Sermon Good Friday - The 7 last words of Christ

 The 7 last words of Christ:

Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing:

This would have to be the most profound statements made by our Lord Jesus Christ – “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing”.  These words were spoken as Jesus hung on the cross, in unimaginable agony and pain, and yet, He was still able to have compassion for those who were crucifying Him.What would your first words have been?

Father – avenge my death?

 

These words are a witness to the boundless mercy, love, and forgiveness that Jesus offers to all of us. It comforts us to know that when we sin, Jesus is interceding with his Heavenly Father to forgive us. But it is also a call for us to forgive others as well, just as Jesus forgave those who crucified Him. St Paul, in Philippians chapter 2 urges Christians to imitate Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, to offer forgiveness even when the situation seems hopeless, and, as Jesus called us to do, to love our enemies.  It is through this forgiveness and compassion that we can truly experience the peace and joy of Christ.

 

Let us pray that we may be able to forgive those who have hurt us, to seek forgiveness from those we have wronged, and to always remember that we are called to love and forgive one another as Christ loved and forgave us.

 

Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise:

These words that Jesus spoke to the thief hanging next to him on the cross have brought comfort and hope to many over the centuries. "Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." Here we see the mercy and forgiveness of Jesus in action.  He didn't turn away from the thief who had lived a life of crime and sin.  He didn't say "It's too late for you, you've missed out on heaven."  He didn’t tell him to first go and make amends – do penance. No, he welcomed the man with open arms, assuring him of salvation even in his last moments of life. Jesus reveals that no one is beyond the reach of God's love and mercy. Even if we have lived a life of sin and error, we can still turn to Jesus, repent of our ways and be welcomed into his kingdom.

 

Today, we live in a world that sometimes seems hopeless and broken.  It's easy to lose heart and to feel that there is no hope for our troubled world. But we can take comfort in Jesus' words to the thief beside him. We can remember that even in the darkest moments, God is always there and always ready to offer forgiveness, love, and hope. So let us turn to Jesus today, no matter what we have done or how lost we feel. Let us remember the words he spoke to the thief on the cross, "Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." With these words in our hearts, we can face the challenges of this world, confident that we have a savior who loves us, forgives us, and will never abandon us.

 

Woman behold your son. Then he said to the disciple, behold your mother:

Such a touching scene from the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. As he hung on the cross, Jesus, in his dying moments he again shows concern for others above himself. His concern is for his mother and his disciple whom he loved. Such profound words. Jesus did not forget his duty to care for those he loved. Despite his own suffering, he wanted to ensure that Mary would be looked after and protected in the absence of her son.

 

This selflessness and tender care for his mother is just one more demonstration of the kind of love that Jesus taught and lived his entire life right up to his last breath. Jesus has left us the example of self-sacrifice to follow his example of care and concern for those around us. Just as he provided for his mother, we too are called to provide for and care for those who are close to us. We are called to be faithful, loving and caring in our relationships, just as Jesus was with Mary and John.

 

Jesus reminds us of the importance of community and one another in our journey of faith.  His words remind us of the great love, selflessness, and compassion of our Lord, and call us to be faithful in our own relationships and to look out with care for our community of believers as we support one another. May we take these words into our hearts and lives, and learn to love more deeply and completely, just as Christ did throughout his earthly ministry right up to his dying breath.

 

 

 

 

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me:

Such sadness and suffering in these words: These words that were spoken by Jesus Christ are because of our sins.

They challenge us to consider the depth of pain and despair that our actions can take and cause distance from God to others. Whilst we might see this cry from Jesus in negative light it can actually be a sign of faith rather than a lack of it.

Despite his agony, Jesus did not curse or renounce God; he simply asked why it seemed as if God had abandoned him.

Jesus demonstrated that even when we feel lost or alone, we can still cling to the hope that God is listening.

 

We know that God didn’t abandon Jesus but rather it was our sin that caused the separation as it did with Adam and Even when they hid from God because of their sin. But it was God who came looking for Adam rather than abandoning him – Adam, where are you? God has forsaken no one.  God is always with us, always watching over us, even in our darkest hours.  Even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death – we will not be afraid because our Good Shepherd is with  us.

