“It is Finished”

Sermon John 19:29-30 April 14, 2017 Good Friday Ecumenical Worship ‘7 Last Words’ My ‘word’ “It is Finished”

Title: Gone Down to the Dead

When the vinegar had brought to the mouth of Jesus, He said. “It is finished”, and bowed his head and dismissed his spirit.

We are all here today kneeling at the foot of the cross, present with the dying Jesus, hearing his final words,

we sit stunned.

Jesus takes his last breath.

Could it really happen?

Did it really happen?

Was it a hoax, or a sick joke?

What was our Savior, our Messiah doing nailed to that tree?

This day… as a matter of fact, this week…these past Lenten weeks we are in real time with Jesus.

We move with him through the throngs of people, through streets of Nazareth and Galilee.

We stand in awe as he tells us things beyond our comprehension.

We run alongside him as he enters the city of Jerusalem.

We wave and shout along with the crowd.

We are amazed at Jesus. He knows about everything.

It all happens just as he said.

We found the room for our meal together just as Jesus said.

We ate with him alongside the disciples.

He washed our feet as he washed the disciples’ feet.

He broke bread for us as he broke bread for the twelve.

We slept with the disciples in the garden as Jesus prayed;

and…we ran away…just as they did when Jesus was arrested.

Today, we are sitting beside Mary, crying with her and all those who dared to be at the foot of the cross.

 

We are crying on this Good Friday,

on this day Jesus has died.  

If we are in real time…

We have lost our hope.

We have lost our cause.

We have lost our understanding.

Who was Jesus?

How is our Messiah going to save us now?

He is dying…he is dead!

But, wait!

Wait, just a moment.

Back up a minute…

What just happened?

Oh, yes…

 After Jesus had tasted the vinegar, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

The Greek for what Jesus says is Tetelestai. Which literal is “It has been finished-it has been accomplished, it has been completed.” It is not a defeatist statement! It is not a sad overture of the end of all things!

It is the words of a project manager saying the job is complete and now it’s time to get paid.

“Tout est accompli,” is how it’s written in the French Bible.

All is accomplished.

All is completed.

For people who are grammar gurus, this is valuable understanding of the context of the work of Jesus, the work of God.

The literal translation could be viewed as, it has been finished.

This then could be a progressive perfect present tense which describes an action that    began in the past,

                          continues in the present,

                                              and may continue into the future.

So, if I understand Jesus, as he formed these words on his lips, he is giving all of us seated at the foot of his cross, hope!

We have hope because this project that God the Father had for his Son has been completed. And now we can live into the future in the next phase of the kingdom project.

Jesus has gone down to the dead.

Flesh dies.

God knew that sending his Son into the world as God incarnate-Immanuel-God with us-meant taking on flesh.

And since Eden we have lived outside the gates of Paradise.

God knew Jesus would die, that he would have to die, because all flesh dies.

Our hope is knowing that God knows fully the extent to which flesh takes us-to the dead.

Our hope is knowing that God is intimately aware of our suffering.

In dying, God is making sure there is rising!

For if God goes down to the dead and rises to new life;

rest assured God has made the way for us who die

                                              to rise to new life!

Today, in this day of death, we know that resurrection is coming.

We know that the joy and celebration is moments away.

But, for today, we can rest in death.

We can find comfort in death.

We can be reassured in death.

Jesus went down to the dead.

When our flesh dies,

we go down to the dead.

We live in the promise that Jesus has already been there.

Jesus has paved that path,

done that project,

and all will be well.

We are safe in the arms of Jesus as he cries out, “it is finished” and sends his spirit out into the world.

We can say and sing, “It is Well with My Soul!”

Amen. 

The Service of Shadows-The Tenebrae service of light to darkness 2017

The Service of Shadows-The Tenebrae service of light to darkness 2017

A dramatic reading based on a harmony of the Gospels.

Readers:

Narrator, Jesus, Disciples, Pharisee, Judas, Chief Priests, Peter, Pilate, Crowd

Opening: It was the week we now call Holy Week. It was the week that Jesus, who had turned his face toward Jerusalem, entered the city. It was the week of the Passover feast and the city was swollen with people. The faithful followers of God had come to worship. Jesus, also faithful to God, entered with his disciples. We too enter with him into this fateful week as witnesses. Who will we be? How will we see Jesus? What will we say? Why will we still follow? Or will we walk away? “Stay with me…watch with me…will you too abandon me?”

Narrator:

1.      Sunday                                Jesus Enters Jerusalem

Narrator: When they were approaching Jerusalem at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said…

Jesus: Go into the village ahead of you there you will find a colt. Untie it and bring it. If anyone asks why you are doing this; tell them, ‘the Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’”

Narrator: The disciples did just as Jesus had asked and it came to pass just as Jesus had said. They brought the colt to Jesus and he sat on it. As the entered Jerusalem, many people spread their cloaks along the road. They cut down leafy branches and were shouting Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the coming of our kingdom David. Hosanna in the highest heaven! Jesus entered the city and straight way went to the Temple. As it was late he went with his disciples to Bethany. And so ended the first day.

