Podcasts about scripture: john 12:20-12:33

Grace Free Lutheran Church Maple Grove, MN

The 5th sermon in a series for Lent 2024: Lent with Jesus. Find us: maranathalilburn.org Follow us: facebook.com/maranathalilburn instagram.com/maranathalilburn

Good Shepherd UMC

There is one overarching theme for all of Holy Week: God’s glory!

There is one overarching theme for all of Holy Week: God’s glory!

There is one overarching theme for all of Holy Week: God’s glory!

There is one overarching theme for all of Holy Week: God’s glory!

Storyline Christian Community

To understand Holy week is to understand God’s glory.

To understand Holy week is to understand God’s glory.

To understand Holy week is to understand God’s glory.

To understand Holy week is to understand God’s glory.

To understand Holy week is to understand God’s glory.

To understand Holy week is to understand God’s glory.

To understand Holy week is to understand God’s glory.

To understand Holy week is to understand God’s glory.

To understand Holy week is to understand God’s glory.

To understand Holy week is to understand God’s glory.

This sermon was recorded live in our 8:30 cafe service.

This sermon was recorded live in our 8:30 cafe service.

This sermon was recorded live in our 8:30 cafe service.

Brad Sullivan 5th Sunday of Lent March 18, 2018 Emmanuel, Houston John 12:20-33 Sleeper Awake (and Quit that Darn Snooze Button) First of all, I’d like to thank my buddy Patrick Hall for his sermon last Sunday entitled, “Risking Exposure,” which helped draw out of me these words for today. You can look him up, Patrick Hall, and search for his sermon from last Sunday called, “Risking Exposure.” Now turning to today’s sermon, I’ve recently found that one of the worse inventions ever created is the snooze button. It’s a procrastinator’s dream. You get to put off the day and stay comfy in bed, wrapped in the covers for just a little bit longer, which, if you’re going to do that just set the alarm for 10 minutes later. The big problem with the snooze button is what doesn’t get done because of it, the morning walk or time in prayer, the rushing through a morning that could have been more peaceful. Ok, so as non-horrific and only mildly annoying as that may sound, what about when we begin hitting the snooze button on life? I know I need to do this thing now. I know it’s important. I know it’s where I need to go in life, but I really just want to stay as I am, so I’ll put it off. Snooze. When the Greeks came to see Jesus, that was an alarm going off for him. As soon as he heard that a couple of Greeks wished to see him, Jesus immediately told his disciples, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified,” aka, it’s time for me to go get arrested and killed. Why was the fact that a couple Greeks wanted to talk to him an alarm clock for Jesus? Perhaps because they were Gentiles, and Jesus realized that in order for his mission to extend to the Gentiles, he had to die and be raised, and the Holy Spirit to come upon his disciples so that they could all continue his work and grow his Kingdom here on earth. Perhaps it was simply some pre-ordained signal given to Jesus by his Father. “Now son, when a couple of Greeks come to talk to you, that’s when it’s time.” In any case, as soon as that alarm went off, Jesus hopped out of bed, and immediately began preparing his disciples for his coming death. He told them that a grain of wheat must fall into the earth and die so that it could bear much fruit, rather than just stay as it is. Jesus was talking about his Kingdom and the resurrection life within his kingdom both after this life, and in his kingdom life here on earth. Long before our deaths, we have alarm clocks going off, telling us that it is time for the Kingdom life here on earth, letting us know there are conditions and situations in our lives which need