​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday, April 11, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“A New Position, A New Reality, A New Focus!”
Psalm 119:33-37; Colossians 3:1-4
 
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is at the center of everything that we believe as Christians.  Without the sacrificial death of Jesus and His victorious resurrection, our faith is futile and we are still in our sins.  In his defense of the resurrection, Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:14, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”  In this single event, Christ's life, ministry, and mission were validated.
 
The resurrection has always been so central to the Christian faith.  Therefore, Easter should not be understood as an annual celebration, rather, the church is supposed to remember and celebrate Christ’s resurrection every single week.  That’s why the Body of Christ, the church, gets together every Sunday.  That weekly gathering is meant to remind us that we are a resurrection people.
 
Now the important question is: what does it mean to live as a resurrection people?  What does it mean to be a resurrection people?  I believe Easter is a two-sided story.  It’s true that Easter is about Christ’s resurrection from the dead, but at the same time, it’s our resurrection too.  Christ had been raised and we also were raised with Him.  It’s a new position, a new reality, and a new focus.
 
Out of this new position, new reality, and new focus, the apostle Paul draws at least two important implications in Colossians chapter 3.  So on this Second Sunday of Easter, I would like to underscore two ways our lives should reflect the resurrection of Christ.
 
First: Seeking the Things that are Above
Writing to the believers in Colossi, Paul says, “So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”  For Paul, the resurrection was a turning point.  It was a turning point to the disciples of Jesus, and it should be to us.  Everything flows from this new reality.  Since we have already been “raised up with Christ, we are to seek the things that are above.  Paul uses the Greek word, “συνηγέρθητε” which literally means, “you’ve been co-resurrected; to raise together; to raise along with.”
 
The compass of our lives should point toward heaven.  So when we make decisions, major or minor, we should ask ourselves: do these things have eternal value?  Do they bring us closer to God?  Do they honor God?  Do they reflect our love to Christ?  Is God pleased with them?  In a culture that seems to be seeking everything but God, Christ’s followers are to seek the things of God.
 
What we seek speaks volumes about who we truly are.  The things that we pursue and chase after reveal our true identity.  No wonder that Jesus called His followers in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  In Psalm 119:10 David says, “I seek you with all my heart.”  What are we seeking?  What are we striving for?  What is our passion in life?  What is the deep desire of your heart?  Seeking the things that are above will regulate the rhythm of our lives.
 
Second: Setting our Minds on Things that are Above
Paul gives us another important implication of a life that has been raised with Christ.  In Colossians 3:2 Paul says, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”  This is an intentional and deliberate process.  By default, we are drawn toward the things of this world.  It’s only by God’s grace that we can have our minds set on things that are above.
 
Martin Luther, the 16th century German Protestant Reformer, once challenged one of his students by saying, “I’ll get you a new horse and carriage (wagon) if you can pray the Lord’s Prayer and concentrate on every phrase without losing your train of thought.”  “No problem,” the young man said.  After he had prayed the prayer, he, however, confessed to Martin Luther, “all I could think about was the horse and carriage (wagon).”  As much as he tried to concentrate and focus on the Lord’s Prayer, his mind was drawn elsewhere.  Setting our minds and hearts on things above is a deliberate and intentional focusing of our hearts and thoughts on what really matters.
 
Friends, this “seeking” and “setting” are not one-time actions.  They are not occasional acts, but they are continual and ongoing characteristics of the Christian life.  We are distracted people who definitely live in a very distracted culture.  That’s why I am saying these are continual marks of our faith journey.  We are prone to wonder, then God reminds us of our new position, our new reality, and our new focus. 
 
The resurrection of Christ calls Christ’s followers to a radical change.  Later in Colossians 3:9-10 Paul expressed the radical change by saying, “you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”  Last Sunday, we shouted our “Alleluias” as a response to the good news of Christ’s resurrection.  Christ is no longer physically present in our world.  It’s our responsibility to live a life worthy of our calling.  May the Lord turn our hearts to His decrees and not to selfish gain.  May the Lord turn our eyes from looking at vanities and give us life in His ways.  It’s our calling now to live as resurrection people.  In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Meditation Notes (Easter Sunday 11:00 a.m. ~ 04.04.2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris Yousef, Pastor
 
“The Shortest Easter Sermon Ever!”
John 20:11-18
 
If you got excited this morning when you saw the worship bulletin and read my sermon title, “The Shortest Easter Sermon Ever”, I am sorry if I disappointed you today.  I didn’t mean that my sermon today will be the shortest Easter sermon you’ve ever heard, actually, I was refereeing to Mary Magdalene’s Easter sermon not mine. 
 
John tells us that after Mary Magdalene met with Jesus outside of the garden tomb, she was commissioned by the risen Christ to take the good news of Christ’s resurrection to the discouraged and confused disciples back in Galilee. In John 20:18, John tells us, “Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.”  
 
Mary Magdalene’s Easter sermon was a single phrase; only 5 words long: “I have seen the Lord.”  That’s it.  While my Easter Meditation this morning is not as short as Mary’s, but I promise to be brief and right to the point.  So I invite you now to rethink the Easter story with me.  What’s at the heart of the glorious news of Christ’s resurrection?  Two short observations:
 
First: Easter is More about Tomorrow than it is about Yesterday
I think one of our main problems as human beings is that sometimes we get so caught in what has been, that we miss the gifts right before us.  We get stuck on the past and look back more than forward.  But Easter’s grand gesture turns us to new life and a future fully alive.
 