Extinguish 1^st candle

2.     Monday                                Jesus Enters the Temple

Narrator: Now Jesus wandered to the city the next day and came to the Temple. He began driving out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves and he would not allow anyone to carry anything into the temple.

Jesus: Have you not heard. DO you not know. Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations?’ But, you have made it a den of robbers.”

Narrator: Now the chief priests and the scribes heard about what happened at the temple. They had been looking for a way to kill Jesus because they were afraid of him. They were angry at his teachings. They were frustrated with his followers. Jesus was a nuisance and he had to go.

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Hymn                              Ah Holy Jesus, How have you offended. v.1,2              #93

3.     Tuesday                            Jesus Teaches his Disciples

Narrator: A new day dawned and Jesus and his disciples again traveled around and through the city. Along the way, Jesus was questioned about his authority to teach and speak the things he does. He spoke in parables about vineyards and taxes. Each time the authorities listened to Jesus speak they wanted to arrest him. They didn’t because they were afraid of the crowds. Jesus came to the Temple and began teaching. He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many people came putting money into the treasury. The rich put in large sums of money. A poor woman came and put in two copper coins. Jesus called his disciples over to tell them…

Jesus: Truly, I tell you this poor widow has put in more than all those other people have done. All of those have given out their abundance; but she has given out of her poverty using all she had to live on. Let us go now.

Disciples: Look at these large stones of the temple!

Jesus: Not one of these will be left upon another. All will be thrown down.

Disciples: When will this be Lord?

Jesus: Beware no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am He.’ Nation will rise up against nation and kingdom and kingdom. This is but the beginning of the birthpangs. As for yourselves, beware. They will hand you over to the councils and you will be beaten in the synagogues. The good news must first be proclaimed to the nations. When they bring you to trial, do not worry. Say whatever is given to you at the time, for it is not you to speak, but the Holy Spirit…Be alert. I have told you everything.

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Hymn                                     Go to Dark Gethsemane v. 1,2                             #97

4.    Wednesday                      Judas Decides to Betray Jesus

Narrator: This day was the day that the fate of Jesus was set in motion. It was two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus and kill him.

Pharisee: Not during the festival. There is a crowd here and they might riot if we act now.

Narrator: Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray Jesus. Judas chose to betray the best friend he ever had. He made the decision that Jesus was no longer the one he expected him to be.

Judas: Jesus has failed me. Jesus is useless. Jesus is never going to be king. Jesus will never overthrow the government. Jesus is letting money go to waste by letting a woman pour expensive oil all over him. Jesus is not doing his job. Jesus is betraying his promise to the people. It is time for him to go!

Narrator: He was turning his back on the son of man and no one could change his mind. He had no idea that his plan would lead to the cross. He just wanted him out of the way. It was time for another to fight for the kingdom.

Chief Priest: Judas you are such a fine man to come to us today. You will be greatly rewarded for your efforts. We are quite pleased you have made the right decision to bring Jesus to us and turn him over to the rules of the Law.

Narrator: From that moment forwarded Judas began to look for a way to betray Jesus.

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5.     Thursday                  Jesus has his Last Meal with the Disciples

Narrator: This was the first day of Unleavened Bread; the day when the Passover lamb was slaughtered.

Disciples: Where do you want us to go to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?

Narrator: Jesus gave them instructions to follow as they entered the city. The disciples set out and found everything the way Jesus had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal. In the evening they all gathered. Jesus got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. He poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel around his waist. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him,

Peter: “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

Jesus: “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

Peter:  No! You shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus: “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

Peter: Lord, then, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!

Jesus: Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.

Narrator: Jesus knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. When the disciples heard Jesus say one of them would betray him. Jesus said it would be the one who he gives bread to after he has dipped it. They began to be distressed.

Disciples: Surely it isn’t I?

Judas: Surely, not I, Rabbi?

Jesus: You have said so.

Narrator: And Judas immediately got up and went out. And it was night.
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Anthem Adult Choir                          Face the Cross             Scott & Ruth Elaine Schram

Narrator: After the meal was finished they went out to a place called Gethsemane. Jesus prayed while the others were not far off. 

Jesus: My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and watch with me.

Narrator: Three times when he came back he found his disciples asleep.

Jesus: Are you still sleeping? Look the hour is and the son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer.

Judas: The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.

Narrator: A crowd had come carrying swords and clubs. With Judas were the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the temple. The men stepped forward, seized Jesus, and arrested him. The disciples deserted him and fled.

