May 20, 2018              The Language of Love                           

I’d like to begin my sermon this morning, with an old testament passage that is not in our lectionary today. This passage is from the book of Genesis, in the 11^th Chapter verses 1-7.

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. An as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly,” And they had clay for bricks and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with it’s top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the mortals had built. And the LORD said, “Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.

As we read in our prayer of confession this morning, the purpose of God confusing the languages of humankind, was to lessen the human sin and suffering that came from humanity having one language. I know that sin and suffering are not apparent from the reading of the story, but there are two key phrases that indicate this. They had clay for brick and bitumen for mortar – is a reminder of the slavery of the Israelites. And nothing they propose to do will be impossible for them – which is a reminder that before the flood, humankind did whatever it proposed to do and it was evil in God’s sight. And so, God’s confusing of the languages of the people at the tower of Babel, was meant to lessen our human sufferings.

Now the reason for remembering the story of the tower of Babel this morning, is because of our reading of the story of Pentecost. Pentecost is the reversal of the Tower of Babel. In the second chapter of Acts, the Holy Spirit is poured out upon those who are gathered, and we get that whole list of peoples from basically all the known nations, are now speaking in their own languages, but understand each other through the one language, the language of God’s Spirit, the language of God’s love.

And the reason God has done this now, is because in Jesus Christ, the whole world has been given a sign, so that we will not enslave and oppress one another, and we will not allow the wickedness of human imagination to run rampant in our lives.

Now, many will say, that oppression and wickedness run rampant in our lives today, and I would agree with you, there are a great many, who choose not to live in the Spirit of Christ, and great is the sin and suffering they cause among us. And when we see these things happening, we are called to remember that sign of Christ's death upon the cross, and turn from our willful and self destructive ways. And as followers of Jesus, we are called to proclaim the gospel, in the face of injustice and oppression, and the healing of a broken world. 

And I would also say, that despite the oppression and wickedness we see in the world, we forget about all of the people who choose to live in the Spirit of Christ, who choose to live with love in their lives. There are a great many more of these in the world, whose daily thoughtfulness, concern for others and sense of justice for all, goes unremarked and unreported in the news.

Every time, I hear of a poll of Americans, where 70 or 80% display the kind of justice, compassion, and mercy revealed to us in Jesus Christ, I am heartened. I am reminded that there are far more people out there whose lives may not be perfect, but who have a love for others in their hearts. I know that this love is present in the lives of our members, but I encourage you to keep at it, your love makes a difference. And I encourage you to grow in that love, so that you may continue to take part in God’s plan for the salvation of the world!  

Which brings me to something I saw yesterday. Yesterday, was the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Megan Markle. And at the Wedding they invited the Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Chicago to give a sermon. In that sermon he quoted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. telling us that we need to discover the power of love, the redemptive power of love in our lives, and then we will be able to make this old world, a new world, love is the only way.

And then he challenged those in attendance to imagine what the power of love could do in our homes and families, our neighborhoods and communities, our government and among the nations, even in our business and commerce. When love is our way - unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive love, - no child will go to bed hungry,  poverty will become history, the earth will be a sanctuary, justice will roll down like water, and humankind will study war no more. When love is our way, we will treat all people like family, as brothers and sisters, as children of God. And then he conclude his sermon talking about the harnessing of fire, and how it had forever changed the world, and if we could just learn how to harness love, it would have the same impact and effect on our lives.

And as I listened to that sermon, I thought about our story from Acts this morning. The pouring out of the Holy Spirit, the tongues of fire resting on each one of those gathered, the people with so many different languages speaking on one language, the language of love. That’s what God was doing at Pentecost, the fire of God's love had been harnessed in Jesus Christ, and now poured out upon his followers, so that we may make this old world new, so that we may bind up those who are broken, so that we might overcome sin and suffering of this world, and live as one throughout the whole wide earth.

And that’s the good news of Jesus Christ!

May 6, 2018             As God Has Loved Us                                    

This past week, I read a story about a young preacher at his first church. This young preacher was out to save peoples lives and the world along with it. He was especially passionate about God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. He preached in his sermons about the difference between love for ourselves and love for others. He preached about how love for ourselves was selfish and self-indulgent, and that the world would only be saved when we learned to love one another, as God loved us, in giving ourselves to one another as Jesus gave himself for us on the cross.