The disciples of Jesus couldn’t recognize the risen Lord on that first Easter Sunday because their brains couldn’t get past the events of Good Friday.  Luke tells us in chapter 24 the story of two disciples of Christ who were so discouraged, upset and disappointed and they decided to go back to their hometown, Emmaus, about 7 miles from Jerusalem.  They were talking with each other about everything that had happened and as they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them; but they they didn’t recognizing Him.
 
Why?  Why did they fail to recognize the risen Lord immediately?  I truly believe the disciples of Emmaus failed to recognize Jesus because they were still living in the past.  Luke seems to be underscoring how on the very day that the heavens were celebrating, these two disciples were walking away with regret, disappointment, and sorrow.
 
This is not the only time in the New Testament that the disciples did not immediately recognize the resurrected Jesus.  John chapter 20 records for us that Mary Magdalene was weeping at the grave of Jesus when He appeared and asked her what was wrong.  Still in the depths of her grief she mistook Jesus for the gardener.  But then Jesus spoke her name, “Mary!”  It was a mystical moment of recognition and revelation.  Easter is more about tomorrow than it is about yesterday.
 
Second: Easter is about God’s Power Working behind the Scenes
One of our frustrations and disappointments as followers of Jesus is that we don’t always understand how God works in the world and in our lives to accomplish His purposes.  For the disciples of Jesus, the cross and the death of their Lord was a no-no.  They just couldn’t wrap their heads around the fact that the Messiah will be crucified.  On one occasion, Peter actually rebuked Jesus for saying that.  Listen to these words from Matthew 16:21-22, “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.  Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
 
The Prophet Isaiah reminds us that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are His ways our ways.  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God’s ways higher than our ways and His thoughts than our thoughts.  The resurrection of Jesus is a reminder that God is not silent.  He is not idle.  God always works even during those times when we fail to see Him working.  He is not absent.  He is always present.
 
So when you find yourself facing a situation where God seems absent and silent, remember that God is working behind the scenes.  Charles Spurgeon once said, “When we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart.”  We may be puzzled by our circumstances, but God has it all figured out.  The disciples thought the story of Jesus is over.  But Easter reminds us that there is more to the story.  God is still working.
 
Therefore, my friends, stand firm in your faith.  Rest in God while He is working behind the scenes.  Remain confident in the fact that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.  God is all powerful, all knowing and ever present.  The Lord is risen.  He is risen indeed.  Alleluia!

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Meditation Notes (Easter Sunday 9:00 a.m. ~ 04.04.2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris Yousef, Pastor
 
“Meet Me in Galilee!”
Matthew 28:1-10
 
According to Matthew’s account, after the women left the empty tomb on that first Easter Sunday, Matthew says, “suddenly, Jesus met them, and He said to them, “Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
 
Galilee.  Why Galilee?  Of all the places Jesus could have gone ~ why Galilee?  I mean, He is the Risen Christ after all.  He could go anywhere He wanted.  In fact, John tells us on the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them.  If he had such control over His body that He could simply show up even when the doors are locked, don’t you think Jesus could go anywhere?   Why Galilee?    
 
You would think Jesus would have wanted to head straight back to Jerusalem and show those folks over there a thing or two.  Can’t you just see it?  Jesus walks straight to the home of the high priest, knocks on the front door and says, “Hello, Caiaphas, want to try again?”  Don’t you think Jesus might want to have another meeting with Pilate?  “Hey Gov, now do you want to discuss the subject of truth?”  That’s what Jesus could have done.  That’s what we would have done, isn’t it?  Our script would have been completely different.
 
Why Galilee?  In my Easter Meditation for this service, I will very briefly offer two reason why Jesus chose Galilee.
 
First: Jesus was Welcomed and well Received in Galilee
For the most part, Jesus was welcomed, and His message was well received in Galilee more than anywhere else.  Except for a very few incidents, the people of Galilee loved Rabbi Yahshua.  They loved Jesus of Nazareth.  They followed Him.  They listened to His teaching.  They saw the love of Jesus transforming their lives and giving them new hope.  In Jerusalem, however, Jesus faced too much opposition and rejection from both religious and political leaders.
 
In Galilee, He spoke their language, shared their country twang, knew their customs, and was comfortable.  At least, if Jesus could be comfortable anywhere, He could be comfortable in Galilee.  Friends, the lesson is simple: it’s when you and I make a room for Christ in our lives that the glorious news of His resurrection, this new life, encounters us.
 
Second: It all Started in Galilee
It all started in Galilee.  I like how the gospel of Mark introduces the Jesus story.  Mark 1:1&14-15, “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.   After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
 
Jesus Himself was from Nazareth in Galilee.  All His disciples were Galileans.  Galilee witnessed the birth of Christ’s ministry.  No wonder that Jesus wanted to wrap up His ministry also in Galilee.  “Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”  Why is this important to us?
 
I think it’s extremely important.  Basically, Jesus was saying to the disciples now you’ve read the story, go back and re-read it again... this time, do so with resurrection eyes.  When you visit those places where Jesus fed the multitudes, healed the leper, brought the dead back to life, see it all, sense it all, feel it all through resurrection eyes.  Jesus wanted the disciples to have a deeper understanding of what it means to be kingdom people.  Galilee brings a sense of recognition and understanding.  Jesus will be waiting for them in Galilee.  Galilee will bring understanding.  Galilee will offer new life.
   
