Swallowsrest

Easter 7 – 2011

John 17:1-11

Marian Free

In the name of God in whom we have life in the present and life everlasting. Amen.

I wonder what would happen, if I gave each of you 100 words and asked you to use just those words to write an essay that was 1,500 words long. I imagine that it would take a considerable amount of creativity to complete such a task. Even if you used words like “the” and “and” disproportionately often you would have to use some of your words at least 10 times and you would find it difficult to say what you wanted to say because you were restricted to the 100 words provided. Even if I allowed you to choose your own 100 words, I imagine that the amount of repetition required to complete a 1,500-word essay might be a real test of your ingenuity.

With this in mind, you might be surprised to note that the writer of the gospel of John uses only 1,011 words to write the entire gospel. As there are 15,416 words in the gospel as a whole that means that of those 1,011 words, many are repeated over and over and over again.  To give you a few examples, the word “light” appears 22 times, “glory” 19 times, “glorify” 12 times and “hour” occurs 20 times. The fact that the word “life” occurs something like 47 times and the word “know” is repeated something like 100 times takes up some of the slack – and allows for other words to be used much less frequently.

It is a characteristic of John’s gospel that key terms are repeated and also that many of these terms have double meanings. For example, John uses “light” to refer to physical light, but also to the revelation of God through Jesus. “The hour” means not only a point in time, but also the point at which Jesus’ mission comes to fulfillment. “Life” refers to eternal life, which is not something to be expected in the future, but a life that is available to believers in the present. Jesus uses the words “the name” or “your name” when he is speaking of God. “Know” or ”knowledge” is used in the sense of the knowledge of God that leads to salvation.

It is almost as if the author is speaking in code – a code which does make superficial sense to the average listener, but which has a much deeper meaning for those in the community that he is addressing.

I’m certain that the author of John does not have a limited vocabulary. The reason that he uses so few words to write the gospel is that his record of Jesus’ life is condensed into themes – light/darkness, blindness/sight, coming and going. He wants the readers to understand that Jesus existed with God from the beginning of time, that Jesus and the Father are one, that Jesus represents light in the darkness and that light and darkness are two different forms of existence and that no one can inhabit both at the same time. Jesus comes from heaven, is sent by God and will return to heaven. On earth, Jesus’ role is to give people the knowledge of the Father that leads to eternal life.

The author does not need to use a great variety of words, because his intent is simply to share these themes and to record the life of Jesus in such a ways as to draw out these over arching themes.

Today’s gospel reading is, as might be expected, filled with some of John’s key terms – the hour, glorify, life, name, know – all of which the reader will now be familiar with from the earlier chapters.

We have seen over the past few weeks, that the gospel of John concludes with this – Jesus’ farewell discourse. His final speech to the disciples shares many characteristics with other farewell speeches including those of Jacob and Moses. One of the characteristics of such speeches is the prayer for those whom they will be leaving behind. Jesus too concludes with prayer. He prays for himself, for the disciples and finally for those whom the disciples will bring to faith.

There is a sense that Jesus has already moved on, that he has already left this world behind him. His concern now is whether or not the disciples will be able to continue his mission. Will they abide in him as he abides in the Father? Will they be one as he and the Father are one? Will they keep the faith in a world hates them? Jesus’ role in the world has come to an end, now he must rely on his disciples to make God known and so he prays for them – that they will hold fast, that they will be one.

Despite Jesus’ apparent confidence that the disciples have kept his word and have believed that he has come from the Father, there is an element of uncertainty in his prayer. He is after all leaving his mission in the hands of a group of people who have been slow to understand, and who in his moment of need will abandon and deny him. Can they really be trusted to carry on his mission.

Two thousand years later, we might think that over the centuries Jesus’ worst fears have been realised. Jesus’ disciples have not always demonstrated a confidence in God. It would be hard to argue that those who believe in Jesus have always behaved in a way that is consistent with making the glory of God known and it would be impossible to suggest that the church has been one, as Jesus and the Father have been one.