One Good Friday, the young preacher was asked to preach at the community service. There three churches gathered. In his sermon that day, he spoke about the difference between our love for ourselves and God’s love, and he spoke about how it had crept into our churches, and even into the hymnal. He held up the example of “In the Garden - he walks with ME, and talks with ME, and tells ME I am his own. It’s not about ME” he said, and then he spoke about the glory of Jesus giving up his life on the cross for us and for the world, and how in that sacrifice we needed to learn to do the same for one another.

A few weeks later, an elderly farmer, who had been wrestling with cancer, drew near to death. The young preacher rushed to the hospital to be with him and his family. Now this farmer was just like the salt of the earth people known in every church. Always there for us and for others, always finding ways to serve, always finding ways to bless others with their presence. The young preacher prayed a prayer with the family around his bed, about how God’s love in the farmer had touched the lives of the church, and how he would always be with them.

At the end of the prayer, the farmer smiled and told his family that he was ready to go, that he loved them, and he told the young preacher, how much he appreciated his constant care, his sermons, and his wonderful singing voice. And then he said, that he knew that young preacher, would sing “In the Garden” for him at his funeral, because he always loved that song. And then the farmer was gone. And sure enough, that young preacher sang “In the garden” for him, in front of the church, and the whole community who had gathered to give God thanks for the farmer.

This morning, in the gospel of John, Jesus tells his disciples, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has a greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  

I’m sure you understand, why I told the story of the young preacher and the farmer. The young preacher laid down his life, and sang that song, as an act of Christ like love for the farmer. As the young preacher had preached so passionately, God’s love is all about loving others, even if it means surrendering ourselves to their will. And that’s a struggle for people. It’s something we don’t practice a whole lot. In our worldly lives, we are in fact discouraged from practicing this kind of love for others. But this is not an abusive surrendering of our will, this is the surrendering of our will that allows others to be themselves, and frees us from the sin of needing to be in control of others. And at times, it does cost us not getting what we want, but many times getting what we want isn't good for us or others. It’s a skill that takes some practice, but it’s well worth it.

 The good news is, despite the world repeatedly telling us this kind of love is foolishness, that people have not been stopped from finding and forming friendships, the kind of friendships in which we can act on one another’s behalf. I have a number of good friends, who I trust can clearly discern the difference between their will and mine. Friends who I trust to act on my behalf, if I ever need them. Families learn to develop this kind of friendship, in which children learn to trust their parents, and parents in time, learn to trust their children. And husbands learn to trust their wives, and wives their husbands, at least that’s how it’s supposed to work. They learn to act not of their own will, but in the best interests and will of each other. I know I have detoured into the word friendship, but this kind of friendship is “agape”, one of the greek words for love, specifically God’s love, the love in which we give one another life!

Where can one find this kind of love and friendship, well you can find it in your local church. Yes, there are people in churches who don't practice their religion, but there are also plenty of wonderful people who do. In 4 churches I have experience people who are truly friends to their fellow members, and truly love as Jesus calls us to love one another. 

And that’s the Good News of Jesus Christ!  

April 29,2018                The True Vine                                       

This past week, I was reminded once again that there is a difference between our physical life, and our spiritual life. One of the main writers of the old testament, called the Yawhist, because of the name he used for God, speaks of God creating us from the dust of the earth and breathing into us the breathe of life. For the Yawhist, one could be physically alive and spiritually dead, or one could be physically alive and spiritually alive.

In the gospel of John, Jesus meets with Nicodemus, a leader of the Pharisees, who seems to have forgotten this teaching. Jesus tells him, he must be born of anew, and that being born anew is not a physical birth, but a birth of water and the spirit. The reference to being born of water is of course baptism – in which we put to death the desires of the flesh, and turn to life in the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

And so, keeping this in mind, I read the gospel passage this week about Jesus being the true vine, and tried to discern what the writer of John was trying to tell us this morning.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the Vinedresser. In our Epistle letter this morning, also written by John, we are told what the true vine is, it is God’s love for us revealed in Jesus Christ. That love is such that it gave up it’s physical life for us, so that we might live in the Spirit of God. In that passage, love is mentioned some 20 times, and it is that love for others in which we find life in the Spirit.

This week we had a memorial service for Jim Kroening, and as usual I spent time with the family and invited them to share their good memories of him. When I do this, what I am really looking for, are those memories in which this love for them was present in their lives. I am looking for memories of humility, grace, forgiveness, listening, healing, compassion, and concern for others. This is the Spirit of Christ, that gives life to us, and to each other. That is why Jesus is the vine, because in him we receive our Spiritual life and sustenance.