The only way the story of Jesus can be told is by going back and do it all over again, this time through resurrection eyes.  So here we are again, on Easter morning, back with Jesus in Galilee where it all started.
 
In other words, pretend as if this were the very first day of your journey with Christ.  You’ve just affirmed Him as Lord and Savior over your life, your feet are in the blocks, and the starter’s gun is about to go off.  You’re ready to run the race of faith and follow after your Risen Lord.  Now, what are you going to do?  What kind of life you will be living?  It is an invitation to see everything in life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  
 
If you do that – even if you will try to do it – you will find yourself in Galilee.  Galilee is a good place to be.  Why?  Because Jesus is there.  The Risen Christ meets us there and will help us to see our world through Easter.  It’s an invitation to go back to the roots of our faith.  It’s an invitation to go back to re-read the story of Jesus of Nazareth and see what it means for us today.  The Lord is risen.  He is risen indeed.  Alleluia!  Amen.
 
 
 

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (5th Sunday in Lent, March 21, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“Peter’s Restoration!”
John 21:15-19
 
As you know, during Lent this year, we’ve been looking together at some key events of Peter’s life, some defining moments, you could say, that somehow shaped or reshaped Peter’s understanding of discipleship and what it means to follow Christ.  Over the last three weeks, we looked at Christ’s invitation to Peter; we also looked at Peter’s confession in Caesarea Philippi, and last week, we saw Peter at his worst, denying the Lord three times at Caiaphas house.  Last week we were reminded that in our journey of faith, we will experience ups and downs, victories as well as defeats, gain and loss, joy and sorrow, brokenness and restoration.  Peter’s failure and denial is a reminder that the path of discipleship is one of ups and downs.
 
Peter’s story is real.  It is personal.  Peter is me.  Peter is you.  Peter is us.  That’s what makes his story so personal.  It’s a story that involves calling, risk, stepping into the unknown; it’s a story that involves assurance and doubt, confession and denial.  Peter’s story is our story.  It is a story of grace, of love, and of renewal. 
 
The more we look at Peter’s story, the more we realize that the story in the first place is actually about Jesus.  It points to the greatness and the awesomeness of the God we’ve come to believe in.  The awesomeness of our God is shown in Peter’s restoration and it displays itself in two ways:
 
First: A Broken Disciple is Remembered by God
Denying Christ was a chattering experience for Peter. It was a turning point.  Peter’s own bold confidence and strength were killed.  He knew he was sand, not “the unmovable rock.”  He knew what and who he was.  He knew he was a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness!  That’s why Peter ran to the tomb on Easter morning.  He had to know and to see that Christ had risen from the dead.  If He was… then maybe Peter could ask for forgiveness.  Maybe, Jesus would forgive him.
 
It seems that Peter was not the one looking for God.  In fact, God was looking for him.  On the day Jesus arose, the angel at the empty tomb told the women in Mark 16:7, “Go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’”  Those words, “and Peter,” would have rang in Peter’s ears and lifted his depressed spirit after his miserable denials of his Lord.  I think that Peter would have asked the women, “Did the angel say, ‘and Peter’?”  This assured him that the Lord had not rejected him because of his failure.  In our brokenness, God always searches for us. 
 
Second: A Broken Disciple is Personally Restored by Jesus
As we pick up the account in John 21:15, it has been about two weeks or so since Peter had denied Jesus on the night He was arrested and tried.  Jesus had already appeared to many people including to the disciples twice in Jerusalem.  Jesus told them to go to Galilee where He has now met with them a third time.  When Jesus arrived in Galilee, according to John 21:2, seven disciples were present: Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, John and two other disciples who are not named.
 
In John 21:15-19, Jesus met privately with Peter to reassure him and restore him personally.  Jesus wanted to restore Peter to his apostolic office in front of these other six disciples.
 
It surprises me that when Jesus meets Peter, He neither confronted nor rebuked him.  Rather, Jesus turns to Peter and asks him, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?”  Peter responds, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”  Frustrated this time, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
 
Jesus had to re-commission Peter.  “Feed my lambs.  Take care of my sheep.  Feed my sheep,” Jesus told Peter.  Why would Jesus ask his question three times?  It’s hard to say.  Some suggested that the three questions might relate to the three denials… thus the undoing of them.  Others suggested that they might refer to the making of a covenant.  At this time in history a threefold of questions and answers was done to enact a covenant.  Maybe it’s both.  In all cases, Jesus tenderly reaches out to this wounded, hurt, afraid disciple who has gone through the worst couple of weeks of his life.  Peter was renewed, restored and recommissioned during this “after breakfast chat.”
 
I like how the gospel of John wraps us Peter’s personal encounter with the Lord.  In John 21:19, we read, “After this he said to him, “Follow me.”  Following Christ is not a single event; it’s a long-life journey.  It’s true that we stumble and wander off the road, but here comes the Lord, meets us where we are and renews our calling, “Follow me.”
 
Peter continued to grow in faith and commitment.  His love for his Lord grew and developed.  It got deeper and stronger.  It’s true that Peter trembled at the question of a servant girl, but on the Day of Pentecost, Peter got up and spoke, preaching the first Pentecost message.  He was able to face a mob unafraid.  Later on, Peter endured persecution, he encouraged the early Jewish-Christian community, was led by God’s Spirit to reach the Gentiles, and eventually was crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as his Lord and Savior.  Forgiven and restored.  Recalled and recommissioned.  It’s Simon Peter’s story.  It’s our story.  In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (4th Sunday in Lent, March 14, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“Failure and Denial!”
Luke 22:54-62
 
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always been captured and, quite frankly, terrified by the story of Peter’s failure and denial.  How did this happen?  I always thought that after spending 3 years with Jesus, listening to His teaching, watching Him feed thousands, raise the dead, walk on water, and seeing His almighty power, denying Him would be impossible. 
 
