Readings: Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24, Jeremiah 31:1-6, Colossians 3:1-4, Matthew 28:1-10
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, April 24th 2011
A printable PDF file can be found here
Some scary stuff can happen from time to time. There’s good scary. And there’s bad scary. Sometimes we enjoy a scare. A ride on the ghost train. Watch a horror movie. Attend a Lady Ga-Ga concert. That’s scary. Some scares we welcome.
Then there’s the bad. Near misses that could have been a bad accident. When a child disappears at the Mall. When you receive some bad news that has an uncertain outcome. The scare of terrorism. The scare of disease and death. The Easter story – part of which is found in Matthew 28:1 -10 – is a mix of good scary and bad scary. Twice there appears the phrase: “Do not be afraid”.
There are a lot of bad things happening in the Easter account. The unwarranted execution and death of Jesus Christ. To those who were His closest friends they had to not only contend with the loss, but the fact that their lives were now at risk. Such was the reality of this threat that Peter went as far as denying any association with Jesus.
It was a heroic and dangerous action that the two Mary’s were taking in making the journey to the tomb with their spices. To be around Jesus, even a dead Jesus, was taking a huge risk of guilt by association. It was a risk the other disciples were afraid to make as they hid away behind closed doors.
Then there is an earthquake to contend with. In my first church over in Wales we experienced a couple of earth tremors of a very minor nature. (Actually the day of my instillation as a pastor, but that’s another story!). It’s a bad scary experience when the earth starts shaking beneath your feet.
Visions of angels and great stones moving away. That’s not a phenomena we can fathom. The guards at the tomb couldn’t either. We know that the experience was of such an intensity that the guards trembled and fell to the ground as though dead. The women however seem made of sturdier stuff. Still – they are scared. If seeing the angel wasn’t scary enough, to be told that the corpse was now alive and well and would see them later was just the icing on the cake of a scary story.
So it is hardly surprising that the angel’s words are “Be not afraid”. The implications of the resurrection are pretty scary. People who are executed tend not to recover. However good a person may be, and however innocent of the crimes for which they have been condemned, the fact is that dead folk don’t go on walkabouts.
It’s the sort of thing that should be preceded by angels and earthquakes. It is certainly the sort of thing that should shake us out of our complacency and move our cold hearts of stone. ‘Christ is Risen’ – “He is Risen Indeed’. This is amazing news!!!
Now the women are given another daunting task. They have to go and tell the disciples what’s going on. What if the disciples don’t believe them? What if the angel was a bad angel playing a real nasty joke on them? Jesus is alive, that’s great – but who’s going to believe it?
So – zoom – they are out of there – away from the tomb – carrying a message that’s going to change the world. Full of great joy – but still carrying a burden of fear and uncertainty. If they needed more evidence of the truth they had heard, that evidence in the person of Jesus himself is about to show up.
There they go – zoom – and Jesus shows up and says “Hey…. Wazzup!” (Actually He says “Hail” but “Hey… Wazzup” carries a more contemporary ring and gets your attention better). This stops the women mid gallop. It’s true. It’s real. ‘Christ is Risen’ – ‘He is Risen Indeed’. There they are – with Jesus – a face to face encounter with the Living God… “Wazzup Ladies!”
They fall to their knees, take hold of his feet, and worship Jesus. What else were they to do?
They had gone to the tomb to pay their last respects to somebody they thought they had lost for ever, and now… here He was … larger than life and victorious over death.
In the midst of our busy lives – in the everyday normality or even times of heightened excitement, let’s be honest, we don’t expect to find God showing up saying “Hey, Wazzup!” The message Jesus brings is simple. “Don’t be Afraid!”
On Maundy Thursday some of us gathered around the communion table to hear words about a broken body and poured out blood. We could get the impression that was some kind of macabre memorial service for a fallen hero. If that be so... then we are the biggest losers in town. If we are celebrating a death – or a memory – or a mistaken crucifixion – then we are to be pitied.
But I’m here today to side with the angel. I’m here to bring you the good and scary (in the most awesomely positive sense of the word) amazing news; I’m here to stop you in your tracks with a huge and heavenly “Wazzup!”, I’m here on Easter Sunday 2011 to declare that ‘Christ is Risen’ – “He is Risen indeed”.
I’m here to declare the Word of the Lord… “Do not be afraid”
Do not be afraid of the bad scary stuff and rejoice in the good scary stuff.
Do not be afraid of the storms that surround your life, because Jesus calms the storm.