He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Those who do not love, do not have these kinds of life giving relationships. Remember the passage in which Jesus says, what will it profit you if you gain the whole world by give up your soul? If one does not have this kind of love in their hearts, they may have every physical desire they can acquire, but they are spiritually withered and dead. As for friends and family, how can one have relationships, if one does not love, if one only lives for themselves? I know as the vinedresser, that God is said to be the one who causes this to happen, but only insofar as God has ordained that love is the power by which we have life in the Spirit, if we choose not to love, than we condemn ourselves.

Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. Ahh, the pruning part of this verse, which is the most difficult part of this verse for me. Now some may think of this as the pruning we experience in facing difficult times in our lives. It is important to remember that these events do not come from God, but are the result of the powers of sin and death in our lives. In these moments, we are called to turn to God to find meaning, purpose, and strength to overcome these situations. 

But in our gospel lesson this morning, I am inclined to think that Jesus is more specifically talking about how faith in God leads us to prune our lives of our more wasteful practices that lead to sin and suffering in them. Other sermons and commentators I read this past week, focused on our human obsessions with wealth, fame, power, sports, music, collectibles, and etc. Obsessions that can lead us into temptation, sin, and suffering in our lives. But those who have life in the Spirit, as much as they enjoy these things, place first their relationships with others, seeing these things as a way to share their passions, and to experience the passions of others.  

When our relationships of love are the primary focus of our lives, then the things, pleasures, and experiences we have in our lives will not become corrupt. In all of this, our vinedresser prunes us, in order to bear the fruit of God's love in our lives. This pruning is not intended to harm us, but to help us to grow in our love for one another, and to grow in our experience of God’s love for us. For in that love there is life, and abundance, and everlasting life.

         My father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. This morning in our adult study class, I spoke about Jesus seeking to establish the kingdom of heaven here on earth. This cannot be done through force of arms, or even by most just of governments. It can only be done when people have a love in their hearts for one another. 

        In the days of the early church, the apostle's founded communities dedicated to this kind of love called churches. I see this love in our church, as this church family cares for each other, and for those beyond the church. I also see this love in the members of other churches as well. Despite the trials, sin and suffering in the world, there are many followers of Christ working together and in their lives to make this love known. To them, Jesus is the vine through which they are sustained, and they are the branches which bear much fruit! 

      And that is the Good News of Jesus Christ! 

April 22, 2018          The Good Shepherd                                      

A few years ago I purchased a young adult bible study by Adam Hamilton entitled, “When Christians Get it Wrong”. In the study, there were eight different areas in which people’s political values had corrupted their Christian faith. In these eight studies, he provided examples of how some Christians misuse God’s name for their own profit. Claiming that their business or politics are more Christian than others. How some Christians use God’s name to condemn people of other nations or races. Claiming that only a certain type of people are good Christians. How some Christians use God’s name to justify not taking care of creation. Claiming that God gave us the earth for us to use up in any way we see fit, rather than to care for creation. How some Christian use God’s name to justify violence in society. Claiming that certain people, living in certain places, deserve what happens to them. How some Christians use God’s name to justify poverty. Claiming that those who are poor are lazy or sinful, and don’t deserve our help.

Rev. Hamilton says that it is this kind of corruption of Christianity that drives people, specifically younger people away from the church. He says that when churches adopt these attitudes, the church spends more and more of it’s time, not in mission and ministry, but in maintaining itself, and trying to keep itself quiet, peaceful, and in good order. Finally, he claims that the more churches live like this, the less of an impact they have on people’s lives, either those outside the church or within.

I remembered this young adult study this week because of our reading from the Acts of the Apostles this week. This morning Peter is on trial for healing a sick man in the name of Jesus Christ, whom the priests and leaders of Judaism had condemned as a blasphemer. Throughout Jesus ministry, we have seen the priests lack of power to drive out demons, heal the sick, or to change the lives of sinners. They have become that safe, quiet, orderly, kind of church, that no longer has the power to change people’s lives – and so when Peter comes preaching the name of Jesus, they have him arrested, hold a quick trial, and plan to run him out of the temple as fast as they can.

But of course, Peter testifies to the power of Christ, the power of the one willing to lay down his life, to be rejected by the corrupt priests, and in so doing, has become the one who can make a difference, and can change the world and people’s lives. For what Jesus has, that the priests and the temple lacks is love – not flowery words of love without action, but words of love that are backed up by acts of love, in which people are willing to lay down their lives for one another. This is the kind of love that we find in our reading from the epistle of John this morning.

18. Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. 19. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him …. 21. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; 22. and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.

In short, if we have that same love that Christ Jesus had for us, and we are moved to love not just in words but in actions, God will give us what we ask for, for what we will ask for is God’s love to be made known in our lives.  

Which brings us to our good shepherd reading. I have often heard people speak about Jesus our good shepherd, and sometimes I have heard people say that the pastor should be our good shepherd for the congregation – which is indeed true, but this passage is about more than Jesus or the pastor, Jesus is setting an example for his disciples to be good shepherds. Yes, that’s right, Jesus calls each of you to be good shepherds!

And because you all have a heart, and have the example of our good shepherd Jesus Christ, you have the ability to be good shepherds to all you meet. You can listen to a friend who has a problem, you can help out at a food pantry, you can help out with a church dinner, you can visit the sick, take meals to shut-ins, pack food for the starving, collect cans for the good Samaritan fund, and on and on. But most of all, as followers of Jesus Christ we are looking for ways to lay down our lives, to suffer ourselves in love for one another. Now this suffering is not random or pointless, but has a specific purpose to show forth God's love in our lives. I believe that this is what Jesus meant when he says he chose to lay down his life, and to pick it up again. We are called to recognize and intentionally choose to lay down our life to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

On Saturday, the Sandwich/Somonauk Clergy held a peace vigil service. When it came my time to speak, one of the thoughts I shared, was that in this current time of darkness, where violence, prejudice, corruption, racism and sexism, seem to fill our daily news programs, that this is a time when the message of the gospel should shine out all the more brightly, and bring good news to those who live in fear. And so I encouraged those who attended, and I encourage you to share this gospel in your daily life and love of one another! 

April 8, 2018                   Be Believing                                                

         This morning our John’s gospel tells us a story of the disciples on that first Easter evening and week. And while we celebrate Easter with joyful worship services, that was the last thing the disciples were doing.

         The disciples had locked themselves behind closed doors. They were afraid, Jesus had been crucified, and they were afraid that the Jewish leaders, and the Roman authorities would hunt down his disciples next. And to make matters worse, the women of their group had come to them with strange stories of Jesus being gone from the tomb. For as of yet, they did not believe their statements about his being risen.

         Yes, rather than joyously celebrating his resurrection, his disciples, the earliest of the early church were locked in a room, fearing for their lives, the gospel message silent, and them going nowhere. And the Risen Christ comes to them on that first Easter evening and gives them four statements that get the early church going!

The first thing Jesus says to them, is “Peace be with you!” In the midst of this fearful gathering he tells them to have peace. He shows them his hands and his side, he shows them that it is truly him, and that he has risen from the dead. In doing this he shows them that death no longer has power over him, – and so they need not be paralyzed by fear, afraid of the Jews or the Romans, for through faith in the resurrected Christ, they no longer need to fear death.  

Have Peace in Christ, is the first of these four statements for the early church, and for our churches today. In a world filled with hostility, anxiousness, alienation, violence, war and greed. Through the peace that Jesus resurrection gives to us, we can go forth to minister in this world without fear, we are freed to go forth into this world and proclaim the gospel of God’s love, which overcomes all these worldly powers.

The second thing Jesus says is “As the father has sent me, I send you.” This is Jesus commission to the early church. Jesus now sends them into world, just as he was sent, to proclaim God’s love that seeks to save us from these powers of sin and death, and to call others to join them in seeking God’s kingdom in our lives together.  

In my grandmother’s Evangelical catechism, published in 1906, the answer to the first question about what is the purpose of those who follow Jesus Christ. The answer had two parts. Give glory to God, and win new followers to Christ. In later printings of the Catechism, winning new followers to Christ, has been left out. And I wonder if that wasn’t a mistake, because being sent is who we are as followers of Christ – and if we don’t realize this, than religion becomes all about our personal salvation, rather than the salvation of the world.

         The third statement Jesus makes is, “Receive the Holy Spirit”. Jesus then breathes upon them the breath of God. It is this spirit that fills them with strength to go forth into the world and proclaim the gospel message.

