The angel told Mary Magdalene that first Easter morning, “ Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen!” One of the most famous Easter hymns written in 1739 by Charles Wesley was “Christ the Lord is Risen Today.”
Charles Wesley wrote between 6,500 and 10,000 hymns!!! In 1738 Charles and his brother both had conversion experiences that deeply impacted the course of their lives. Charles had been ordained in the Church of England but had a “heart-warming” experience at Aldersgate Hall, an old iron foundry converted into a church. This experience seems to have ignited and jettisoned his musical talents. Charles, his father, his son and his grandson were all talented musicians.
Charles wrote this hymn for the opening of Aldersgate Hall in 1939. Charles had a gift for making Christ real and three dimensional. He gave converts something they could identify with, grasp and embrace and possibly die for at that time.
Methodism was founded by the Wesley brothers but Charles always was faithful to the Church of England. They believed, “the resurrection assures us of God’s tomorrow.” That hope allows us to deal with the trials and tribulations of today. Mary Magdalene went to the cave expecting to anoint the body of her dead friend who had not made the Jews great again. Instead she met angels who gave her hope and purpose. As we finish this first Easter siting of the risen Christ and we finish the first week of Easter, may we listen to the words of Charles Wesley’s song and feel the hope of the resurrection.
“Have you checked under the bed?” was my mother’s advice whenever I had misplaced something. I said it to my children too. My sister and I pondered Mary Magdalene’s experience with the resurrected Christ. She was going to the tomb thinking she would find the body of Jesus but found the body missing. After all, that was where she saw him last put! Peter and John didn’t believe her and went to the tomb also to see that indeed the body was missing. The tomb was the logical place to find Jesus, as that was where he had last been seen. The challenge is that God’s logic does not work like our logic.
God tells us to love our enemies and to turn the other cheek. Resting one day a week will help us to be better workers the other six days. I listened to a podcast about the success of Chick-fillet. One day a week they are closed and yet bring in profits exceeding another top fast food competitor. It is in the death of Christ that we find eternal life. That does not make sense to our minds. The angel said he has risen and they were to return to Galilee. That doesn’t make sense. God’s ways challenge us to take steps of faith, trusting God rather than ourselves.
The Easter testimonies we will look at for seven weeks do relate “that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the word of life. (1 John 1:1)” The resurrection story was experienced by real people that really saw, heard, felt, smelled and tasted the events. It is not fiction. It is fact. Perhaps the question I need to ask myself is, “Where am I looking for Jesus today?”
Matthew 22:31and 32 says,
31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.”
We look for God in places of life, among the living, for he is the God of the living. It is hard to believe as we cannot see, people like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but like Mary, we can hear God today call our name. We can feel love in a hug. We can see God in nature. We can feel God in the laughter of children. And we can taste God’s blessings in forgiveness. If you are having trouble connecting with God, perhaps you are looking in the wrong place. A good place to start looking is in a place of life.
We are pondering Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the risen Christ. First she saw that the stone was moved, something was different that caught her attention. Life was not as expected. Then an angel tells her that Jesus is risen. But she does not comprehend what that means. Will life return to normal like with Lazarus? Will Jesus be all disfigured by his flogging and crucifixion? Where is he? She runs and tells the disciples that the body is missing but they do not believe her. She returns with Peter and John who see for themselves the body is missing but no one understands. Peter and John leave but Mary lingers and hears a voice behind her and turning, sees Jesus and hears her name, “Mary.” He is alive and is real and not a vision. He tells her not to hold on to him but to “Go and tell my brothers and sisters.”
The resurrection is about life, my life, but it is also about community. Here we have the first indication that the crucifixion that paid “for my sins”, that ended the separation between God and his creation, that showed that death does not have the final say, that affirms to us that Jesus will ”walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death,” is also going to result in the building of the kingdom of people who want to follow Jesus. “Go and tell” are her marching orders and ours. Yes we rejoice. Yes we look forward to heaven and the afterlife, reunion with those who have gone before. And yes, now our prayers are personal and not always formal nor necessarily presented through a representative like a priest. And yes, we no longer need to take animal sacrifices to the temple. But something more is about to be formed.