Of course, as I grew older, I began to see different layers to the story.  For one thing, I started to get the danger of the situation.  At this point in time, Jesus has been arrested.  It’s Passover week and political tension fills the air.  The Jewish leadership set up a couple of Kangaroo Courts organized by the Sanhedrin being held in the courtyard and home of Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest.
 
At this point, most of the disciples have fled.  Most of them, it seems, except for Peter and John according to John 18.  Peter follows at a distance; he follows to see what happens.  We probably should give Peter and John some credit here.  They go further than all of the other disciples.   Peter and John had some courage—courage and strength that none of the rest have.  And yet, when push comes to shove Peter denies Christ three times.  
 
At first, a servant girl saw him seated by the firepit; she looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”  But Peter denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.  A little later someone else saw Peter and said, “You also are one of them.” “Man, I am not!” Peter replied.  About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”  Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!”  Fear grips Peter with great force and so he denies Christ.
 
On one hand, I am tempted to think, “How do you say that, Peter?” But on the other hand, I ask myself, “How different am I really?”  I’m not sure I’ve ever denied Jesus publicly when pressed like that, but the older I get, the more I realize how completely and totally we’ve denied Jesus. 
 
There’s more than one way to deny Jesus.  You don’t have to say “I don’t know this man” with your words to do it.  With every careless unloving action to those around us, we say, “We don’t know this man.”  Every day we get up and live our day without reference to Christ, we say “We don’t know this man.”  Every time we cultivate anger, pride, or lust in our heart, we say “We don’t know this man.”  Every time we chase money instead of generosity, we say “We don’t know this man.”  Every time we keep silent about Christ out of fear of rejection by our culture, or neighbors, for being one of those “Christians”, we say “We don’t know this man.”   In a million different ways, our lives have screamed “We don’t know this man!”
 
The story of Peter’s failure and denial is our story too.  So as we consider this story today, please allow me to offer two short observations:
 
First: The Path of Discipleship is One of Ups and Downs
This is our third week in our Lent series on “Discipleship.”  We have been looking at some key events in the life of Peter as a model for what it means to follow Jesus as a disciple.  We looked at Christ’s invitation to Peter to “come, follow me” and how Peter and his brother, Andrew, immediately left everything and followed Jesus.  We also looked at Peter’s confession in Caesarea Philippi “You’re the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
 
This week, we are reminded that the path of discipleship is one of ups and downs.  Our minds would like to think that there is a set process when it comes to faith and that as long as the instruction manual is followed closely, everything will fit together nice and neatly.  Our experience, however, proves the opposite.  In our journey of faith, we will experience ups and downs, victories as well as defeats, gain and loss, joy and sorrow, brokenness and restoration.  Peter’s failure and denial is a reminder that the path of discipleship is one of ups and downs.
 
Second: Failure Doesn’t Make us Become Less of a Disciple
If the life of a disciple includes all these different experiences, what happened when we struggle and fail?  I want to assure you today that we do not become less of a disciple when we struggle.  Even when we struggle, we know that God is with us.  I like how Luke puts it in Luke 22:61, “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.”  In his failure, Jesus wanted to say to Peter, “I am here for you.  I am with you.”
 
Throughout his gospel, Luke shows a certain concern for those considered “lost.”  For example, only in Luke’s gospel do we find stories concerning a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost child – all of which are eventually found.  Luke also tells the story of the thief on the cross, the one whom Jesus invites into paradise – again one who is lost but now is found.  Luke seems to have a soft spot in his heart for lost things.  His treatment of Peter’s denial of Christ fits this theme. Peter falls into this category of being lost after denying and disowning Christ for three times, but, he too, would be found as Luke says in Luke 22:61.  Of course, a full restoration of this broken disciple will take place after Christ’s resurrection.  Failure doesn’t make us become less of a disciple.
 
Friends, today’s lesson captures the essence of a disciple’s life that includes that which we could never have imagined, even denial and failure.  If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Holy Land, one of the sites you will inevitably spend time touring will be the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu.  The word “Gallicantu” is Latin for “rooster’s crow.”  It is the site that memorializes Peter’s failure and denial.  It seems strange that we would choose to build a church in the very spot that Peter denied even knowing our Savior.  Yet, you and I need to remember that because when we remember our failures and weaknesses, we will seek the strength and the grace of God. We must never forget that where there is death, there is also rebirth.  The life of a disciple includes it all, even that which we never could have imagined.  In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (3rd Sunday in Lent, March 7, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“Confessing!”
Matthew 16:13-20
 
Last week we saw Jesus calling His first four disciples, namely, Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John.  “Come, follow me,” Jesus said.  Christ’s invitation to His early disciples is a reminder of our own invitations to come and follow him.  As Jesus of Nazareth invited twelve disciples to join His movement over two thousand years ago, He continues to invite us today to a life of discipleship.
 