to die to let the Kingdom life happen. We need to let go of an old resentment. We need to stop drinking. We need to stop going halfway with our faith and fully embrace the way of Jesus. We need to let a past relationship go, or we need to stop fooling ourselves that we are ok as we are and admit to just how broken we really are. We all have alarm clocks going off letting us know that it is time to let that condition or situation die, and we hear the alarm, we know what we need to do, that it is time to get up out of bed, that shadow of the tomb, and let die what needs to die, but instead, we hit the snooze button and stay as we are, assuming we can manage life as it is, assuming we can try harder, do better, and largely stay as we are. This is of course untrue, and we simply wait for the next alarm, keeping our whole lives in the shadow of death, rather than waking up, getting out of bed, and placing that part of our lives that needs death into the tomb. Why do we do this over and over? Why, when we hear Jesus calling us to let something in our lives die, do we keep hitting that blasted snooze button? We could say lack of trust or lack of belief, fear at facing the new day without whatever part of us we need to let go, or sometimes we’re just so comfortable as we are, even if it’s not working, we’re just so comfortable lying in bed with the covers drawn up, that we don’t want to move. We don’t want to change, because it’s just too hard to get up out of bed, when we know we’ve got that snooze alarm ready to come around again. The problem is that with this snooze alarm, is that in life, it only makes getting out of bed even harder. We become more engrained in the life we have, and even though we know life is not working, the thought of risking change becomes intolerable. Facing the new day is far too daunting, and we are far too tired, so we hit the darn snooze button again. Perhaps then, we need to start going to bed earlier, so we’re not so tired in the morning, and the thought of facing the new day doesn’t seem so daunting. By going to bed earlier, I mean intentionally following practices of prayer, of scripture reading, of service to others, setting aside intentional time each day for prayer, learning more and more to trust in Jesus and thereby to be rested enough so that the alarm is not a horrid sound, but an invitation from a trusted friend. We also need to do these prayer and scripture practices, this service others not only by ourselves, but also in community with others who can help us learn to trust in Jesus more. We need to admit to those prayer, scripture, and service partners, why we keep hitting the snooze button. We need to admit to them and to ourselves what is keeping us in bed so that they can give us extra support so that we can get up out of bed in the morning, knowing we have others to help us face the world without the things we need to let die. We need help putting things in the tomb. We need folks with us at the funeral, and we need those folks with us to help us through the new life as our lives are remade by Jesus, as his fruit begins to grow. It is a daunting task to let die within us that which Jesus is calling us to let die, and that snooze button is so tempting, but what is waiting for us when we get out of bed is the resurrection life of Jesus’ kingdom here on earth. The love of Jesus, the life of Jesus, the forgiveness and grace of Jesus all both received from Jesus and then given by us to others, that is what we are putting off every time we hit that thrice blasted snooze button. His Kingdom. His resurrection life. His grace and forgiveness, a new life unbound by that which keeps us asleep. That is what is waiting for us. “Sleeper awake,” Jesus calls. “Quit that darn snooze button, and get out of bed, that shadow of death. Let die within you that which needs to die, and follow me.”