When Jesus prays for the disciples, he prays not only for those who were present with him at the time before his death, but for all who will be his disciples in every generation. As he prays for them, he is praying for us. We must look to ourselves then if his prayer is to be fulfilled in this day and age. We must ask ourselves – Do we strive for the unity with Jesus that Jesus shared with the Father? Is God glorified through our lives? Are we in the business of making God’s name known in the world?

Make no mistake – the answer to Jesus’ prayer does not depend on anyone else, in the past or in the present – it depends on us – on our faith, on our willingness to be one with Jesus and our desire that God be glorified on earth through our lives. Jesus has placed all his trust in us. Are we able to rise to the challenge?

Easter 6, 2011

John 14:15-21

Marian Free

In the name of God whose Spirit works in and through us. Amen.

In John’s gospel there is no record of the Last Supper in the sense of Jesus’ breaking bread and drinking wine with his disciples. Instead Jesus’ final meal is used as an opportunity for the author to introduce Jesus’ final discourse in which Jesus not only prepares the disciples for his departure but also provides instruction for the early church. Jesus warns his disciples that he is going to be leaving them, assures them that in time they will follow to a place which he has prepared, he comforts them by telling them that they will not be alone and assures them that because he lives, they will live also.

As part of preparing the disciples for his departure, Jesus promises that he will send the Holy Spirit to encourage, support and teach them.  He is assuring them that not only will they not be left alone, but that in the future, the Spirit will continue the work that Jesus began with them. A lifetime would not have been sufficient for Jesus to teach the disciples all that they need to know. Indeed their human limitations mean that they could never, on their own, achieve the likeness to Jesus that would ensure his continuing presence in the world.

The Spirit will continue Jesus’ teaching, and unlike Jesus, he will be with them forever.

Jesus not only comforts his disciples, but he turns his “going away” into a positive. It is only if he goes away that the Spirit of truth can come. As the Spirit will lead them into the future, it is essential that Jesus go away so that the Spirit can come and teach them all things.

Long before the church had come up with the doctrine of the Trinity, John’s gospel expresses the unity of the Father with the Son and the Spirit with the Son. Jesus says if anyone has seen the Son they have seen the Father. Now he is saying that the Spirit will come in his stead. Father, Son and Spirit, each revealing the other and all three acting together in unity.

What is amazing is that Jesus says that we can share in that union. Jesus says that we will know the Spirit because the Spirit abides with us and will be in us. That is to say that the Spirit which is one with the Father and the Son, is a part of us, and therefore we can share in the unity that they demonstrate. Jesus takes this image still further in chapter 15 where he elaborates the image of the vine. By remaining connected to the vine, we allow Jesus/the Spirit to work through us, and in this way bear fruit (do those things that Jesus would do). In chapter 15 we find the same language of abiding. Jesus says to the disciples: “abide in me, as I abide in you”.

This has profound implications for the way in which we live our faith. A life of faith is one that is lived in Jesus and one that allows Jesus to live in us.  So often, we confuse faith with doing things – being good, doing good works, keeping the commandments. These chapters of John’s gospel make it clear that the primary task of faith is to allow Jesus/the Spirit to abide in us, to give our lives over completely to the presence of God within us so that the fruits of that relationship may be seen in our lives. If we align our lives with Jesus as he has aligned his with the Father, then he will work through us, just as the Father worked through him.

It’s all so easy. All we have to do is let go and let God. All we have to do is to place ourselves completely at God’s disposal, allow Jesus to reside in us and everything else will follow. However, you, like me know that what is ostensibly easy is, in fact, very hard. We do not like to be out of control. We like to think that we have something to contribute. We want to be able to measure our faith against others. We want to be able to demonstrate our goodness or our obedience. All of these things work to exclude God. Every time we try to something by ourselves – however worthy that activity might be, we are locking God out of our lives. Every time we do a good work instead of allowing God to work through us, we are implying that we can do it better than God. Every time we rely on the commandments, we are demonstrating a failure to trust in the Spirit within us.

Our behaviour very often stands in stark contrast with the faith we profess. We proclaim that we trust in God, then we demonstrate by our actions that we don’t trust God at all.