 

At times we may feel as if God is far away, as if our prayers are unanswered, as if we are alone.  When we experience this sense of abandonment, we can turn to God, like Jesus on the cross, and honestly ask why. God does not abandon us, but rather enters into our suffering, takes on our pain, and brings us redemption.  God's love is stronger than death, and that nothing can separate us from the love of God. So take heart, even in your times of struggle and doubt and remember that God is always with us, that God understands our pain, and that God will never, ever forsake us. Let us turn to Him in our moments of need and trust that He will lead us through the valley of darkness and into the light of his love.

 

I Thirst

These two simple words hold such profound meaning not just for our Lord but for each and every one of us as well.

When Jesus said, “I thirst”, He expressed His physical thirst due to the exhaustion of His journey to Calvary and the pain of His crucifixion. But this thirst also represented a spiritual longing for the salvation of all humankind as he had expressed in The Beatitudes: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness – which is what Jesus is doing here – thirsting for our righteousness as Paul explains in 2 Corinthians: God made him who had no sin to become our sin so that we could become his righteousness.

 

Jesus knew that His sacrifice on the cross was necessary to save us from sin.  He thirsted for our salvation, so that we could be reconciled with God and inherit eternal life. As followers of Christ, we too are called to thirst after something greater than ourselves. We are called to thirst for the love of God to be received by those who do not know his love. We thirst for righteousness for others that can only be satisfied by a relationship with God as Jesus had offered to the Samaritan woman – the Living Water by which we will never thirst again.

 

As we reflect this Good Friday we reflect on the ultimate sacrifice that our Lord made for us on the cross.  May His words, “I thirst”, serve as a reminder of His love for us, and inspire us to seek a deeper relationship with Him for ourselves and others so that we may be filled with the living water that only Christ can provide, so that we may thirst no more.

 

It is finished

"It is finished." These three words spoken by Jesus hold within them the entire message of the Gospel. They are words of victory, words of fulfilled prophecy, and words of sacrifice. When Jesus said, "It is finished", he was referring to the completion of his mission on earth. He had come to redeem us from sin and reconcile us with God.  His journey on earth was filled with challenges and sufferings, but he never veered despite the pleas of Peter – this will never happen to you – despite his anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane – take this cup from me.

 

Through his death, Jesus showed us the depth of God's love for us. He paid the ultimate price for the forgiveness of our sins.  But this was also a fulfillment of the prophecy of the Old Testament prophets, who had prophesied about the coming of a Savior – the suffering servant - who would bring salvation to humanity. In our lives, we sometimes find ourselves struggling with pain and suffering, feeling as if we are carrying a heavy burden.  Jesus' words remind us that no matter the weight of our cross, we can find hope and strength in his sacrifice. His love for us knows no bounds, and he will be with us every step of the way as he had promised – I am with you always to the end – till it is finished.

Let us keep Jesus' words “it is finished” close to our hearts and remember that our salvation was won through his ultimate sacrifice of Jesus’ suffering for us. May these words of Jesus, "It is finished," be the reminder of the immense love that He has for each one of us and strengthen us to carry our own crosses so that we, too, may finish the race and share in the victory that He has won for us.

 

Father, into your hands I commit my spirit

These were the last words Jesus spoke before He breathed His last breath on the cross. These words express the trust and surrender into God’s loving presence. Jesus knew that His death was necessary for our salvation, and He willingly offered Himself up for us.  In His final moments, He entrusted His spirit to His Father, knowing that He would be received into His loving embrace.

 

The same promise for us that is ensured in the very first words spoken from the cross – forgive them Father for they know not what they are doing. The same promise given to the thief on the cross – today you will be with me in Paradise.

And so we are called to trust and surrender in the same way that Jesus had with in His Heavenly Father. We are not to be concerned about the worries and fears of life, but remember that we have a God who loves us and cares for us and welcomes us into his Kingdom. And so we commit our life into our Father’s hands.

 

Jesus forgave those who had Crucified Him and continues to forgive until we reach our Heavenly home.  This act of forgiveness serves as an example for us to follow in our daily lives forgiving others. As we meditate on Jesus' words, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit," let us renew our trust and surrender to God.  Let us remember the sacrifice and love that Jesus showed us on the cross and seek that forgiveness to be extended to those around us.

 

In conclusion, let us pray together: Heavenly Father, we entrust ourselves to Your care and love. Help us to have faith and trust in You, and may we imitate the example of Jesus in our daily lives. We thank You for Your mercy and forgiveness, and we ask for the strength to forgive those who have wronged us. Father, into your hands we commit our spirit.