Brad Sullivan 5th Sunday of Lent March 18, 2018 Emmanuel, Houston John 12:20-33 Sleeper Awake (and Quit that Darn Snooze Button) First of all, I’d like to thank my buddy Patrick Hall for his sermon last Sunday entitled, “Risking Exposure,” which helped draw out of me these words for today. You can look him up, Patrick Hall, and search for his sermon from last Sunday called, “Risking Exposure.” Now turning to today’s sermon, I’ve recently found that one of the worse inventions ever created is the snooze button. It’s a procrastinator’s dream. You get to put off the day and stay comfy in bed, wrapped in the covers for just a little bit longer, which, if you’re going to do that just set the alarm for 10 minutes later. The big problem with the snooze button is what doesn’t get done because of it, the morning walk or time in prayer, the rushing through a morning that could have been more peaceful. Ok, so as non-horrific and only mildly annoying as that may sound, what about when we begin hitting the snooze button on life? I know I need to do this thing now. I know it’s important. I know it’s where I need to go in life, but I really just want to stay as I am, so I’ll put it off. Snooze. When the Greeks came to see Jesus, that was an alarm going off for him. As soon as he heard that a couple of Greeks wished to see him, Jesus immediately told his disciples, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified,” aka, it’s time for me to go get arrested and killed. Why was the fact that a couple Greeks wanted to talk to him an alarm clock for Jesus? Perhaps because they were Gentiles, and Jesus realized that in order for his mission to extend to the Gentiles, he had to die and be raised, and the Holy Spirit to come upon his disciples so that they could all continue his work and grow his Kingdom here on earth. Perhaps it was simply some pre-ordained signal given to Jesus by his Father. “Now son, when a couple of Greeks come to talk to you, that’s when it’s time.” In any case, as soon as that alarm went off, Jesus hopped out of bed, and immediately began preparing his disciples for his coming death. He told them that a grain of wheat must fall into the earth and die so that it could bear much fruit, rather than just stay as it is. Jesus was talking about his Kingdom and the resurrection life within his kingdom both after this life, and in his kingdom life here on earth. Long before our deaths, we have alarm clocks going off, telling us that it is time for the Kingdom life here on earth, letting us know there are conditions and situations in our lives which need to die to let the Kingdom life happen. We need to let go of an old resentment. We need to stop drinking. We need to stop going halfway with our faith and fully embrace the way of Jesus. We need to let a past relationship go, or we need to stop fooling ourselves that we are ok as we are and admit to just how broken we really are. We all have alarm clocks going off letting us know that it is time to let that condition or situation die, and we hear the alarm, we know what we need to do, that it is time to get up out of bed, that shadow of the tomb, and let die what needs to die, but instead, we hit the snooze button and stay as we are, assuming we can manage life as it is, assuming we can try harder, do better, and largely stay as we are. This is of course untrue, and we simply wait for the next alarm, keeping our whole lives in the shadow of death, rather than waking up, getting out of bed, and placing that part of our lives that needs death into the tomb. Why do we do this over and over? Why, when we hear Jesus calling us to let something in our lives die, do we keep hitting that blasted snooze button? We could say lack of trust or lack of belief, fear at facing the new day without whatever part of us we need to let go, or sometimes we’re just so comfortable as we are, even if it’s not working, we’re just so comfortable lying in bed with the covers drawn up, that we don’t want to move. We don’t want to change, because it’s just too hard to get up out of bed, when we know we’ve got that snooze alarm ready to come around again. The problem is that with this snooze alarm, is that in life, it only makes getting out of bed even harder. We become more engrained in the life we have, and even though we know life is not working, the thought of risking change becomes intolerable. Facing the new day is far too daunting, and we are far too tired, so we hit the darn snooze button again. Perhaps then, we need to start going to bed earlier, so we’re not so tired in the morning, and the thought of facing the new day doesn’t seem so daunting. By going to bed earlier, I mean intentionally following practices of prayer, of scripture reading, of service to others, setting aside intentional time each day for prayer, learning more and more to trust in Jesus and thereby to be rested enough so that the alarm is not a horrid sound, but an invitation from a trusted friend. We also need to do these prayer and scripture practices, this service others not only by ourselves, but also in community with others who can help us learn to trust in Jesus more. We need to admit to those prayer, scripture, and service partners, why we keep hitting the snooze button. We need to admit to them and to ourselves what is keeping us in bed so that they can give us extra support so that we can get up out of bed in the morning, knowing we have others to help us face the world without the things we need to let die. We need help putting things in the tomb. We need folks with us at the funeral, and we need those folks with us to help us through the new life as our lives are remade by Jesus, as his fruit begins to grow. It is a daunting task to let die within us that which Jesus is calling us to let die, and that snooze button is so tempting, but what is waiting for us when we get out of bed is the resurrection life of Jesus’ kingdom here on earth. The love of Jesus, the life of Jesus, the forgiveness and grace of Jesus all both received from Jesus and then given by us to others, that is what we are putting off every time we hit that thrice blasted snooze button. His Kingdom. His resurrection life. His grace and forgiveness, a new life unbound by that which keeps us asleep. That is what is waiting for us. “Sleeper awake,” Jesus calls. “Quit that darn snooze button, and get out of bed, that shadow of death. Let die within you that which needs to die, and follow me.”