Last week I pointed out that this is actually a message of hope.  Jesus calls all of us to be His disciples.  Despite our past failures, He calls for us to “come” and He invites us to “follow” Him.  His call to discipleship is a grace–filled invitation to become participants in the continued life and ministry of Jesus.  The call to discipleship is not reserved for the best among us, a certain type, or a select few.  Jesus invites everyone, including ordinary men and women like you and me, to come, to follow, and participate in His extraordinary life and ministry.  
 
I also pointed out last week that the call to discipleship is a call to community.  It’s true that when we answer the call, we answer it individually, but at the same time, we are invited to join a community, the church.  We travel this journey of discipleship together.  Jesus did not call people to follow Him and then train them in isolation from others.  Rather, He calls us as individuals to train us in community.  Yes, the community gets messy at times, but we are to reprove, rebuke, encourage, and exhort each other with complete patience.
 
Accepting the invitation to follow Christ is not the end.  It’s the first step in a lifelong journey.  When we look at the life of Peter and his formation as a disciple, we get to know that “Confession” is another component, another step, in the life of discipleship.  Confession is the ability to stand your ground and confess the identity of Christ as Lord over your life and over the whole universe. 
 
Our study this morning takes us to Caesarea Philippi so what I would like to do this morning is to say a couple words about Caesarea Philippi, then we will look together at Peter’s confession and what it means to us today.
 
Caesarea Philippi
Caesarea Philippi was built up around the Banias Spring, one of the primary tributaries forming the Jordan River and therefore, the Sea of Galilee.  The city was built by Herod Philip, one of Herod the Great’s sons and it’s located approximately 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee at the base of Mount Hermon. 
 
In Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” And they replied, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  Then in Matthew 16:15 Jesus turns to His disciples and asks, “But what about you?  Who do you say I am?”   
 
“Who do you say that I am?”  In the Greek text, that pronoun “YOU” has an enormous stress.  In fact, the pronoun you comes at the beginning of the sentence.  This is how the original Greek emphasizes an important idea.  It is as if Jesus was saying, “But you who have followed me and have known me from the beginning, who do you say that I am?”  In Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 
 
Confession of faith is important.  It was important back then and it’s important today.  We confess what we believe every week using the words of many creeds.  In Caesarea Philippi, Jesus was asking His disciples are you willing to stand your ground when it gets dangerous?  Are you willing to confess your faith when a high price is expected?  Are you ready for the cost of discipleship?
 
The gospel of Matthew doesn’t give us a specific reason for choosing Caesarea Philippi to be the location for teaching the disciples on the identity of Christ.  Yet, I truly believe that Jesus intentionally took His disciples to Caesarea Philippi for this particular lesson.  It was the perfect place for this lesson.
 
Jesus Not Caesar is Lord
We have to know that two gigantic temples stood in Caesarea Philippi: one to honor and worship Caesar, the great leader of the Roman Empire; the other to honor and worship Pan, the god of shepherds and flocks. For this reason, Caesarea Philippi was considered the “Sin City” of its day, and most Jews would have completely avoided going there.  This is not the place you might expect Jesus Christ, the Jewish Rabbi, who was said to be the Messiah, the Son of the living God, to take His disciples to there and ask them to confess whom He really is.  We might think that the Jerusalem Temple or at least one of the synagogues would have been a better place.
 
Yet, Jesus took His disciples to Caesarea Philippi to reveal His identity to them.  In Caesarea Philippi, everyone was required to confess the lordship of Caesar.  Caesar was called “Savior,” “Lord,” and “Son of God.”  People in Caesarea Philippi were required to bow down to Caesar and other false gods.  It was here, in this city devoted to the worship of idols and false gods that Jesus demanded His disciples’ confession of faith.  In Caesarea Philippi Peter confessed that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God; not Caesar nor Pan, but Jesus of Nazareth.
 
Who do you say that I am?  It is easy to confess Jesus Lord and Savior in Jerusalem. The real challenge is to do so in Caesarea Philippi.  But we also need to remember that a confession of faith is just an idea. And any idea by itself is just a weak and limp and lifeless thing.  Take the principle of electricity.  By itself it’s just a principle. But take a man like Thomas Edison, let him meet that principle, and the lights go on around the world.  Our actions should reflect our confession, otherwise, it will be meaningless.  We confess that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God.  Do our actions reflect that?  May God help us.  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (2nd Sunday in Lent, February 28, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“Come, Follow Me!”
Mark 1:16-20
 
“Discipleship” is the topic that I’ve chosen to focus on during the Season of Lent this year.  Discipleship is a very broad topic and we literally can spend a few months just scratching the surface of this topic.  But I would like to spend the next six weeks looking at this topic from a different angle.  We will revisit our understanding of discipleship through examining some key events in Peter’s life.
 
Events in the life of Peter became a model for what it means to follow Jesus as a disciple. This series of messages is not a biography of Peter, but a way to see the formation and maturing of a disciple.  So we will follow the journey of Peter from his response to Jesus’ invitation to follow Christ in Mark chapter 1 and end with Peter’s sermon in Acts chapter 10.
 
In this series of messages, we will focus on Peter’s response to the call of Christ to follow Him and then look at Peter’s confession in Caesarea Philippi that Jesus is the Christ.  That bold confession of faith is followed by Peter’s failing and denial of Christ.  Still later we see transformation in Peter after the resurrection of the Lord.  We then see Peter serving others, proclaiming the gospel, stepping outside of his comfort zone, and crossing the barriers and borders erected by tradition or culture.  The Peter who speaks in Acts chapter 10 differs significantly from the Peter we meet in Mark chapter 1.  Through this journey of discipleship, Peter was not perfect for sure, but God’s sustaining grace is evident in every step of the way.
 