~~

While Jesus was being questioned, and accused of blasphemy at the home of the High Priest, Peter was in the courtyard not far off. Three times he was recognized. First by a servant woman and then by two of the bystanders. “Surely you are one of them,” they said. Each time Peter denied he was with Jesus. And on the third time he began to curse and he swore an oath. At that moment, the cock crowed for the second time and Peter remembered the words of Jesus, “Before the cock crows twice you will deny me three times.” And, he broke down and wept.

6.    Friday                Jesus is Crucified

Narrator: On Friday Jesus was brought before Pilate, the governor, by the entire council. The council accused Jesus in front of the governor saying,

Chief Priests: This fellow has been leading our people to ruin by telling them not to pay their taxes to the Roman government and by claiming he is our Messiah-their king.

Pilate: are you the King, the Messiah?

Jesus: It is as you say.

Pilate: This is not a crime.

Chief Priests: He is causing riots against the government everywhere he goes.

Narrator: It was the custom of the governor at this time of the Festival to release a prisoner of the choice of the crowd.

Pilate: I ask you people who would you want released, Jesus or Barabbas?

Crowd: Barabbas

Pilate: What should I do with Jesus?

Crowd: Crucify him!

Pilate: Why, what crime has he commited.

Crowd: Crucify him! Crucify him!

Narrator: Then Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified.    
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Solo Were you there When they Crucified My Lord?  Ed Satterfield.

Narrator: The soldiers took Jesus and mocked him. They dressed him in a purple robe. They spat on him. They gave him a scepter and yelled at him and spat on him. They struck him and whipped him. They placed a crown of thorns on his head. Then they led him out to the place of the skull; also known as Golgotha. Jesus stumbled and fell along the path as he carried his cross.

They nailed Jesus to the cross and lifted him up. Alongside him were two prisoners, one on his right and one on his left. Darkness covered the land. The curtain of the temple tore in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. Jesus cried out, “Eloi, Eloi, lama, sabachthani?” which means, My God, My God why have you forsaken me? Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, “It is finished.” and he breathed his last.

Loud Slam-7^th candle extinguished-lights out abruptly.

Return to Light

Return to light

L: The true light that enlightens everyone came into the world through Christ

P: Though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.

L: In him was life, and his life was the light of all.

P: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.

*Closing Hymn                Love Divine, All Loves Excelling v. 1,2,4                  #376

*All:  Truly he was the Son of God

Leave quietly…

The sanctuary is stripped bare

Wave the Palms

Sermon Matthew 21:1-11 April 9, 2017 Palm Sunday

Wave the Palms

Our anthem begins with Wave the Palms and throw the branches at his feet, Wave the Palms.

Palm Sunday is our chance to shout and sing and dance in church.

It is our loudest Sunday of the year.

No other Sunday in our church calendar calls for as much festivity as this one.

So, let us get together and begin our celebration, our joy, and our party!

Let’s see what do we need for a parade and for a celebration?

Oh, I know we need noise makers,

and we need decorations,

and we need lots of color,

and we need a reason to celebrate.

For two years now our churches have marched in the St Patrick’s Day parade as the Makemie Marchers. It has been our purpose to march for fun. We like being part of the parade and we like being together to celebrate the day with the other parade goers.

We also march to let others know about us.We want people to know about our church and to join in the fun we have together. Think about what those things are for you, should someone ask you. 😊

There is something very special about a parade.

It has a special energy that seems to build among those in the parade and with the parade watchers. It begins slowly and then as the event gets closer the excitement grows and the enthusiasm is contagious! And everywhere you look you see a smile on people’s faces.

And isn’t that what we hope for, strive for, live for?

We seek a life of smiles and joy.

We seek a life where trouble does not exist.

We seek a life where peace is at every turn,

where the hungry are fed,

where disease is a myth,

where war and hatred are long gone,

and the world is in full bloom.

That’s why we have this Sunday of celebration.

So, we do not forget what we hope for.

When around the world children are dying a horrible death

and in our own neighborhood houses are being robbed,

and where disease is at our doorstep,

and discord is in our homes-

                                    we need a moment like this to find our hope again.

Some might get angry at us for taking a day to rejoice.

Some might say to us, “but there are poor around us how can we pause and shout, sing and dance?”

And our response is to say, “we have not forgotten the suffering that surrounds us. The suffering is here and we are well aware.”  “Yet, this day is for us to receive our strength for the journey of the week ahead. That is why we wave palms today.”

You see, if we fully invest ourselves in the events of Holy Week

we cannot go through it unless we have gained the strength

that comes from the rejoicing together today.

Today, we recall the story of Jesus entering into Jerusalem on a donkey.

The crowds were crying out to him, “Save Us!” They were recalling the words of the prophet Zechariah. Jesus was to be the new king!

The crowds were filled with hope

for a new beginning,

a new way of life,

one without oppression.

They were seeking freedom from the realities of the harshness of their lives.

Jesus was the one to make that happen.