So many things happen in the encounter with the risen Christ. We see life in a new way. We hear our name spoken by God. We begin to touch eternity. Perhaps the flowers even smell sweeter than before. A God encounter is a three dimensional experience that touches all our senses so we know it is real. We know in the core of our being that the resurrection is real. But it is not just about me. It is also about you. The good news must be shared. It cannot be contained. Mary was charged with returning to the disciples who would not necessarily believe her this time but her first task was to share the love she had just received. Easter season is dedicated to sharing the good news found in the stories of the risen Christ. Who might you share with today? Who needs to hear the good news that they are loved, just as they are in the midst of their confusion and doubts? I did.
Three women went to the tomb of the crucified and buried Jesus, expecting to anoint his body with spices. But they are surprised to see the stone rolled away. What had happened? Next they hear from an angel in the tomb, “Do not be afraid. He is risen.” The four gospels have slightly different versions of the exact sequence of events now. The women returned to tell the disciples to share that the body was missing but they were not believed. Peter and John run to the tomb and confirm that the body is missing. They return to the disciples but Mary Magdalene lingers. She has seen with her eyes, heard with her ears, but she is still confused. John 20:10-18 shares that a man then speaks to Mary from behind, asking who she is looking for. “Thinking he was the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’” Mary turns and cries out for she recognizes Jesus.
It is in this personal encounter that the reality of what “He is risen” begins to take meaning and the truth of the resurrection deeply impacts Mary’s life. We can watch movies. We can hear testimonies from others. But when we personally encounter Jesus calling our name, our lives change. I suspect she may have given him a huge hug for he then says, “Do not hold on to me.” Eyes, ears, and touch – the resurrection is real for Mary. People who have come later in history and who did not experience that hug may not have stories of “holding” Jesus but often there are stories of the feeling of being engulfed in love and of feeling completely known. Many love to hold a cross that gives that sense of connection.
I believe President Biden is president and I have seen him speak on TV and heard his words but he has never called me by name. He does not know me. I will probably never even get near him. Christianity claims that we worship a risen Savior who knows our name, calls us to our better self, and walks with us in the transformation. Mary’s story of her experience of the resurrected Jesus is the foundation for a life journey of faith that transforms.
John 10 talks about Jesus being the “Good Shepherd.” “I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and the sheep know me. V.14” “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. V.22” Isaiah 49:16 ponders if a nursing mother can forget her child but concludes, “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands, your walls are ever before me.” In this world where we sometimes feel like a social security number, a phone number, a driver’s license number, or some other impersonal identification, a resurrected savior who calls us by name and knows us is the beginning of an eternal relationship. We may mistake him for the gardener and not recognize that he is behind us, but he “has our back”, and is calling our name. May we learn to recognize his presence during this Easter season as we hear the testimonies of those who saw the risen Lord face to face. He knows our names; they’re written on the palms of his hands.
On Easter morning three women see the stone in front of the tomb rolled away. Their eyes tell them that something has happened but they do not let that scare them. Their heart propels them forward for they have brought spices to anoint the dead body of Jesus. The different Gospels tell the story slightly differently but all writers agree that the women at this point encounter an angel that looks like a young man and speaks to their ears, “Be not afraid!” Jesus is not in the grave but he is risen! The women’s eyes see that something has happened and then they hear the explanation. Jesus is risen. Their senses confirm that they are in the presence of the unexpected.
Can you remember a time when you heard remarkable news? Perhaps it was when the doctor announced the birth of your child. “It’s a boy.” “It’s a girl.” Perhaps it was those words you feared you might never hear, “Will you marry me?” There is the joy of being offered a job you thought you would not get. There is the relief of hearing your loved one came through the operation. All these messages, as welcome as they are by our ears, must be lived into. We hear but do we fully understand and believe? The implications of the good news must be lived into. If Jesus is living, where is he? Is he still tattered and torn from the crucifixion? Perhaps that is why the angel starts with, “Do not be afraid.”
Matthew reports the angel as starting his announcement with, “Do not be afraid, for I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. (Matt 28:5)” How comforting these words are to our ears. Fear undermines our ability to comprehend our situations. Fear can cause us to freeze. What words comfort you and drive away fear? What words do you use to comfort someone else? Recently someone dear to me has been greeting me, “Hello friend.” One of my favorite Bible verses comes from 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” During times of upheaval like Easter morning, may we always hear God saying in our hearts “Do not fear!” We can cast our anxiety on him! Thank you Lord! We need your strength for what we are going through.
