THROUGH THE TEARS; THROUGH THE YEARS

April 16, 2017 (10:30am)

Easter

John 20:1-18

(prayer)

The four biblical gospels all relay the Easter story slightly differently. Like how many and which women (or men) went to the tomb; how many angels there were; and when, where and to whom does Jesus appear?  In summary,  these are the basic, amalgamated details:

1     women come to the tomb (at first light on Sunday) to finish Jesus' burial ritual that was interrupted by the onset of the Sabbath on Friday: sadness is the dominate emotion,

2     they discover that Jesus' body was gone: fear accompanies sadness,

3     an angelic messenger proclaims that Jesus is risen: the women are told to 'not be afraid' and to share the good news of Jesus' resurrection,

4     Then, Jesus appears in person... alleviating any doubt about the angel's proclamation.

We read John's version this morning.  Other than the fact that it implies that Mary Magdaline went to the tomb alone, it basically follows the amalgamated pattern.

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I mentioned several times throughout the season of Lent over the past several weeks, that the Gospel of John uses a lot of poet8c license to play around with the details (compared to how the other gospels tell it).  John is always less about history and more about meaning.

One of the beautify aspects to the fourth gospel's Easter narrative is how personal the experiences are.  The first half of chapter 20 invites us to see Easter through Mary's eyes and heart.  During the last half of chapter 20, we share Thomas' experience.  Chapter 21 focuses on Simon Peter.

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Each of these disciples is deeply burdened in some way.  Their personal connection to the Risen Christ brings relief to their souls.

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Mary - resurrection was not on her mind at all.  Jesus' body was gone... stolen for some reason.  There was no joy behind her tears.  Only a compounded sadness.

Sir, if you have taken away the body, please tell me where it is and I will take it away.

Mary!

With that one word, sadness becomes joy.

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Thomas - the text doesn't tell us where he had gone, but given that the huddled group of disciples were from out of town, a good guess would be that he was out running some errand for the group... maybe a post-sabbath food run.

He knew that he had missed something big; the mood in the room was almost celebratory... 180° turn around.

Mary was right... she DID see the Lord this morning.  Jesus was here... while you were gone.

Thomas could not share their excitement.  The only emotion he could muster was disappointment.

A week later and his mood had not improved, no matter how many times the others told the story.

I just won't believe that it's real nless I see and touch Jesus for myself.

Thomas.  Come over here and take a look.

With that generous invitation, exclusion became inclusion.  Disappointment gave way to faith.

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Peter - Jesus had nicknamed him The Rock, but he felt a lot more like Simon than Peter ever since that night outside the high priest's house.  Some "rock" he was -- crumbled go dust as soon as a little pressure was applied.  Not just once, but three times.

I'm going fishing.

Simon, son of John, do you love me? 

You know I love you.

Then feed my sheep.

Three times the question was asked and answered.

Put you love into action, Peter.  I'll take that over words, any day.

Simon, the fishermen was still a valued fisher of people.

Jesus' blatant forgiveness melted away the guilt that Peter was carrying.

With words of encouragement regret becomes resilience.

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Resurrection turned around the disciples' lives...

·         The burden of Sadness became Joy.

·         The burden of Exclusion became Inclusion.

·         The burden of Regret became Resilience.

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Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Mt11:28-30)

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Like Mary, Thomas and Peter, are we ready to allow resurrection to change us?  To un-burden us to new life?

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Let us pray:

Mighty God,

As we move through every sorrow and trial of this life, uphold us with knowledge that we are redeemed and restored to the fullness of life and forever freed to be your people. Amen.

**offering**

GO QUICKLY AND TELL

April 16, 2017 (8:30am)

Easter

Matthew 28:1-10

Acts 10:37b-42

This morning begins where Friday left off.  Jesus is dead... executed (officially) as a traitor to the Empire,  but (more accurately) the victim of a brutal regime ruling with the power of fear... a non-threatening ideologue treated like a dangerous criminal to send a message to anyone considering upsetting civil order.

Most of Jesus' close followers spent the weekend huddled behind locked doors... evidence that Pirate's decision to execute the group's leader was wise (from his perspective): it created enough fear to paralyze the followers.