As we raise our voices in song today, we still believe that.

Jesus is the one who must save,

who must bring peace to all.

Jesus is the one who has filled our hearts with promise and with hope

                                                    and today we expect those dreams to become real!

But, what about tomorrow,

when the streets have been

 swept clean from all the

confetti and the banners?

Will we still be chasing

after Jesus with hope?

Or will the reality of

his journey through Jerusalem

dash our dreams and

our expectations of who he really is?

Why didn’t Jesus accept a political crown and fix the problems and heal everyone?

Why did Jesus let things keep happening?

Why didn’t Jesus fight?

Why didn’t Jesus do what I expected him to do?

Isn’t he my Lord and shouldn’t he fulfill what I believe are his promises?

This is where the faith of the crowd suffered. When Jesus no longer acted like the king they expected, they lost hope and they not only turned away but turned against him.

Maybe, just maybe, we do that to Jesus too?

When Jesus doesn’t get the job done that I expect: Jesus, you were supposed to get my best friend the job of her dreams and you didn’t do that. I prayed every day, three times a day, and I gave you plenty of advance notice of when she would be interviewing, and you blew it Jesus!

 You didn’t answer my prayer like you promised you would.

I’m done!

I’m walking away from this believing in Jesus stuff!

I’m walking away from this church stuff!

It’s all fake!

None of it is real!

How can anybody believe that junk anyway?

We cannot remake Jesus into the God we want him to be. 

We can only share the news of the God he is. 

He is not a super star. He is not an earthly king. 

He is not a money tree. He is not a magic man. 

He is not a genie in a bottle or a fairy godmother fulfilling all our wishes. 

And if this is the Jesus to whom we wave our palms today, 

then we will be like the crowd and we will turn away from him and also against him tomorrow.

Today, we wave the palms and lay the branches at his feet and we see his face.

Today we recognize the Jesus who has saved us and has given us new life. Today we feel his touch as he reaches out to us and calls our name. We hear him say we belong. We hear him say we are his children. We are claimed as children of God and he does not let us go-ever! Today we recognize his voice and at the sound of his voice we believe.

We believe because somewhere along the path of our life the miracle of faith has been born.

We believe because even though the one we call Lord and Savior

goes down to the grave, we witness his rising in the end.

We believe because we know that even if we

go down to the grave, we too will rise.

We believe this because this is our hope and this is our promise.

The one whom God sent to walk this world walks with us today. Friends, his words are true-“My peace I leave you, my peace I give you…do not let your hearts be troubled, do not let them be afraid.” “I am with you always even unto the end of the age.”

We wave the palms and we celebrate for today we rejoice in our king

and tomorrow we will continue to sing.

Hosanna, Hosanna blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Amen. 

At the Crossroads-John

Sermon Matthew 26:36-46 April 2, 2017 5^th Sunday in Lent

At the Crossroads-John

We are at our final week of conversations with people we have met at the crossroads of their life. It has been an interesting journey learning about the different stages people have entered into their decisions to follow Jesus.

Today, we heard the Scripture read from the gospel of Matthew. In these final hours of the life of Jesus he goes once again to pray to his Father in heaven.

It is a most powerful scene.

The tension and the drama of Jesus caught in the struggle of obedience to continue movement toward the cross and his desire to remain on earth demonstrate the real struggle of the power of love.

Jesus shows the depth of his relationship with his disciples as he begs them

           to stay with him,

                     to watch with him,

                                 to remain with him.

Jesus hangs on to his love for them and their love for him.

The scene points to the essential need for relationship especially in dire times.

The Garden of Gethsemane is a place of choice.

It is a place where will and desire are put to the ultimate test.

The Garden is a place where what must be battles with what wants to be.

In the Garden of Eden in Genesis, human will for the ‘want to be’ was great

and it won over

       the will

           to remain with God,

                        to be with God,

                                to watch with God.

The Garden in Eden was the place where relationship and the fullness of life with God was lost.

We recognize sin

             as the willful disobedience of humanity.

Adam and Eve were fully aware and fully in control of their decision to disobey,

            no matter who they tried to blame.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, the Father brings around the restoration of God’s relationship to the people through the willful obedience of Jesus.

Jesus was fully in control of his decision as he reached the end of his prayers.

Jesus takes Peter, James and John with him as he moves further in the garden to pray. He keeps his closest companions with him. They fall asleep and Jesus wakes them begging them to support him in his efforts to reconcile himself with his fate.

Yet, the hour is late and they still fall asleep.

The human anxiety that Jesus faces because he is fully aware of what is about to happen, contrasts with the sleep of the disciples because they are not yet fully aware of what awaits Jesus. This points again to imperative of relationships of one with another.

It’s really hard to be supportive and present when we still can’t grasp the gravity of a situation.

I know as followers on this side of Easter we judge those disciples for not understanding Jesus and his predictions of his death.

