Easter 3 – 1 May 2022 – Year C

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this mediation is written in the 21^st Chapter of the Gospel according to St John: Verses 1-19:

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. ² Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. ³ Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

⁴ Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. ⁵ Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” ⁶ He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. ⁷ That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. ⁸ The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

⁹ When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. ¹⁰ Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”¹¹ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. ¹² Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³ Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. ¹⁴ This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

¹⁵ When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶ He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” ¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

 

Every time I read this passage of scripture from John 21: 1 - 19, the phrase “déjà vu” comes into my mind.”  As most of you would know, Déjà vu is that feeling that, even though you are experiencing something for the first time, you feel as though you have experienced it before.

I wonder if the disciples experienced a little ‘déjà vu’ during the events described in today’s Gospel.  After all, the events in today’s Gospel are very much like the great catch of fish when Jesus first called the disciples to follow Him.

Luke the Evangelist recorded this earlier catch.  Jesus was becoming very popular, and He was teaching near the shore of the Sea of Galilee.  In order for the crowd to hear Him better, He got into Simon Peter’s fishing boat and had Simon take Him out onto the water a little bit.  ^{(Luke 5:4–6)} “When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” ⁵And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” ⁶And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish”.

There you go!  This first catch of fish is very similar to the catch that we heard about in today’s Gospel.  In fact, this earlier catch is usually part of one of the Epiphany Gospels for year C.  You have most likely heard it on the fourth or fifth Sunday of the Epiphany in the Year C cycle over the past years.

Although many of the details of these two events are the same, there are a few differences.  In the first great catch, the nets began to break.  In this second catch, the nets held.  In the first catch, the fishermen signalled their partners to bring out a second boat for help.  In the second catch, the boat was close enough to shore that they decided to drag the net to shore and then pull it in.

The really important difference, though, was the reaction of Peter.  The first time, he reacted in terror.  He fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ^{(Luke 5:8)} “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”  The second time, he responded by getting to Jesus as quickly as possible.  ^{(John 21:7)} “When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea”. Simon wasn’t about to wait for the boat pulling that net.  He decided to swim to the shore.

What makes the difference?  Why does that early encounter with Jesus produce such terror?  Why does the encounter in today’s Gospel produce such enthusiasm?

Well, a lot has happened since that first encounter.  During the first encounter, Peter didn’t know Jesus very well.  Jesus was this popular rabbi.  John the Baptist had pointed Him out as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  Jesus was sort of a celebrity.  Peter knew of Jesus, but He didn’t know Him personally.

By the time we get to the events in today’s Gospel, Peter had three years of seminary training with Jesus.  He had experienced the teaching, the healings, the casting out of demons … He had even seen Jesus raise a few people from the dead.  More recently, he knew that Jesus died on a cross and was a dead body lying in a tomb, and now, of course, he saw Him risen from the dead.  Peter had come to know Jesus as a beloved mentor and saviour.  There was still much for Peter to learn, but he was no longer afraid of Jesus.

There are a lot of people in the world who are afraid of Jesus.  There always have been.  This fear actually began long ago in Eden.  Adam and Eve ^{(Genesis 3:8)} “heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden”.

Ever since the Fall in Eden, the holiness of a just God has been terrifying to humans who understand that they are sinful beings.  We humans naturally believe that if we have broken something, then it is up to us to fix it.  We know that our sin has broken creation, and we know that we cannot fix it.  Our only alternatives are denial or despair.  God’s holy presence only highlights our failure and so we are terrified.

We are victims of something that I call the ‘pincer effect’. Military commanders use ‘pincer tactics’ when they attack a position from two opposing sides.  You see, the devil, the world, and our own sinful nature tempt us with all kinds of lies.  “No one will find out about it.”  “Everybody’s doing it.”  You won’t get caught.”  “It’ll be fun.”  “This will make you … more attractive, richer, more powerful, more popular …”, and on and on and on.  While there is only one truth, there are unlimited ways to lie, and the ways to rationalise sin are without number.

Then, after you sin, the devil stops being the tempter and starts being the accuser.  “Ohhh … look what you have done!!  “You’re in big trouble !!! …”  “God will get you for that!”  “There is no forgiveness for what you have done.”  The devil has the equivalent of a “tenth dan black belt” in guilt, and the devil, the world, and our own sinful nature want us to believe that the only thing God has for us is punishment.

Take some time to examine the false philosophical religions that flow from the human imagination.  Every one of them assumes that you feel guilty and want to do whatever it takes to make things right.  Over the centuries, human beings have sacrificed their time, their work, their wealth, animals, other human beings, and even their own children in order to please whatever god it was that they worshipped.

Even today, some in our culture sacrifice their children before they are even born.  Those who worship the god of wealth convince mothers to sacrifice their own babies and call it reproductive health.  We think we are so advanced and yet we kill our own babies.  Is it any wonder that both mental and emotional counsellors of all kinds report that guilt is at or near the top of the list of their patient’s problems?