Do not be afraid of the waves that disrupt your calm, because Jesus walks on the waves.
Do not be afraid of those who set their hearts against you, because they do not have the final
word.
Do not be afraid of sin or of sorrow or of sickness for Jesus died for your sins, sorrows and
sicknesses.
Do not be afraid of death for Jesus declares, “I am the Resurrection and the Life”
Do not be afraid to seek Jesus for direction and help and counsel for Jesus declares, “I am the Way. I am Truth, I am the Life”
Do not be afraid to believe in love, to believe in hope, to believe in life beyond anything that we can currently comprehend.
Do not be afraid to make a stand for Jesus, to take holy risks, to embrace Divine Foolishness, to set your life on a sacred course…..
… to boldly go where no man has boldly gone before.
( No wait.. that’s Star Trek)
I ‘m not here to recruit Trekkies for Captain Kirk, this is not science fiction, I’m here to say that there is a reality known as the resurrection, that Jesus died on the Cross but that God raised him from death on the third day and that the Holy Spirit can today confront us, convict us, empower us and move us forward along the road of discipleship.
Do not be afraid. Seek for the love of God to be renewed in your heart and for God’s life to be the lifeblood that flows through out your being.
Do not be afraid. Be assured. God has everything under control. One day we’ll see the whole picture. But for now be content to know today that the resurrection is making a difference to your life.
Do not be afraid “Christ is Risen’ ‘He is Risen Indeed” AMEN!
Adrian Pratt
Monday, April 25, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Maundy Thursday 'What think ye of Christ?'
Readings: Psalm110, Exodus 12:1-4,11-14;1 Corinthians 11–23–26, Matthew 22:36-46
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, on April 21st 2011
A printable PDF file can be found here
As we meet around the communion table this evening I want us to think about some words that Jesus spoke to the Pharisees when He asked them, “What do you think of the Messiah?” (Matthew 22:41) or as the words appear in the Authorized Version, “What think ye of Christ?”
That could be the most important question in the world. How we answer it decides for us the sort of life we are going to live. Whether we are going to live a life that has room for the things Jesus did and said, or whether we are going to live our own way. It’s a challenge that causes us to reflect on what we truly believe.
Let us unpack our gospel reading. First of all we have Jesus asking the Pharisees “What think ye of Christ?”
Matthew 22:42 42 "What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?"
For the Pharisees the ‘Messiah’ or the ‘Christ’ was somebody important. He was the one in whom all their hopes and dreams would come true. They lived under the rule of Rome but longed for a day when they would be free to live the way they wanted to. They had a long history that carried with it the promise that God would raise up from among them a descendant of their greatest King, King David, who would come and put things right.
What are our hopes and dreams as we gather round this table? If I were to come around the congregation and ask you what you hope to happen in our world today, or what you long to see in your own life… what’s your dream?…. I wonder how you would answer?
I’m sure we’d all be different. Some of the younger ones may talk about what they’d like to do when they get older, some of the older ones of their hopes for their families. There may be things like hopes for peace and an end to war, for greater care of the planet, for a fair deal for those who suffer. We all have many hopes and dreams for our selves and our world.
Jesus asked the Pharisees “What think ye of Christ?” for an important reason. He wanted to help them understand that He was the One in whom their hopes and dreams could be fulfilled.
He also wanted them to understand that it wasn’t going to happen in the way that they thought. They were people with very fixed ideas about the way the Messiah would come and the things He would do. So He carries on and asks, about the Messiah, “Whose son is he?"
Matthew 22:42 They said to him, "The son of David."
That was the text-book answer. They were right. The Christ, the Messiah, was to be a descendant of David. But then Jesus throws a huge spanner in the works by asking them another question. Those Pharisees knew their scriptures, particularly the Psalms that they used regularly in their worship. And Jesus throws out to them a quotation from Psalm 110.
Matthew 22:43-45 43 He said to them,
"How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
44 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet" '? 45 If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?"
This is the argument. Jesus is saying, “Look, are you telling me that the Messiah is going to be a Son of David?” Now in those days they lived in a very paternalistic culture. The Pharisees had strict ideas about authority in the home. Father was the head of the family and his word carried authority. When that Father also happened to be the King then that Father’s word carried absolute power.
"How is it then that David (the Father King) by the Spirit calls him Lord, (Calls who Lord? well… the One who would come into the world as the Messiah) saying, 44 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet" '? In other words, “How could David the King go around saying to one of his sons, ‘You are my Lord’?”
