Wednesday, March 30

[Now that Lent and Easter are behind us, I am reverting to writing only once or twice a week.]

I am borrowing a text from Proverbs. “There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand," (Proverbs 30: 18).  Although not as poetic as verse 19, I have a list, too; not so much amazing as astonishingly useless or, at least, curiously pointless.

I noticed in a catalogue that one can purchase a banana slicer. It is a yellow, plastic container in which one puts a whole banana and closes the lid which then slices the banana for your P&J sandwich. How this is any more convenient or easier than an ordinary table knife escapes me. My knife has already been used for the sandwich. Why dirty more stuff?

Or there is now a key chain fob which serves as a device to roll-up-the-rim coffee cups for those contests in which I never win anything, not so much as a cookie. How hard is it to use your thumb? Or your teeth?

Then I bought a pair of socks which are labelled R for the right foot and a L for the left foot. Now I may be pretty groggy first thing in the morning, but putting on socks doesn’t usually elude my skill set. I am happy if they match and I have put them on right side out. Now I’ve got to worry that I may be putting the sock on the wrong foot, too?

I actually don’t have a fourth thing, but I trust that you can fill in the blank yourself.

The prophet Samuel spoke to all of God’s people, “Do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart; and do not turn aside after useless things that cannot profit or save, for they are useless,” (1 Samuel 12: 20 – 21). Now he was not, of course, referring to banana slicers, key chains or socks, but the useless nature of phony, religious promises and deceptive idols which do not have the living and loving Creator at the heart of life.

There is a lot of flim-flamery in some forms of religion. Christianity, too, can make its own idols, out of our buildings, our dogma, our traditions, our structures, our constitutions, our budgets, our pastors, our close-knit groups and so on. And although I am not saying that these are all useless, they are not an end in and of themselves either. Sometimes, they actually get in the way of following and serving the Lord with all our hearts.

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God,” (Micah 6:8).

EASTER, 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Easter Sunday, March 27

 The Resurrection of Jesus: Matthew 28: 1 -10

            Amid the wreckage of the now-empty tomb and fainted guards, the angel spoke these words to the women: “This is my message for you.” 

            And what a wondrous message it was: Jesus was not in the tomb any longer. He has been raised from the dead. The angel messenger invites them to take a look for themselves inside the tomb.

            And in a brief few, almost too brief, verses we, too, are invited into the Easter text. There is a message here for us. Come and see for yourself. Take a look. Use your hearts. Use your imagination. Use your faith.  The truth of the message is this: He is not here, for he has been raised as he said.

            It is tempting sometimes to over-think and over-analyze the Resurrection message. Some hear the message and resist its rationally absurd and incredible impossibility. Others parse the message too closely and get lost in tangible proofs and hard-core facts.

            I am unlikely to convince you if you are skeptical or dubious. So take a look for yourself. The big obstacles may get rolled away. The emptiness of the tomb may seem strange and alien. But unless and until you see for yourself you will miss the message. He is definitely not here.

Check the nooks and the crannies if you must but he still will not be here.

An empty tomb, in and of itself, does not prove the message for some.  Jesus also appeared to the disciples in a recognizable form and he too invited them into his message of New Life and New Hope, with promises of insight and understanding and a new mission.

So I will keep it simple today.

This is my message for you.  Come and see.

LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Holy Week, Saturday, March 26

The Burial of Jesus: Matthew 27: 57 - 66

            Pilate ordered the soldiers to make the tomb “as secure as you can,” (v.65).

            It seems everybody was on edge about a dead man.

A dead man doesn’t get up and walk away, but just in case, make the tomb as secure as you can.

A dead man doesn’t disappear without good reason, so just in case, make the tomb as secure as you can.

A dead man doesn’t slip by guards, so just in case, make the tomb as secure as you can.

            Security is defined by a tomb “hewn from the rock”, a great stone blocking the door of the tomb, and a guard posted at the tomb; a guard who, in fact, sealed the tomb. How much more secure can you get?

            Security is defined as everything in its proper place, and a proper place for everything. Security is seen as nothing being allowed to upset the status quo. Security is the feeling that nothing out of the ordinary needs to happen. Security is the sense that the existing conditions need to be maintained and protected.  Security is the belief that there are certain things one can depend upon to be always true. Security can be about having concrete absolutes, hard-fast rules and unbending points of view.

            By those standards, on a Sabbath Saturday in Jerusalem, a tomb is a very, very secure place. Nothing in; nothing out. Nice and calm – just the way Pilate wanted it. Keep everybody away. Keep a watch out for anyone acting suspiciously.  Don’t let your guard down for a moment.