So it is not surprising that the first reaction to God is fear.  When God reveals Himself to us, our first impulse is to revert to the law and the law takes to despair.  After all, here is the Almighty God who is holy and just.  His justice shines the full light of His law on us and reveals the utter depravity of our sin.  Isaiah expressed this very well when he said: ^{(Isaiah 6:5)} “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

We would be lost forever in this fear if God did not do something that the natural human would never expect.  God the Holy Spirit must enlighten with the Gospel.

The natural human being does not even have capacity to perceive the Gospel.  The Apostle Paul wrote ^{(1 Corinthians 2:14)} “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” This is the reason that it is God who must bring the Gospel to us.

The Gospel teaches us that ^{(John 3:17)} “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him”. Jesus Himself said^{, (Mark 10:45)} “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The Gospel teaches that God does not come to punish, but to save.

The first time Jesus blessed Peter with a miraculous catch of fish, Peter did not yet understand that Jesus is God in the flesh who has come to save from sin.  All Peter realised was that he was a sinner in the presence of the divine.  All Peter could think was that he deserved punishment for his sins.

In the Gospel we just heard, Peter understood that Jesus has actually died for him and risen from the dead.  The Holy Spirit enlightened him with the Gospel.  The Holy Spirit gave him the faith that believes in Jesus as saviour from sin.  Through that faith, Peter wanted to be with Jesus.

The Gospel is not just for Peter.  It is also for you.  Jesus lived a perfect life in your place.  He died on the cross and took the punishment for your sin.  He rose from the dead for you.  In Jesus Christ, the way to everlasting life is open for you.

Our sinful nature wants us to be like Peter the first time Jesus stepped into his boat.  Our sinful nature only wants us to see God as the judge who condemns our sins.  Our sinful nature wants us to be afraid.

The Holy Spirit enlighten us with the Gospel and gives faith to us … the same faith that Peter had … the faith that receives the gifts that Jesus earned … the faith that looks to Jesus for forgiveness instead of judgment.  We have no need to be afraid.  Instead, Jesus comes to us with His gifts, and we want to be with Him.  Amen

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

  

Easter 2 – 24 April 2022 – Year C

Grace to you and peace from God our father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 1^st Chapter of the Book of Revelation: Verses 4 -18:

 

⁴ John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed^[a] us from our sins by his blood, ⁶ and made^[b] us to be a kingdom, priests serving^[c his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

⁷ Look! He is coming with the clouds;
    every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
    and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.

So it is to be. Amen.

⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.⁹ I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.^[d] 10 I was in the spirit^[e] on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet ¹¹ saying, “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”

¹² Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³ and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. ¹⁴ His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, ¹⁵ his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. ¹⁶ In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force.

¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, ¹⁸ and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades.

 

It never ceases to amaze me how the secular journalist and commentators, especially around the Easter period, bring out alternative theories to explain—really, to explain away—the resurrection of Jesus from the dead? The disciples were fooled by their overactive imaginations. The apostles hatched a plot to pull a fast one to get some gullible people to believe Jesus rose. Or if you care for the Muslim version, Jesus is a prophet of Allah, but was not the Son of God, and did not die on the cross. Someone else was crucified in his place and Jesus was directly raised up to Allah without dying.

 

Yet what we heard in our First Reading for the Book of Acts this morning is the apostolic witness from the very beginning: even when faced with prison or death, they could not stop telling what God had done. Peter and the apostles answered the authorities, ^{(Acts 5:29–32)} “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him”.

 

Some sixty years later, John alone remained of the twelve apostles. Nearly one hundred years of age, he was exiled to the island of Patmos because of his testimony of Jesus. Here, God gave him the visions that begin in our second lesson today. This is clearly outlined in our text text: Revelation 1:9–16.

 

Why is it that the world often cannot accept the testimony of the resurrection but has to put forward other alternatives? I suspect that to accept the resurrection is to accept the focal truth of the Christian Faith. Acceptance means commitment which in turn leads people instinctively to Jesus call to repentance. If God went to such lengths that God himself would come into our flesh, die in our place, and bodily rise again, then He recognised that we must have desperately needed him to do it. Though they may not want to admit it, most people when they hear it, recognise that, if Jesus actually did rise from the dead, then we somehow have to come to terms with that. But if a person doesn’t want to repent, or if we don’t think we really need to repent, that we’re okay on our own, then we’ll try to hold Jesus at arm’s length.