Perhaps it’s time we took hold of Jesus’ promise to the early disciples, time we tried to understand what it means to have Jesus himself abide in us, time we asked ourselves what our lives would look like if we allowed the Spirit to direct us.

Jesus has promised to do everything for us. Isn’t it time that we stopped resisting and started resting in Jesus’ presence in and with us?

Easter 5 – 2011

1 Peter 2:11-22 (John 14:1-4)

Marian Free

In the name of Jesus Christ who stands with the oppressed and the disadvantaged, and who was not afraid to die to bring life to others. Amen.

I imagine that the reaction of many of us to situations such as those in Libya, Syria, Yemen and throughout the Arab world today stand in stark contrast with the words of the letter of Peter which we have heard read this morning. The author of this letter urges his readers to accept the authority of every human institution, to honour the Emperor and insists that the slave submit to his or her master – even if, in fact especially if, they are cruel. According to this view we are contradicting scripture if we applaud the Egyptians for standing up to and overthrowing an oppressive regime and we are going against God’s will if we support the presence of NATO in Libya.

Measured against this letter of Peter, the Egyptians should have patiently and submissively continued to endure the oppression of Mubarak, the Libyans should bear the consequences of their revolt against the human institution that is Gadaffi and the unrest in the remainder of the Arab world is unlawful and is rightfully being punished. The same sort of logic would say to the battered wife, the abused child or the bullied worker: “Go back to your abuser and submit to the unjust violence, then you will be like Jesus.”

The letters of Peter were written in the early second century, to a persecuted community in Asia Minor. They were written to encourage believers who found themselves in difficult circumstances and they do so by exhorting believers to accept their suffering, because in so doing they imitate Christ’s suffering and will gain an inheritance that is “imperishable, undefiled and unfading”. The readers are encouraged to endure their sufferings, to repay evil with good and to live such exemplary lives such that the injustice of their suffering will be without doubt.

The believers to whom Peter writes may well need to keep their heads down so that they do not draw more attention to themselves, and they obviously need to be reminded that their suffering has value, and that even if the present is filled with danger and fear, they can look forward to a future that is eternal and filled with joy. They can be reassured that they are imitating Jesus and sharing in his sufferings.

This does not mean that it is a rule for all Christians in every age to “mind their own business” or “to bury their heads in the sand”. The situation of a second century community that is experiencing persecution is vastly different from that of a Christian community in the 21^st century in a country in which they are part of the status quo and in no danger from the government of the day.

The idea that Christians should by their silence condone violent and oppressive regimes is not something that can be supported by the gospels. Jesus was not afraid to stand up for the oppressed and marginalised and he does not hesitate to criticise those whom he believed to be oppressing and restraining the people of Israel. In fact, it was because Jesus was prepared to take a stand against the human institutions of his time, that he found himself in trouble. It was because Jesus was not silent in the face of injustice that he found himself on the cross.

Conversely, once Jesus’ knew that his fate was inevitable, he submitted without a fight knowing as he did, that by giving his life he would win life for others.

Over the centuries, many who have followed in Jesus’ footsteps have risked their lives because they dared to speak out against injustice and oppression, to stand up to unjust governments and to declare what was right in the face of what was clearly wrong. Despite the danger to themselves, the saints of past ages have been prepared to make a stand. Yet when the battle was done they too submitted without reserve to the fate that was theirs. On the other hand, in the last century alone many atrocities were carried out against innocent people because good people chose to remain silent – whether out of fear, or from a mistaken belief that God himself condoned evil and unjust regimes.

What then do we make of the letter to Peter, and how do we in the 21^st century make decisions as to when to be silent and when to speak out, when to submit and when to stand up for what is right? It is not easy and not many of us have the clarity of vision and purpose, or the courage of the martyrs.

John’s gospel gives us some insight into the answer. In today’s reading, Jesus is preparing the disciples for his departure. However, he causes some consternation when he says: “You know the way to where I am going.” Thomas speaks for all the disciples when he responds: “We do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” The disciples have failed to understand what Jesus has been saying for some time – that is that he has come from the Father and that he is returning to the Father. The way that this return will occur is through his lifting up, through his death on the cross. The way to life, the way to the Father – for Jesus and for all those who would follow – is through death. The way is the how as well as the direction.