            Make the tomb as secure as you can!

            See you in the morning, Pilate.

Let me know if you are still feeling confident that you have done everything possible to secure the tomb.

 

LENT 2016 - GOING TO JERUSALEM

Holy Week, Good Friday, March 25

The Death of Jesus: Matthew 27: 45 – 56

            Jesus breathed his last.

            We might tend to think that death would have been a welcome relief and a release from all that agony on the cross. Thank God it was finally over.  One last gasp, one final breath, one concluding moment of his life, and then Jesus was dead. He breathed his last breath.

            I am taken back to the First Garden, where God “formed man out of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils and the man became a living being,” (Genesis 2:7). Through the breath of God, we found our humanity, our identity, our individuality, our spirit, and our distinctiveness.  

            Breath, the necessary element for life. A child leaves the womb and the very, first thing he or she does is to gasp for their own, sweet breath and begin life’s great adventure.

We breathe and take in the aromas and scents that make life worth living – the mouth-watering smell of warm, baked bread, the powdery smell of a bath-fresh baby, the salty smells of an ocean breeze, the spicy smell of a pine forest after a rainfall…  

            “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord,” (Psalm 150:6).

            Breathing is loving. Have you ever had your breath taken away by someone you love? Have you ever lain beside a loved one and watched them breathe, grateful for every breath?  Have you ever snuck into your baby’s room just to make sure that he or she was breathing?

            “This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.” (Ezekiel 37:6) Breath is gift, life, love, and hope.

            Jesus breathed his last. And it was over. He was, as is anyone without breath, very dead! He was not comatose, feigning death, near death, or just unconscious, but he had breathed his last.

And with that last breath, some earth-shattering, holy business was under way. Something sacred was reshaping in the dust of graves and tombs. Some new wind, in Hebrew ruach, also meaning spirit, was sweeping through the cracks of airless crypts, and breathing new life into the possibility of resurrection.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,

Fill me with life anew,

That I may love what Thou dost love,

And do what Thou wouldst do. (E. Hatch)

LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, March 24

The Crucifixion of Jesus:  Matthew 27: 32 – 44

            Did some of you watch the TV show, The Passion, last Sunday night? It was a live presentation with music recounting the events of Jesus' last days. There was a huge procession with some people carrying a gigantic, neon cross, parading through the streets of New Orleans. They processed towards an area where there was a large stage, choirs, a Jumbo Tron screen, and a narrator. There was also an immense crowd waiting for the cross’s arrival.

            It was a modernized but very effective re-telling. The actors were in street clothes like jeans and t-shirts. Prisoners wore orange jumpsuits like they might wear in today’s jails. Jesus was arrested by policemen in SWAT gear.  He was transported in a police paddy-wagon.

The music was very eclectic; as mixture of secular and spiritual songs. For example, Jesus’ mother, Mary, sang When You Walk through A Storm.

On the whole, it was well done and worth the watch. But some interesting incongruities (the neon cross aside) during the broadcast has set me to thinking.

One was that the show was constantly interrupted with commercials, The Crucifixion – brought to you by snack foods, expensive cars, deodorants, and even a product for a bladder infection and so on.            

But I suppose, when you think about it, the merchants of Jerusalem did not likely close up their shops on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, either.  Afterall, the city was packed with tourists, people there for the Passover. What a golden opportunity for their version of a Black Friday! There would have been the regular selling and buying, even as the nails were being hammered into his body. The irony is intriguing, at least. The Man who was sold for a few pieces of silver, a ransom for the many, whose bloody clothes were gambled for, dying while the world of commerce grinds on.

Secondly, I found interesting the various reactions of the people in the crowds. It seemed obvious that the vast majority of the people, both in the procession and in the audience at the main venue, were Christians. Although there were many who had tears in their eyes, or were looking on with deep emotion about the events being portrayed, there was also one heck of a lot of cheering and applause. Part of it, of course, was for the performances of the actors and singers. But, it seemed to me that a lot of it was out of exuberance and excitement and even pleasure in the participation in this otherwise sobering event. It almost seemed that they were cheering Jesus on to his death, once again. If Jesus had been surrounded by such a throng of eager supporters, he may never have made it to Golgotha.

It makes me reflect about the reaction of the crowds on that Hard Friday. Simon of Cyrene is jerked from the sidelines and forced to carry Jesus’ cross. There are jeers, taunts, catcalls, and name calling. If anyone was applauding and cheering, it was the religious leaders who were finally getting rid of their problem. Crowds always love a spectacle, good or bad.