But, I know when I want to deny the truth that is right before me because it brings me too much pain, I am like the disciples and I lack understanding even if the truth is staring me in the face.

We have all had those times.

We do not want to believe a diagnosis;

                                     or a termination notice;

                                                         or a break up, or…

We would rather crawl under the covers,

                                       fall asleep,

                                           turn the other way,

                                                   than witness the struggle before us.

John and his brother James were known as the sons of thunder. They were close to Jesus. These two and Peter are always at Jesus’ side. John is credited with the authorship of the gospel of John, Revelation and the letters that bear his name. John is also praised by the apostle Paul as one of the pillars of the Jerusalem church.

The fourth gospel is written in a way that it draws the reader into the stories as a participant. The prologue identifies the theology of the author. Jesus is more than his death on the cross. For the writer of the fourth gospel the power of God’s love for the world begins with the incarnation.

God’s love and desire for the restoration of creation begins with the birth of Jesus.

The importance of joy and light and life are prominent in this gospel.

In the life of Jesus, the first miracle that takes place is at the wedding of Cana. The abundance of wine demonstrates the abundance of all that God has for God’s people.

In the fourth gospel Jesus proclaims he is sent by the Father more than 100 times. It is essential for John to make clear that Jesus is the one who has completed what is needed for the salvation of the world.

Jesus is the great I AM.

He is the bread of life.

He is the living bread.

He is the light of the world.

He is good shepherd.

He is the resurrection and the life.

He is the way, the truth and the life.

In this fourth gospel, John has sought to clarify that the decisive measure of one’s relationship with God is one’s faith in Jesus. The coming of Jesus into the world is what has given the world access to the light and love of God.

In the fourth gospel, Jesus talks to his disciples about the power of God’s presence with them. He prepares them for the time when he will no longer be with them. He talks to them about the Holy Spirit.

He seeks to prepare them for the comfort of his presence through the presence of the Spirit to come. It is this Spirit that dwells with us at our crossroads of life. Jesus said. “Abide in me, as I abide in you.”

It is his invitation to us to allow the fullness of his presence always.

The Garden of Gethsemane was the place where we witnessed the restoration of God’s relationship with God’s people through the willful obedience of Jesus. Jesus went to the cross, he rose again, he fulfilled the promise of God.

Let us recognize the transforming power of God’s love in us. Let us say yes, to following Jesus. Amen.

At the Crossroads-Peter

Sermon Luke 22:54-62 March 26, 2017 4^th Sunday Lent

At the Crossroads-Peter

As we travel these weeks of Lent we’ve met some interesting people along the way. 

Bourgogne Crossroad

Today we meet Peter. He has been made famous for his many choices documented in Scripture. We feel like we really know him. He made a lot of declarations about Jesus during his ministry. He was rather pushy at times and excited and even a bit childlike in his mannerisms.

What are some things you can remember from your Bible teachings about Peter?

Is there any one story that sticks in your mind?

Peter and Andrew were called to follow Jesus at the same time. Peter was first known as Simon and the Jesus named him Cephus/Peter which means rock. He was from Bethsaida but lived in Capernaum, he was a fisherman.

Peter is the disciple that walked on water just to see Jesus. He has been the one quick to action and quick to fall. Peter was part of the inner circle of Jesus. He was with James and John on several occasions when Jesus took only three disciples with him. Occasions such as the raising of the daughter of Jairus and at the transfiguration. Peter was impulsive and he even sought to rebuke Jesus when Jesus starting talking about his own death. Peter pledged to Jesus that he would never forsake him and that is when Jesus warned him that he would deny Jesus three times.

Perhaps this is why we can all identify with Peter. He seems real to us. We feel that we might be just like him in some situations. Or we are pretty quick to judge him and say that we would not behave like him.

It is so easy for us on this side of Easter to look at Peter and his denial of Jesus in the courtyard and chastise him for his reaction to those gathered around him.

But, Peter had no clue what was to happen. Even though Jesus talked about suffering and death none of the disciples had any idea of how this was going to transpire.

We don’t live our lives with crystal balls in front of us.

We don’t live knowing how things are going to unfold.

Therefore, when we make strong declarations and bold statements of how we will act and how we will be bold, it might not transpire as we hope.

Life gets in the way all too often.

Peter was following closely as Jesus was taken to the High Priest’s house. He wanted to be close but he had no idea what to do next. He had already tried to fight and Jesus didn’t want any of that to happen.

He was probably following close trying to figure out his next move.

When the servant girl and the two servant men identify him as one of Jesus’ disciples. It catches him off guard.

It catches him in the middle of his thoughts about what to do to help Jesus.

These people have messed up his planning.

He needed more time.

They took him by surprise and he wasn’t ready to respond.

He reacted as usual with quick words.