Following Jesus who is ‘the way’ does not mean a life of ease and safety. It does not mean standing silent in the face of injustice or cruelty and it does not mean seeking one’s own comfort at the expense of another. It can mean taking the risks that Jesus took, knowing when to speak out and when to be silent and when it is necessary to give one’s life so that others might live.

Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The way of Jesus is the way of the cross. It is only if we follow Jesus to the cross and beyond that we will come at last to the Father and to our eternal inheritance.

Easter 4 – Good Shepherd Sunday 2011

 John 10:1-10

Marian Free

In the name of God who gives us life in abundance. Amen.

On the basis of years of familiarity, we sometimes take the meaning of biblical passages as self evident. However, on closer inspection, some at least, prove to be complex and difficult to understand. Such is the case with today’s gospel. We all know and love the image of Jesus the Good Shepherd who not only cares for the sheep, but who lays down his life for them. When we read John 10 we call to mind the 23^rd Psalm. Perhaps we even remember that the prophets called the leaders of the Jews false shepherds and promised them one true shepherd – God.

If we look more carefully at the first ten verses of John chapter 10 we find that there is in fact much that is confusing. For example, is Jesus the shepherd or the gate? Is it possible that he is both? Who are the thieves and robbers? Is there just one flock or many in the sheepfold? Are ALL the shepherd’s sheep named and so on.

In order to answer these questions, I consulted two reputable commentaries on John’s gospel. You might be relieved to know that I am going to spare you the results of my research. Instead – I want you to imagine that we are having a revival meeting, and to the question: “Are you alive?” You all shout out “Yes” and then the question escalates: “Are you really alive?”  as does your answer “Yes!” Then it escalates still more: “Are you filled with the life of the risen Lord?” and you shout out: “Yes sister, Hallelujah.”

What a contrast that would be to our more subdued recital of what we believe. Every Sunday we say the Nicene Creed – a theological/intellectual statement about what we believe, but we say nothing about the transforming, life-giving power of God. In the Creed we affirm what we believe about God, but don’t proclaim God’s powerful presence in our lives. Being decent, reserved Anglicans, we don’t often declare publicly and loudly the blessings God has showered on us.

By our silence, we allow many in the world at large to continue to believe that being a Christian is about being good, about keeping the ten commandments and not rocking the boat. Sadly, this presents Christianity as a dry faith, a faith which demands obedience to an exacting God, when in reality our faith is living and dynamic faith in a God who gives more to us than he asks in return.

The problem, I think, is that it is so much easier (and safer) to tell people what to do than to free them to live. It is easier to teach people what they must do, than to find ways to open them to the possibility of God’s life-giving power. As a result, we teach do’s and don’ts, rather than being and not being. We are good at sharing what we must do: we must love God, we must love others. Loving others means that we must forgive others. We must walk the extra mile, turn the other cheek and so on. Add to that the list of all things we must not do and our faith an observance of rules not a relationship with the living God. Taken to its extreme, this expression of faith constricts a believer into a narrow, life-less way of living. It engenders guilt and a sense of unworthiness rather than opening the door to the fullness of life that is ours in Jesus Christ.

The sort of Christian faith that depends on what we do and don’t do is dangerous, not only because it is life-denying, but because it tends to self-absorption and egoism. It becomes more about us than about God, more about what we do for God than what God does for us. (as if we could ever presume that God needs us to do anything for God). This sort of faith bears a strong similarity to that of the Pharisees of whom Jesus was so critical.

The difference between the faith of the Pharisees and the gospel Jesus preaches is illustrated in today’s gospel. The Pharisees are the thieves and robbers who come only to steal and kill and destroy. On the other hand, Jesus the shepherd leads the flock out to pasture (the source of life). Jesus claims that he has come to bring not just life but abundant life. The rule bound approach to faith is life-destroying because it closes its eyes to possibility. Faith that is completely dependent on the Good Shepherd is life-giving and open to whatever God might do.