Perhaps, we, the Church, have gone too far in ripping the crucifixion of Jesus out of the real world, and making it into primarily and only a respectful, holy, church event. A number of years ago, the lead pastor of one of the large mega-churches in the United States was asked why there was no cross in the church’s auditorium. He replied that he didn’t want to scare away any newcomers with such a negative symbol. I guess he was saying that the Cross is for more mature Christians only.

Give me FOX network’s odd rendering of the Crucifixion. It is, at least, even if unintentionally, honest about the context of Jesus’ sacrifice. The meaning and purpose of this Death belongs out there in the real, confusing, incongruous, maddening world.

I might wish that I could change the channel, but I can’t!

LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Holy Week, Wednesday, March 23

The Soldiers Mock Jesus: Matthew 27: 27 – 31

            It amazes me sometimes what humankind can dream up to inflict pain and torture on each other. Crucifixion was deliberately meant to be a cruel, demeaning, barbaric, painful, humiliating experience. Rome used crucifixion as a method to send a very clear message to the ordinary, common man-in-the street – see what happens when anyone gets out of line and incurs Rome’s displeasure. It was meant to act as a deterrent although there seemed to be a never-ending supply of criminals, bandits, seditionists, and troublemakers to fill their crosses.

            To oversee the crucifixion was probably a routine and regular duty for the soldiers.  I expect it was not the most pleasant of duties, even for them.  It may have been left mostly to the lower ranks. They may have been under orders or, at least, were expected to make this experience as miserable as possible for the condemned prisoner.  These soldiers obliged, rather eagerly if you ask me.

Perhaps, if one so dehumanizes and degrades another human being, the victims cease to be real human beings any longer. It’s not a fellow human being who is nailed to a cross, but just a piece of inhuman filth and waste, hardly even an animal. It’s human cruelty at its worst.

So they made their sport of Jesus - mocking, spitting, jabbing a crown of thorns on his head, beatings, whippings and lots if it. He was a dead man walking anyway; what did it matter? That much physical abuse might have killed a lesser man even before they dragged him away to crucify him.

Our inclination is to look away and run away from this despicable scene. We will come back on Easter Sunday when the bad news is over and Good Friday will be behind us. The Risen Lord is far more palatable than the Crucified One.

This level of inhumanity is just so ugly. We can’t bear to watch.

No one, not even our worst enemies, deserve such treatment.

Why do such bad things happen to good people?

            Why would God put his own flesh and blood through such horror?

            There are no easy, simple, happy answers to these sorts of questions. I wish there were.

            But this I believe. Jesus takes the abuse, and by so doing he represents every human being that is ever beaten down, or terrorized, or is bullied, or is abandoned, or is lost in suffering and pain, or is a victim of violence, injustice or war, or is dehumanized by oppression and tyranny, or is mocked and ostracized because of who he or she is, or is innocent and is treated as guilty or is weighted down by sins.

            Somehow, someway, oddly even, there is a peculiar strength in understanding this scene.

            “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed,” (Isaiah    53:5).

LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Holy Week, Tuesday

Barabbas or Jesus: Matthew 27: 15 -23, 26

          Matthew describes Barabbas as “notorious’. It is a colourful word that has mostly negative connotations. Barabbas was someone who had a bad and nasty reputation, at least among the Romans. Perhaps he was a celebrated freedom fighter, a Jewish liberationist, which may have made him somewhat popular among some of the people, and therefore their cry for his release.  But it would also put him on the most-wanted list at the local, Roman post office.

Or perhaps, he was just a thug, a frequent violator of Roman law, someone who had a rap sheet a mile long, and always in trouble; he may just have been just a very horrible man, capable of anything.

Either way, he was finally caught and faced punishment. Barabbas was probably slated for a cross himself that coming day. The Romans were not much for long imprisonments or rehabilitation. There were usually no such things as ex-cons under Roman law.

There has been scholarly debate whether there ever was such a custom as offering clemency to a prisoner on the Passover. Maybe it was unique to Pilate. But it came down to a choice between Barabbas and Jesus. The not-so-innocent versus the innocent. A proven malcontent and troublemaker against a good, righteous man.

This incident is meant to emphasize the gross injustice of Jesus’ pending death. It exposes the fickle nature of the crowds who cheer Jesus one day and jeer him the next. It reveals the hypocrisy of standards of justice, dependent upon whichever power is defining such things. It undermines our faith in governments and legal systems who can free the guilty and punish the innocent. It may make one abhor capital punishment as a means of retribution.