Traditional Sermon

In today's lectionary Gospel passage we see how Gentiles seek to encounter Jesus in Jerusalem, a sign to him that the time has come when the Son of Man is to be glorified. The words of Jesus, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself" speak to the call for all people to be drawn in to the redemptive love that he offers.

Storyline Christian Community

Yada Yada Yada

Yada Yada Yada

In his sermon, Drawing All to Himself, Pastor John explains that Jesus does not go to the cross for just one group of people. In John 12:20-33, Jesus says he will be lifted up to draw all women and men to himself. All. Like a great magnet that picks up all kinds of metallic fragments indiscriminately. As we get closer to Holy Week, Jesus continues to foreshadow his death, and its importance in birthing new life. Like a single grain that falls to the earth, dies, and then bears much fruit.

In today's lectionary Gospel passage we see how Gentiles seek to encounter Jesus in Jerusalem, a sign to him that the time has come when the Son of Man is to be glorified. The words of Jesus, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself" speak to the call for all people to be drawn in to the redemptive love that he offers.

Jesus’ response to the news that some Greeks were looking for him seems odd. “The hour has come for the son of man to be glorified.” Just before this, Jesus had come into Jerusalem, the crowds cheered, and the Pharisees said, “You see, you can do nothing. Look, the whole world has gone after him.” The Greeks’ appearance and searching confirms what was said by the Pharisees – “the whole world has gone after him.” The cat’s out of the bag and there’s no stopping it now. They were right. Early church had no buildings or organized support. They could not worship in the synagogues, nor in the Roman temples, and yet the church, Jesus’ believers spread like wildfire.. They had to believe in Jesus, trust in him, and risk for their belief in Jesus…and the church thrived. The Gospel of Jesus and belief in Jesus spread like wildfire. Contrast with: How many articles, seminars, discussions have I read, attended, and participated in which have to do with growing the church again and reversing the decline of church attendance? People have spoken of church as a business – we need more people in order to keep the lights on. I love our church, our buildings, etc. I recognize the reality that with church attendance decline, the thought of this building not being here in 100 years is a possibility. I don’t operate out of fear of that possibility. “Those who want to save their life will lose it.” Ultimately, we’re talking about risk. Greeks risked. Early followers of Jesus risked being kicked out of their synagogues, which they were. Gentiles risked being ostracized. Gospel of Jesus demands risk, and it demands that we invite others to share in the Gospel, not solely for our sake, but for theirs as well, we risk becoming something other than what we are. Our future is uncertain. Jesus told us it would be. Following Jesus means risking that uncertainty. Our faith is not in ourselves, our buildings, our organization. Our faith is in Jesus, who himself risked everything for the sake of all people. “’Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.” (John 12:33) How did Jesus know that he would be raised and lifted up from the earth after he was crucified? My guess is he didn’t know it. He believed it. How did Jesus know that he would draw all people to himself? How did he know that people wouldn’t simply forget, not believe, or ignore his life, message, and resurrection? How did he know the church would spread like wildfire. My guess is he didn’t know it. He believed it. Jesus believed in God, and because of that belief, he risked everything for the sake of all humanity. He asks us, then to risk as well, for the sake of his Gospel and for the sake of humanity, for the sake of people who may hear, receive, and live Jesus through the risks we take. After Easter, I’m asking all of us to risk a little bit of time and maybe some tired eyes by reading a book together in small groups called, “Transformed.” Bishop Doyle introduced us to the book and the author, Caesar Kalinowski, at clergy conference. We heard him describe life at his church, life lived in community all together, worshipping as one at their church building, and life also lived in smaller communities of friends and neighbors who have meals together, pray together, study scripture together, and serve others together. Together, these small communities bring people to Jesus, people who would not come to a church building. Lives are transformed through the Gospel. To be clear, lives are transformed here too, but I wouldn’t say the Gospel is spreading like wildfire. The Gospel spreads when we risk. When we risk living in community together, intentionally as Jesus’ disciples, when we risk serving others and sharing the Gospel with others, then the Gospel spreads because we are showing people Jesus. What are we willing to risk for the sake of Jesus and his Gospel? What are we willing to risk for the sake of the people whom we can introduce to Jesus, the people whose lives can be transformed by the Gospel? Amen.