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Sermon = Maundy Thursday

 Sermon Maundy Thursday

 

On this Maundy Thursday, we gather together to commemorate the Last Supper, where Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples and gave them a new commandment – to love one another as he has loved them. He shows that love through humility by getting on his hands and knees to wash his disciples’ feet.

An act unheard of as Peter objects – you shall never wash my feet.

 

But Jesus is showing us what humility looks like. It is not words but actions. Jesus doesn’t just tell them about love and humility but examples that by washing their feet and soon will show the ultimate act of love and humility by not only dying on the cross but asking for forgiveness for those crucifying him.

 

As we reflect upon this significant moment in the life of Jesus, we are reminded of the deep love and sacrifice that he made for us.  Jesus’ ultimate act of love was to give himself up for us, to suffer and die on the cross so that we might have eternal life.  And yet, in the midst of this sacrifice, Jesus still found time to share a meal with his disciples, to break bread with them and to offer them the bread of life.

 

In this act of sharing food and drink, Jesus reminds us of our common humanity, of our need for sustenance and of our deep longing for community.  Jesus knew that this simple act of sharing a meal would help to build connections between his disciples, to strengthen their bonds of friendship and to prepare them for the challenges that lay ahead. But it is more than a meal as Jesus reinterprets the Passover feast to become a most sacred act of giving himself to us – this IS my body given for you – this IS my blood shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. The greatest act of sacrifice by our Lord on the cross coming to each and everyone of us personally in bread and wine, the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

And so, on this Maundy Thursday, we are called to remember Jesus’ love and sacrifice, to reflect upon our own relationships with others and to renew our commitment to love one another, just as Jesus has loved us. We are reminded that true love requires sacrifice, that it demands that we put the needs of others before our own, and that it often requires us to take risks, to step out of our comfort zones and to reach out to those who are different from us – to those who have hurt us – to those with whom we disagree. We are reminded that the journey of faith is not an easy one, that there will be times when we face struggles and challenges, when we feel lost or alone. But in those dark moments we cling to our Lord’s promises: That when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will not be afraid for you are with me. That before his birth God declared he would be called Immanuel “God with us” – confirmed at his Ascension when he told his disciples – I am with you always till the end of the age – a promise that comes to us in our Baptism. It is affirmed each time we gather around the table of our Lord to receive his body and blood.

 

We cling to the hope that comes from Christ’s resurrection, knowing that he has overcome death and that he is with us always, even to the end of the age and strengthens us by giving to us the cost of our salvation – his body and blood. So let us renew our commitment to love one another as Jesus has commanded us to.

Let us share in the blessings of our faith community. Let us walk the path of faith, trusting in the promise of eternal life that Jesus has secured for us. May the love of Christ be with us always, and may we strive to reflect that love in all that we do.

 

Sermon 2nd April 2023 - PALM SUNDAY Text: Matthew 21:1-11 – Our Triumphal entry into Heaven

 Sermon 2^nd April 2023 - PALM SUNDAY

Text: Matthew 21:1-11 – Our Triumphal entry into Heaven

 

Today, we celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, where the people welcomed Jesus with palm branches and shouts of "Hosanna!" But as we remember this joyous occasion, we must also bear in mind that it was the beginning of a journey that would end not with what seemed to be victory but defeat. The crowds that hailed Jesus as their king will soon call for His crucifixion. Yet, amidst the pain and sorrow of the cross, there is also the hope and promise of resurrection which is where the triumph comes.

 

As we journey through Holy Week, we are reminded of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, and the immense love that He has for each one of us. We are reminded that to arrive at the Triumphal Easter Sunday that we must first journey through the valley of the shadow of death in Good Friday. But we remember, as promised in Psalm 23 – that even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will not be afraid. For you are with me to comfort me. Palm Sunday reminds us that Jesus has won the victory despite what our eyes see. The crowds gathered at the foot of the cross see death and defeat. But on Easter Sunday morning his disciples will see the true triumphal entry out of the tomb. That was the message of Transfiguration when Jesus took Peter, James and John to the mountain-top experience to reveal his true hidden glory to prepare them for what seemed to be the defeat of death.