 

Why do people adopt an attitude of agnosticism? Many question why a good God would allow children to suffer. There is a constant insinuation that if God really cared, there would not be the suffering and violence and agony we must bear. Well God does really care. He cares do much that he created a world without all the agony of sin and suffering. A perfect world that was degenerated into a world of sin and suffering, simply because we of the human race could not respect Gods one command. Mankind of the nature of wanting to control our own destiny, introduced the very sin into the world, the sin that brings the death and suffering and troubles. The very troubles that agnostics use to justify the absence of a loving God.   They have concluded, as a result, that there is no Saviour, or if there is, they don’t need or want one. So, they go on without God.

 

You see, people generally do acknowledge that Jesus lived two thousand years ago, but they often want to find a way to set him aside, or to fit him into some kind of box, or to reduce him to a category we can understand and explain. But the Jesus of Scripture will not allow himself to be put into our boxes or to be limited by us. He is the Almighty, the first and the last, ruling over all things.

 

Just as Scripture tells of the real death of Jesus on our behalf, so the apostolic witness is clear: Jesus bodily rose from the dead. That fact supersedes everything. When John saw him, he said, ^{(Rev17–18).} “I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades’ ”

 

Then, in a series of seven visions of increasing intensity, each one covering the whole time between Pentecost and the end, Revelation overwhelms us with the assurance of Christ’s victory, that Jesus is alive forevermore, so in him we will live also.

 

John is on Patmos, exiled for his testimony of Jesus, but in these visions, God allows him to peek behind the curtain, so to speak, to see and hear the Lord Jesus in all his glory, and to see that he has the keys of death and hell.

 

How many times have you been bothered by the devil’s temptations? Jesus has the key to lock him up where he belongs. The key is his Word, the sharp, two-edged sword of Law and Gospel. He is alive to give us what we need more than anything, to cleanse us from our sins by the washing of water with his Word. He is alive now to make us a kingdom of priests to his God and Father so that, forgiven and restored, we serve him with our sacrifices of praise. Every day becomes an offering of service to him. Every time we tell someone of his love for them, we are serving him as his royal priests.

 

How many times at a funeral have you gazed at the casket and noticed how tightly sealed down the lid is? Jesus has the key that will open every casket. It will be his voice; as with Lazarus, he will call you by name and say, “Come out of there!” And we shall rise, just as he said.

 

Yes, we die a real death. Jesus also truly died—no one took his place; he was there for us. And just as he rose from the dead and is truly alive forevermore, so he will raise us and give us the life that never ends.

One of the more potent demonstrations of the resurrection of Jesus is the continued existence for two thousand years of the Christian Church. From the very beginning, enemies tried putting the apostles in prison. They exiled John to Patmos. Eventually all the other apostles were martyred. All the way down to today, the enemies of Christ think they can silence the Church by killing believers. But the Word of God will not be silenced, for the one speaking the Word is the same living Jesus who appeared to John. He is the Almighty himself, with a long white robe and a golden sash signifying authority, with eyes of fire and feet like burnished bronze, with a face shining as the sun in full strength, and a voice like the roar of many waters.

 

When John saw him, he fell at his feet as though dead, but Jesus laid his hand on him and said, ^{(Rev 1:17–18)}“Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore”. So also we, when faced with our own sin and death, if we turn and repent of our sin, if we own up to our need, and put away all our excuses. If we recognise that we are dying, and in all good conscience cannot stand in his presence: So just as Jesus laid his hand on John to say, “Fear not!” so also Jesus lays his Word on us: “Fear not!” ^{(Jn 10:14)} “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me”. “Fear not, your sins are forgiven you, go and sin no more.” ^{(Jn 6:38–39)} “Fear not . . . I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day”. And even as he speaks his Word, so Jesus also cleanses us by his blood in the water of Baptism and touches our lips with his body and blood for forgiveness and life everlasting.

 

One more proof of the resurrection is found in what we’re doing right now. We have gathered for worship on Sunday. Think of it. For centuries, Jewish believers gathered on the Sabbath, on Saturday. Suddenly, and without turning back, Jewish believers in Jesus began to worship on Sunday—the Lord’s Day, John called it. What changed that deeply held practice? Only something as fundamental as a real Sunday-morning resurrection from the dead. So now think also of this: for two thousand years, somewhere, somehow, God’s people have been acting on our Lord’s command, “Do this, in remembrance of me.” You and I today join in that long line of believers who receive the gifts, who trust that behind forms of bread and wine there will stand, by the power of his Word, the living Lord Jesus Christ, giving us his body and blood. He says, “I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and hell.”. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”. Amen

 

The grace and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

 

Easter Sunday – 17 April 2022 – Year C

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 24^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses 1–12:

 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. ² And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,³ but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. ⁵ And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷ that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”⁸ And they remembered his words, ⁹ and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰ Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, ¹¹ but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. ¹² But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marvelling at what had happened.