What is Discipleship?
Discipleship.  What is discipleship?  Christian discipleship is a lifelong journey of going wider and deeper – wider by our ministry and service, deeper by our study and learning.  Discipleship is our response to Jesus’ invitation to “Come, follow me.’”
 
The gospel of Mark begins with an invitation: an invitation to join Jesus at the beginning of something – a movement that is the beginning of the Good News.  The Good News is that the Kingdom of God has come near in the person of Jesus Christ. The Good News is that Jesus is inviting all who will believe to not only proclaim the Good News, but to also be, to become the Good News in the world.
 
In Mark chapter 1, we get to see four individuals joining the movement of Jesus of Nazareth.  Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John immediately accepted Jesus’ invitation – seemingly without hesitation, consideration or buyer’s remorse. What was it about Jesus’ invitation that was so irresistible to these first disciples?  I like what someone said that Jesus meets us where we are and invites us to follow Him from there.  So as we kick off this new series this morning, please allow me to share two short observations regarding the nature of Christ’s call.  Discipleship is a twofold call:
 
First: It’s a Call to ChristThe first thing that I want to highlight is the call to discipleship is primarily a call to Christ Himself.  Jesus called the early disciples and us today to “follow” him (vv. 17, 20).  It was a call to shadow Christ in order to learn from Him.  It was a call to be committed to Christ.  What a disciple would eventually become, would depend on how closely and faithfully we follow Jesus.
 
I want you to know that discipleship was not something that Jesus invented.  In fact, it was very common before and during the time of Jesus.  In first century Palestine, it was very common to see a Jewish Rabbi with a group of followers or disciples who would adhere to a certain way, a certain methodology or school of interpreting scriptures.  There were also so many philosophers who would teach a certain philosophy and call people to adopt it as their way of life.  Unlike those rabbis and philosophers, Jesus never invited His followers to follow a certain ideology or philosophy, rather, He called them to “follow Him.”  So Jesus Himself was the philosophy.  He was both the curriculum and the instructor.  I like how Mark 3:14 puts it.  Mark says, “He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.”
 
Second: It’s a Call to CommunityWhen Christ called His disciples to follow Him, He was also calling them to community.  The call of the four fishermen in Mark chapter 1 indicates that the essential work of Jesus consists in forming a fellowship, a community, a diverse community. 
 
It’s true that when we answer the call, we are answering it individually, but we are, at the same time, answering it in community.  In other words, we are not the only ones answering the call.  Jesus has called us to be meaningful, faithful members of the community of faith—the church.
 
Jesus did not call people to follow Him and then train them in isolation from others.  No, He calls us as individuals to train us in community.  Yes, the community would get messy at times. The disciples would bicker with each other and would argue who is the greatest among them.  They would often fail to grasp what the Lord was teaching them. They would lose their temper with those who were not Christians. They would grieve their Lord, on several occasions, when they failed to take seriously His mission and message of His cross. They would all ultimately forsake Him when the shadow of that cross crept closer.  Yet what do we find at the end of the story?  We find them as a community again—in Galilee (Mark 16:7)!  We are called to be followers of Jesus Christ together, to be fishers of men together. 
 
“Come, follow me,” Jesus would say to all of us today on this Second Sunday in Lent.  If you’ve been a follower, take your discipleship to the next level.  If you’ve never responded to Christ’s call, today is the day.  Friends, let’s remember that Jesus will meet you wherever you’re today.  He calls us to a deeper and more intimate fellowship with Him and He calls us to a journey that we travel together as a community.  Discipleship is a call to Christ and it’s also a call to community.  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday, February 21, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“Four Prayer Requests!” #4
Micah 7:18-20; Ephesians 3:14-19
 
We come this morning to the conclusion of our four-week sermon series titled, “Four Prayer Requests!”   To refresh your memory, a few weeks back, we started looking at one of the most inspiring prayers of the Bible.  It’s Paul’s prayer for his fellow Ephesian Christians found in Ephesians chapter 3.  This is our fourth week working our way through this prayer and this morning we get to wrap up this study as we look at Paul’s fourth request for the believers in Ephesus.  In Ephesians 3:17-18, Paul said, “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.”
 
Grasping the vastness and completeness of the love of Christ, knowing the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, is the object of the last part of Paul’s prayer.  I don’t know how often we pray for deep spiritual understanding.  Paul doesn’t just pray that we might “get it.”  He prays that we might grasp the full scope of God’s love -- width, length, height, and depth. 
 
Today is the First Sunday in Lent and I think pondering the love of God in Christ is very appropriate.  As I pointed out in our Ash Wednesday Service this week, Lent is known as a season of deep reflection; a time to ponder the basic and the most fundamental questions of life.  So I invite you this morning to ponder with me the love of Christ; that love that led Him to offer His life at Golgotha.  Two short observations for this morning; the first has to do with Christ’s love being the bedrock of our faith and the second will consider the dynamics of grasping the love of Christ.
 
First: The Bedrock Reality of our Faith
Often times I hear people say that our main problem today is that we don’t love God enough.  I get it and I agree that we don’t love God enough.  But I truly believe that our biggest and more serious problem is that we don’t know how much God loves us.  His love is primary, our love is responsive.  God’s love for us is the starting point; our love is just a response to His.  Any spiritual formation, any spiritual awakening, begins with grasping God’s love.
 