He just wanted them to leave him alone as he followed Jesus and tried again to make plans to rescue him or maybe even prepare a discourse.

And before he realized he had denied knowing Jesus three times and the rooster crowed.

In the gospel of Luke, the poignant moment wasn’t the realization of the denial. But, that Jesus looked at Peter. And with the look of Jesus, Peter was filled with remorse. He was devastated and he ran away and wept bitterly.

Peter’s faith didn’t fail him at this moment. It was his faith in Jesus that responded with regret when he saw the face of Jesus. In the face of Jesus, we experience love, mercy, grace beyond measure. In the face of Jesus our relationship with him is sealed forever. We call that salvation. Salvation, our relationship with God, sealed through the love of Christ.

Fred Rogers had many things to say about relationships. As an ordained Presbyterian minister Fred Rogers chose to spread the message of the gospel through the show, Mr Roger’s Neighborhood. It was a program all about the power of relationships and love for one another.

“Love isn’t a perfect state of caring. It is an active noun like ‘struggle’. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now-and to go on caring even through times that might bring us pain.”  

At that is what the look of Jesus upon Peter did. It loved him and showed forgiveness even in the moment of the pain of being denied.

Forgiveness is necessary in all relationships.

We cannot survive without the love and forgiveness of others.

And when we receive forgiveness we have the opportunity to repent, to change, to turn another way. It is our choice point. It is our crossroads.

The power of faith is that repentance flows from faith rather than precedes it. Repentance is actually born of faith. It is the sum of our faith. (Calvin Institutes) When we recognize that we have succumbed to temptation and denied the very One in whom we believe; it is our faith that brings us to our knees in sorrow. For, how could it be that if we were without faith that we could even experience remorse for our sin of denial? 

Dr Orr once said, ‘There is only one thing evil cannot stand, and that is forgiveness.” And forgiveness is born out of love. And love is born from God. For God is love. And we belong to God who loves us. 😃

All of us find a time or place where we should have said a bold word, a good word. We struggle with what we should say. We struggle with how our faith will help us. We struggle if our words will help or hurt our relationships. We may never face a time where our words will put us in danger for our lives, but there are times when we will find ourselves at a crossroads that calls on us to speak boldly.

How do we handle those times?

Have we yet to experience those times?

We are so quick to condemn Peter for not standing up and being bold at the very moment when we think he should have been. We are so quick to rebuke those who do not take a stand for justice and righteousness in the way we expect it to be done. We especially get angry when those silent have caused harm to us.

The toughest thing for us is to love someone who has hurt us. Someone who has been cruel, mean, and unjust to others. And yet, somehow there is this power that flows from the look of Jesus, the power of love and mercy, that causes us to see Jesus in that person as well.

To find mercy in our heart to offer to them what Jesus has offered to us.

Now the other toughest thing is to love the someone who has been mean to us when that person is our self. Take good care of this person. Offer this person mercy and forgiveness too.

Let us be gentle as we hold expectations before us and recognize our need for courage comes from above.

God is the one who calls us into lives of purpose.

God is the one who calls us to serve with the unique gifts given us. And when we falter, we can look up and see the face of Jesus loving us, forgiving us, and pouring his grace upon us.

Fear not.

Grace will lead you home. Amen.

Who is my neighbor?

Sermon Luke 10: 25- 37  March 22, 2017 Ecumenical Lenten Service @ Gaskins AME Church 

Who is my neighbor?

Years ago, I traveled to seminary from Lynchburg, Virginia to Richmond, Virginia. It was a two-hour drive traveling north on state road 29 to Charlottesville then east on I64 to Richmond. I loved the drive. The trip was easy and it gave me lots of time to think or study or listen to music. I was in my own little world, feeling independent and as if nothing could burden me.

Three days a week I took to the highway and never thought twice about ever needing any help. One day on the return trip I was listening to a great song on the radio in my Chevy Malibu when my right rear tire blew out. At first I wasn’t sure what happened. But, when the car wobbled and the steering shook I realized something was wrong. I pulled off to the side of the busy, crazy part of I64 and saw the damaged tire.

Now you might think it odd that I’ve never changed a flat tire. But there I was not wanting any help and certainly wanting to prove that I could do it ‘all by myself.’ I went to the trunk to find the tire and the jack stand. I went to the glove box and pulled out the owner’s manual. I looked at the jack stand and couldn’t figure out how to use it from first glance so I sat down on the side of the road and starting reading the book.

Cars were zooming past me and some slowed down and then kept on going. I looked up a few times and kept saying when I saw those faces, ‘please don’t stop.’ I’m begging you, please don’t stop.’ I’m not sure if I didn’t want help from those kinds of people or if I was just too stubborn to accept help.