         As I think of this statement, I think about Moses before the burning bush, asking God how he can make a difference in the face of Pharoah, and God tells him, not to worry, for God will go with him. And that is what Jesus promises to the disciples and to all of us who follow him. That God will be with us, in the form of the Holy Spirit, to both protect us, and to give us the strength we need to do the things that Jesus did. And so, Jesus doesn’t just send us into the world, but promises his presence in the form of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus final statement to the disciples as this meeting is this, “If you forgive sins, they are forgiven, if you refuse to forgive they are retained.” In the gospel of John, proclaiming God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ is the work of his disciples. Over and over, the disciples have seen Jesus forgive sins, to overcome, blindness and illness, to call sinners to repentance, and to restore people to community. They have seen how the Jewish legal system of refusing forgiveness has oppressed and separated the people. And now they are called to do this work. And so are we.

Our world today has the same legalists and moralists. We have state and federal governments who administer the law. The world does not practice forgiveness. Nations are unforgiving, and Families are unforgiving. It is only through God’s forgiveness, that oppression and division ends, that sin and death are overcome. And this is not just blanket forgiveness, but the announcement of God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ, those who accept it are forgiven and lead new lives, those who do not accept it, for themselves or for others, condemn themselves.

         And so on this first Easter evening, and on the following Sunday, Jesus comes to a fearful and silent church, and gives them these instructions. Have Peace through Christ, You are sent into the world, You will receive the Holy Spirit, and do the work of forgiveness that heals and overcomes the powers of sin and death. With these instructions, the church went forth into the world, and spread around the globe. And we are called as followers of Jesus Christ, to heed these instructions as well, so that we may be filled with the Holy Spirit, and continue to spread the gospel to all the world. Amen. 

Easter Sunday 2018            They told No One?                                                                 

So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone for they were afraid.

                                                                                        Mark 16:8

Every Easter I try to take a fresh look at the Easter passages I preach on, and this year I chose this verse from Mark 16:8. This verse, was the original ending of the gospel of Mark. Mark begin his gospel with the Euangellion – greek for the announcement of God’s victory over the powers of sin and death in Jesus Christ. And then Mark concludes his gospel with saying that the women said nothing to anyone for they were afraid. Really?

To understand why Mark ends his gospel this way, one must look at the whole of his gospel, and recognize a recurring theme. In Mark’s gospel Jesus heals the sick, drives out demons, cleanses lepers, and works a variety of miracles, yet, after each of these occurances, Jesus tells those he has healed and his followers to tell no one what has happened. This is the famous, Messianic Secret of Mark, as described by scholars. Quite simply, Jesus doesn’t want people to follow him because he is a miracle worker, but to decide for themselves, from his preaching, if he is the Son of God.

Unfortunately, the gospel of Mark tells us that this secret cannot be hid, and many times those who are healed, forgiven, and cured go off and sing Jesus praises, and drawing to him greater and greater crowds. There is that wonderful passage from Jesus entrance to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, where the chief priests and leaders tell Jesus to silence his followers, and Jesus replies, If I told them to be silent, the stones themselves would cry out!”

Last night I watched again the “Ten Commandments”, where the Israelites cried out to God, and God heard their voice. The apostle Paul speaks about how Jesus cried out under the oppression of the corrupt Jewish leaders, Rome, and God heard his voice. Throughout history, when the people of this world have been enslaved and oppressed, they have cried out, and God has heard them. In our own nation, when the slaves cried out at the injustice of slavery, God heard them. In the 1890’s children were forced to labor in sweat shops, they cried out and God heard them. When women cried out against the injustice of not being allowed to vote God heard them, When African Americans were denied their civil rights, they cried out and God heard them. And today when our youth cry out for safety in their schools, God hears them.

The scientific view of God is that God is somewhere far above, pulling our strings, or guiding events, or just watching us go. But for those who have faith, God is in our midst, listening, speaking, and working on the side of goodness and justice and life. Yet in faith, we must be willing to receive this grace, by stepping up and speaking out, by acting with compassion for others, and seeking justice for all. And yes, this includes suffering ourselves, so that a better world may be realized for everyone.

The reason the gospel of Mark ends this way, with the women running from the tomb, terrified and amazed, and say nothing to anyone is that Mark is asking us to make a decision. Those who have read the gospel, and seen the miracles of Jesus and heard his preaching, are called to make a choice, will they keep silent out of fear, and the powers of sin and death to reign over us – of are we going to speak up and cry out, are we going to proclaim his resurrection – that God is not dead but alive in us, and ready to work with us to realize God’s kingdom of justice, righteous-ness and peace in our lives.