Our lives are to be lived out of a deep awareness of how much we are loved by God.  When we reflect on God’s love for us, we know that God doesn’t give us just enough to survive on, but He pours it out lavishly.  Paul prayed for the believers in Ephesus to grasp that love because when we fail to grasp it, our lives will not be rooted in love but in fear or guilt or shame or insecurity.
 
No wonder that in his short letter, Jude commanded the Church to always remember God’s love for them.  He said in Jude 21, “Keep yourselves in the love of God.”  Don’t lose sight of it.  Remain within the protective sphere of God’s never-ending love, Jude would say to us today.  The bedrock reality of our lives of faith is that God loves us, and that Jesus is the evidence of this love.  All else follows from this.  Being loved is the rich soil from which all our fruitfulness and fulfilment grows.  Gpd’s love is the bedrock reality of our faith.
 
Second: Comprehending Christ’s Love Must Happen in Community
Our culture fosters a personal and individualized spirituality without the trappings of community and the church.  The power to comprehend and to grasp the love of Christ happens in community.  In other words, you cannot know the length, width, height and depth of the love of Christ apart from the church.  “Together” is a key word in Paul’s prayer here.  “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.” 
 
Faith is a journey that is not meant to be traveled alone.  We travel this journey of faith with others.  We are protected and encouraged when we travel together.  This pandemic has taught us that we need each other.  We need others to rejoice with us when we rejoice and to cry with us when we are broken.  Many people ask today if the Church will ever be the same Church after the pandemic is over?  Will people come back to the pews after being away for so long?  It will for sure be a challenge that we need to deal with, but Paul reminds us today that having the power to grasp Christ’s love is something that happens “together with all the Lord’s holy people.”  English theologian John Stott (1921-2011) once said, “It needs the whole people of God to understand the whole love of God.”
 
Friends, I encourage you this Lent to ponder Christ’s love. It is “wide” because it stretches more than we can ever imagine.  It is “long” because it encompasses the length of our days, before and all beyond.  It is “high” because it reaches to the highest heavens.  It is “deep” because it extends to the deepest pit.  His love never fails.  Paul said that Christ’s love surpasses knowledge.  We explore it now, but we will not fully understand the width, length, height, and depth until we see Jesus face to face in heaven.
 
Friends, we are free in God’s love.  We are sheltered in God’s love.  We belong in His love.  We are redeemed in His love.  We are forgiven in His love.  We are people of purpose in His love.  Our provision is in His love.  Our past is overcome in His love.  Our present makes sense in His love.  Our future is certain in His love.  “Who is like you?” asked the Prophet Micah in 7:18. There is no one like our loving God.  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday, February 14, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“The Transfiguration of our Lord!”
Matthew 17:1-9
 
Over the years, I have come to appreciate Church liturgical seasons and their theological and Biblical emphases.  I love the liturgical cycle and the different taste of each season.  This being said, you may know that today is “Transfiguration Sunday.”  Transfiguration Sunday concludes the Epiphany season of the Church’s Year.  In the Epiphany season, the Church gets to focus on the manifestation and the revelation of Christ to the entire world.  Jesus of Nazareth is God appearing in a human form. 
 
So in Epiphany, stories like the Magi’s story and the baptism of Jesus with its affirmation of the identity and mission of Christ are important Epiphany stories.  Epiphany reveals to us that Jesus of Nazareth is God’s most precious gift to humanity and that His love transcends all boundaries.  It includes Jews and Gentiles; it welcomes religious and non-religious folk.  Transfiguration Sunday concludes the season of Epiphany.  Today is Epiphany’s most glorious proof.
 
In today’s Scripture passage from Matthew 17:1-9, Jesus took Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain.  On the top of the mountain, Jesus was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.  Suddenly there appeared Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.  Matthew doesn’t mention, but Luke says they spoke of Jesus’ exodus – His death and resurrection. 
 
There are so many ways to look at and to understand the transfiguration of our Lord.  One way to look at it as a disclosure of the divinity of Christ.  During His earthly life, from His conception by the Holy Spirit until His death, Jesus was always God and man, but He didn’t always fully disclose and make use of His Divine power.  On the Mount of Transfiguration, like nowhere else, Jesus lets Peter, James and John and us see that this man is what we confess of Him in the creed: “God of God, light of light, very God of very God, begotten, not made.” 
 
But I would like to look at the transfiguration of Christ and approach it from a different angel this morning.  I would like to define the transfiguration and then, explain what it means to us today.
 
First: What is Transfiguration?
The gospel writers used the Greek word “metamorphosis” to describe what happens to Jesus on the mountaintop with Peter, James and John.  “Metamorphosis,” is one of the words most of us are probably familiar with from high school biology.  In high school biology, that word was used to describe how an organism undergoes a transformation into a new shape.  The classic example of this is how a caterpillar forms a cocoon and becomes a butterfly. 
 
Jesus’ metamorphosis, His transformation and transfiguration, is pretty cool!  His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became dazzling white, like the clothing of angels.  And of course, there is the voice from heaven that bears witness to who Jesus really is.  It was quite a metamorphosis!  The disciples had never seen anything like this with Jesus before.  And probably, they didn’t ever again.  But it clearly made an impression on those disciples.  So, if this is what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration, what does it mean to us today?
 
Second: What Does Transfiguration Mean to us Today?
What is the point of Christ’s transfiguration?  Of course, we cannot dismiss the importance of the heavenly voice and the presence of Moses and Elijah as Jesus made His last journey to Jerusalem.  But I truly believe that Jesus needed neither the show nor the voice.  Jesus knows whose he is. 
 