But it also vividly reminds us that Jesus is the substitute for the sins of humanity. “But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us,” (Romans 5:8). Jesus fills the gap between us and God with his life. He takes on the worse that humankind can be and sets us free. 

Jesus represents Barabbas and you and me. Our notoriety is not lost on Jesus, but absorbed and absolved by the sacrificial presence of Jesus. He truly is a redeemer, the one who intervenes to free us from our messy and out-of-control debts and their consequences.

I wonder what Barabbas thought as all this was happening. Was he relieved and grateful for a second chance? Did he mend his ways? Did he ever think of Jesus, after that? Better him than me or something more?  Did he gloat at his good fortune or did he ever figure out who really saved him that day?

Barabbas was obviously no saint, but then again, I don’t know about you, but neither am I. It troubles me that God used his Son to die so that I could be free. “My chains fells off; my heart was free.”

Now what do I do?

“I rose, went forth, and followed thee.” (C. Wesley)

LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Holy Week, Monday

Jesus Brought Before Pilate: Matthew 27: 1-2, 11-14, 24 - 25

            Those in power don’t like anyone who upsets the status quo, who rocks the boat, who disturbs the peace and quiet of a passive citizenry.

Pilate probably didn’t regard Jesus as much more than an annoying irritant, but if not dealt with in a way to satisfy the whiny, religious leaders, he perhaps feared more serious trouble among the populace.  He didn’t need the news of restless rebellions and riots reaching the ears of Rome and ruining his reputation further.  It was bad enough to be out-posted to this irksome, troublesome backwater.  

Pilate needed to prove to Rome that he could handle it. It was much easier to let the poor, misguided man be crucified and wash his hands of it all. Jesus was nothing to him personally. Just another zealot or fanatic –  get rid of him and the next one will pop up anyway. The province around Jerusalem was full of such men looking to overthrow Rome or change the world. To keep the Pax Romana, Roman Peace – that was his primary job; how he achieved that was his business.

Crucifixion sets a mean, cruel example of what happens when someone disturbs Rome’s sense of balance and steadiness.

There is always tension between the purposes of Jesus and the secular powers and political authorities which try to dominate their people, using terrible force if necessary.  The incarnational Church stands before those powers and instead of armed rebellion and revolution, we let our deeds, good works, love, compassion, spirit of justice and truth speak for Jesus and his Kingdom to come.

The Governor was “greatly amazed” by Jesus. There were no explanations, no pleading, no begging for understanding or mercy, no arguments, no counter accusations, no boasts or threats.  Jesus stood tall before Pilate in silence. Everything that could be said or done had taken place prior to this.

It amazes me sometimes how much the Church wants to be accepted by the world. We want to be liked. We want to be chummy with those who have power, influence, and prestige, to be a part of the in-crowd. We want the world to include us in its games and parties. We want to be recognized by having a good seat at all the head tables, with our own place-tags and our names in gold, embossed letters.

We should feel very uncomfortable if that is what we think the Church should be. Caiaphas and the priests and elders had that, for all the good it did them. Our place is to stand in a world that sorely needs the compassionate grace, mercy and love of Jesus Christ.  “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong,” (1 Corinthians 16:13).  

Let the world be greatly amazed by the lives we live in Jesus’ name, because they have unlikely never seen anything like this before. “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand,” (Ephesians 6:13)

LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

March 20, Palm Sunday

Peter’s Denial of Jesus: Matthew 26: 69 - 75

            Once when I was a kid, playing catch with my older brother, I threw a wild pitch and accidently broke a window in the house. I ran and hid in the garden shed, fearing that my father would soon be out and he wouldn’t be happy. How I would have loved to have been able to say, “What broken window? I don’t know anything about a broken window. Not me! Must have been somebody else.”  I probably thought about even blaming my brother, somehow – that usually worked.

            Peter has been a silent bystander so far during the early stages of Jesus’ trials, hiding in the shadows, hoping that he will go unnoticed. But he couldn’t avoid detection; he was a known associate of Jesus. “You were with Jesus the Galilean.” People began to point him out. “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” Whether he liked it or not, Peter was imbued with the spicy scent of Jesus, right down to his Galilean twang. “Your accent betrays you.”

            It seems to me that our accents should always betray us as followers of Jesus. “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone,” (Colossians 4:6).

But instead, there are a lot of us Christians who hope nobody ever finds out that we are “tainted” by our association with Jesus Christ, that nobody finds out we sneak into church on a Sunday. Our language is salty enough, but perhaps not in the way Colossians meant it. It doesn’t t mean we fill up our conversations with pious and meaningless religious clichés, but that we speak the language of Love at all times, in all circumstances, and no matter what else is happening around us, good or bad. “I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit,” (Romans 9:1).