Matthew 22:45 45 If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?"
I guess it’s what we’d call today a riddle! He poses a problem for them to solve. If they could solve the riddle they would understand that Jesus was the Messiah that they had been waiting for. Psalm 110 is known as a ‘Messianic Psalm”. It talks about the Messiah being a great King, a great priest and a great judge between right and wrong. Jesus is trying to get the Pharisees to understand that in His life, all those things were being fulfilled and He was the One who had come to bring God’s Kingdom to the world.
But did they get it? We don’t know. Because the question is greeted with a stony silence. That could mean that they couldn’t work it out or maybe they knew what He was getting at but didn’t want to acknowledge it! All we are told in our scripture passage is this;
Matthew 22:46 46 No one was able to give him an answer,
nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
Now we need to put this whole passage in the right setting. The Pharisees were not asking questions out of a thirst to know more, but asking questions in order to make themselves look right and Jesus look like He was in the wrong.
The section begins in Matthew 22:35 by telling us that “One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.”. Another way of saying that would be that the lawyer was putting Jesus on trial! This was an interrogation, not a teaching moment.
They begin by asking Him which were the most important commandments and Jesus replies that all of the law and all of the prophets hung on two principles; Loving God with all that we were and loving our neighbors with as much love as we have for our selves.
They couldn’t fault Him on those answers. One suspects that it is right there the Pharisees would hope the conversation would end. But Jesus turns it around. Instead of Him being the one on trial, now it’s His accusers who are pushed to give an account of them selves. “What think ye of Christ?”
A similar thing can happen to us as we come to the communion table. This table is laid before us and we are confronted with the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. We are not being asked “Well, what about this teaching or this insight?” We are not being asked to think about our philosophy or theology or understanding.
Here around this table we are confronted with a straightforward question. “What think ye of Christ?” Not what do we think of our this person or that person, or First Presbyterian Baldwin or any other church, but “What think ye of Christ?”
It is a time for us to stop the questions and receive the Savior. Receive Him through taking bread and wine and allowing the Holy Spirit to draw us back to the center. We come to this table with all our hopes and dreams and questions. And it is as though God asks us to for a time lay them aside and consider the most important question of them all.
Is the poured out life represented by the wine truly the One in whom all our hopes are focused? Is His broken body our only hope for salvation? Do we believe that these dry bones can take flesh and live? “What think ye of Christ?”
What do we think of His betrayal and suffering and crucifixion? What do we make of His life of obedience and healing and casting out of evil? What do we think of His teaching and preaching that challenges all that we hold so dear? What do we make of His call to take up our cross and follow Him? What do we think of the glorious Easter message that He has been raised and will send His Spirit to transform and empower our lives both as a church and as individuals? “What think ye of Christ?”
Rev. Adrian J Pratt
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, on April 21st 2011
A printable PDF file can be found here
As we meet around the communion table this evening I want us to think about some words that Jesus spoke to the Pharisees when He asked them, “What do you think of the Messiah?” (Matthew 22:41) or as the words appear in the Authorized Version, “What think ye of Christ?”
That could be the most important question in the world. How we answer it decides for us the sort of life we are going to live. Whether we are going to live a life that has room for the things Jesus did and said, or whether we are going to live our own way. It’s a challenge that causes us to reflect on what we truly believe.
Let us unpack our gospel reading. First of all we have Jesus asking the Pharisees “What think ye of Christ?”
Matthew 22:42 42 "What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?"
For the Pharisees the ‘Messiah’ or the ‘Christ’ was somebody important. He was the one in whom all their hopes and dreams would come true. They lived under the rule of Rome but longed for a day when they would be free to live the way they wanted to. They had a long history that carried with it the promise that God would raise up from among them a descendant of their greatest King, King David, who would come and put things right.
What are our hopes and dreams as we gather round this table? If I were to come around the congregation and ask you what you hope to happen in our world today, or what you long to see in your own life… what’s your dream?…. I wonder how you would answer?
I’m sure we’d all be different. Some of the younger ones may talk about what they’d like to do when they get older, some of the older ones of their hopes for their families. There may be things like hopes for peace and an end to war, for greater care of the planet, for a fair deal for those who suffer. We all have many hopes and dreams for our selves and our world.
Jesus asked the Pharisees “What think ye of Christ?” for an important reason. He wanted to help them understand that He was the One in whom their hopes and dreams could be fulfilled.