 

When the people thought Jesus was the one they were ready to crown him as their King. But they reject him when he doesn’t meet their expectations.  Even Peter, head of the Apostles, reflects this same fallen nature.  He had said to Jesus, “Even if everyone else abandons you, I will never desert you.”  Sadly, Jesus says to Peter, “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” We all face those moments so we shouldn’t be too critical.  As we look at the world around us it is easy to come to a conclusion that God has lost the battle. The church seems powerless and irrelevant in a growing secular world that demands we fall into line with the ways of the world.

 

It is easy for us, like Peter, to deny our faith and fall into line.  So Palm Sunday is a good reflection of our own faith cycle throughout our life time where we struggle between faith and doubts. How does Jesus respond to our doubts?

Firstly, he prays to God that we may be his, and that we not be lost. Jesus knows the struggles we face in the Garden of Gethsemane asking that if it is possible that his cup of suffering may be taken away from him. Hadn’t he rebuked Peter for not wanting to journey to the cross? Get behind me Satan. But he shows that with God’s strengthen we can overcome.

Jesus remains totally committed to his Father’s will. “Not my will, but your will be done.”  And through this he has compassion for each of us in those times. Even after his betrayal and torture, as he is crucified, he prays,” Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.”

 

 

How comforting to know that that request for forgiveness extends even to us just as it did to Peter after the resurrection for his 3 time denial. Jesus can do that because he takes upon himself the sins of all people who have ever lived, or who will ever live in the future.  He who has never known sin, experienced the full extent of sin experiencing rejection from his disciples, rejection from his own people and the pain of rejection from God – my God, my God, why have you forsaken me.

We too know the affects sin has on our relationship with God. Much the same way as it had on Adam and Eve who hid in shame from God – Adam – where are you.

 

Sin is so much a part of our lives that we don’t even feel bad about “little” sins at all but justify them by judging the big sins of others.  We experience the inner turmoil of Paul – the good I want to do I do not do. The evil I do not want to do this I keep on doing. But Jesus overcame sin and temptation by his death and resurrection.  But he does not look down with judgment on those who sin but empathises with us as the writer to the Hebrews reminds us: Hebrews 4 says: we have a great high priest who is able to empathize with our weaknesses, who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. And that means we can approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

 

Jesus experienced the full extent of our sin so that we could experience the full extent of God’s grace and righteousness:

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  So we are never alone. Jesus is always with us as he promised at the Ascension – I am with you always till the end of the age – fulfilling God’s prophecy – he shall be called Immanuel – God is with us. Paul reminds us that the wages of sin is death and that Jesus pays those wages for us by his sinless death.

 

And so Palm Sunday really is a triumphal entry despite the cries for his crucifixion. Because it is our triumphal entry into Heaven through Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension.

It is our sins that nail Jesus to the cross and cause the shedding of his innocent blood which mysteriously pay the price of our sinfulness. Here in this mystery is the real meaning of Palm Sunday; not the human defined triumphal entry, but the entry of Jesus into our sinfulness and our entry into his righteousness, the greatest sacrifice ever offered which can never be forgotten. There is every chance we may have joined the crowd to shout, “Hosannah!” but we would also have joined the same crowd to scream, “Crucify him!”  But there is a third lone voice that cries out in the quietness of Jesus’ death.

Let us pray that we can join with the centurion in proclaiming, in awe and humility, and even joy, “Truly, this was the Son of God.”

Sermon 26th March 2023 – 5th Sunday in Lent Text John 11:1-45 – Signs

 Sermon 26^th March 2023 – 5^th Sunday in Lent

Text John 11:1-45 – Signs

 

We are almost at the end of our Lenten road since Ash Wednesday: We are in the home stretch with Palm Sunday next Sunday. During the past few weeks of this Lenten season we have been reading long stretches from the Gospel According to John. We had the Samaritan Woman at the well; we had the man born blind who was healed and today we have the raising of Lazarus from the dead – all quite long readings compared to other weeks.

 

John’s Gospel is different to the other 3 – Matthew, Mark and Luke – often referred to as the “synoptic” Gospels – meaning one eye – as they basically have similar structure and teachings of Jesus particularly the Parables. One of the specific details about John’s gospel is the fact that it doesn’t refer to “miracles” in regards to what Jesus did. Such as today – the raising of Lazarus is not done as a miracle but rather as a sign.

And we see that reference in the very first act by Jesus when he turned water into wine at the wedding at Cana. At the end of that account it says: What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

 

Miraculous things happen in John’s Gospel but John does not call them miracles; instead, the word “signs” is used. In John’s gospel, This is no accident but a way of John teaching us. Another thing about John is he loves the number 7

There are 7 I am statements in John’s Gospel –

1) I Am the Bread of Life.