 

 

Every year, we hear the story of the resurrection of Jesus.  When you hear a story often enough, it is easy to gloss over many of the details of the story. We’ve heard the story so often that we think there is nothing new to learn.  All kinds of people come to an empty tomb.  One or more angels informs them that Jesus has risen.  Everybody lives happily ever after.  The End. 

As is the case for all the writings of the Bible, it’s not that simple.  There is always more to learn.

 

One of the things I didn’t notice for a long time was the timing of everything.  If we flashback to Friday, you may remember that Jesus died in the middle of the afternoon.  Before Joseph of Arimathea could lay Jesus in His tomb, he had to obtain an audience with Pontius Pilate to get permission to remove the body from the cross.  Then He and the other friends of Jesus had to actually remove the body, transport it to the tomb, and prepare it for burial.  This all takes time.  Ordinarily, that would not be a problem, but in this case, the next day was a Sabbath.  Even the work of burying a dead body was strictly forbidden on the Sabbath.  There was no way to get that all done in time and do a halfway decent job of placing Jesus in the tomb.  You see, the Sabbath starts at sundown, and Sundown and the Sabbath just came too quickly.  The timing of Jesus’ death guaranteed that the friends of Jesus had to return on Sunday morning in order to properly care for the body of their dead friend.  By arranging the timing on Good Friday so that the burial had to take place in a hurry, the Lord assured that there would be plenty of witnesses at the empty tomb on Sunday.  And, in fact, all four Gospels tell us that the empty tomb was a pretty busy place from about the time that the sun came up until the middle of the morning.

 

Think of it.  The first Easter was a swirl of activity and emotion.  The women came to the tomb with spices and find that the tomb is open and the body of Jesus is gone.  Then men show up who’s appearance resembles lightning, and the men said to them, ^{(Luke 24:5–7)} “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”

 

These men knew these women even though the women have never seen them before in their lives.  And in the midst of all of this commotion, where do the messengers direct their attention?  They directed their attention to the words of Jesus.  The Holy Spirit inspired Luke to point out that everything has happened exactly as Jesus said it would.  As we make our way through the Gospel accounts, we regularly read that Jesus was teaching his disciples, saying to them, ^{(Mark 9:31)} “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” The angels got Jesus’ message exactly right.

 

There is something else that you notice when you get into the nitty-gritty details of the day of resurrection, you start to notice trends and patterns in the way Jesus showed Himself to His people.  

After a bit of study, it becomes evident that Jesus wanted His followers to believe in His resurrection because of His promise … that His promise to rise was more authoritative than His actual presence.  The angels said as much; “Don’t you remember His promise to rise from the dead?  When God makes a promise, He keeps it.  Why are you looking for Him here in the place of the dead?” ….  Even though His followers had not yet seen Him, they should believe that He is alive based on His promise alone.

 

Slowly the truth of the situation began to sink in.  For these women, remembering the Lord’s words brings them more fully into reality.  With the words of Jesus, they begin to understand the strange new world that surrounds them.  Empty graves and men with the appearance of lightning.  Angels who have been with you all of your life.  These things start to make sense:  Jesus had talked about a heavenly kingdom.  The world is God’s, and God’s kingdom has come.  What about the pain of the crucifixion?  Was this all a mistake?  No! Jesus had told them:  His betrayal and death were part of God’s will.  God so desired to save all people that He gave His Only Son to bear the punishment for their sin.  

 

And now, punishment is gone.  Divine vengeance is over, and the open grave gives a glimpse of heavenly joy. Angels talk to humans.  Humans speak to one another, sharing a message that saves every man, woman, and child.  “God loves you.  In love, He gave His life for you.  And now He lives and reigns eternally.”

 

The women could not keep this kind of news to themselves.  They had to share the things they had seen and heard.  The Holy Spirit brought the promises of Jesus to their minds.  He had promised to rise from the dead and now He had risen just as He said.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ certainly demonstrates His power and authority. 

 

Over the years, mediums claim to communicate with the dead, I certainly am not convinced, think of it what you will, but I see that stuff as dodgy, even evil.  But now here we have someone who not only promised to rise from the dead, but actually pulled it off.  This alone makes Jesus unique in all of history.

 

Furthermore, this resurrection certified once and for all that Jesus has defeated sin, death, and the power of the devil.  As God promised in Eden, the seed of the woman has crushed the serpent’s head.  This fact alone is reason to rejoice over this victory.  But there is more.

Jesus promised to rise from the dead and He kept His promise.  His resurrection means that there is nothing that can stop Him from keeping His promises.  I can make a promise and subsequently get sick or have a flat tyre or have any of a number of other difficulties.  Every fibre in my being can be dedicated to keeping my promises.  But we are human with all our frailties, and so it is possible that circumstances beyond my control can stop me. 

 

The resurrection of Jesus Christ clearly demonstrates that there are no circumstances beyond the control of Christ.  Not even death can prevent Him from keeping His promises.