He also wanted them to understand that it wasn’t going to happen in the way that they thought. They were people with very fixed ideas about the way the Messiah would come and the things He would do. So He carries on and asks, about the Messiah, “Whose son is he?"
Matthew 22:42 They said to him, "The son of David."
That was the text-book answer. They were right. The Christ, the Messiah, was to be a descendant of David. But then Jesus throws a huge spanner in the works by asking them another question. Those Pharisees knew their scriptures, particularly the Psalms that they used regularly in their worship. And Jesus throws out to them a quotation from Psalm 110.
Matthew 22:43-45 43 He said to them,
"How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
44 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet" '? 45 If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?"
This is the argument. Jesus is saying, “Look, are you telling me that the Messiah is going to be a Son of David?” Now in those days they lived in a very paternalistic culture. The Pharisees had strict ideas about authority in the home. Father was the head of the family and his word carried authority. When that Father also happened to be the King then that Father’s word carried absolute power.
"How is it then that David (the Father King) by the Spirit calls him Lord, (Calls who Lord? well… the One who would come into the world as the Messiah) saying, 44 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet" '? In other words, “How could David the King go around saying to one of his sons, ‘You are my Lord’?”
Matthew 22:45 45 If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?"
I guess it’s what we’d call today a riddle! He poses a problem for them to solve. If they could solve the riddle they would understand that Jesus was the Messiah that they had been waiting for. Psalm 110 is known as a ‘Messianic Psalm”. It talks about the Messiah being a great King, a great priest and a great judge between right and wrong. Jesus is trying to get the Pharisees to understand that in His life, all those things were being fulfilled and He was the One who had come to bring God’s Kingdom to the world.
But did they get it? We don’t know. Because the question is greeted with a stony silence. That could mean that they couldn’t work it out or maybe they knew what He was getting at but didn’t want to acknowledge it! All we are told in our scripture passage is this;
Matthew 22:46 46 No one was able to give him an answer,
nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
Now we need to put this whole passage in the right setting. The Pharisees were not asking questions out of a thirst to know more, but asking questions in order to make themselves look right and Jesus look like He was in the wrong.
The section begins in Matthew 22:35 by telling us that “One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.”. Another way of saying that would be that the lawyer was putting Jesus on trial! This was an interrogation, not a teaching moment.
They begin by asking Him which were the most important commandments and Jesus replies that all of the law and all of the prophets hung on two principles; Loving God with all that we were and loving our neighbors with as much love as we have for our selves.
They couldn’t fault Him on those answers. One suspects that it is right there the Pharisees would hope the conversation would end. But Jesus turns it around. Instead of Him being the one on trial, now it’s His accusers who are pushed to give an account of them selves. “What think ye of Christ?”
A similar thing can happen to us as we come to the communion table. This table is laid before us and we are confronted with the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. We are not being asked “Well, what about this teaching or this insight?” We are not being asked to think about our philosophy or theology or understanding.
Here around this table we are confronted with a straightforward question. “What think ye of Christ?” Not what do we think of our this person or that person, or First Presbyterian Baldwin or any other church, but “What think ye of Christ?”
It is a time for us to stop the questions and receive the Savior. Receive Him through taking bread and wine and allowing the Holy Spirit to draw us back to the center. We come to this table with all our hopes and dreams and questions. And it is as though God asks us to for a time lay them aside and consider the most important question of them all.
Is the poured out life represented by the wine truly the One in whom all our hopes are focused? Is His broken body our only hope for salvation? Do we believe that these dry bones can take flesh and live? “What think ye of Christ?”
What do we think of His betrayal and suffering and crucifixion? What do we make of His life of obedience and healing and casting out of evil? What do we think of His teaching and preaching that challenges all that we hold so dear? What do we make of His call to take up our cross and follow Him? What do we think of the glorious Easter message that He has been raised and will send His Spirit to transform and empower our lives both as a church and as individuals? “What think ye of Christ?”
Rev. Adrian J Pratt
Monday, April 18, 2011
Who a Donkey? (Palm Sunday)
Readings: Psalm 31:9-16, Isaiah 50:4-9a, Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 21:1-11
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, April 17th 2011
A printable PDF file can be found here
Do the names Groucho, Chico and Harpo mean anything to you? Three crazy actors, collectively known as "The Marx Brothers", whose whacky films graced the Cinema back in the days when everything was black and white.