If you walk like a disciple, talk like a disciple and look like a disciple, you must be a disciple. But as we all know, Peter goes to great lengths to deny everything, or having anything to this with this Jesus character. From Nazareth, you say? Never been there.  He wouldn’t know Jesus if he fell over him. He’d swear on a stack of bibles that he never met this guy ever before, and, dammit, he wouldn’t know him from Adam.  

But then the rooster crows. Peter remembers.

It’s enough to make a grown man cry.

As for the broken window, it turned out my father was very understanding and no punishment occurred. That’s what I call grace.

 

LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Saturday, March 19

Jesus Before the High Priest:  Matthew 26: 57 – 68

            Our text tells us that Peter slinked behind Jesus and his armed guards on the way to the home of the High Priest, “in order to see how this would end,” (v.58).

            Not well, Peter; this is not going to end well!

            One might wonder who it was who spilled the beans of what went on in some of these more private trials and secret interrogations during these last hours of Jesus’ life. But as we know from modern politics, there are always some faceless sources who wish to “remain anonymous” and who like to tell all about what went on behind closed doors. I doubt if it was too difficult to ascertain what happened at Caiaphas’ palace. Somebody would be bragging how they put Jesus in his place and proved him just another phony Messiah, prone to blasphemy and visions of grandeur.

            End of story!

            Except this is just the beginning of the end. There is much yet to come.

            We become like Peter – a bystander from afar; aghast, bewildered, confused, disbelieving that it has taken such a terrible turn for the worse, but all we can do now is watch, wait and pray for some miraculous intervention.  There is a feeling of powerlessness at not knowing what to do. Shame? Guilt? Fear?  Maybe, ever so reluctantly, just a bit fascinated, curious, and mesmerized by the dramatic events taking place before our eyes.

            How is this all going to end?

            I sometimes try to imagine what it must have been like to read a Gospel for the very first time, knowing nothing about Jesus or Christianity, just as if I was reading a novel for the first time.  Things look really ominous for our hero at this point. The big, bad villains have him in their clutches.  Does Jesus make it out alive or is he done for? I can’t wait to see how this ends. The tension is unbearable. It is tempting to skip all the nasty bits of the story and jump to its conclusion, hoping for a happy ending.

            But I hide with Peter in the shadows and listen and watch and wait. To understand and appreciate the surprise ending, I must be a witness to this, first, to see how Jesus endured the insults, the torture, the pain and suffering and even death.

            It’s hard to watch.

            Hey, Peter, you’re blocking my view!

           

LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Friday, March 18

The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus: Matthew 26: 47 - 57

Bad things always seem to happen at night. There are monsters under the bed, boogeymen in the closet, and things that go bump in the night. Bad dreams and nightmares.  The phone rings with bad news. You wake up in a sweat with the flu. The baby is sick with a fever and an earache. You’ve heard an unusual noise downstairs or outside your bedroom window.

Or, in Jesus’ case, men arrive with swords and clubs.

Can’t a man pray in public and be left alone? It makes you wonder what they were so afraid of or what they thought was going to happen. Had Jesus done anything up to this point to lead anyone to think he was leading a violent, armed, militant rebellion? “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit?”  

Well, one can never be too careful when dealing with Jesus!

Jesus indicates that scriptures are coming to life as the night unfolds. There would be no stopping God’s Word, even with the arrest of Jesus; words which say “that it must happen this way.”

So guys, put down your swords and clubs; quit hacking at each other; you’re just going to hurt yourselves in the dark. What’s going to be has to be.

The disciples scuttled and scampered out of there faster than you could say “Jesus of Nazareth.”  Like I said, bad things happen at night, and the disciples wanted no part of this midnight drama, no matter how scriptural it was. So, they skedaddled! They headed for the hills! They made themselves scarce. “Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.”

One can feel awful lonely in the night’s utter darkness.

It makes me wonder how often have we left Jesus standing tall but on his own?  See you later, Jesus, but I just remembered that I have some urgent business – anywhere else but here! You don’t need me, Jesus; I’m sure you can handle this on your own. They seem to be only looking for you, Jesus; so I’ll step out of the way and just be on my way. I am of no help here, so I’m just going to run along with the others.  See ya, Jesus; wouldn’t wanna be you!

 “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going,” (John 12:35).

So, let me ask you; are those Nike or Adidas running shoes you have on?

LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Thursday, March 17

Jesus Prays at Gethsemane: Matthew 26: 36 - 46

            I am reading a fantasy book in which one of the favourite sayings of the hero is, “It is better to do it than live with the fear of doing it.”  It comes to his mind whenever he is facing something dangerous or risky situations – which is often.

            God’s Champion is facing the hardest test of his life. He has come into the Garden of Gethsemane to mull it all over one last time.  Grieved and agitated, sorrowful or troubled, plunging into agonizing sorrow – however we translate verse 37, the mantle of God’s mission is weighing very heavily upon him. “This sorrow is crushing my life out.” (The Message Bible)

            I have always identified this scene with the words in Hebrews 2, verse 18: “Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.”  For anyone who forgets or ignores that Jesus is fully human, this scene brings us back to earth. He is no eager, willing martyr. He is afraid, upset, worried and disturbed by the ordeal which he is being called upon to endure. "My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?"

            We all know and have experienced what Jesus was going through at Gethsemane. Perhaps, we don’t have the same sense of purpose, but most of us have had to deal with tragedy, suffering, pain, diseases, loss and fear which throws us on our knees before God. Pleadingly, we pray, “Not now,” or “Not this,” or “Why me?” or “Help me!” or “Anything but this.”  Jesus’ experience does very little to address why bad things happen to good people or why God allows human suffering.

            But the story does give us a glimpse into what Jesus was going to do to get through it all. Jesus was going to rely on the powerful strength of God to see him through. Jesus gave his whole life and therefore his life’s end over to God, trusting that God’s Love for him will endure to the very end.  “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done,” (v.42)

            Let’s not be glib or facile about this. The horror of crucifixion remained; the nails no less menacing or excruciating. Jesus did not just seem to suffer, but not really. His sacred nature did not shield him from the pain or the resulting death. Everything that was causing him grief and sorrow in the Garden happened to him and then some. This was not “virtual suffering”; it was painfully and agonizingly real.

            Yet, except for one terrible moment of feeling abandoned as he hung on the cross, Jesus freely chose to put his life and death in God’s hands. It was a terrible risk. What if Jesus had been wrong about everything he believed?  Then he is just some poor wretch who died for nothing. He should have run away when he had the chance.

            Instead, Jesus made it through all that pain, suffering and death, and found New Life. Now, because of what he suffered for us, he is able to grab us by the hand and pull us through when we are ready to give up, when we feel that we cannot take another step, when it hurts like hell to live, and the inevitably of sorrow is just around the next corner.

            “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need,” (Hebrews 4: 15 – 16).

LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Wednesday, March 16

Peter’s Denial Foretold: Matthew 26: 31 - 35

            Put me in the game, coach, I am ready!  

I have had days like chest-y Peter, when I thought that I could take on the world. Nothing could stop me.  I was confident that I could face adversity and challenges with courage and boldness. Nothing was going to stop me from being successful, victorious, faithful and prove my worth in Jesus’ eyes.

Bring it on - I can take it!  Just watch me!  

Me and Jesus, up against the world! Just like Batman and Robin. The bad guys don’t stand a chance.

“Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.”

Then the hard truth of reality settles in.

Somebody pushes back – hard! Somebody doesn’t care what I think. Somebody has more power or influence than I do. Somebody really dislikes me. Somebody dashes my eager plans. Somebody refuses to do what I say. Somebody criticizes me. Somebody tells me to mind my own business. Somebody thinks I am pushy, belligerent, confrontational and wishes that I would just go away, and leave them alone.

I fall back. I push away. I stagger. I fall. I get up and run away. I hide and cower.  

Sorry, Jesus, (if that is your name), you are on your own.

“Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.”

How did you know, Jesus? How did you know that I am really a coward at heart? How did you know that I never finish anything I start? How did you know that I am all talk and no action?

Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man. (Luke 5:8)

Look, Jesus, I will get back to you when all this blows over. See you then.

Is that a rooster warming up, just off stage?

 

LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Tuesday, March 15

The Institution of the Lord’s Supper:  Matthew 26:  26 – 30

             We have always been a family that has enjoyed eating together, even now. A family dinner is a loud, noisy, raucous affair - full of laughter, conversations, and sharing memories.

Inevitably, we will get reminiscing about the past including family vacations and trips, cottage times, growing up, special events like weddings, birthdays and Christmases, etc.  We tell the same stories over and over again. It never seems to get old or tired. We are now creating and adding new memories for our grandchildren, which they will tell when they get older.

            Curiously, Matthew has chosen not to include the familiar words, “Do this in remembrance of me,” (Luke 22:19).  Matthew’s version of the Lord’s Supper is short and to the point. Take. Eat. This is my body. Drink from the cup, all of it.

            I like the simplicity here.

            It is not difficult to remember this story. It is a memory that sticks.

            It is the story which we will tell often when we, plain and simple church folk, gather around the Table.

            It is the story which gathers us together in close communion with Jesus and one another. It is the special story which aches with Jesus’ inclusive Love, compassion, grace and forgiving mercy.

It is not any more or any less complicated than that – Jesus personalizing the elements of bread and wine from the Great Story of the Passover, so that we recognize him by their substance and symbolic nature. He could have chosen some of the other customs of the Seder, but he especially chose bread and wine because they are rich and easily understood as signs of God’s redeeming Grace.

These two things are as common and everyday as to be taken for granted, but now because of this particular story, bread and wine taste differently and hold special significance.

This Bread and Wine take us out of the ordinary, mundane task of toiling for our daily bread and fetching that which will slake our thirsts and they work together through the Spirit of Jesus Christ to strengthen us for the journey into the future of God’s making through Christ. “I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until I drink it with you on my Father’s Kingdom.”

It is a wonderful mystery how a little piece of bread and a sip of grape juice or wine can have any such energy. There are times in my life when I would like to tear great big chunks from the loaf and gulp down buckets of the fruit of the vine, because I am so spiritually hungry and so thirsting after righteousness. But then I remember the story and I remember the One who has brought me into this story.  I remember the One who hands me the bread and passes me the cup. I remember the One who poured out his life for the many, for me.

I love to tell the old, old story of Jesus and his love.

LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Monday, March 14

The Passover with the Disciples, Part Two: Matthew 26: 20 – 25

            Jesus holds up a mirror to some abhorrent behavior. It is in our human nature to recoil at the very thought that I, of all people, could do such a thing. “Surely not I, Lord?”

It is a little intriguing that when Judas played along with the charade of feigned innocence, he addresses Jesus only as rabbi and not Lord (v.25) like the other disciples.  It may indicate that he was quickly distancing himself from the messianic impulse of this movement, and regarded Jesus just as a teacher, and not God’s Champion to be followed, no matter what.

I am pretty sure that we don’t get to pick who Jesus is. We don’t tell Jesus what to do and how to do it.  Yet, the painful truth may be that some of us may not like what Jesus represents, or what he says, or what he expects of us, or how he goes about his business, but that is our problem more than his issue. It is really hard for some folk to get their heads around a Crucified Saviour for sake of humanity. Perhaps, Judas was so frustrated and disappointed that another promising liberation movement was about to sputter to an inglorious end on a Roman cross.

Judas is a mirror for our reluctant discipleship. He is the template for our own levels of separation from Jesus. He is the pattern of our unwilling desire to call Jesus, Lord. He is the archetype of our inability to accept Jesus for who he is. He is the standard for the ability and capacity to speak the name of Jesus, one way, but betray him with our words and actions, the next.

Yet, no one stopped him; not even Jesus tried. Judas made his decision to give up on Jesus, and give him over to the religious authorities. There are times we can become so hard- headed and so hard-hearted that nothing, not even the love of Jesus, can deter us from doing something monumentally stupid or destructively  harmful.

There has been a great deal of effort to rehabilitate Judas’ reputation. If we were in Judas’ sandals we would want Jesus to give us the benefit of the doubt, to forgive what we had done, to make some allowances, to pour grace and mercy over the wounds we have caused. The betrayal is all on him, although Luke and John indicate Satan played a role, too. But Judas’ spirit had to be willing in the first place, I would think.

Can we find any helpful counsel in any of this?

Check our motives at the door when we are in the presence of Jesus. Don’t get carried away by our own, personal agendas and plans. Don’t give up when things seem to be going awry and trust that God’s Love will work it all out. Trust your community of friends who share the journey with you.  It is not up to you alone to make things happen; it is supposed to be and needs to be a shared venture.

Most of all, don’t give up on Jesus!

“Surely not I, Lord?”

LENT 2016 -  GOING TO JERUSALEM

THE FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT

 The Passover with the Disciples, Part One: Matthew 26: 17 – 19

             I always get a little nervous when someone asks me where there is a good place to go and eat in the city. What restaurant would I recommend?  Now, we don’t go out a whole lot for dinner but we do have a few favourites. It depends on the mood we are in, what we feel like eating, and if it is a special occasion or just dinner out.

            But our choices might not suit your expectations. Are you concerned over the prices? Are you looking for Chinese or a steak dinner or seafood? Are you looking for some quiet, classy ambience or will a noisy roadhouse do? There is a lot of responsibility in recommending a restaurant to someone. What if you hate the place and the food is awful? What if it is too expensive? What if the service is terrible that night?