 

Jesus promised to rise from the dead.  Now hear some of the other promises that He made.  ^{(John 5:24)} “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” ^{(John 10:27–29)} “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”  ^{(John 11:25–26)} “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (^{John 14:1–3)} “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” 

 

Friends, these are but a few of the promises that Jesus has made.  These are but a few of the promises that we can rely on Jesus keeping because even death cannot hold Him or prevent Him from keeping His Word to You.

 

I don’t have to tell you that we live in a society where Christianity comes under great scepticism, where materialism and success have taken priority in the hearts of many. Journalism trends to afford the Christian Faith very little credibility and preys on Christians who publicly fail. In saying this, can I make the point that the same journalists fiercely protect the rights of faiths such as Buddhism, Islam, Hindi, etc. I have no problems with that, but for the people of these faiths, every aspect of their daily lives is entwined in their religious beliefs. Can I also add that on countless occasions, I have had the experience of people who have gone through their lives denying any allegiance with Christianity, ask me to pray for them when they have been in times of dire anxiety.

 

My point is that God created us as spiritual beings, we all have deep spiritual needs. People of other faiths have no hesitation in publicly living out their spirituality, you know it’s quite OK for Christians and those feeling in need of the peace, wisdom and guidance that comes only from God through the risen Christ to do the same.

 

 When God sent His Son to die for us, it was because he loves us. When Jesus promises to be in our lives, he is begging us to put aside our cultural pride and accept him in our lives to our lasting benefit. God has a place in eternity for us, Jesus has opened the path to eternity; he has bestowed the gracious gifts of the water and the word in Holy Baptism and Jesus body and blood in Holy Communion, that we may hear his promises as written in the Holy Scriptures and believe.

 

Christ’s promises teach us that a day is coming when He will return to raise all the dead back to life.  If you or I had to face that day based on our own good works, we would fail.  For no one is able to earn salvation.  But Christ has promised salvation to us based on His perfect life and His sacrificial death.  He has promised that those who have the Holy Spirit’s gift of faith will rise to eternal life.  For it is by faith that we receive the benefits of Christ’s work.  We can have absolute certainty of our eternal salvation, not because of anything we have done, but because we have the promise of Christ.  And not even death can stop Him from keeping His promises.  For He has risen from the dead just as He said He would.  Amen

 

The peace and love that comes from the risen Christ live in your hearts and minds that your faith can lead you on a journey with our Lord and Saviour into eternity. Amen

 

Maundy Thursday – 14 April 2022 - Year C

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

The text for our meditation lies within the Old Testament and Gospel readings with the focal points from 1 Corinthians 11: 23 – 26:

“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”   In the same way also he 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.”  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”

 

 

The Old Testament reading from the 12^th Chapter of the Book of Exodus tells us of the very first Passover night, the night before the day the children of Israel walked though blood-stained doorways into freedom and life.  That was the memorial (paschal) night, the night of the remembrance meal - the hard, unleavened bread, the bitter herbs, the lamb roasted to dry toughness.  The Lamb’s blood painted on the doorposts.  It is the night of judgment and death as God seeks out the blood.  Under the blood of the lamb, His people are safe.  Death passes over.  Without the blood there is death.  It is neither safe nor beneficial to deal with God apart from the blood of the Lamb.

 

It is a night of remembrance. The Lord commands; “This day shall be for you a day of remembrance, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, you shall observe it as a law forever.”  In this meal, they remembered the Lord and His saving work; and the Lord remembered them, His Israel.  They ate in solidarity with Israel, past and present.  It was a holy communion of a holy community. ‘They’ were the descendants of Adam, a lost and fallen people, this was part of God’s plan to bring them back into communion with Him; a plan for them – a plan also for us.

Here now on the 14^th April 2022, it is again the night of that fateful day on which the Son of God incarnate in our human flesh laid down His life to save the world.  In the rhythm of the day as it appears in the Bible, evening marks the beginning of the day.  Darkness into light.  Evening into morning.  This is the evening Jesus was handed over; the morning would bring his death for the life of the world.

Jesus is in an upper room at a table with His disciples, His Twelve, His Israel.  They are celebrating the Passover, the Old Testament sacrament by which they were joined to Israel on the night they walked through a blood-stained doorway into freedom from slavery.  “This day shall be for you a day of remembrance, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, you shall observe it as an ordinance forever.”

At this table, Jesus gives to His disciples in two ways.  First, He gives them a pattern to follow, an example of sacrificial service, of holding others in higher regard than self.  He takes off his tunic, takes up a towel and a basin of water, and washes the dusty, dirty feet of His disciples.  The Lord and Creator of all, bends down to do the work of the lowliest of servants.  The Master becomes the slave.  He came not to be served, but to serve, and to lay down His life as a ransom for the many.