I used to own a book, that was a collection of their pictures and sayings that was called "Why a Duck?" The title was a quotation from a scene where Groucho points out to the Italian accented Chico a railway bridge over a river, which he explains is called a viaduct.
Chico responds "Why a Duck? Why a no a Chicken?"
"Not 'Why a Duck'? - VIADUCT!"
"Like I a say … Why a no a chicken, Why a Duck?"
This morning I don't want to ask, "Why a no a chicken?" or even "Why a no a duck?" but I do want to ask "Why a Donkey?" Why did Jesus choose, on the first Palm Sunday, to come riding into Jerusalem on a donkey?
A good place to start is with the quotation from the Old Testament prophet Zecheriah we heard in our gospel reading. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey”. Matthew is keen to point out that the events of Palm Sunday happen within a particular framework at a particular time for a particular purpose.
The Bible never talks about fate or chance. It speaks instead of what some call "Sacred Time". Scripture speaks of Christian life as being, not just a random collection of disconnected events, but life with purpose and meaning. Jesus rode a donkey into town, because there was a purpose and a meaning to the action. It was an event in sacred time.
Mark gives us a fuller account of Jesus telling the disciples to go and get the donkey. If I was one of the disciples I would have been sarcastically thinking, "Yeh, Right..this is going to work". A couple of them are sent to an unnamed village, where, hopefully they will discover that there just happens to be a donkey tethered there at the side of the street. This donkey is special, because no one has ever ridden it.
As they untie it there is a strong possibility that someone is going to come along and say, "Excuse me sir, What are you doing with that donkey?" and they are to say to them, simply, "The Lord has need of it". No need to explain who this "Lord" is, or even say why he needs it... because that is not something you know about in the first place!
Strange thing is, when the disciples do what Jesus asks, despite their questions and the fact that it all seems kind of vague, it turns out just like Jesus said. When God speaks, things happen.
I really can't explain 'Sacred Time’ but I do know that as I put my life in God's hands all kinds of connections, affecting what I thought were insignificant events, start to happen.
Think about it! For some reason or other we have all ended up here in church this morning together. Of course we have all come here for a different reason. Maybe we were dragged here! Maybe it's a good habit we have got into. Maybe we don't have a reason for it, just something we felt we should do.
I invite you to pay attention to what happens through the week. Some one will say something, or you'll meet some one or something will happen and there will be a connection to what we're doing here this morning. Ask yourself, "Is that a coincidence, or is there something more going on here?"
Was it a coincidence that a person just happened to have tied a donkey that had, coincidentally, never been ridden upon, to the side of that street in that town, on that day, at that time, when those two disciples came walking along?
Was it a coincidence that people came along and asked questions that Jesus said they would, and that as the disciples gave the answer that Jesus said they should, the disciples discovered that they were able to take the donkey to Jesus, as He said they could?
Was it a coincidence that as He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, crowds lined the streets shouting "Hosanna to the King of David" - in a fashion similar to Zechariah's prophecy of years before? Were the crowds aware of the connection? Not likely! Did they realize that just a week later they would be shouting, "Crucify Him, Crucify Him!” No way!
Did they for even one moment consider that a death on a cross would be transformed into a resurrection from a tomb; that on a Pentecost holiday the Holy Spirit of God would descend on those disciples who witnessed His resurrection and that the church would be born? Of course not!
Why a donkey? “Why a no a horsee or a pony?” Because a connection was being made to what the prophet had said.
The donkey is a creature of peace. You would expect a King to arrive on a War Horse, or in a chariot pulled by a pony... not so Jesus. Just as His mother Mary is pictured by tradition as riding a donkey to Bethlehem, bearing the Christ Child in her womb, so in humility, Jesus enters Jerusalem, the City of God, riding upon a creature considered humble and gentle.
The donkey was not simply a method of transport for people. It was also a beast of burden. A donkey can carry a great deal on its back. It is sure-footed in rocky terrain. In many parts of the world it is still considered a working animal.
I remember Tom, a friend of my sisters from Greece, who visited with us when we lived in a seaside town in Mid Wales. On the beach were some donkeys that gave children rides up and down. Tom was astonished. “Donkeys? Why you have donkeys here?” In his culture the donkey was a working animal ... not something you amused the kids with on a sunny day.
In our Lectionary Palm Sunday is linked to Passion Sunday. We remember that Jesus took the burden of our sins upon Himself when He died upon the cross. The one who took the weight of our transgressions, rode into town on a beast of burden.
Why a donkey? When you think about it, there can be all kinds of connections.
But the most important one we need to make in this Easter Season is between our lives and the Jesus who rode into Jerusalem to die upon a cross and was raised to bring Resurrection life to bear on our daily lives.
If we can get that connection right, then a whole lot of other things in our lives start to make sense as well. We may well discover that sacred time is breaking into our daily lives.
An old friend I used to visit in a previous church always used to talk about ‘synchronicity’ as the reason she couldn’t help but believe in God. When she trusted in God to guide her, random things all seemed to fall into place. The reading in church, the song on the radio, the story in the paper, the conversation overheard in the Post Office, the book she was reading… it was as though they all were synchronized together in such a way as she became aware of something going on her life that was so much larger than herself.
Sacred Time. Synchronicity. You can call it whatever you like. It was there in the events surrounding Palm Sunday. There was a reason for the donkey. There was a purpose to the way Jesus rode into town.
Let us pray that we may have a faith in God that enables us to know His love as it is revealed in Jesus Christ as a reality guiding our own hearts and lives. As we remember this Easter Week the Christ who died upon the Cross for our sins, may we seek to live in a way that serves others and brings glory to God’s name. Amen.
Rev. Adrian J Pratt
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, April 17th 2011
A printable PDF file can be found here
Do the names Groucho, Chico and Harpo mean anything to you? Three crazy actors, collectively known as "The Marx Brothers", whose whacky films graced the Cinema back in the days when everything was black and white.
I used to own a book, that was a collection of their pictures and sayings that was called "Why a Duck?" The title was a quotation from a scene where Groucho points out to the Italian accented Chico a railway bridge over a river, which he explains is called a viaduct.
Chico responds "Why a Duck? Why a no a Chicken?"
"Not 'Why a Duck'? - VIADUCT!"
"Like I a say … Why a no a chicken, Why a Duck?"
This morning I don't want to ask, "Why a no a chicken?" or even "Why a no a duck?" but I do want to ask "Why a Donkey?" Why did Jesus choose, on the first Palm Sunday, to come riding into Jerusalem on a donkey?
A good place to start is with the quotation from the Old Testament prophet Zecheriah we heard in our gospel reading. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey”. Matthew is keen to point out that the events of Palm Sunday happen within a particular framework at a particular time for a particular purpose.
The Bible never talks about fate or chance. It speaks instead of what some call "Sacred Time". Scripture speaks of Christian life as being, not just a random collection of disconnected events, but life with purpose and meaning. Jesus rode a donkey into town, because there was a purpose and a meaning to the action. It was an event in sacred time.
Mark gives us a fuller account of Jesus telling the disciples to go and get the donkey. If I was one of the disciples I would have been sarcastically thinking, "Yeh, Right..this is going to work". A couple of them are sent to an unnamed village, where, hopefully they will discover that there just happens to be a donkey tethered there at the side of the street. This donkey is special, because no one has ever ridden it.
As they untie it there is a strong possibility that someone is going to come along and say, "Excuse me sir, What are you doing with that donkey?" and they are to say to them, simply, "The Lord has need of it". No need to explain who this "Lord" is, or even say why he needs it... because that is not something you know about in the first place!
Strange thing is, when the disciples do what Jesus asks, despite their questions and the fact that it all seems kind of vague, it turns out just like Jesus said. When God speaks, things happen.
I really can't explain 'Sacred Time’ but I do know that as I put my life in God's hands all kinds of connections, affecting what I thought were insignificant events, start to happen.
Think about it! For some reason or other we have all ended up here in church this morning together. Of course we have all come here for a different reason. Maybe we were dragged here! Maybe it's a good habit we have got into. Maybe we don't have a reason for it, just something we felt we should do.
I invite you to pay attention to what happens through the week. Some one will say something, or you'll meet some one or something will happen and there will be a connection to what we're doing here this morning. Ask yourself, "Is that a coincidence, or is there something more going on here?"
Was it a coincidence that a person just happened to have tied a donkey that had, coincidentally, never been ridden upon, to the side of that street in that town, on that day, at that time, when those two disciples came walking along?
Was it a coincidence that people came along and asked questions that Jesus said they would, and that as the disciples gave the answer that Jesus said they should, the disciples discovered that they were able to take the donkey to Jesus, as He said they could?
Was it a coincidence that as He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, crowds lined the streets shouting "Hosanna to the King of David" - in a fashion similar to Zechariah's prophecy of years before? Were the crowds aware of the connection? Not likely! Did they realize that just a week later they would be shouting, "Crucify Him, Crucify Him!” No way!
Did they for even one moment consider that a death on a cross would be transformed into a resurrection from a tomb; that on a Pentecost holiday the Holy Spirit of God would descend on those disciples who witnessed His resurrection and that the church would be born? Of course not!
Why a donkey? “Why a no a horsee or a pony?” Because a connection was being made to what the prophet had said.
The donkey is a creature of peace. You would expect a King to arrive on a War Horse, or in a chariot pulled by a pony... not so Jesus. Just as His mother Mary is pictured by tradition as riding a donkey to Bethlehem, bearing the Christ Child in her womb, so in humility, Jesus enters Jerusalem, the City of God, riding upon a creature considered humble and gentle.
The donkey was not simply a method of transport for people. It was also a beast of burden. A donkey can carry a great deal on its back. It is sure-footed in rocky terrain. In many parts of the world it is still considered a working animal.
I remember Tom, a friend of my sisters from Greece, who visited with us when we lived in a seaside town in Mid Wales. On the beach were some donkeys that gave children rides up and down. Tom was astonished. “Donkeys? Why you have donkeys here?” In his culture the donkey was a working animal ... not something you amused the kids with on a sunny day.
In our Lectionary Palm Sunday is linked to Passion Sunday. We remember that Jesus took the burden of our sins upon Himself when He died upon the cross. The one who took the weight of our transgressions, rode into town on a beast of burden.
Why a donkey? When you think about it, there can be all kinds of connections.
But the most important one we need to make in this Easter Season is between our lives and the Jesus who rode into Jerusalem to die upon a cross and was raised to bring Resurrection life to bear on our daily lives.
If we can get that connection right, then a whole lot of other things in our lives start to make sense as well. We may well discover that sacred time is breaking into our daily lives.
An old friend I used to visit in a previous church always used to talk about ‘synchronicity’ as the reason she couldn’t help but believe in God. When she trusted in God to guide her, random things all seemed to fall into place. The reading in church, the song on the radio, the story in the paper, the conversation overheard in the Post Office, the book she was reading… it was as though they all were synchronized together in such a way as she became aware of something going on her life that was so much larger than herself.
Sacred Time. Synchronicity. You can call it whatever you like. It was there in the events surrounding Palm Sunday. There was a reason for the donkey. There was a purpose to the way Jesus rode into town.
Let us pray that we may have a faith in God that enables us to know His love as it is revealed in Jesus Christ as a reality guiding our own hearts and lives. As we remember this Easter Week the Christ who died upon the Cross for our sins, may we seek to live in a way that serves others and brings glory to God’s name. Amen.
Rev. Adrian J Pratt
Monday, April 4, 2011
The faces of Barabbas
(Adapted in part from “For all the Family' by Michael Botting - ISBN 0-86065-314-5)
Outline.....
You can tell a lot by the look on someones face.
Sad Barabbas
In prison. Sad. Cold. Facing the death penalty. By crucifixion. (Point to cross)
Why?
Violent Barabbas
His name is Barabbas. John 18:40 (NIRV)
‘Barabbas had taken part in an armed struggle against the country's rulers.’
To some he was a Freedom fighter but to the government of Rome he was a terorrist!.
Luke tells us ‘Barabbas had been thrown into prison. He had taken part in a struggle in the city against the authorities. He had also committed murder.” (Luk 23:19) He’s a violent terrorist!
Imagine its early. Footsteps. Keys rattle. ‘Oh no. I’m going to die!’ The Cell door opens. Get up Barabbas!” – You are Free! What?
Surprised Barabbas
‘Watch you talking about Jailers?’ How come? No way? Yes way… and zoom he’s out of their like greased lightning. And he’s feeling very…
Happy Barabbas
He was going to die. Be crucified. And now he’s free! He can’t believe it.
No he really can’t believe it! In fact he’s rather puzzled!
Puzzled Barabbas
He’s even more puzzled when he finds out that a man called Jesus has been imprisoned and, although its very doubtful of any crime He has committed, Jesus is now going to be crucified upon the cross that should have been his!
Perhaps we’ve asked that question. Why did Jesus have to die?
It’s a question we should ask every time we come to communion.
Now I don’t know if any of you are violent terrorists. I really hope not. And maybe none of us have dome anything as bad as Barabbas. But the Bible tells us we all have lives that are less than they should be or could be.
Romans 3:23 ‘Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God's glory.’