            Look, here is a coupon for Harvey’s – go and knock yourself out! It’s on me!

            So, the disciples came to Jesus and asked him where he wanted to eat. Being the big, Passover Holiday the “restaurants” are going to be busy and reservations hard to come by. “Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” Jesus seemingly had made some prior arrangements with “a certain man.” (Matthew is a little less cloak-and-dagger about the arrangements.) So off they trot to check it out!

            It is probably a long reach to throw the disciples’ practical, plain, natural question back into some of the previous texts which we have read. Nonetheless, it has reminded me of the task of preparing on  Jesus' behalf  as we wait the advent of his Kingdom. It hasn’t been that long ago since we read about the faithful servants in charge of the daily, meal program while the Master is away (Matthew 24:45 -51).

            Even the issue of preparing such a sacred meal as this, or for us recreating it through the sacrament of communion, the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, has a missional vibe to it. Go into the city. Meet someone, perhaps even a stranger, on the street.  Invite yourself into their context, i.e. home. Make Jesus welcome right where they live. It may seem a little presumptuous, but being incarnational is usually audacious and maybe a tad impudent sometimes. We would never even think of ever inviting ourselves into someone’s home for supper, would we? But hospitality was much different in the Middle East, than our inhibited, North American customs. A lot of our modern houses don’t even have separate dining rooms or even a good-sized, eat-in kitchen.

            But I am very curious about that “certain man.” How did what he had witnessed that evening in his home affect him and his family? Was he on the outside looking in, just a spectator? Or did he take part in the Passover meal himself, and was he  invited to share the cup and the bread? How did he understand the symbolic words which Jesus spoke that night? When he was cleaning up the dishes, sweeping away the bread crumbs, tidying up the room, and later, talking it all over with his wife, as most couples do after a dinner party, what did they get from the evening?

            When you and I, as disciples of Jesus, go into our neighbourhoods and prepare the places where Jesus may invite his friends, we never know what impact it might have on others.  When we shuffle over and make room for them at the table, that inclusive gesture speaks volumes of the welcoming grace of Jesus in their presence. When we say that we want to fellowship with them wherever they are, and do so in the name and love of Jesus, we may bless them with the signs of God’s sacrificial gifts.

            So, what are you having for supper tonight?  Is there room for one more?

LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Saturday, March 12

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus: Matthew 26: 14 – 16

(We spent a fine, quality weekend by  tickling and playing with and going to “Old McDonald’s" for chicken nuggets with 3 yr. old William and snuggling with 6-month old Henry. Now back to our regular schedule programming….)

Have you ever betrayed anyone?

Maybe you broke a confidence, a secret that someone had shared with you. Maybe you lied to a friend, not the kind of little, white fib that was meant to protect their feelings, but the kind of lie that deceived and misled them in some way.

Perhaps, you spread some nasty bit of gossip about someone or spoke a lie about someone which besmirched and slandered their character.

Have you ever broken an important promise?  Have you ever made a commitment and then didn’t follow through, and thereby let someone down terribly?

Most of us may have done something like this. Maybe intentionally; more likely, inadvertently. We may hope that no harm was done; that the other person will understand; that the other person will forgive. But very often, the pain of severe betrayal cuts to the bone and leaves terrible, relational scars. Trust, faith, loyalty, friendship, kinship, love, all fly out the window when betrayal wreaks its havoc.

There has been much conjecture about why Judas chose to betray Jesus? Was he trying to goad Jesus into taking more violent action against the Romans? Was he fed up with the passive nature of Jesus’ methods? Was he an agent for the priests and elders? Or did he simply just do it for the money? Whatever his motivation it has turned him into a heinous villain, always remembered in the words, “on the night in which he (Jesus) was betrayed…”

Perhaps, we need look no farther than what has caused the betrayals we have experienced; the ones we have caused or the ones done to us. Is it jealousy? Resentment? Laziness, in that we just can’t be bothered to follow through?  Do we think our commitments don’t matter to someone else?  Do we take trust so lightly?  Do we think that we and our time are more important than anyone else’s?  Are we so careless with relationships that we toss them away?

Judas didn’t just betray Jesus; he betrayed his fellow disciples, his brothers, with whom he had been in close friendship for three years or so. Judas betrayed a cause – Jesus’ Vision for the Kingdom.  Judas betrayed God’s Champion for, seemingly, his own gain or, at least, his own agenda of some kind.

He will never ever live that down!