2) I Am the Light of the World.

3) I Am the gate for the sheep.

4) I Am the Good Shepherd.

5) I Am the resurrection, and the life.

6) I Am the way, the truth, and the life.

7) I Am the true vine.

 

And today the raising of Lazarus, is the seventh and final sign.

Turning Water Into Wine (John 2:1-12) ...

Healing the Nobleman's Son (John 4:46-54) ...

Healing the Man at the Pool (John 5:1-11) ...

Feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:1-15) ...

Walking on Water (John 6:16-21) ...

Healing a Man Born Blind (John 9:1-12) ...

Raising of Lazarus (John 11)

 

Seven is an important number in the Bible – the number of holiness, the number of completeness, the 7 days of Creation in Genesis. Being a sign, rather than a miracle, we therefore see the raising of Lazarus a bit different. It wasn’t a miracle to show Jesus’ power but rather a sign pointing to what Jesus was about to fulfil.

If it were just about raising Lazarus from the dead as a miracle act it would be meaningless very soon when Lazarus dies again as everyone else does. And it’s not about resurrection because that will be done by Jesus very soon as his fulfilment.

 

Jesus is showing us an early sign that he has authority over death rather than death having authority over us.

And the sign is in the dialogue between Jesus and the 2 sisters, Mary and Martha when he says: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. So Jesus is not wanting to bring comfort by undoing something that has caused pain like healing the blind man. Bringing Lazarus back to life is not going to give lasting comfort from grief.

Just as healing someone from a sickness is not a lasting comfort because something may happen the next day.

Jesus is giving a sign pointing to something else – something more powerful and meaningful. The true resurrection. That’s what signs do. They point us in the right direction. So the raising of Lazarus is a sign pointing us further than just bringing Lazarus back from the dead. It is pointing us to the Resurrection where there will be no more dying or death ever again. When it’s considered a miracle there is the danger that it’s just a trick like when you watch a magician do something you can’t explain. That’s how many people treated Jesus’ miracles. Like in Matthew 16: The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus, wanting to trick him. So they asked him to show them a miracle from God so they could prove it’s just a trick. They saw his signs as “tricks” and were therefor trying to reveal him as a fake. And people over the centuries have tried to work out how the magician got out of that locked box – was there a secret passage.

 

How did that magician cut the woman in 2 – there must be a hidden compartment with 2 women involved. As you scour through YouTube you can see a multitude of videos revealing how magicians do their “tricks”. And over the years people have tried to disprove Jesus’ “miracles” as nothing more than magic tricks. There has to be a trick as to how he walked on water or, like last week’s healing of the blind man. Remember how they tried to reveal his “trick” with the blind man. It’s not really him but someone who looks like him.

 

But what we see with the raising of Lazarus was not a trick – it was a sign pointing us to a reality. That Jesus has authority over death. That when Jesus speaks he creates. The focus is not to be on Lazarus but on Jesus. Jesus even allowed death to do its worse by allowing Lazarus to remain dead for 4 days – one day longer than what that culture believed the spirit of a person remained after death. Not even the stench of death could stop Jesus from commanding death to let go of Lazarus. And it’s also the reason why Jesus didn’t do what he did to heal the blind man. Remember, he spat on the ground, make mud and rubbed it on his eyes.

 

Jesus didn’t do anything physical like lay his hand on him – He ordered death to let go of Lazarus – “Lazarus come out”. And that because God’s word is his authority. Like when Jesus calmed the storm by his authoritative command: Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. It is how God created – God said let there be light – and there was light. And that’s why Jesus is called the Word of God made flesh. The same word from Creation.

 

So when you hear God’s word “by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ and by his command I forgive you all your sins” you are forgiven. When you hear the words – this is my body – this is my blood shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins – they are authoritative words that do what they say. That’s where we get our comfort in death from the one who said – “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Authoritative words – no magic or tricks but authority over death. And that means that we too can have confidence when Jesus say that we have a home in his Father’s house and he will come an take us home – we can truly believe.

Sermon 19th March 2023 – 4th Sunday in Lent Text: John 9:1-41 – Whose fault?

 Sermon 19^th March 2023 – 4^th Sunday in Lent

Text: John 9:1-41 – Whose fault?