The real point of this story is not the transfiguration, metamorphosis, of Jesus.  Instead, it’s about the transformation of the disciples into new people – people who follow Jesus and can be witnesses to the living presence of Jesus in their lives. 
 
That transformation, that metamorphosis, doesn’t take place in an instant.  It happens gradually through the journey of following Jesus.  It includes mountaintop experiences as well as valley experiences.  In the ups and downs of life, we get to know the presence of our faithful Lord.  In our strengthens and weaknesses, in our victories and our defeats, we get to feel the loving kindness of our Lord.
 
Beginning with that vision on the mountain, Peter, James, John and the other disciples began a journey with Jesus to Jerusalem, to the cross and the empty tomb.  And that journey was transformative. 
 
I like how our liturgical calendar places the story of Christ’s transfiguration the Sunday before Lent begins.  Lent is often described as a journey to Easter.  And for us too, this journey is supposed to be a time of special focus in following Jesus so that through our journey with Jesus, we can be changed and transformed.
 
Like those first disciples, Jesus loves us and calls us just as we are.  But Jesus doesn’t want to leave us this way.  Instead, he seeks to transform us – to call us to metamorphosis – so that we can live more fully as children of God.  It’s a transformation of our hearts, visions, and attitudes. 
 
So, friends, as we prepare to enter the journey of Lent together, watch for the ways in which Jesus is working in your life to call you to metamorphosis, to transformation.  Be open to the possibility that God is using new experiences in the journey of your life, even the ones that scare you, to call you to transformation.  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.
 

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                          
Sermon Notes (Sunday, February 7, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“Lessons from the Pandemic!”
Psalm 42:1-5
 
We have entered the eleventh month of what feels like a pandemic that will not end.  I am sure that many of us are tired of it and long for life to be “normal” again, whatever normal is.  The pandemic has disrupted every aspect of our lives including family, work, education, social gatherings, church, community, government, sports, friendships, etc.
 
It's been a time of high levels of stress and emotional exhaustion.  Viktor Frankl (1905-1997) was an Austrian Philosopher and a Holocaust survivor who famously said, “Everything can be taken away from you except one thing – your ability to decide how to respond to any given circumstance or situation.”  What life lessons can we learn from this ongoing pandemic?  I have been thinking about what lessons I personally have learned and I would like to share a few of them with you today.

First: Life is Fragile and Unpredictable
As much as we plan and try to control every aspect of our lives, life remains unpredictable and uncertain.  We simply don’t know what tomorrow has in store.  Therefore, we must do two things.  (1) We must do our very best to live in the present, taking one day at a time.  (2) We must have a strong faith in a God who is bigger than our problems and who is reliable and faithful.  “On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand,” wrote British Baptist Minister Edward Mote in 1834.  It was true back then as much as it is today.  The pandemic reminds us of how fragile and unpredictable life is, but at the same time it reminds us of a God who is always faithful to His promises.

Second: The Importance of the Communal Aspect of our Worship
The communal aspect of our life together is important.  Worshiping God entails intimacy with Him. It also establishes communion among fellow believers.  This is especially evident in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper when the believers come from the east and west and sit around God’s table.  No wonder that the Bible calls the Church the “Body” of Christ.  The Apostles Creed captured this as the early Church Fathers affirmed the “Communion of Saints.”
 
May we never forget this great truth.  May you never forget that you belong to a body; you’re a member of the Body of Christ.  Hear these words from Hebrews 10:25 “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  And this takes me to my third and last lesson I would like to share with you today.

Third: Digital Worship Has its Limits
Since the beginning of the pandemic, technology has been a blessing in so many different ways.  Through technology, we have been virtually gathering and connecting with each other.  We have been using Zoom to meet for our weekly Bible Study as well as the weekly gathering for our Sunday School.  Needless to say, through utilizing available technology and social media, we have increased our digital outreach and virtual presence.
 
Virtual gatherings have proven fruitful to a certain extent, they nevertheless fall well short of achieving full and active participation envisioned by God when he called us to be part of the Body of Christ.  This seems self-evident to most of us by now.  Sitting in front of a screen is not the same as being physically present in the midst of the gathering of believers.
 
The pandemic has reminded us that we need people.  We need the physical presence of each other.  We need to look people in the eye.  We need to hear their voices.  We need to see their smile without a face covering.  I think I knew this, but now I know it more than ever.  
 
Psalm 42 is a lament psalm written by the sons of Korah who formerly were able to freely worship God with the Lord's people. But something has changed and now they find themselves removed from the religious life that they formerly enjoyed.  And they miss it greatly.  Listen to these words from Psalm 42:1-4, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When can I go and meet with God?  My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”  These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.”
 
So hold on, my friends.  This too shall come to pass.  Let’s take this time to deepen our sense of community; develop an appreciation for the gift of each other; and above all, comprehend the greatness of our God who will release our feet from the snare.  And when you miss it so much, remember these words from Psalm 42:5 “Why, my soul, are you downcast?  Why so disturbed within me?  Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”
 
Let’s look forward to that day when we can be with each other without the fear of getting or passing the virus.  Let’s look forward to that day when we as the Body of Christ can sing God’s praises together.  Let’s reach out to each other.  Let’s keep checking on each other.  Let’s continue praying for each other.  And all God’s people said, “amen.”