Palm Sunday/Sunday of the Passion – April 1, 2007

If Hollywood was given the Processional Gospel for today,  Luke 19:28-40, and told to update it, I wonder what would happen. Perhaps some directors might have Jesus come into Jerusalem in a Hummer, or a Porsche, or on a Harley, or riding a cool bike.   There could be a police motorcycle escort, with television cameras all around.  The bystanders might be wearing ‘Jesus rocks’ shirts, and tossing Frisbees and beach balls back and forth.  Jesus would be dressed like a politician on a campaign trail.

Or, might the scene look like this?  Jesus comes in, dressed in jeans and an Old Navy sweatshirt, with dark sunglasses on.  He has his ipod set to his favourite tunes.  His friends walk around him, or do tricks on their skateboards, while talking to each other.  All of a sudden, someone on the sidewalk shouts, ‘Look, there’s the Jesus dude!’  Their cheers, louder than those on American Idol, prevent Jesus from listening anymore.  He takes off his glasses to get a better look, and a smile forms on his face.  People are taking pictures of him with their cellphones and digital cameras.  It all seems so unreal, so sweet.

While this is going on, a widescreen plasma TV sits unnoticed in a nearby storefront window.  It is set to one of the news channels.  If anyone in the crowd had stopped to watch, they would have seen the following headlines:  The UN sanctions Iran for its nuclear proliferation;  Suicide bombers blow up 100s in Baghdad;  Shelter House and Faye Peterson women’s shelter are both full;  Man arrested for Recent Murder in Thunder Bay.

Jesus is looking so confident and determined,  yet at the same time sad and distracted.  What is the reason for this, what is he thinking about?  Look at the faces are reflected on the window, as they watch…..you, and me….  Jesus is thinking about you and me, and about the way God’s love is about to be revealed for all people.  Stay tuned for more news…  

Lent 5 – March 25, 2007

Over the years in the Children’s Time at Easter Sunday services, I have often asked the youngsters what is special about that day. The first responses I usually receive have to do with Easter bunnies, eggs, chocolates, lilies, and special meals.  Only when I point to the cross on the front wall, do I receive the answer, ‘Jesus died, and has risen’.  I then ask why that is special.  There will be quiet for a moment.  Then slowly,  one or more will reply, ‘He did it for us!’.

The order of these answers makes sense in a child’s mind.  They also bring back wonderful memories for me.  The excitement of Easter Day in my house began with the dyeing of eggs the night , and getting our baskets ready.  And, we knew that during Easter worship the next day the bunny would visit our homes with great things.  In between all that, we heard and celebrated the message of the risen Christ.

Our reading this coming Sunday from John, and our reading of the Passsion of Jesus according to Luke next Sunday, serve, I believe, to focus on Jesus during these coming weeks, amidst all our other preparations.   They provide us with serious, dark images, as opposed to the bright colours of spring we see in the stores.  We are called once more to remember, to journey with Jesus to Jerusalem,  to watch the drama unfolding between those who followed him and of those opposed him.  Mary’s annointing of his feet with perfume prefigure the final verdict: he will suffer and die. We draw nearer and near to the cross and his final outpouring of love, for all people.

Is it true that we can celebrate Easter full of joy only after we walk behind a man going to his death?  It’s something the Scriptures ask us to ponder during the next two weeks.

Lent 4 – March 18, 2006

The parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11b-32) is often told in the form of a play.  The lead character is the younger son, with the father and the older son being supporting actors.  At first, we have sympathy for the father, as the younger son demands his inheritance early, and goes off to live it up.  Next, we hear that the younger son has used up all his money, and decides to come back home, to be a servant.  Yet the Father will have none of this, and orders a celebration.  Finally, we see the older son. He cannot return to normality that easily.  He is angry and jealous of what his wayward, undeserving, brother is receiving. 

At times, I believe that in our own lives we can feel like each of these characters.  We want to experience all that life has to offer.  The short-term interests us more than the long-term.  Sometimes this can be a great experience.  However, at other moments, we can soon feel lost, hungry, alone, guilty.  Or, we can be like the father, searching for a sign of life, of the way things were, of reconciliation.  Finally, we can be like the older son, feeling better than others, arguing that we too deserve the best, separating ourselves from others.

In each of these incidences, I hear God asking us to understand that we are connected to each other.  Rather than being above others, or separated from others, we are brothers and sisters, joined together by the love of God.   It may not always be able to get along eye-to eye.  Sill, God asks us to keep on trying, to find what we have lost, or set aside, and to choose life.

Lent 3 – March 11, 2007

Luke 13:1-9 is one of those readings in the church year that causes me difficulty.  In the first part Jesus dismisses a direct connection between huge sin and God-inflicted suffering.  I appreciate that, because I don’t believe that God has a score card that rates people according to their sin and what type of divine punishment they will receive.  On the other hand, there are times that I wish that the Creator would exact revenge on the basis of certain atrocities that I hear about in the news.  I also want God to stop the suffering of those who don’t seem to be so bad people. 

The next stumbling block in this passage is that Jesus warns that unless we repent we will all perish as those who have died in terrible ways.  Repentance means turning one’s life toward God.  In my own life, I know I need to do this over and over again.  What happens if God catches me in one of the ‘in between’ times?

The passage ends with a parable about a fig tree.  At first it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the earler portions.  But, as we read it, we discover that it gives us at least partial answers to the earlier dilemmas I described.  First, we hear the owner telling the gardener to cut down the fruitless tree.  In this, I believe we hear the judgment of God, the decision that we perhaps want for others, the decision that we fear for ourselves.  However, in the gardener’s answer, we hear the voice of invitation.  The gardener asks for more time, for an opportunity to cultivate the tree, so that it bears fruit.  He asks only for one year’s reprieve. Yet one suspects that he is confident that he’ll be able to turn the tree around. 

So it also with us.  God doesn’t give up on us, as easily as we give up on ourselves, or others judge us.  Instead, God’s Spirit continues to prune back that which is ‘dead’ in our lives, and to give us what we need to grow in faith.  We may not always understand how the world works, or what is God’s part in it.  However, we can journey in hope that the Creator will help us to see the road ahead, lift us up when we stumble, and guide us back when we lose our way.