Deep in Lent, we are down to DESTINY. Christ is asking us if we will follow a loser, and lose our other pictures of our life for the new picture of him that will shape our destiny.

Deep in Lent, we are down to DESTINY. Christ is asking us if we will follow a loser, and lose our other pictures of our life for the new picture of him that will shape our destiny.

Jesus’ response to the news that some Greeks were looking for him seems odd. “The hour has come for the son of man to be glorified.” Just before this, Jesus had come into Jerusalem, the crowds cheered, and the Pharisees said, “You see, you can do nothing. Look, the whole world has gone after him.” The Greeks’ appearance and searching confirms what was said by the Pharisees – “the whole world has gone after him.” The cat’s out of the bag and there’s no stopping it now. They were right. Early church had no buildings or organized support. They could not worship in the synagogues, nor in the Roman temples, and yet the church, Jesus’ believers spread like wildfire.. They had to believe in Jesus, trust in him, and risk for their belief in Jesus…and the church thrived. The Gospel of Jesus and belief in Jesus spread like wildfire. Contrast with: How many articles, seminars, discussions have I read, attended, and participated in which have to do with growing the church again and reversing the decline of church attendance? People have spoken of church as a business – we need more people in order to keep the lights on. I love our church, our buildings, etc. I recognize the reality that with church attendance decline, the thought of this building not being here in 100 years is a possibility. I don’t operate out of fear of that possibility. “Those who want to save their life will lose it.” Ultimately, we’re talking about risk. Greeks risked. Early followers of Jesus risked being kicked out of their synagogues, which they were. Gentiles risked being ostracized. Gospel of Jesus demands risk, and it demands that we invite others to share in the Gospel, not solely for our sake, but for theirs as well, we risk becoming something other than what we are. Our future is uncertain. Jesus told us it would be. Following Jesus means risking that uncertainty. Our faith is not in ourselves, our buildings, our organization. Our faith is in Jesus, who himself risked everything for the sake of all people. “’Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.” (John 12:33) How did Jesus know that he would be raised and lifted up from the earth after he was crucified? My guess is he didn’t know it. He believed it. How did Jesus know that he would draw all people to himself? How did he know that people wouldn’t simply forget, not believe, or ignore his life, message, and resurrection? How did he know the church would spread like wildfire. My guess is he didn’t know it. He believed it. Jesus believed in God, and because of that belief, he risked everything for the sake of all humanity. He asks us, then to risk as well, for the sake of his Gospel and for the sake of humanity, for the sake of people who may hear, receive, and live Jesus through the risks we take. After Easter, I’m asking all of us to risk a little bit of time and maybe some tired eyes by reading a book together in small groups called, “Transformed.” Bishop Doyle introduced us to the book and the author, Caesar Kalinowski, at clergy conference. We heard him describe life at his church, life lived in community all together, worshipping as one at their church building, and life also lived in smaller communities of friends and neighbors who have meals together, pray together, study scripture together, and serve others together. Together, these small communities bring people to Jesus, people who would not come to a church building. Lives are transformed through the Gospel. To be clear, lives are transformed here too, but I wouldn’t say the Gospel is spreading like wildfire. The Gospel spreads when we risk. When we risk living in community together, intentionally as Jesus’ disciples, when we risk serving others and sharing the Gospel with others, then the Gospel spreads because we are showing people Jesus. What are we willing to risk for the sake of Jesus and his Gospel? What are we willing to risk for the sake of the people whom we can introduce to Jesus, the people whose lives can be transformed by the Gospel? Amen.