At first, Peter would have none of it.  Pride gets in the way of our being given to.  It is so terribly hard to be given to.  We say it whenever we receive an unexpected gift:  “You shouldn’t have.”  We mean it.  But Jesus, ever patient, persists.  Peter must learn the way of humbly receiving as well.  Before you can give of yourself in service, you must receive the divine service of the Suffering Servant.

In washing their feet, Jesus gave them an example to follow, “that you should do as I have done to you.”  This is what it means to live under Him in His kingdom and to serve Him.  He is the King who bows before His subjects and washes their feet.  In the face of that, is there any task beneath our dignity?  “A servant is not greater than His master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.”  What would Jesus do?  He would wash dirty, dusty feet.

If clean feet were all Jesus gave out that night in the upper room, then He would not have given anything new.  Examples are nice, and examples from the Lord are even better.  Who can argue with a Jesus example?  But apart from His death and life, apart from our union with Him as branches to the vine, we can do nothing.  The spirit may indeed be willing to wash feet, but the flesh is not only weak, it is dead.

So Jesus gives to His Twelve in yet another way.  Not the way of example but the way of sacrifice and gift.  He takes the bread that opens the Passover meal, the hard, unleavened bread of affliction, He gives thanks, and He breaks it into pieces, handing a piece to each of His disciples.  To receive the piece of bread is to be admitted to the meal.  You belong at this table.  He says words never before heard in a Passover liturgy:  “This is my body, which is given for you.”  His words tell us what we could not know for ourselves.  This bread is Jesus’ body – the very body that will later that day be given into death on the cross.  Here bread finds the highest and holiest use - to be the vehicle to deliver Jesus’ body, the Bread of Life, living Bread come down from heaven as manna to feed His Israel.  His Israel, His church, would live off the Bread of His death until He appears again in glory.

 

He takes the cup of wine after supper, the blessing cup.  He lifts His cup, gives thanks, and gives each of His disciples to drink from it.  Again, Jesus says words never before uttered in a Passover:  “This is the new covenant in my blood.”  Covenants were sealed with sacrificial blood sprinkled on the people.  This covenant blood is given to drink.  Here too, wine finds its ultimate purpose, binding those who drink of Jesus’ cup in a covenant of His blood.  In the Old Testament, blood stood for life.  “The life of the creature is in the blood.”  This blood of the new covenant is a blood that was poured out for us, in our place, for the forgiveness of our sins.

Washing feet was the example.  That was something the disciples could do - but giving His body to eat and His blood to drink; that was something only Jesus could do.  He unites them and us with Him in His death and life.  He is the vine; they are the branches.  His body and blood, His death and life flowing into them make them fruitful foot washers.  Apart from Him, they can do nothing.  Nor can we.

Jesus’ gracious invitation to us also is to come to His table on this night which commemorates the night on which He our Lord and Saviour was betrayed into death for us.  The same Meal He gave to His Twelve, He now gives to us.  Humbly we receive the bread He prepared for us and eat it.  It is His body, our manna to sustain us in our wilderness journey until we rise to walk in Promised Land.  Humbly we receive the cup He prepared for us and drink from it.  It is His covenant blood, poured out for the many, poured out for us.  This is wine from Calvary’s vineyard to gladden our sin-saddened heart.  What greater gift can Jesus give, than to give us the fruits of His sacrifice, His own Body and Blood?

He gives His all to us so that He might save the all of us.  Nothing stands outside His forgiveness.  Nothing can separate us from His self-sacrificing love.  No greater love is there than this self-giving love that lays down its life for another.  In His Supper, at His table, He lays before us the gifts of His cross and says, “These are for you.”

Friends, from this holy Meal we arise refreshed, renewed, restored.  The unconditional grace of Jesus’ Body and Blood will enliven us in faith toward Him and in fervent love toward one another.  This is a sacrificial love that bends down in service of our neighbour - both friend and stranger; a love that washes dirty, dusty feet; a love that seeks to serve Christ in the least, the lost, the lowly.  I (Jesus) give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Amen.

 

The love and peace of our great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

  

Palm Sunday – 10 April 2022 – Year C

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

 

The Holy Gospel is written in the 19^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses 28 – 40:

²⁸ After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
²⁹ When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, ³⁰ saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’” ³² So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. ³³ As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” ³⁴ They said, “The Lord needs it.” ³⁵ Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. ³⁶ As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. ³⁷ As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, ³⁸ saying,
“Blessed is the king
    who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven,
    and glory in the highest heaven!”
³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” ⁴⁰ He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

 

 

By all appearances and for all practical purposes, Jesus seems like he’s finally made it today. Palm Sunday is the only day in his entire life when “All Glory, Laud, and Honour” are given to him; the one and only time the crowds come to him – not looking for free food or healthcare (or to kill him), but to hail him as the king who comes in the name of the LORD. Today Jesus looks every bit the King he came to be. The caution for us today is not to mistake the King we want for the King we need. 