 

Have you had difficulty finding some of your favourite shopping items which seem to constantly be out of stock? I know that things like eggs and lettuce have been in short supply along with a regular list of usual items including prescription medication. And when you can get them they are sometimes double or more the usual price. Sometimes we can trace back the shortages to events. Weather events – droughts, floods, bushfires. Many blaming the war in Ukraine. Last week a huge refrigerated transport company went into liquidation that supplies many supermarkets and will impact the supply chain even further.

 

But what about when we can’t trace back a reason? Like in our Gospel reading where the inquisitive minds of the disciples are active: Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? It’s an interesting proposition asking if the blind man sinned considering that they state he was “born blind”. But the confusion doesn’t end there. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg – wasn’t he blind?”

Some were saying, “Yes, it’s him.”  Others were saying, “No, but it is someone that looks like him.”  In the meantime, he kept saying, “I am the man.” And then the confusion continues. The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight. Who has ever been born blind and received their sight back? So, they called his parents: “Is this your son, who you say was born blind?  How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he’s old enough to answer. He will speak for himself.” All of this because of that very first question by the disciples: Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind – which led to Jesus healing him.

 

The problem with this questioning however is that regardless of the answer it will still leave a further question that will need to be answered. How can an all-loving, all-knowing, and all-powerful God allow totally undeserved suffering to exist in the world that we believe God both created and loves? Remember, he was BORN blind. The question is not a new question and it’s not a question that has been answered. In fact Israel were taunted with this question by their oppressors: Psalm 42 - As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”;

 

There is a hunger for some explanation in the face of tragedy, pain, and suffering—especially tragedy, pain, and suffering that apparently make no sense, that we can neither understand nor justify. I won’t raise any examples for fear of creating pains you may have but you can most likely reflect on some tragedy that is just so hard to explain. Like us, the disciples wanted to understand this tragedy – and with it, other tragedies.  If the man had become blind because of his own carelessness, or if someone else had blinded him on purpose, then it would still be a tragedy, but it would make more sense;  But that’s not what happened. He was born blind – what did he do to deserve that? Some people believe in what’s know as Karma – a system of justice that if you do bad things then bad things will happen to you. To make this work they believe in reincarnation to explain the unexplainable, such as when a child suffers – that the child must have done something bad in a previous life. How is that justice?

 

Jesus rejects any suggestion that his blindness is a result of anyone’s sin – his own or his parents. Jesus rejects the explanation that bad things happen because people are bad, or because the devil makes them happen, or because people don’t have enough faith, or because they don’t pray correctly, or whatever human explanation evolves.  The sad reality is that we live in a world that really isn’t fair. We live in a world where tragedy happens for no apparent reason to people who absolutely do not deserve it.  It’s interesting that Jesus doesn’t give an answer. After all, what answer would satisfy their understanding as it still leaves questions of why God allowed it if he loves us. Instead Jesus says “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him”.

 

But let’s be clear what this is not saying. This is not saying that God allowed this to happen so he could do something through him. Rather, Jesus is saying that his blindness won’t stop God from using him to bring about his glory. Suffering does not diminish or change the fact that we are created in the Image of God. Any suffering is the result of our fallen world.

When Adam and Eve chose to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, it opened their eyes and all future eyes to “know” evil which includes our generation and all future generations. Prior to that event the book of Genesis says that everything God had created was “good” and the final product “very good”. God had withheld evil but disobedience opened the eyes to know good AND evil. But God does not allow evil entering into the world to prevent his work being done. And we see that in the account of Joseph whose brothers committed and act of evil to him. Firstly wanting to kill him but then selling him as a slaved to Egypt. But through that act of evil God used Joseph to prevent starvation in the world during a 7 year famine. So when Joseph has an opportunity for revenge against his brothers he doesn’t take it saying: “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? You intended evil against me, but God used it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

 

We will never be able to explain suffering and evil to the point where people are comforted by it. Instead, the place to find God is in bringing forth something new—not something that fixes the suffering, but something that redeems and transforms it.  The God who is found there – the God who is active there – is the God who has wounds on his hands and feet and side as a reminder of his own suffering through which God has brought about our salvation. It’s the God who knows, who cares, who remembers what suffering is like—the God who shares our suffering and pain and shows compassion and love. God can be found in very real transforming ways in the very heart of undeserved and unexplained pain. Terrible things don’t happen so that God can show compassion or use that person to help others.But God isn’t hindered in achieving his will by the evil that exists in the world. Even in his own son’s brutal and merciless death God brought about new life for us as we see on that resurrection day when Jesus shows the scars rather than a healed body. Suffering will never make sense no matter what answer we are able to give.  Instead, what makes sense is the presence of God in compassion and love; A presence of God through us.