I wonder what the church would look life, if in God’s life we all lived abundantly -if our lives were so fulfilled, so rich, so full of joy and peace that others would simply catch the abundant life which Jesus offers. I wonder what would happen, if, instead of – or as well as  – reciting “We believe in one God etc” we declared that we believe in God – Creator, Saviour and Life-giver who not only gives us life in abundance, but who also blesses us with peace and love and joy. Imagine if we trusted God so much that we were able to stop striving to achieve our own goodness and were able to rest completely in God’s goodness. Imagine the freedom we would be able to share with the world if we really truly believed that Jesus died for us and that as a result our salvation had already been won. How liberating it would be if we truly believed that our eternal reward depended not on us, but on what God in Jesus has done for us.

According to John’s gospel the resurrection life begins now. We do not have to wait for an indefinite eternity to experience the life that Jesus has to offer. Jesus brings us out of darkness into light, gives us living water, bread from heaven and life in abundance. In short all that we need, we find in faith in Jesus. Our bones may ache, our income shrink, our dreams be shattered, the world may rage around us but in Jesus we find that we have all that we need and more.

Trying to achieve an illusive goal of goodness may stunt and constrain our growth as a person and as a spiritual being because we end up focussing on ourselves and not God. If we stop trying, if we stop trying to do it on our own, if we live what we believe knowing that God truly loves us, that God is always willing to forgive us, and that in Jesus God gives us life in abundance, if we really and truly allow God into our lives we may just find that God’s peace, love and goodness flow through us, such that our lives are transformed, and the goodness that we sought, becomes the goodness that we live.

Jesus said: “I have come that you might have life and have it abundantly.” Let us live that life in such a way that others will seek to live it too.

Easter 2

John 20:19-35

Marian Free

In the name of God who is revealed in the risen Christ.  Amen.

I can remember a long time ago meeting someoen who was quite critical of the fact that I was researching for my Phd. In his mind a critical examination of scripture was unnecessary for someone entering ministry and that it would at worst lead me on the slippery slope to a loss of faith. I can remember too, on one occasion being asked if I would preach a rather academic student sermon in a parish setting. My answer was “yes”, that I believed that church-goers were entitled to be exposed to up-to-date interpretations of the bible – though I might find a different way of saying it in the context of a congregation.

History has demonstrated that I have not lost my faith. Neither, so far as I know, have I caused others to lose theirs. I am passionate about the bible and want to know as much about it as I possibly can. I may not always find the right words to share my insights or the insights of others, but that is not for lack of trying.

The thing is that no one person or generation has the key to interpreting the bible and none of us are able to go back in time, or enter into the world view of the writers such that we can claim to know exactly what a particular story or passage means. Sometimes in fact we can get it wrong for generations and it is only when someone asks a different question or discovers something about first century existence that we see the text in the way it was originally intended.

A good example of this is the injunction for women not to speak in church. For nearly two thousand years women were excluded from the sanctuary on the basis of a mis-interpretation of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. Certainly, in chapter 14, Paul does suggest that women should not to speak in church, but in chapter 11 Paul gives instructions for women when they pray or prophecy in church!

All this goes to show that we should not assume that the interpretation of scripture is fixed and unchanging and that there are no new insights to be had.

This brings me to Thomas. I imagine that many of us tend to think that we know all there is to know about Thomas, and for many of us our knowledge of this disciple is based solely on this morning’s gospel and Thomas’s refusal to believe his fellow disciples outrageous claim. However there is more to Thomas than this one story.

For example, in the gospel of Luke there is an account of the resurrection that is very much like the one we have heard this morning.  Jesus appears to the disciples who are terrified and dis-believing. In response to their doubt Jesus shows them his hands and feet and gives them permission to touch the scars. When we compare this with the account in John two things become obvious– firstly, Thomas is not singled out, and all the disciples are doubters; secondly, all the disciples have them an opportunity to touch his wounds.

On the basis of John’s account, we tend to think of Thomas in a negative light and doubt as something to be completely avoided.

BUT – there is more to Thomas than this account and more to the story than Thomas’ doubt. In John’s gospel, Thomas is a significant perhaps more so than James and John. For example, you will remember that when Jesus is told about Lazarus being ill, it is Thomas who has the courage to say: “Let us also go, that we might die with him.” When the other disciples are urging caution about going to Jerusalem where they Jews are threatening to kill Jesus, it is Thomas who commits himself to following him to the end. At the last supper it is Thomas who has the courage to say: “We do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” In today’s gospel, Thomas begins with doubt, but then does what no one else does – he falls at Jesus’ feet and declares: “My Lord and my God.” Lastly, when Jesus appears to the disciples on the beach Thomas again is present as if nothing has happened. All this suggests that rather than being an embarrassment, Thomas was an important figure for the community that produced John’s gospel.

Furthermore, legend has it that it was Thomas who took the gospel to India and that there he was speared to death. Thomas might be better known as Thomas the brave or as Thomas the spokesperson.

Thomas did find it hard to believe that Jesus had appeared to the disciples and he was honest about how he felt. While Jesus commends those who believe without seeing, he does not condemn Thomas – just the reverse. Jesus respects Thomas’ uncertainty and not only appears again especially for Thomas, but he gives Thomas what Thomas has asked for – the opportunity to touch and see for himself. Jesus recognised what Thomas needed for faith and responded accordingly.

Thomas’ very human reaction to the fantastic new of Jesus’ appearance helps us to understand that questioning and exploring our faith is necessary, but neither is it a bad thing. Rather than being a sign of inadequate faith, asking questions and expressing doubt can be, for some, the way to come to the depth of faith that Thomas expresses in Jesus. Similarly, an openness to scripture and a willingness to explore can provide new insights which in turn strengthen rather than weaken what we believe.

It is important that our relationship with God is open and honest, that we have the courage and confidence to ask our questions and that we know that God has shoulders big enough to cope with any doubts, complaints or queries that we might have. We do not need to be afraid that God will reject us if we have moments when we struggle to believe, we need to feel unfaithful if we need to tease out a text until we are satisfied that we fully understand. Faith is a journey and we must continue the quest until at last, we like Thomas are inspired to fall to our knees and acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and our God.

Easter Day 2011

Marian Free

 In the name of God, who raised Jesus from the dead so that all might live. Amen.

C.S. Lewis has written that when we say that the resurrection happened two thousand years ago, we should say it in the same way that we might say: “I saw a crocus yesterday.”

I realize that that image is not particularly helpful for those of us who live in the sub-tropics. I can’t think of a seasonal equivalent, but perhaps in Queensland in 2011, we might speak of the resurrection in the same way that we might say to another: “My grandchild was born yesterday.” When we announce the birth of a child, we are speaking about an historical event, but at the same time the event to which we refer is not confined to the past, but points to the future. In a temperate climate, the first crocus indicates a change of season. There might be cool days ahead, but a corner has been turned, and without our doing anything about it, the days will get longer and warmer.

In the same way, when we speak of the birth of a child, we do so with a sense of excitement and anticipation. A new chapter has opened in the life of a family, nothing will ever be the same, the child will add new dimensions, new joys and new worries as well as new hopes. Whatever happens in the life of the child, the family is changed forever parents are grandparents, young people become parents and so on – the whole dynamic is different.

This is the point that Lewis is making. The resurrection marks a turning point in history after which life can never be the same. The centre of gravity has shifted, the nature of our relationship with God has been dramatically expanded, the possibilities for the future have opened wide. We can see and understand both God and the world around us in ways that might have been unimaginable before.

The resurrection is not an event that can be contained or limited by history – it transcends time and place to inspire, encourage and enthuse people in every generation. In calendar time it may have occurred two thousand years ago, but it was not a static, unrepeatable event. The resurrection is relived every time a person encounters the risen Christ; it becomes a reality for those who lives are turned around through new insights or through the strength to overcome addiction. The resurrection is known by those who come out the other side of grief knowing that life can be worth living, or by those who make their way from the losses caused by disaster to a new way of living.