Finally, Jesus is acting like a king should act. Kings send their servants to do their bidding – and Jesus sends two of his disciples to retrieve a colt. Kings don’t ask for permission to use their subject’s property, they demand it – and Jesus tells his disciples to say the Lord needs it. You may think that a donkey doesn’t appear to be a very kingly mode of transportation – at least a white stallion might seem more appropriate – but it’s interesting to note that this is the only time in the Gospels where we hear that Jesus is riding at all; otherwise he got where he was going the old fashioned way: his own two feet. And when you combine this with Zechariah’s prophecy that Jerusalem’s true King would come into the city riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9) it’s clear that Jesus is making a statement with this mode of transportation: he was openly claiming to be the King of Jerusalem, the rightful successor of David, who would bring peace to Israel. 

And the people went crazy. They loved it. This is what they’d been waiting centuries for. Just like cities throw parades for their victorious sports teams today, the people of Jerusalem gave Jesus a welcome fit for a king. They threw their coats down, so that he rode into Jerusalem on a carpet. John says that they took palm branches and went out to meet him. (John 12:13) The palm branch was like the national flag of Israel. As people wave their flags before their leaders, so they waved their palms before their king. And this wasn’t blind or undeserved praise. Luke says the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen. They had seen him give the blind sight, feed thousands, defeat demons, heal lepers and, last, but certainly not least, they had seen him bring Lazarus back to life after he had been dead for four days. (John 11)

Never before had Jesus received this kind of welcome. Never before had they publicly and boldly proclaimed all that Jesus had done. And, unlike before, Jesus accepts their praise. He doesn’t tell them to keep his miracles to themselves, as he had before. (Luke 5:14) He didn’t turn around and go into hiding as he did after they tried to make him king after he fed the 5000. (John 6:15) He doesn’t tell them my kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36) as he would tell Pilate. In fact, Jesus tells his enemies that this praise is so fitting and necessary that if the crowds didn’t do it the very stones would cry out. 

Today it looks like the baby born in a stable in Bethlehem and raised in the backwoods of Nazareth has finally lived up to the hype, right? Finally he has the glory, the crowds, the praise; finally Jesus isn’t worshipped by just a few lowly peasants in rural Galilee but by a huge crowd in the capital city; finally it seems Jesus has come to do something more important than just preach and teach, he’s come to take power and control; finally Jesus is acting like the king the people want. 

This is the Jesus you will find proclaimed in a vast number of churches. This is the powerful, life-changing Jesus who rescues people from their slavery to drugs and alcohol. The Jesus who came down from heaven to deliver people from the prisons of sickness and depression. The Jesus who will save your marriage, entertain and educate your children, get you that promotion and vacation, make sure you have more than enough money for retirement and liberate you from life’s greatest burdens: student and credit card debt. This Jesus sounds an awful lot like a political candidate. And doesn’t this Jesus sound great? Who wouldn’t want this kind of Jesus? This Jesus is helpful, useful, practical, and always relevant. Even the unbelieving world can get behind this Jesus. 

Finally Jesus was acting the way the people wanted him to…and that’s why that crowd grew so big so quickly – they thought that he was getting ready to re-establish David’s throne in Jerusalem. Just a few verses before our text Luke says the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once…because he was near Jerusalem. (Luke 19:11) They were expecting Jesus to be the king they wanted; a king who would throw the Romans out of the Holy Land and restore prosperity and power to Israel. That’s the version of Jesus the world can – and does – gladly accept. No more of this bloody Jesus and his cross. No more of this Jesus who builds his kingdom through foolish things like words and water, bread and wine. There are those among biggest and most successful churches who wouldn’t dare mention this kind of Jesus. Why not? Because they know that this Jesus doesn’t sell tickets or fill seats, the world isn’t buying a crucified King. 

But lest you think this sermon is an attack on how wrong the rest of the world is and how right we are, I have a confession to make: the Jesus the world wants…that’s the Jesus I want too. And I suspect the same is true of you. I don’t really want bloody Good Friday Jesus. I want glorious Palm Sunday Jesus. I don’t want a king who is rejected by the world, and says that the world will reject me too if I follow him. (Matthew 10:22) I don’t want a Jesus who picks up his cross and then tells me that if I’m going to follow him I must pick up my own cross, too. (Luke 9:23) I want a Jesus who stops at Luke 19:40. I want a superhero Jesus that I can brag about at parties – not a bloody, beaten, loser Jesus who says that we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22) Is that really true? Consider your prayer life. When you pray do you plead with Jesus to save you from God’s wrath or to save you from health issues and financial insecurity? Do we understand that Jesus distributes his greatest blessings right here at church or do we imagine that coming here is kind of like putting our coins into some divine vending machine which ensures that blessings keep rolling into our lives out there? Perhaps the coldest, hardest evidence is that just like that first Palm Sunday the crowd is here shouting praise to King Jesus in his time of glory, but where will this crowd be on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday when King Jesus bleeds and dies? The truth is that if we want Jesus to be a King who comes to make this life and this world better, then we don’t want the true Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible. And this is more than just a mistake, this is sin, this is idolatry. It’s time to search our hearts and seek repentance . 