Only one thing could get a few of them venture outside... giving Jesus a dignified burial with aromatic spices.  The women would leave as early as possible on Sunday morning to minimize the chances of running into any trouble.

Matthew 28

¹After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. ²And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. ⁴For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. ⁵But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples, “He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.” This is my message for you.’ ⁸So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’

#412VU "This is the Day"

The various gospels vary in their descriptions of the women's reaction to finding the empty tomb. 

The passage I read from Matthew is a nice amalgam of the accounts in the other gospels... it contains most of the major details we associate with the Easter story:

- the women came to the tomb at first light: sadness in the dominate emotion,

- they discover that the stone is rolled away: fear accompanies sadness,

- an angelic messenger proclaims that Jesus is risen: the women are told to 'not be afriad',

- the women are told to share the good news of Jesus' resurrection,

- Then, Jesus appears in person... alleviating any doubt about the angel's proclamation.

The four gospel accounts vary on who is involved (how many women? did men go check things out?), how quickly people believed, and ... when and where the risen Jesus appears and to whom.

The phrase I really like in Matthew is the angel saying, "go quickly and tell his disciples, He has been raised from the dead."

I like the urgency of this instruction.  Sadness and Fear dominated the women when they arrived at the tomb and realized that something was not quite right.  Relatively quickly those emotions were transformed into Reverence (fear) and Great Joy.

But back in the upper room, the rest of the followers of Jesus were still grief stricken and worried.  In the urgency of the instruction (go quickly and tell), I hear a desire to transform the mood of the rest of the disciples in the same way it has happened for the women.

#121MV "Singin' Hallelujah"

Matthew's version doesn't describe how the disciples reacted when they were told the women's story, but - in the other gospels, the words (on their own) are not very convincing. Luke says that the others called it an idle tale.

For the most part, it is not until Jesus (himself) appears do others believe... the disciples in Emmaus when Jesus broken the bread; Thomas' need to see and touch; even when Jesus appeared to them in Galilee, Matthew says that 'some [still] doubted'.

Easter is a hard to believe part of our faith... it runs counter all that we know about how things operate in this world.

For those earliest, most fearful and grief stricken disciples... words were not enough to believe that Jesus Is Risen.  So, it appears that a few special resurrection appearances were arranged to get most of them over the hump.

If all that was important was for people to believe that Jesus was physically resurrected, there would have had to have been an endless string of Christ appearing behind locked doors with his crucifixion wounds available for inspection.

But the next step for Jesus' followers was not simply to bask in the knowledge of resurrection, but to learn to live and minister in the name of the Risen Christ.  The mission of the church was not to only proclaim Christ Raised, but to share Jesus' basic message dating back to his time with John the Baptist ... the realm has come near!

A few years later when Simon Peter shared his faith with the household of Cornelius, it was not just the Easter story he told.

Acts 10

^37bBeginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: ³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. ³⁹We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; ⁴⁰but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, ⁴¹not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴²He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.

We carry the same legacy as Mary, Peter, Cornelius and the countless other believers throughout these last two millenia.

From the old, we travel to the new.

#639VU "One More Step"

Go in peace to great this new day with hope and promise.  Amen.

EXHAUSTED

April 14, 2017

Good Friday

Matthew 26:36-56; 27:33-37,45-50

(silent prayer)

If you have spent time in United Churches over the last few decades, you will probably recognize some of the music of UCCan musician and hymn writer Linnea Good (Make a Joyful Noise All the Earth... A Light is Gleaming...Hey Now, Singing Hallelujah... When You Walk From Here).  One of her early songs (that never made the hymn books) is called "It Ain't Hip to be a Christian". The song highlights some of the questions that the absurd parts of Christianity raise.

A dude was born in Bethlehem

two thousand years away.

He talked about love

and he talked about sharing,

so they tortured

and they killed him one day...

He talked about love and he talked about sharing, so they tortured and they killed him one day...

It is an absurd tale when you sum it up like that.

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Good Friday is an absurd twist within the story of Jesus.

As a minister (especially when talking to children or people new to the church), it is one of the hardest issues to confront.  How could kind and loving Jesus go from hearing Hosanna on Sunday to Crucify on Friday?

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Last evening, there was a Maundy Thursday service.  It gets its name from the latin, mandatum (the same word behind the english word mandate)...  In the gospel of John, chapter 13, Jesus is quoted as saying to his disciples: I give you a new commandment (mandatum novum), that you love one another as I have loved you.

In the wider story of Jesus' life, we see that Jesus' focus was on a faith that was love and service lived-out.  How could that possibly result in a death sentence?

This quandary is not new.  It is as old as Christianity itself.

The crucifixion was a very difficult for the early church to explain.  If Jesus was God-incarnate, how is it that he couldn't avoid the cross.

In the end, the seeds of a theology of substitutional atonement was planted - thanks largely to the anonymous Letter to the Hebrews, which sought to aid early Christians with Jewish roots to adapt to this new faith expression: that Jesus' death was akin to a sacrificial offering as a means to absolve sins.

I can certainly see that there must have been pressure in the early church to try an justify Jesus' death as a meaningful and important part of the story of Jesus as the Messiah of God.

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The simple reality is that neither the Temple's high priest, Caiaphas, nor the Roman prefect, Pontius Pilate, were part of conspiracy to have Jesus die for the sins of the world.

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Jesus ran afoul of the temple authorities because he upset the way the temple operated.  Most of the gospels agree that - right after Jesus entered Jerusalem (under waving palm branches) - [that] he publicly rebuked the practice that the temple grounds were being used to sell animals for sacrifices and to buy temple currency for offerings.

To the temple leaders, Jesus was an insignificant, small town rabbi, who was out of his league at the temple.  Some accused him of blasphemy.

As the week evolved, Caiaphas could not simply ignore Jesus.  The high priest had to get to the bottom of these accusations.  He had had enough.

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A bribe to one of Jesus' own disciples provided information about the location of Jesus' campsite, so he could be brought in for questioning after sunset to avoid as much public scrutiny as possible.

We heard the story of Jesus arrest earlier from the gospel of Matthew.

Before the temple police arrived, Jesus was off praying alone in a garden on the Mount of Olives.

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We heard the semi-humourous account of three of Jesus' close followers being simply too exhausted to stay awake while Jesus prayed.

It is a curious scene.  Why was it so important that they stay awake?  We're they supposed to be on the look out for any unwanted visitors?  Was it for moral support?

Certainly, in retrospect... it is symbolic of discipleship commitment.

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The final verse from Matthew 26 that was read indicates the level of commitment, not just of Peter, James and John, but of all of Jesus' disciples... "^56bThen all of the disciples deserted him and fled."

As I noted on Palm Sunday, Pontius Pilate was correct.  There was a political dimension to Jesus' message.  Some called him a king - which the Empire could not allow.  But, the Jesus-movement was non-violent.  Pilate knew (through experience) that with non-violent revolutionaries, deal harshly with the leader and the followers will disappear.  Pilate had no extra energy to waste on a nuisance like Jesus.

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I can relate to the disciples.  I have known times that (regardless of what might be the best thing to do) I just want to walk away... to hide... to pretend that the hard realities around me just aren't there.

I am not going to selfishly bear the depths of my soul in the context of this worship, but I have felt like crawling into a cave by myself a lot recently (not about my stolen car... that was an inconvenience that resolved itself relatively quickly - for the better in many ways).

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I doubt that I am alone in wanting the world to stop so I can get off.

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Life - when dominated by worry, fear, sadness, grief and other tough emotions can be exhausting.

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Remembering or imagining how that feels can help us relate to the harsh helplessness of Good Friday.

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As we listen to Jesus' Gethsemane prayer, he sounds as emotionally and spiritually exhausted as his disciples are physically exhausted.

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If we read further in the stories of Jesus' final day, we discover...

• How Peter was too worried about being dragged into court himself that he refused to admit knowing Jesus, even after witnesses were able to point him out: too exhausted to face the consequences of being an open follower of prisoner Jesus.
• How, before the Sanhedrin, Pilate and Herod Antipas, Jesus expended almost no energy trying to fight the charges.  All of his options were exhausted.
• How, after Jesus was crucified, the disciples hid behind locked doors, mustering only the minimal amount of energy to burn and anoint Jesus' lifeless body.

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It was time to set aside the past and try to pretend that the world outside did not exist.