Every Easter, we are invited to make that choice for our lives, and for those who choose Christ as their Lord and Savior, they still face the same trials of life that all of us face, but they do not do it alone, for standing with them is the Risen Christ! And that’s our good news this Easter Sunday! 

Good Friday 18                          Seven Last Words                          

As I read through the service prepared for us this evening, I noticed that the conclusion of the service would be with the seven last words of Jesus from the cross, and so I thought I would give my thoughts on these seven last words.

Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. Forgiveness is one of the main themes of Jesus preaching. Forgiveness not only is freeing for the person forgiven, but for us as well. As long as we hold onto past slights and grudges, our need for retribution is a poison in our souls, and leads to all kind of punitive and vengeful actions that only increases our sufferings. Even at the cross as Jesus’ hands and feet are being nailed to the cross, he forgives the actions, as well as that of the crowd who cried for his crucifixion. He knows well, that forgiveness can only be offered, the question is, whether we are ready to accept that forgiveness and turn and lead new lives.

Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise. In this word from the cross, Jesus speaks to the second thief that is being crucified with him. The first, mocks and condemns him with the rest, but the second defends him, asking if the first is not afraid of God, for both stand under the same judgement, yet confessing that Jesus is without guilt. These to thieves offer an insight into human life, we are all guilty of sins, some small some great, but some of us are unwilling to acknowledge our guilt, thinking only of ourselves, while others recognize the difference between right and wrong, the difference between good and evil. The second thief can acknowledge his wrongdoing, and recognize the Christ who is innocent. And for this Jesus promises him a place in paradise.

Woman, here is your son, Here is you mother. What is it like for a mother to watch her son die upon the cross? Who can know? Yet in this moment, Jesus’ thoughts are for his mother, and so he offers to her a new son, John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. We remember Jesus asking, “Who are my brothers, and sisters, and mother,…. those who love God the father, and believe in him. In the same way, are we now given to one another, as we remember his death on the cross. We are now brothers, and sisters, and mothers, to one another, one family in Christ.

Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? My God, My God, why has though forsaken me? Some of you might recognize these as the opening words to Psalm 22. If you have read the Psalm, which I highly recommend, it is the cry of the suffering servant of God, who in facing his trials feels abandoned. Through the course of the Psalm, the psalmist remembers the saving acts of God in the past, and power of God in his life to redeem him from suffering and sin. At the conclusion of the Psalm is a powerful affirmation of the belief in God’s salvation of both the psalmist and of the world. This cry of despair is actually a statement of faith, and those of us who face such trials in our lives, who complain that God is not there, are challenged by this statement to find our faith in God to lead us through these trials to new and everlasting life.

I thirst, at this saying, there are some who run to get Jesus a drink, wine in a sponge, perhaps laced with something to ease his suffering. But if one has read enough of the old testament, one knows there is another meaning for thirst. The prophets speak continually about the thirst for justice and righteousness among God’s people. In the light of the injustice of the cross, Jesus in quoting the prophets, is appealing to his followers to thirst for justice and righteousness in their lives. To not allow ourselves to be blind to the ways in which the world, discriminates, divides, and disposes of those who do not play along. In our world today, I can think of no clearer case than that of our school children, who thirst, for safety in their classrooms. And that is not the only case in which we should thirst for justice and righteousness in our society.  

It is finished, In our world of winners and loser, this might seem like Jesus has given up, or given in to the powers of the world. But look at it this way, Jesus has run the race his Father has set for him, he has done the ministry called of him, he has endured the suffering he has been asked to face. In all of this he has been faithful, and now, he has completed his work successfully! It is finished, is not a cry of giving in, it is a cry of victory! He has done all that is necessary for our salvation, and for the salvation of the world.

And finally, from the gospel of Luke, Into thy hands I commend my spirit. Many of us who read the psalms, know that this phrase was included in our lectionary reading last Sunday. It is said that this phrase was part of a Hebrew child’s bedtime prayers, in which they commended themselves to God before bed. Many of you recall the children’s prayer – now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. This prayer is based on this psalm. The childlike prayer of total trust in God to care for them, are last words Jesus speaks from the cross.  

Now I have read three different authors who have written on the seven last words of Jesus. And there may yet be other ways in you have heard and interpreted them for your lives. But in all of these words, I find a faith in God, that saw Jesus through his time of suffering and death, and I believe they will find you through your times of suffering to new and everlasting life. Amen.