At one point a semi-truck slowed down and then kept going. Whew, I sighed relief because I really didn’t want him to stop, I’ll figure this out. But less than five minutes later the truck had gone and made a U-turn and come back to help me. His first comments were, ‘lady, I saw you sitting there reading the owner’s manual and thought if anyone is reading a book to figure out how to change a tire they need help.’ He changed my tire and sent me on my way. I was truly grateful for the help I received. He was a gentleman and had gone out of his way and interrupted his schedule to help someone who needed it. To this day grateful for this grace lesson.

‘Who is my neighbor’, the lawyer asks Jesus. Jesus shares the Good Samaritan story with him. It is a lesson in Levitical Law. The lawyer knew the Law and didn’t need this lesson. As Christians, we know the lessons of Jesus. We really don’t need a lesson on how to be kind to others. We were raised up on those lessons. We can tell each other how good we are at helping the needy.  

But what about when we are the ones in need?

Have we ever considered how we would respond to a Samaritan coming to our aid?

I ask this today, because I believe ‘how we are willing to receive help and from whom, gets to core of our own prejudice’.

It gets to the heart of our deep feelings about others.

It gets us to realize how far we are willing to go with this command from Jesus.

Who is our neighbor?  The one we fear the most, coming to us with acts of mercy.

There we are on the side of the road, stuck in a ditch and people who are just like us drive by and don’t even stop to look or slow down.

The one we find less desirable takes time to help and makes sure we have everything we need. Can we handle that?                          Can we handle that?

Samaritans, according to the Jews of the day, were ‘stupid’ people.

(And we know a lot of ‘stupid’ people. We might not say it in public. But we sure do say it in the privacy of our homes. Yes, we call people by name frequently and we know it.) They were ‘dirty and unworthy’. They were the ‘less than’ people.

Who are the Samaritans of our day? Who are the people we would beg to not come to help us?

 

Bishop Kevin Dowling-a true Good Samaritan-
Tapologo Hospice, South Africa 

The priest and the Levite who walked past the man in the ditch felt burdened by the idea of having to interrupt their lives to help someone else.

A lot of how we help has to do with our schedule and our agenda.

We stop to help others when we are not already late to get to somewhere or to do something. When we are on our way to work or school, places where we punch a clock, we have tunnel vision and preoccupation with what matters for us.

A person on the side of the road just can’t fit into that agenda.

This parable is more than a good deed. It has many twists and turns with the outcast caring for the elite and the vulnerable showing hospitality to the less vulnerable. It has the twist that hospitality comes from a willingness to have our vision turned to the side to notice others around us and to disrupt our routine to offer ourselves, our money and our time.

A few years ago, I took a youth group to spent three days working at a homeless shelter in Louisville. The shelter was a hotel and those who lived there were learning all the skills of hotel work. Cooking, cleaning, management and so on. It was an eye-opening experience and a lesson about ‘all God’s creatures’.

I asked myself, ‘would I be willing to be vulnerable and get help from one of these people? I came to serve them, this was my mission to feel good about what I did not what they did for me.’  And yet, my life was altered and my tunnel vision changed.

I think the experience at the homeless shelter was recognizing the dignity restored to the men and women in the hotel.

People, once homeless, were given new life.

The men working in the kitchen were able to teach us how to do their job.

They taught us with pride and

helped me to realize that I wasn’t there just doing something to lift them out of the ditch

but

they were doing something to lift me

out of my short sightedness.

The Samaritan in this story looked beyond the lens of prejudice and could only envision mercy.

It took guts to do what he did.

Everything one could imagine could have kept him from helping.

But, he did it anyway.

You see, To act in love for our Lord in the world demonstrates the power that love gives to discipleship;

pure love and tenderness

wrapped in the package of pure audacity and boldness.

It wasn’t too long ago, that we were unwilling to accept a blood transfusion based on the color of the skin of the donor.

It wasn’t too long ago that we were not willing to be taught by a teacher of a particular sexual orientation.

It wasn’t too long ago that we were not willing to receive a son or daughter in law based on religion.

It wasn’t too long ago that we were unwilling to have a person working for us who had a thick accent.

It wasn’t too long ago that we were unwilling to receive mercy, love, care concern, from anyone different from us.

Who is our neighbor? Jesus doesn’t need to answer us, we already know. Go and live it!

The family of God has many members and they are not all just like me.

Brothers and sisters come in all shapes, sizes, and behaviors.

As we discover how our community is diverse in many ways here on the Eastern Shore, we have the opportunity to discover how to live with shared faith, shared experience, and shared traditions.

Who is our neighbor? The one who showed mercy. Go and do likewise. Amen.