Yesterday we started the Easter season. Like Lent, Easter is 40 days long and is a time for reflecting on the truth of the reports that Jesus truly resurrected and lives. At the end of the 40 days, we celebrate his ascension or return to heaven and Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit. Did Jesus resurrect and does he live? Biblical reports say that the guards were paid to say the body was stolen. Others believe the body was switched and Jesus actually never died for God cannot die. Many just don’t care. The crucifixion and resurrection is key to the identity of Christians.
Next Sunday we will read the New Testament text written by John where he shares in 1 John 1: 1-4
1We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—2this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us—3we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
Information about reality enters our experience through our five senses: seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting. This passage is full of sensory words. The experiences of the resurrection were sensory. We will look at post resurrection reports reflecting on how these senses informed the person’s experience and confirm reality for us who were not there.
Easter Sunday women went to the tomb, carrying spices, to anoint Christ’s body. In the rush of getting Jesus buried after the crucifixion, proper ritual had not been completed. Perhaps in their grief the women wanted to make sure everything had been done properly – one last check. When they arrived they SAW that the stone “which was very large, had been moved away. (Mark 16:4)”
We have a saying, “Seeing is believing.” The women saw the unexpected; something was out of place. Sometimes when things are not what we expect we become alert. When there is a car accident, all the traffic slows down to look. When we see our friend with tears in the eyes, we know something is wrong. When items aren’t returned to their place, I admit I get frustrated looking for them. Visual clues trigger mental thinking, positive and negative. Pictures and icons work in a similar way. Perhaps spend some time right now with a favorite picture or photo and feel the emotions the picture brings and spend time expressing gratitude for that memory. Imagine the women outside the tomb with the stone rolled away. What thoughts might that have brought for you? How would you have felt? We know what the women found but they did not. Seeing alerts us that something is about to happen. Perhaps you find visual clues as your day unfolds. God is there with you when things are out of place. Blessings! He is risen!
Mark finishes the Passion story, Mark 15:47, “Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus saw where he was laid.” The tomb is sealed with the rock and the two women stand outside in silence. In the presence of death, we stand in silence. Yes, we cry. Yes, we are angry for death is never a welcome visitor. Yes, we wonder…if only. Perhaps we plot vengeance. But all of that amounts to silence between the deceased and us.
In times so deep that words fail us, ritual steps in. We have certain rituals that put words when we have trouble verbalizing. For some the 23rd Psalm gives us voice, “Yea though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death…” Others prefer the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father who art in heaven…” I have worked on Memory Units where people who have not talked for years, can sing hymns and quote Psalm 121. Mary and Mary know the ritual at death, prepare the body. And so they go to gather the spices that need to be applied. They will return Sunday morning.
Rituals are powerful traditions that help us navigate emotional transitions like birth, death, marriage, confirmation, and baptism. Often we have our own personal rituals, routines, that help organize our days. I have “my chair” that the family knows. That is where I sit to unwind with a cup of coffee after work or where I sit to start my day. Perhaps you have certain clothes you wear for certain occasions. Many families have strong traditions around what is eaten at Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving. Covid has upset our social traditions this last year and it has been hard on all of us. Parents aren’t working. Students are studying at home and doing school by zoom. We distance. We mask. What will the new normal look like? Mary and Mary go to prepare spices to anoint the body. This ritual will help them cope with the silence of Holy Saturday. What rituals do you have that help you keep on keepin on. Prayer? Journaling? Reading? Crying? Talking to a special friend? In times of crisis, rituals help us cope when our insides are silent..
Secondly, the silence often signals that we just cannot imagine the future or the next step without the presence of the person buried. Suddenly we cannot imagine how to face tomorrow without the comforts of yesterday. But amazingly it is at those times when we cannot conceive of what to do next, that God meets us with his new plan. Today we sit in silence pondering the death of Jesus but God is not dead and will have a surprise tomorrow. A song that has become popular this year is “Easter Hallelujah.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j3NZEdHQaI.
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross
‘Til my trophies at last I lay down.
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
WELCOME
Leader: Friday of Holy Week starts Thursday evening as Jesus and the disciples leave the Upper Room and walk to the Garden of Gethsemane.