Set your mind right for your own good; change your mind about the King you want, because idol Jesus, the Jesus the world wants, the Jesus we secretly want, won’t save anyone. There is no salvation to be found in a Jesus whose work ends at Luke 19:40. Oh sure, Jesus has done some wonderful miracles and preached some mesmerising sermons and fulfilled some OT prophecies. But if Jesus had stopped there, the devil would still control our souls, our sins would still condemn us, and we would still have every reason to fear death – because the yawning gates of hell would still be open. The Jesus who “makes” it in the world doesn’t make it as a Saviour.  

It’s easy to make mistakes about Jesus on Palm Sunday because the appearances can be deceiving. He appears to march in as David’s legitimate heir who has come to be the earthly King the people want. But if you look past the palm branches and adoring crowds, you can see the real reason Jesus came. Jesus specifically sends his disciples to find a colt which no one has ever ridden. Why does that matter? In the OT, whenever there was an unsolved murder, whenever a dead body was found and no one knew who did it, God commanded the citizens of that city to find a red heifer which had never been yoked, never been used, and slaughter it as an atoning sacrifice. (Deuteronomy 21:1-9) That heifer had to die to bear the burden of the people’s guilt. 

Jesus isn’t riding into Jerusalem on a war horse to establish his kingdom on earth, he’s riding on a colt as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. He comes not to slaughter his enemies but to be slaughtered. Even as the crowds shout his praises and prepare to install him as King – he knows what really lies ahead: that he is going to be beaten, tortured and crucified. He knows that the palm branches brushing his face today will be replaced by the Roman whip tearing open his back. He knows that each step on that carpeted path is one step closer to Calvary where his hands and feet will be nailed to a cross. 

On Palm Sunday, it’s easy to be mistaken. It looks like Jesus comes to be the king the world wants. It looks like Jesus belongs on the throne so much that even the stones have to admit it. And the stones would. But they do not cry out today. No, when do the stones cry out? Good Friday! Only after Jesus is lifted up on the throne of the cross; only after the notice is nailed above his head identifying him as The King of the Jews (Luke 23:38); only after King Jesus has given up his spirit do the stones shake and quake and split and shout out the truth oh, sorrow dread! God’s Son is dead! (Matthew 27:50-51) 

And finally, not the Palm Sunday crowds but the Good Friday stones proclaim the King we need. We don’t need a Jesus who hangs out in a palace, we need a Jesus who hangs on a cross. A Jesus who is popular in the world wouldn’t want anything to do with you or me. We don’t have the power, the money, the looks, the talent, the charisma the world values and praises. A Jesus like that would be out of touch and out of reach. We need a Jesus who meets us where we are; who knows what it is to grieve and weep; who knows what it means to be weak and helpless; who is despised and hated by the same world we are. When we are suffering, we find comfort in a King who suffers too. When we are burdened by sin and haunted by demons, we run to a King who knows sin’s weight and the devil’s fury. More than we need a King who is popular with this world’s elite, we need a King who isn’t ashamed to associate with sinners; because that’s what we are. 

The Jesus the world wants comes and demands to be served. He expects people to give him the shirt off their backs. He expects them to sacrifice everything for him. This Jesus fits the paradigm of power and glory in this world. But this is not the Jesus I need. I don’t need a Jesus who demands the shirt off my back; I need a Jesus who offers his back to take the beating I deserve from God and covers my shameful nakedness with the robe of his righteousness. I don’t need a Jesus who will take over the world but a Jesus who willingly loses the world to save me. I need the Jesus of Philippians 2 who lets go of heaven to grab hold of me. Let the rest of the world have health and wealth Jesus; I need the Jesus who gave up his health and wealth to defeat sin, death and the devil and win eternal life for me. 

This is the Jesus who saves the world. A Jesus who never suffered and died could save no one from death. A Jesus who is everything the world wants in a King would be no King at all – he would just be another imposter. The world turns in disgust from this King and his wounds, his blood, his cross, his death. Nothing in the universe is more offensive to the world than Christ the crucified King. The world might not want a Jesus who comes to Jerusalem on a donkey to die, but I do. Because there is nothing in the world I need more than for Jesus to suffer and die for my sins. May the Lord help us this Holy Week to never mistake the King we want for the King we need. Amen. 

The love and peace of out Great Triune God who is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen