Jon Tyson | Pastor, Trinity Grace Church
Jon Tyson is lead pastor of Trinity Grace Church in New York City. Trinity Grace is a network of neighborhood parish churches committed to joining God in the renewal of all things, currently with churches on the Upper West and Upper East Sides, in Chelsea and in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Originally from Adelaide, Australia, Jon lives in Manhattan with his wife Christy and their two children.
- If you follow the church calendar you will see we’re at an interesting time.
- We do a great job at celebrating Easter.
- We get Pentecost.
- But between Easter and Pentecost is 50 days on the church calendar known as Eastertide.
- Eastertide is fundamental for the mission of Jesus in the world.
- It means coming to terms with what the resurrection means and its implications on your life.
- In the time between the resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost is a tender revelation of God.
- Jesus spent His time finding his friends and followers who didn’t understand their mission and restoring them to it.
What’s most important to the movement of Jesus were the people who were near to him who will carry it out.
- We know Jesus is the resurrected Lord but how do we live that out?
3 Types of People Jesus Encountered
The Couple on the road to Emmaus – people who lost faith in Him
- They were disappointed, they were going to the place they last knew where a Messiah Came from… Judas Maccabeus overthrew a mighty general in Emmaus.
- Jesus came to them, and told them about himself, even though they didn’t recognize him.
- They turned back.
- The Gospel confronts every other ideology in the world and brings people back to God.
Thomas – people who could’t believe unless they could see.
- Thomas doubted, couldn’t believe unless he could see.
- Jesus did what Thomas needed, gave him proof of the resurrection.
- There are people who want to fully engage who have questions.
- We need to express our doubts , concerns, and questions and find the truths we need.
Peter - people who had failed
- Jesus confronted failure.
- Peter returned to fishing.. he returned to the place where Jesus had originally found him.
- Peter colossally left and failed.
- Jesus invited him back.
- Many people have failed and denied God and feel like they are disqualified.
- Jesus goes to the greatest failures in the church and restores them based on their call and not their morality.
Breath of God
- In John 20, the disciples were hiding in a room and Jesus said to them, “as the Father sent me, so I send you…” and gave them the Holy Spirit.
- We can be intimidated by the issues of our time and by the size and scale of the crisis.
- We can hide out of fear.
- We’ve been sent into the world as the father sent the son.
- God breathes on us.
- Don’t try it on your own.
- Do it with the Spirit of God in you.