Our reading this evening starts in John 18 with Jesus’ arrest in the Garden, trial, and crucifixion. Interwoven in the narrative is the honest account of Peter’s denials, political posturing, popularity reversals, and horrific suffering. The journey this evening reflects the reality of life in the earthly kingdom that is being redeemed by our Savior. Later we will learn that Peter is forgiven, family is bigger than biological ties, and someday pain and suffering will end. Covid-19 will not win, corrupt politicians will not rule forever, hatred, prejudice, and racism will be defeated by faith, hope, grace and love. The Holy Spirit will guide, counsel and intercede for us. Tonight though we sit at the cross. Please depart silently, this evening, grieving the suffering we are walking through.
Let us begin in the Name of the Father, +the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer of the Day: Almighty God, look with loving mercy on your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, to be given over to the hands of sinners, and to suffer death on the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Good Friday Litany
Leader: For our sakes Christ became obedient unto death.
All: Even death on the cross.
Leader: By the obedience of one:
All: Shall many be made righteous.
Leader: The chastisement he bore is health for us:
All: And by his scourging we are healed.
Leader: Behold the life-giving cross on which was hung the salvation of the whole world.
All: Oh, come, let us sit at the cross.
Leader: Behold the life-giving cross on which was hung the salvation of the whole world.
All: Oh, come, let us sit at the cross.
Leader: Behold the life-giving cross on which was hung the
salvation of the whole world.
All: Oh, come, let us sit at the cross.
SCRIPTURE READING
First Reading: Isaiah 52:13–53:12
13See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. 14Just as there were many who were astonished at him —so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of mortals— 15so he shall startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which had not been told them they shall see, and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate. 53:1Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account.
4Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. 5But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. 6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. 9They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. 11Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Confession and Forgiveness
Confession: Gracious God, have mercy on us. We confess that we have turned away from you, knowingly and unknowingly. We have wandered from your resurrection life. We have strayed from your love for all people. Turn us back to you, O God. Give us new hearts and right spirits, that we may find what is pleasing to you and dwell in your house forever. Amen.
Forgiveness: Leader: Receive good news: God turns to you in love. “I will put my spirit in you, and you shall live,” says our God. All your sin is forgiven in the name of ☩ Jesus Christ, who is the free and abounding gift of God’s grace for you. Amen.
Creed
Let us affirm our faith together in the words of the explanation of the second artlcle of the Apostle’s Creed. (Luther’s meaning to the 2nd Article)
I believe that Jesus Christ – true God, Son of the Father from eternity, and true man, born of the Virgin Mary – is my Lord.
He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, saved me at great cost from sin, death, and the power of the devil – not with silver or gold, but with His holy and precious blood and His innocent suffering and death
All this He has done that I may be His own, live under Him in His Kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead and lives and rules eternally. This is most certainly true.
1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? 2My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer; by night, but I find no rest. 3Yet you are the Holy One, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4Our ancestors put their trust in you, they trusted, and you rescued them. 5They cried out to you and were delivered; they trusted in you and were not put to shame. 6But as for me, I am a worm and not human, scorned by all and despised by the people. 7All who see me laugh me to scorn; they curl their lips; they shake their heads. 8“Trust in the Lord; let the Lord deliver; let God rescue him if God so delights in him.” 9Yet you are the one who drew me forth from the womb, and kept me safe on my mother’s breast. 10I have been entrusted to you ever since I was born; you were my God when I was still in my mother’s womb. 11Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is no one to help. 12Many young bulls encircle me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me. 13They open wide their jaws at me, like a slashing and roaring lion. 14I am poured out like water; all my bones are out of joint; my heart within my breast is melting wax. 15My strength is dried up like a potsherd; my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; and you have laid me in the dust of death. 16Packs of dogs close me in, a band of evildoers circles round me; they pierce my hands and my feet. 17I can count all my bones while they stare at me and gloat. 18They divide my garments among them;
for my clothing, they cast lots. 19But you, O Lord, be not far away; O my help, hasten to my aid. 20Deliver me from the sword,my life from the power of the dog. 21Save me from the | lion’s mouth! From the horns of wild bulls you have rescued me. 22I will declare your name to my people; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you. 23You who fear the Lord, give praise! All you of Jacob’s line, give glory. Stand in awe of the Lord, all you offspring of Israel. 24For the Lord does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty; neither is the Lord‘s face hidden from them; but when they cry out, the Lord hears them. 25From you comes my praise in the great assembly; I will perform my vows in the sight of those who fear the Lord. 26The poor shall eat and be satisfied, Let those who seek the Lord give praise! May your hearts live forever! 27All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; all the families of nations shall bow before God. 28For dominion belongs to the Lord, who rules over the nations. 29Indeed, all who sleep in the earth shall bow down in worship; all who go down to the dust, though they be dead, shall kneel before the Lord. 30Their descendants shall serve the Lord, whom they shall proclaim to generations to come. 31They shall proclaim God’s deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying to them, “The Lord has acted!”