Excerpts from FPC sermon of 7/14/2013 ‘My Flat Tire’

At the Crossroads-Pilate

Sermon Matthew 27:11-26 March 12, 2017 2^nd Sunday Lent

At the Crossroads-Pilate

In this Lent, we travel the crossroads of people who were faced with a difficult choice. Today, we meet Pilate. We heard in the gospel of Matthew, Pilate was faced with a difficult choice. He could choose to do what was right in the eyes of justice, or he could respond to the pressure of the crowds and the religious leaders. He chose to bend to the will of the crowds and the religious leaders. He knew his choice was not a fine one nor was it a fair one. But, despite the turmoil within him, he chose to free Barabbas and send Jesus to his death.

In Matthew’s presentation of Jesus’ passion story, God is present and active for the salvation of humanity. Jesus struggles at the face of death just as much as any human has in history. M. Eugene Boring.

Jesus faces the trial that sends him to his death. God is fully present in him and with him.

Pilate asks Jesus the question, “Are you the King of the Jews?” This is the only question Jesus answers in this Roman trial. The next time we hear Jesus speak, he is speaking from the cross. And Jesus makes the choice to seal his fate at the cross with his answer. Jesus says, “you say so.” That is the same as saying. “Yes, I am.”

Pilate, in an effort to get Jesus to say something that is less condemning, tells him there are a number of accusations against him. Jesus doesn’t budge. Pilate is left with the struggle of his choice. He is the judge of this man. Jesus has verified the charge of treason against Rome with his answer. But, even if he had said something different, the result of his trial would be the same. Yet, Pilate seems to try every turn to set him free.

Imagine being a judge in charge of the fate of another. I don’t think I can-it’s too scary.

I think that’s why I really didn’t like serving on a jury. I was always worried that perhaps we didn’t hear the whole story. Perhaps, my judgment was in error. Perhaps, my decision was based on my prejudice-perhaps even an unconscious prejudice-and that’s the scariest of all to me.

Being a judge takes a lot of discernment and character. It requires being able to do the job without letting emotion take control. Yet, judges are faced with decisions every day that affect the lives of others.

Even though we don’t wear a judge’s robe and sit on a bench each day, we are faced with decisions that impact the lives of others.

In this reading, today we learn of Pilate and we also learn about the crowds. Pilate throws the question of which prisoner to release to the crowd. His choice point to throw the decision over to another ended up with an outcome he did not expect. They called for the release of Barabbas! Pilate who thought Jesus could be freed through the voice of the crowd, heard instead, for him to be crucified! How, can it be that people turn against someone so quickly?

How do we fall in love and follow someone for their ideals, only to turn away just as quickly through the influence of voices from the crowd?

The questions we struggle with are the ones that get at the core of our belief.

What are the basic principles that keep us on the way for good?

How do we make a choice point, a judgment that is for the best?

The best for others, and the best for us?

Perhaps, this telling story of Jesus before Pilate and the crowd is a start.

If we were to become members of a crowd, we best be sure we understand the purpose of the crowd.

Whether we were part of the women’s march on Washington,

or the crowd at a Trump support rally,

we should have known the reasons for being there.

If we were caught up in a crowd to chant slogans or campaign cries, we would hope the words that came from our mouths were ones we really believed.

Often when people are gathered in crowds they are swept up with the emotion of the moment. And in the emotion, core principles can somehow be left behind.

The crowds that followed Jesus were perhaps ones who were intrigued by his popularity, and his view on the world and his counter cultural ideals were appealing. Yet, when the crowd was faced with the need to shout out their support, they would not do it. They hid behind the words of a few and then yelled the opposite of how they had behaved over the last few years.

In this season of Lent, we come to the choice point; to choose whom we will follow. Joshua said it so well to his people so long ago. “Now therefore, revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness…now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods of your ancestors…or the gods …in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

I really believe that the choice of whom we follow becomes the core of our faith. I also believe that this then grants us the basic principles to handle life in the crowds.

It is the center of our judgment seat. Once we know who we put our faith in, we are then able to learn, know, seek to understand, and put into action those principles for life.

Christ’s premise for life was based on grace, love, truth, and service. John 13:34- A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you  Matthew 22:37-40- “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Bob Hoekstra puts it this way: Centuries before the Messiah (Jesus) came into this world, the Psalmist prophesied of the words of grace that would flow from His mouth. "You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips." God's grace guided and poured forth through the words of Jesus and set His speech above that of every other person. Those who listened to Him during His earthly pilgrimage testified of this fact. "All bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth" (Luke 4:22). One of the distinctive aspects of Jesus' words was the unique authority this grace imparted. "Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority"

When we choose that our speech will always be filled with grace, perhaps sometimes also seasoned with salt, we can know we are speaking through the wisdom of God.

We must choose that our purpose for speech is for the edification of others, not to hurt others. We must want our words to be ministering God’s grace in the lives of others as well as in our own.

Pontius Pilate had the opportunity to speak the way for good. The crowd had the same opportunity.

We have choices every day. Let us live remembering the solid rock of faith on which we stand. Let us choose grace, love, truth, and service. Let the power of God’s love flow through us and from us. Amen.