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Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

The Big Idea: Throughout this season, we have proclaimed that love is what binds us (the root of “religion” is religio, to bind) to God, to Jesus, to each other. Love is what binds us together. On the day of Pentecost, the church received the power of the Holy Spirit to let that message flow out to all. We are all in this together, bound in love. The power of this message is more important than ever to spread in the world today. Let us be a community of messengers, letting love and compassion flow from our hearts to all people.

The Big Idea: The story of the last time the disciples saw Jesus is a story of blessing. Jesus says that his disciples will be witnesses to his presence and resurrection, and that they too will be filled with power to carry on his ministry. They will be his hands and feet in the world and will see the world with love. To see the world through the eyes of Jesus is to see through the eyes of love.

The Big Idea: Trouble cannot be avoided. Jesus himself cried out to God from the cross, using the Hebrew scriptures that were his holy texts: “Into your hands I commit my spirit.” He reminded his disciples, and he reminds us, to trust in God when our hearts are troubled. Steadfast love is what God shows and what can be relied upon when we experience trouble.

The Big Idea: Jesus used the ancient Jewish metaphor of the good shepherd throughout his ministry. In the passage from the Gospel of John, the sheep know the shepherd’s voice and they follow because this Shepherd offers abundant life. The sheep know it when they hear it. How does the loving Christian community at Church of the Covenant offer abundant life? Will people recognize it when they hear it?

The Big Idea: Jesus’ table ministry was the most important way he showed and shared the depth of his love for others. He ate and spent time with those considered unworthy of his attention. Even in his post-resurrection appearances, it was in the breaking of bread that he was “recognized.” As we gather this day, we remember that, at the heart of breaking bread together, is Jesus’ message of unconditional love.

The Big Idea: To live “as Easter people” is to live knowing that death is not the final word. How can we show that we really believe we are loved beyond all endings? That there is nothing to fear? Even when we are practicing extreme social distancing and experiencing the anxiety of not knowing what the future holds, we know who holds the future. Jesus is at our “right hand,” counseling us throughout our days, saying “peace be with you.”

The Big Idea: The meaning of the resurrection is the antidote to fear: God is worthy of our trust because God is both willing and able to be with us an for us. "Fearing rightly" is not escaping from fear, but facing fear with courage because we know that in Jesus, God is with us and for us.