Second Reading: Hebrews 10:16-25 (You many want to skip this as the readings are so long)
Gospel: John 18:1–19:42
1[Jesus] went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered.2Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” 5They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. 7Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” 9This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.”
(Naida Hearn from Palmerston North, New Zealand went to her “wash house” to do the laundry one day in 1970. She carried a list of names for Jesus she had written down for years. She put the list on the window sill and opened her mouth and started singing, inspired by the Holy Spirit. She left the laundry and went to the house and wrote down the song and returned to do her laundry. The song spread in New Zealand and came to the USA to bless many.)
10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. 11Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?” 12So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. 13First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people.
May the mind of Christ, my Saviour, Live in me from day to day, By His love and power controlling All I do and say.
May the Word of God dwell richly In my heart from hour to hour, So that all may see I triumph Only through His power.
May the peace of God my Father Rule my life in everything, That I may be calm to comfort Sick and sorrowing.
May I run the race before me
Strong and brave to face the foe
Looking only onto Jesus
As I onward go.
(We know little about Kate Wilkinson, author of this hymn who was a member of the Church of England and involved in the Keswick Deeper Life Movement. The song has inspired people facing difficult times like Covid-19. The song was published in 1925 when she was 66 years old. Christ said, “Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me.”)
15Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. 17The woman said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. 19Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 20Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23Jesus answered, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” 24Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. 25Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, “You are not also one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed. 28Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. 29So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” 31Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” 32(This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.)
Just as I am – without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me, And that Thou bidst me come to Thee, -O Lamb of God, I come!
(This hymn by Charlotte Elliot, 1789-1871, is said to have influenced more people than any sermon ever preached. At age 30 she became an invalid for the rest of her 82 years. A Swiss evangelist, visiting her challenged her that she could come to Jesus just as she was, distressed, an invalid. Peter denied Christ. Witnesses lied. Politics. We are all guilty of falling short and come to this story, just as we are. These words inspired this famous hymn and she was later considered one of the finest English hymn writers.)
33Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” 35Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 37Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” 38Pilate asked him, “What is truth?”
After he (Pilate) had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him. 39But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 40They shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit. 19:1Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. 3They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. 4Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” 5So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.” 7The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.” 8Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. 9He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10Pilate therefore said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” 11Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” 12From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.”
Spoken Hymn: This is My Father’s World
This is my father’s world And to my listening ears All nature sings, and round me rings The music of the spheres
This is my father’s world Oh, let me never forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong God is the ruler yet.
This is my father’s world Why should my heart be sad? The Lord is king, let the heavens sing
God is the ruler yet.
(Maltbie Davenoirt Babcock, a minister in Lockport, New York, at the turn of the Twentieth Century and author of these words, would walk beside Lake Ontario. He always left home telling his wife, “I’m going out to see my Father’s world. What is truth and where to find it? God is ultimately king in all circumstances.)
13When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. 14Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” 15They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.” 16Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; 17and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. 18There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. 19Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. 21Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’ ” 22Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” 23When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says, “They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.” 25And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. 28After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” 29A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh, were you there when they crucified my Lord? (Ohh, sometimes it causes me to tremble)
(This is one of the most famous African American songs that arose from their communal experience of slavery and was first published in 1899 in William E. Barton’s Old Plantation Songs in the section “Recent Negro Melodies.” Originally it had four stanzas: 1) Were you there when they crucified my Lord?; 2) …when they nailed him to the cross?; 3) …when they pierced him in the side?; 4) …when the sun refused to shine. The United Methodist Hymnal, along with many other songbooks, includes a fifth: “…when they laid him in the tomb.” The series of questions are meant to function as a prompt to memories that go beyond recall to bring incorporation into our present lives and to that become part of our story.)
31Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. 32Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. 35(He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) 36These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” 37And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.” 38After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. 39Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. 40They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Lent is almost over. Mark shares in Mark 15:46 that Joseph of Arimathea claims the body of Jesus, takes him from the cross, wraps him in a linen cloth, a shroud, lays him in a tomb and closes the tomb with a rock. It would appear that the story is finished.
How many things have we laid to rest, tried to bury and leave in the past, only to have them come back and invade our lives? A friend had a baby out of wedlock in college and when the baby turned 18, she wanted to meet her birth mother. My friend had to explain to her three children a part of her life she thought she had buried. Some of us do not like to fill out medical forms asking personal questions about our diseases and lifestyle that bring up bad memories we’d like to bury in the past. I think we say that things we bury alive have a way of coming back to haunt us. Jesus is put to rest in a tomb but is the story over?
We talk about Jesus dying for our sins. We spell that with a small “s” meaning those things we “have done and left undone” that separate us from God and from our fellow people. It does not matter how big or how little those actions were, separation was the result. But we also talk about Jesus dying for Sin with a capital “s.” That means the state of separation between the God being and ourselves. We do not see God or hear him or touch him as we would like. We are limited and he is infinite. For those offended by male pronouns, you may want to think of a God being but do not miss the point because of language. We live in a state of separation. It is as if a stone was rolled over the door of relationship. We experience God as if we are in a dense fog but Paul says in Corinthians that one day we will see face to face. Jesus incarnating in humanity, dying and resurrecting provides us a way to reunite that which has been broken, hidden, buried. Good Friday may not end with the tomb.
May we sit at the tomb this evening and think of all the things that have buried in that tomb with Jesus, and that we know are forgiven, never to be thrown in our face. May we be thankful for all those sins that we will never have to face again. May we regret all the loneliness and separation that stone represent. All the grief of our failures can be buried on Good Friday.. Let us be there in our hearts when they buried our Lord.
This evening we enter the Upper Room. First, Jesus washes our feet, forgiveness. Next we gather around the Last Supper, communion with the Him. Finally Jesus gives a new mandate, commandment. We head to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Good Friday service tomorrow.
Place on the table a candle to be lit, a bowl of water to wash in, a piece of bread or cracker, a glass of fluid to consume and a spoon. This evening we will walk with the disciples through this last meal. Our prayer: Lord speak to us.
Let us open our service in the name of the Father, +the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Confession and Forgiveness
Leader: On this night let us confess our sin against God and our neighbor. Let us first bow our heads for a moment and reflect.
Confession: Most merciful God, we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.
Forgiveness: God, who is rich in mercy, loved us even when we were dead in sin, and made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. In the name of ☩ Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Almighty God strengthen you with power through the Holy Spirit, that Christ may live in your hearts through faith. Amen.
Prayer of the Day: Holy God, source of all love, on the night of his betrayal, Jesus gave us a new commandment, to love one another as he loves us. Write this commandment in our hearts, and give us the will to serve others as he was the servant of all, your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.Amen.
1The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: 2This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. 3Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. 4If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. [5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. 7They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. 10You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. ] 11This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. 12For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. 14This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.
1I love the Lord, who has heard my voice, and listened to my supplication, 2for the Lord has given ear to me whenever I called. 12How shall I repay the Lord for all the good things God has done for me? 13I will lift the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. 14I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all God’s people. 15Precious in your sight, O Lord, is the death of your servants. 16O Lord, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your handmaid; you have freed me |from my bonds. 17I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call upon the name of the Lord. 18I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all God’s people, 19in the courts of the Lord‘s house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
23For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
1Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” 9Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.”
SERMON Part 1
WASHING — A bowl of water and towel
Maundy Thursday has three major parts: foot washing, communion, and the new commandment. The journey we go through this evening parallels our growth in faith. In this final meal with the disciples, Jesus is physically walking them through truth. First we must be washed. We can then relax in His presence and commune with him. We then are prepared to relate to others as channels of God’s love.
