Today we are celebrating the one-year anniversary of being an Open & Affirming Inclusive Church which encourages every person, regardless of who they are or what they have or have not done to become part of and fully participate in our community.

This is the community art piece which was created at the Lancaster Pride Fest in June, and after worship you will have an opportunity to add your words to it. The teardrops are the hurts or sorrows caused by Christians and those who have been hurtful. The flowers are the hopes people have for a better community.

When I think of this piece, I think this was a way in which we tended to the sheep of our community by listening to them and giving them a way for their voices to be heard. I hope you will at least take time to read some of the thoughts on this board before you leave this morning.

Our scripture for today is near and dear to my heart. I am particularly fond of the conversation between Peter & Jesus.

But this begins as a resurrection story. The disciples or at least eight of them have gone fishing overnight. and while they are out, Jesus showed up by them onshore. Without identifying himself, he gives them the wisdom of throwing their net on the other side of the boat and they bring in a overwhelming catch. This seems to be a not-so-subtle reminder that those we are looking for are not where we expect them to be.

And then they are reunited with their Christ who breaks bread and fish with them. This story is often read during Easter time and supports the physical rather only spiritual resurrection of Jesus since he eats with them.

But I want to remind us that we are in the Gospel of John. In John’s gospel, Peter only stands out at the last supper when he initially refuses to let Jesus wash his feet. Then Jesus tells him that he will deny him three times. Then Peter draws a sword during the arrest and Jesus tells him he’s wrong again. And then Peter does deny him three times before the rooster crows.

Although Jesus has appeared to disciples since his resurrection, Peter has not been specifically named until now. So this is the first time, he and Jesus are having an intimate conversation. It’s the kind of hard conversation, I tend to call “a come to Jesus moment,” and Jesus asks of Peter, “Do you love me?”

I don’t think Peter is the only one to whom Jesus asks this question. I think within the depths of hearts, Jesus is still asking us this question: “Do you love me?”

If so, then “feed my lambs.” If so, then “tend my sheep.” If so, then “feed my sheep!”

And as there are those who are food insecure around us, I do think that means providing breakfast and buying groceries for our neighbors. I also think it means feeding and tending to another’s spiritual wellbeing.

I am reminded of a statement made by my friend, Garret Book, who works at the Penn Medicine’s Lancaster Behavioral Hospital, who said that almost all the patients there are having a spiritual crisis. They feel lost and forsaken by their higher power whether that is God, Jesus, Jehovah, Allah, the Divine or any other word they use. And they have no working support system to see them through their “dark nights.”

This is where our Compassion Team and our congregation has a role to play in listening to another – In praying with and for others. This is what we did at the Lancaster Pride Fest in June. We showed up and listened to people’s pain and their hopes.

The most significant conversation I remember was with a mother and her young child. Her child seemed to have some frustrations with communication, but I gave them the materials to make a flower. When I asked if the child wanted me to hang it up, The child tore it up and handed me the pieces. The mother who had looked nervous during our interaction became fearful at her child’s action and started apologizing. While I smiled and said, “No worries! That’s what they needed to do!” The mother with tears in her eyes said, “Thank you!” and left the stand.

That may not sound like an instance of feeding and tending, but they felt better when they left than when they arrived. That to me is what we are to do.

May it be so. Amen.
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What makes a church feel welcoming?

We might think of coffee, conversation, a friendly handshake, or a familiar face waiting at the door. Those things matter, but true hospitality begins long before we sit down for fellowship. It starts in the parking lot, at the entrance, in the hallway, and in every interaction someone has along the way.

We can ask ourselves:

• Can someone easily find the entrance, restrooms, and other important spaces?
• Are signs clear, visible, and easy to understand?
• Do we greet people without assuming whether they are visitors, longtime members, or somewhere in between?
• Do we notice when someone might need help without making them feel singled out?
• Are we willing to introduce ourselves and start a conversation with someone we don’t know?
• What assumptions might we be making about the people we meet?

Sometimes, hospitality means simply changing the way we begin a conversation. Instead of asking, “Are you new here?” we might say, “It’s good to see you today!” or “How are you?” This gives everyone an opportunity to connect without putting them in a category.

Hospitality also means being thoughtful about the assumptions we make about someone’s identity. We may not know someone’s gender, family situation, abilities, background, or faith journey simply by looking at them. When we’re unsure about someone’s pronouns, using they/them can be a respectful way to speak about someone without making an assumption. If someone uses different pronouns, they can let us know.

At Church of the Apostles, we talk about being a church Where Welcome Grows. That welcome isn’t just something we offer at the door. It is something we practice in the small moments that happen throughout our shared life together.

What could we do differently this week to help someone feel seen, respected, and genuinely welcome?

The other evening, I attended a Zoom call with our conference leadership on a conversation happening at the denominational level.

Our current General Minister & President, the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson, has been calling people from across the United Church of Christ together specifically from positions which do not agree to consider how we continue to be together while following Christ. The uniting slogan currently is “A Tent of Our Own Making.”

In this conversation, they spoke of how we disagree without doing harm. Our Interim Executive Conference Minister, the Rev. Carrie Call, proposed that we have a theological conversation and I noted that although we all name that Christ is the head of the church, I don’t think we all believe the same things about Jesus.

For example, the Christian Nationalists believe that they are fighting for the soul of our nation through greed and having power over others. But there is nowhere in the gospels where Jesus sides with Rome, let alone the religious leaders of his time.

They don’t see Jesus as I do – a compassionate, boundary-breaker who includes rather than excludes, who is not interested in wealth but encourages his followers to rely on the generosity and grace of others.

I have also been thinking about what “cross” we are to take up.

When I look at my life, I was given the “cross” of growing up not knowing my father. I bore the “cross” of living in an abusive home. I am the product of a society that told me to be a teacher and take care of children – that’s women’s work. And then I didn’t.

In our scripture for today, Jesus speaks of his upcoming death and resurrection. And Peter, who SO wants to be a hero, wants to stop the plan. But Jesus calls us to not think of ourselves, but of God. It is not about what would make us more comfortable or wealthy – or powerful – or easy!

God’s plan for us is to live as Jesus did – caring for the most vulnerable – bringing forgiveness to those who feel unforgiven – tending to the poor and those being targeted. Although he makes the Pharisees look foolish, at no time does he encourage his followers to be cruel or hateful towards them. Rather, as the reading from Romans 12:9-17 says, “we are to love.”

These words from the Apostle Paul to the Romans, were in opposition to the way the Empire behaved. This was the way Christians were to act: “Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself.”  Romans 12:10

I went to see the screening of a movie called “Being Heumann,” which will be aired on Apple TV.

If you have Apple TV, please watch it! Some parts are heartbreaking and heartwarming which is what makes a good movie for me. It is the story of Judy Heumann, a person confined to a wheelchair by her body, regarded as the “mother of the Disability Rights Movement.”

After seeing this movie, I would name her as one of the most inclusive people, who honored every person and listened to every voice and her “cross” made life more challenging, but she was determined to find a way around the problems in her life.

We often look at our lives and time together and can only see the things we can no longer do or what we think is beyond us. ,But God has helped us reach this moment as he did with Judy, so that we “take up” or “carry” the “cross” before us.

A time when we say, the cruelty and hatred must stop. The wars must stop! We need to live in what I would call “A Tent Not of Our Making” but of God. God has called us to this time and place.

What are we willing to do?

May it be so. Amen.
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