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#133VU “Go to Dark Gethsemane”

A NEW SACRAMENT

April 13, 2017

Maundy Thursday

John 13:3-10a,12-15,34

1 Corinthians 11:23-25

It was either the day before passover (the day of preparation) or the passover itself, when Jesus and his closest disciples shared supper together for the final time.

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The Apostle Paul gives us the oldest account of how The Last Supper was practiced in the early decades of the Christian Church:

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my body that is for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.'  In the same way he also took the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood.  Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.'

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#480VU "Let Us Break Bread Together"

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These are the gifts of God for the people of God.

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Even though the location was a rented room, Jesus acted as host.  On special occasions, it was customary for the host to arrange for the guests to be comfortable as they arrived for the evening. 

Life in 1st century Judea was a walking culture and it was (for the most part) an arid climate.  So, the host would arrange to have a household servant wash the guests' feet: it would be appreciated as a special luxury, allowing people to feel relaxed and ready for their time together.

From the Gospel of John...

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and going to God, got up from the table, and tied a towel around himself.  Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.  He came to Simon Peter, who said 'Lord, are you going to wash my feet?'  Jesus answered, 'You do not know what I am doing, but later you will understand.'  Peter said to him, 'You will never wash my feet.'  Jesus answered, 'Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.'  Simon Peter said to him, 'Lord, not only my feet but also my hands and my head!'  Jesus said to him, 'One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean.' ... After [Jesus] had washed their feet, had put his robe on, and had returned to the table, he said to them, 'Do you know what I have done for you?  You call me teacher and Lord - and you are right for that is what I Am.  So, if I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash each other's feet.  For I have set you an example, that you should do as I have done for you.'

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Jesus - the host - takes on the role of a servant.  Peter gets that and feels that Jesus (his lord and teacher) should be one who is served, rather than the servant.  Jesus convinces him to play along.

After the foot washing is finished, Jesus makes it clear that there was both a metaphoric dimension to this experience.  It was a lived-out parable ... the actions held a deeper meaning.

"Do as I have done."

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#560VU "O Master Let Me Walk with Thee"

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If you are at all familiar with the basic rituals of the Christian Church, you might know that we regularly celebrate two sacraments that the Bible indicates were initiated by Jesus... Communion (The Last Supper, Eucharist): Do this often - eat and drink in remembrance of me; and... Baptism: Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

But we do not have a sacrament of foot washing, even though the bible clearly says that Jesus told us to Do as I have done.  It would make sense if the had developed a ritualized practice to be faithful to Jesus call for us to wash each other's feet.

Now, I know that - there are times when foot-washing is incorporated into Holy Thursday services, but it is far from a regular universal practice across denominational lines, like communion and baptism are.

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I think that this is because, before Jesus was finished speaking on that night, he made it clear that the foot washing was not really about foot washing.  It was a parable for what Jesus wanted his disciples to be all about.

I give you a new commandment (a new mandate), that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you should love one another.

The practice of Jesus, that he was mandating them to copy was his compassion... his practice of servant love.

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Let us go to love and serve our God by living out the compassion of our Christ.

Make Holy Love real.

It is by love that the world will know we are Jesus' disciples.

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#298VU "When You Walk From Here"

SET IN MOTION

April 9, 2017

Palm/Passion Sunday

Matthew 21:1-11

Philippians 5:5-11

(prayer)

The week of Palm Sunday was (almost certainly) not Jesus' first time attending a passover festival in the shadow of the Temple. 

Luke's gospel tells us that, as a 12 year old, Jesus' family made at least one pilgrimage to Jerusalem - it may have been a family tradition - The text implies that Mary, Joseph and Jesus traveled with other extended family members. 

John's gospel describes Jesus going to Jerusalem for the passover each of the three years of his active ministry.

It might be an accurate guess to say that travelling to Jerusalem annually for the passover was something Jesus had done his whole life.  His parents had that habit and Jesus carried the family tradition on during his adult life.

In a way, the habit of being in Jerusalem at passover time set in motion the events of Jesus' final week.

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And yet, something was different about the year that turned out to be Jesus' last passover.  I doubt that a Palm parade was an annual tradition.

By the time of Jesus' third passover since his baptism approached, his reputation had preceded him into Jerusalem.

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Jesus built this reputation on the strength of a large number of personal encounters.  Yes, the gospels tell us about a few large group events, but, mostly, the story of Jesus are accounts of Jesus touching one heart at a time.