The Bible also tells in 1 Peter 3:18 “Christ died for sins once and for all time. The One who did what is right died for those who don't do right. He died to bring you to God. His body was put to death. But the Holy Spirit brought Him back to life. “
Peter explains that all of us are a little like Barabbas. None of us really measure up! We are people who do wrong. But that’s just the sort of people Jesus died for and was raised for. Jesus died to bring us to God.
The bread and wine remind us that Jesus has opened the door for all of us to experience the love and presence of God in our lives! No-one is excluded. No matter how good or bad. We can all ask God to fill us with the Holy Spirit so we can live our lives the Jesus way.
Barabbas was a man who knew like no other that Jesus died for him to set him free. God wants us to know that Christ died for all of us, that we may be free to love and serve each other. Every barrier is broken down at the cross.
There was once a minister called Isaac Watts who was one day reading his bible and he came across a verse in Galatians 6:14, that said "May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.''
Maybe it reminded him of Barabbas! We don’t know for sure, but we do know he picked up his pen and wrote a poem that could have been Barabbas’s song. It became a hymn which Christians often sing as they approach communion.
1. When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
2. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God;
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
3. See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
4. Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
These are things to think about every time we take bread and wine. The Jesus who died to set Barabbas free also died that we may live free and forgiven. All God asks is that we put our faith and trust and hope in what Jesus has done for us. Around this table is an awesome time and place for giving our lives into God’s hands.
Outline.....
You can tell a lot by the look on someones face.
Sad Barabbas
In prison. Sad. Cold. Facing the death penalty. By crucifixion. (Point to cross)
Why?
Violent Barabbas
His name is Barabbas. John 18:40 (NIRV)
‘Barabbas had taken part in an armed struggle against the country's rulers.’
To some he was a Freedom fighter but to the government of Rome he was a terorrist!.
Luke tells us ‘Barabbas had been thrown into prison. He had taken part in a struggle in the city against the authorities. He had also committed murder.” (Luk 23:19) He’s a violent terrorist!
Imagine its early. Footsteps. Keys rattle. ‘Oh no. I’m going to die!’ The Cell door opens. Get up Barabbas!” – You are Free! What?
Surprised Barabbas
‘Watch you talking about Jailers?’ How come? No way? Yes way… and zoom he’s out of their like greased lightning. And he’s feeling very…
Happy Barabbas
He was going to die. Be crucified. And now he’s free! He can’t believe it.
No he really can’t believe it! In fact he’s rather puzzled!
Puzzled Barabbas
He’s even more puzzled when he finds out that a man called Jesus has been imprisoned and, although its very doubtful of any crime He has committed, Jesus is now going to be crucified upon the cross that should have been his!
Perhaps we’ve asked that question. Why did Jesus have to die?
It’s a question we should ask every time we come to communion.
Now I don’t know if any of you are violent terrorists. I really hope not. And maybe none of us have dome anything as bad as Barabbas. But the Bible tells us we all have lives that are less than they should be or could be.
Romans 3:23 ‘Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God's glory.’
The Bible also tells in 1 Peter 3:18 “Christ died for sins once and for all time. The One who did what is right died for those who don't do right. He died to bring you to God. His body was put to death. But the Holy Spirit brought Him back to life. “
Peter explains that all of us are a little like Barabbas. None of us really measure up! We are people who do wrong. But that’s just the sort of people Jesus died for and was raised for. Jesus died to bring us to God.
The bread and wine remind us that Jesus has opened the door for all of us to experience the love and presence of God in our lives! No-one is excluded. No matter how good or bad. We can all ask God to fill us with the Holy Spirit so we can live our lives the Jesus way.
Barabbas was a man who knew like no other that Jesus died for him to set him free. God wants us to know that Christ died for all of us, that we may be free to love and serve each other. Every barrier is broken down at the cross.
There was once a minister called Isaac Watts who was one day reading his bible and he came across a verse in Galatians 6:14, that said "May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.''
Maybe it reminded him of Barabbas! We don’t know for sure, but we do know he picked up his pen and wrote a poem that could have been Barabbas’s song. It became a hymn which Christians often sing as they approach communion.
1. When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
2. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God;
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
3. See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
4. Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
These are things to think about every time we take bread and wine. The Jesus who died to set Barabbas free also died that we may live free and forgiven. All God asks is that we put our faith and trust and hope in what Jesus has done for us. Around this table is an awesome time and place for giving our lives into God’s hands.
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