 

This isn’t the explanation the disciples asked for as it didn’t answer “who sinned”. But Jesus assures us that we are never alone, never forsaken.  God is indeed with us as one who has suffered as we do but did not sin to give us hope of new and renewed life at the resurrection.

Sermon 12th March2023 – 3rd Sunday in Lent Text: Exodus 17:1-7 – Is the Lord among us or not

 Sermon 12^th March2023 – 3^rd Sunday in Lent

Text: Exodus 17:1-7 – Is the Lord among us or not

 

“Is the Lord among us or not?” It’s an interesting question asked by Israel and a question that many Christians have most likely asked when times of difficulty arise. “Is the Lord among us or not?” It’s different to a person who doesn’t believe in God who might say – there is no God when tragedy strikes. How can there be a god when there is so much evil.

 

Israel didn’t disbelieve in God’s presence but pondered “is the Lord among us or not”. Israel asked that question because after Moses had led them out of Egypt they encountered periods of difficulty in the wilderness where there was no food or water.

 

As we follow Israel on their journey from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan, it seems that despite all that God had done for them in the past it mattered nothing to them each time they faced difficulty. God had protected them from the 10 plagues that ravished Egypt including protection from the destroying angel that took the life of every firstborn in the land known as the Passover. He led them out but when they faced the Red Sea and couldn’t go further they cried out: “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” Moses parted the Red Sea and they went through on dry ground while the Egyptians were swept away when they followed and chased after them. The Israelites were ecstatic and sang a song about the event. Which leads us to today’s reading.

 

They are still in the wilderness and there is no water: The people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” It is a human tendency to question God in difficult times and wonder why suffering happens. Despite all the goodness and favours we receive from God in our lifetime we tend to judge God on what we presently face. Let us thank God that he doesn’t judge us on those one occasions when we mess up through sin.

 

St Paul saw suffering differently to the point where he said today: We boast in our sufferings – or in some translations – we rejoice in our sufferings. How could he say that? Because for Paul he saw suffering as a reminder that this life is not where we put our hope in. And he explains that later in Romans chapter 8 when he says - I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Paul also saw suffering as an opportunity to increase our faith when says that - suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Israel never got to that point of growth because every time they faced a time of suffering they grumbled about God and wanted to go back to Egypt.

 

And so when they entered into the Promised Land they were easily led astray by the foreign gods of the people in the land because their gods seemed to have more to offer. As Christians we need never doubt “is the Lord among us or not” because he has promised in our Baptism – I am with you always till the end of the age. And he confirms that when we come to Holy Communion that he is among us – here – take and eat – this IS my body – take and drink – the IS my blood.

 

In Paul’s letter to the Romans he confirms God’s presence among us: Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. Maybe at times it feels like God is absent but he never is.

Even Jesus experienced that absence at the peak of his suffering on the cross – my God, my God, why have you abandoned me. But the book of Hebrews reveals the mystery in that suffering much like Paul did today.

The writer says -  But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters That does not sound like a God who is absent from us.

 

But our experiences vary. The early church had a term for the experience called – Deus Absconditus – the God who absconds – the God who is hidden. Referring to a God who has withdrawn from the immediate details of the governing of the world. And that’s how we often experience God. Like the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus. They walked forlorn – heads bowed down in despair because they thought Jesus was the one.

They tell of their regret to the stranger walking with them. The stranger being the hidden Jesus. So although their present experience was of an absent Jesus, he was closer than they actually realised.

He walks, talks and opens Scripture. He then breaks bread and their eyes are open but then he immediately disappears.

 

This too is our experience. We experience God at certain times – in Word and Sacrament but then he seems to abscond. Is the Lord among us or not. So we go back to where God has revealed himself. To our Baptism.

To God’s Word in our Bibles. To the Lord’s Table to receive his body and blood. And then we take God with us into the world and we become the presence of God to others. We are God’s light in the darkness of the world.

Paul also describes this hidden God in Colossians 3 when he writes: You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

 

Is the Lord among us or not? Indeed he is and we need never doubt that for the one who said “I am with you always” is trustworthy and true.