Each of those people who experienced moments of clarity listening to Jesus teach - each of those bodies made whole at his healing touch - each person welcomed into the centre from the edges of exclusion - were part of the path that lead Jesus through the "Golden Gate" on the first day of that fateful passover week.

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I do not believe that all of the details of our lives are already laid out before us.  I'm more of a free will guy than a predestination person.  But, I do believe that the events of today and the small (and big) choices we make along the way do set us off in particular directions - ready to be impacted by the events and choices of new moments.

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When a few festival goers got wind of the fact that the teacher-healer-prophet from Galilee was coming into the city, a crowd began to gather at the Golden Gate along the Temple's eastern wall (the most direct way into Jerusalem from the campsites on the Mount of Olives).

Jesus' reputation set in motion the events that would become known as Palm Sunday.

The Palm parade led directly into the Temple courtyard, where Jesus caused a disruptive scene over issues of the:

 -sale of sacrificial animals and

 -currency exchanges. 

Matthew's narrative mentions that (after the turning of tables) people came to Jesus for acts of healing, right there on the Temple grounds.

Shouts of "Hosanna to the Son of David" that were heard during the palm parade echoed again within the temple walls... an event that drew the suspicious ire of the watchful priests and scribes.

The religious elite believed that Jesus was acting with more authority than someone like him deserved.  What bothered them the most seems to have been... that the crowds were heaping authority and praise on this small town rabbi.

This tension between temple leaders and Jesus set in motion things that would happen later in the week.

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Jesus was being spoken of as a bless`ed Son of David and that set in motion messianic proclamations by people in the crowds, which further concerned the Temple leaders.

There was also a political parallel to these religious concerns.  "Messiah" (or annointed one) was a royal title... to the local representatives of the Roman Empire, claims to kingship was a potential political threat.

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On both religious and political planes, the events of Palm Sunday set things in motion that would change human history.

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By Thursday evening, the consequences of Palm Sunday included the fact that certain Temple leaders wanted to bring Jesus before the Sanhedrin Council so it could assess how much of a threat he might actually be. The Sanhedrin feared a riot, so they bought off one of Jesus' own followers to find out when and where they could arrest him... away from the adoring crowds.

The Sanhedrin religious interrogation set in motion the involvement of the Roman Prefect of Judea, whose focus was on those claims to kingship.

Although Jesus was provocative - he was peaceful enough to be a subtle threat to those in power (religiously and politically). 

Caiaphas, the high priest, and Pilate, the governor, knew that a "revolution of ideas" could be just as dangerous than a violent one... in the long run, maybe even more of a threat.

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The threat was subtle and small, but things were already set in motion, so Pilate thought that he might as well deal with it swiftly and decisively.

Jesus was the leader of a non-violent resistant movement.  History and practice told Pilate that one crucifixion would do the job.  Pacifist protesters were predictable.  Make an overly brutal example of their leader and the movement will usually die of fear.

And so Jesus was executed as a traitor of the empire.

Pilate believed that it was worthwhile sacrificing one life, now and then, to ensure the broader peace and order.

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It happened so quickly - Jesus' execution came only five days after the palm parade.  There were only five days between Hosanna to the Son of David and Crucify Him.

But things were set in motion long before that.

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This week is busy around the church - with a number of different opportunities to gather together in worship.  St. David's plans a busy week before Easter because, it was a busy week for Jesus.

Along with today's palm Sunday service:

·         on Thursday evening, we will focus on Jesus' last supper;

·         on Friday, we will remember how and why Jesus died;

·         and then after a quiet Saturday, we come to Sunday morning, when what we expect is turned upside down... and how that set in motion all of the events that brought St. David's United Church into existence.

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What lays before us will be impacted by where we have been and what we think about those experiences: in as much as we can control things, we will chose our next paths based what we want to endure and what timelines we want to bring to a halt.

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As we said together before, let us try to trust in the words...

In life,

in death,

in life beyond death,

God is with us.

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Let us pray:

Loving God, we dare to hear the harsh story of this: the powerful truth of Jesus’ passion.  We ponder endings so that we can know the wonder of new beginnings. Amen.

#122VU “All Glory Laud and Honour”