Jesus rises in the middle of the meal and washing the feet of the disciples. Peter objects. Jesus finally responds, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” Without the washing away of sin, our relationships with God and people are dysfunctional. Why are forgiveness and daily repentance so important?
Jesus comes to the disciples, even Judas whom he knew would betray him, and washes his feet. He knew they all needed to be washed to start the evening. We all need to be washed for we have all sinned and fallen sort of the glory of God. We start our service with confession and forgiveness in this truth. You may wish to use your fingers to mark a cross on your forehead to symbolize washing your thoughts, or on your ears to symbolize what you listen to, or on your lips for better speech, or even perhaps on your heart for grudges harbored. (Silence for reflection.)
Let us pray with king David:
“Have mercy on me, O God; according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. (Psm 51:1-4)”
26 While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
SERMON – Part 2
Communion service. Lighting the Passover candles was one of the two duties for women in the Old Testament. Washed, we now sit at the table with Jesus.
PRESENCE – A Candle
Jesus assures us that whether we are battling for our lives with Covid-19, overwhelmed by anxiety for the unseen danger that threatens our loved ones, or just plain bored from sitting in our homes, Jesus has covenanted with us to be present.
Take a moment to read these verses out loud.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me (Psm. 23:4)”
“He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (Psalm 121: 3,4)”
The Great Commission ends with, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Mt 28: 20)”
Gospel: John 13: 31b-35 31b“Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 34I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
SERMON: Part 3
LOVE – A Spoon
We come to the end of Maundy Thursday and Jesus starts to turn his face to the Garden of Gethsemane, his trial and Calvary. The meal is finished and he turns to the disciples and gives them a “new commandment.” Maundy is the word from which mandate or command comes.
Take the spoon in your hand. It can be held to reach for and drink the water of forgiveness. It can also be turned upside down so that the water poured over the spoon flows outward to those around. Jesus in these words is telling us to take that spoon and dip it into the bowl of water to give water to others, to plants in your house, to wash hands or feet, to bless others and to live as forgiven people.
Jesus in this “new” command reframes the Ten Commandments, not to give a different commandment but to give us a new perspective and way of understanding the Ten Commandments. Have “no other gods before me,” is “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength.” Do not swear is now to use God’s name to express love and blessing. We go to church to refocus on what is important and eternal. We honor family and commitments. We don’t take life, we give life. We don’t objectify the other for our lusts but honor and respect others’ bodies. We don’t take but we give to others. We don’t tear down others but build them up. We rejoice in other’s accomplishments. Matthew has Jesus answering the question about the greatest commandment in the Law by saying, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”
A bowl of water, A candle, A spoon
Tonight we bow in the tremendous knowledge that we are forgiven, we are guardians of God’s light, and we are the spoon to feed others God’s love. Let us pray.
Turning our hearts to God who is gracious and merciful, we pray for the church, the world, and all who are in need.
God of love, unite your church in its commitment to humble service. Make us your faithful disciples. Speak words of truth and grace through us. Encourage us in self-giving acts of kindness. Let us love one another as you have loved us. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
God of love, tend to flocks, fields, and vineyards. Bring favorable weather for crops to grow. Guide the hands of those who cultivate, farm, and garden. Let the earth flourish so that all may eat and be satisfied. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
God of love, you give us a new commandment, to have love for one another. We give thanks for organizations that respond to disasters and for agencies that offer relief and humanitarian aid to populations in need. We especially pray for those on the front line of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
God of love, give ear to all who call upon you for any need of body or spirit. Provide for those who do not have enough to eat, those who are unemployed or underemployed, and those who rely on the generosity of others. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
God of love, you invite us to your table of mercy. Heal all divisions between members of this assembly. Extend the hospitality of this table beyond these walls, that your love and welcome be made known to all. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
God of love, glorify your servants who walked by faith in this life and who now feast with you. Inspire us by the sacrifice of those who were imprisoned, persecuted, or martyred for their faith. Comfort those who are grieving. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
According to your steadfast love, O God, hear these and all our prayers as we commend them to you; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us close with The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, they kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Offering Prayer: God of glory, receive the offering of our lives. As Jesus was lifted up from the earth, draw us to your heart in the midst of this world, that all creation may be brought from bondage to freedom, from darkness to light, and from death to life; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.Amen.
Dismissal: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.
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On the Way to Wonder 