus, and they see a beggar in front of the temple gate.  The beggar, who was born unable to walk, asks for money, but instead Peter and John give him something more valuable, they heal him!  The priests had Peter and John arrested and thrown in jail hoping to stem the tide of people who are coming to faith in Christ, but word spreads and the number of followers keeps growing.  The next day they bring Peter and John in front of the temple leaders and ask them, “By what power or what name did you do this? (Acts 4:7)” And this is what happens next. 

⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹ If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, ¹⁰ then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ¹¹ Jesus is

“‘the stone you builders rejected,
    which has become the cornerstone.’

¹² Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

¹³ When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. ¹⁵ So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. ¹⁶ “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”

¹⁸ Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! ²⁰ As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

²¹ After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. ²² For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old. – Acts 4:8-22

How great would it be to know you are so loved you felt able to do anything!

Here they are, standing in front of the religious leaders who literally hold the power of life and death in front of them.  They could have succumbed to pressure and just said or did what the priests wanted.  But instead, they boldly proclaim that all they have done was in the name of Christ.  And it works.  The leaders are trapped.  They can’t deny the miracle these two men have performed.  The evidence is right there in the room with them.  And so many people saw it.  The courage of Peter and John inspires those who are witnessing these events, too.  In the end, they just let them go.  Peter and John were so filled with the Holy Spirit, they were so confident that they had a God who loved them, they were emboldened to do what most people would have been afraid to do. That’s what it is like to know you are loved by God.

I had a friend who thought she was unworthy of God’s love.

Maybe you know someone like that.  Maybe you are that person.  She thought she had done too much wrong in her life to ever be forgiven by God.  And I’m not talking murder, theft, kidnapping or anything she would be arrested for.  She just felt she had made too many mistakes in life and there was no hope for her and my pastor at the time reminded her, as I am reminding you, that you are worthy of God’s love.  That you are worthy of God’s forgiveness.  And that we all have a chance at redemption and salvation.  When we realize this is true; when we understand deep in our hearts that Jesus loved us so much he gave his life for us, when we internalize the great love of God, we become as confident and bold as Peter and John. 

Sabbath means rest, and we can all use that from time to time. 

Even in church.  As Ferris Bueller said at the end of his movie, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”  In a way, that’s true in church, too.  We need to stop occasionally and just reflect on how much God loves us.  And how much we love God.  It’s a different kind of sabbath but an important one.  Not every message needs to remind us what we could be doing better or challenge us to do more.  Sometimes we need to step back and simply know we are loved.  And if you need a reminder, go hug a puppy. 

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[1] https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/the-quiet-revolution-of-the-sabbath

[2] https://summer.harvard.edu/blog/need-a-break-from-social-media-heres-why-you-should-and-how-to-do-it/#content

[3] https://www.howwegettonext.com/the-ideal-workweek-according-to-science/

[4] https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-106772