When despair turns to hope, grief to joy, disaster to victory, there is Christ and there the power of the resurrection is known.

A resurrection which is merely a miracle that occurred two thousand years ago has no power to inform and transform the present. The resurrection of Jesus changed everything and continues to change everything for those who believe, it gives hope for the present and the future, it assures us of God’s continuing presence with us, it inspires us to renew our lives and to live with courage and determination to be among those who change the world for the better.

Easter Eve 2010

Marian Free

 In the name of God who raised Jesus from the dead and who constantly raises us to newness of life. Amen.

I don’t know if you have noticed, but musicals, plays and movies about the life of Jesus find it very hard to include the resurrection. In most instances, the action ends with the crucifixion and burial followed by a fleeting reference to the resurrection. One wonders why it is so difficult to portray one of the central tenets of our faith. We believe Jesus has risen, we proclaim that Jesus is alive with us today, but do not seem to be able to dramatically portray the event.

One of the reasons for the problem is that no one saw the resurrection. There were lots of eye-witnesses to the crucifixion, several of Jesus’ followers saw that he was buried, but no one was there on the third day, when Jesus rose from death to life. The women and Peter and John saw the empty tomb, and on that same day Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, to the two who were walking to Emmaus and to the gathered disciples, but no one observed the moment.

The situation is further complicated by a number of facts: Jesus didn’t rise from the dead and continue with his mission. Instead, he appears at different times and to different people. For the forty days until the ascension, Jesus appears on and off – in a variety of places and situations. He appeared in closed rooms, on the beach, walking along the road. His appearances are just that – he comes and he goes. Another complication is the nature of Jesus’ resurrection body. All the reports seem to indicate that although scared, his body is recognizable as the body he had before the resurrection. Despite this, he is not always immediately identifiable. In some accounts, the risen Jesus is mistaken for a ghost, in others a point is made that he eats with the disciples, and in another he is not recognised until he breaks the bread (at which point he disappears). If he has a physical body with flesh and bones we have to ask ourselves how he manages to appear in locked rooms.

No wonder movie-makers find it difficult to portray what has happened. The resurrection was not observed and experiences of the risen Jesus differed from person to person.  What then do we make of the resurrection? I believe, first of all that the resurrected Jesus was and is something to be experienced. The followers of Jesus knew he was alive and their knowledge was so real and so powerful that they were able to convince others that he was alive. Because the resurrection was something to be experienced, two thousand years later we can experience the resurrected Jesus in our own lives.

It is perhaps to our advantage that the resurrection was not observed because instead of one story and experience we have multiple stories and experiences. Instead of limiting the resurrection to a one-off occurrence two thousand years ago, we can expect to experience the resurrection in our own lives.

Christ is risen and because he is risen, he is not relegated to history but is alive in our present. We know Jesus not only as the Jesus of a past era, but the Jesus who is with us now and will be with us to the end. We don’t need physical proof of the resurrection, because all the proof we need exists in our relationship with the risen Christ, right here and right now.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

GOOD FRIDAY LITURGY 2011

MARIAN FREE

Greeting:

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

 

Introit: 339 O sacred head sore wounded

 

Eli Eli – by Judith Wright

 

Reflection:

 

(Read slowly, reflectively)

When I read the poem by Judith Wright, I think of Jesus – tied to the cross – watching helplessly as humankind chooses not to respond to his message, but to continue down its path of self-destruction.

I remember too that figuratively or literally, God gave humankind the freedom to choose from the moment of creation. God must have known the outcome of this decision but God knew that true service and love must result from freedom to choose that love and service.

For centuries God watched – helplessly but not hopelessly – as his creation misused his trust –perpetrating acts of genocide, allowing whole nations to live with hunger, disease and poverty and destroying the environment, not to mention the daily pettiness of jealousy, anger and greed.

God’s solution to the problem is not (as we might expect) to rain down fire and brimstone or to bend out will to his. Instead, in Jesus, God comes himself – placing himself completely in the hands of his flawed creation. There is no compulsion for us to respond, only a hope on God’s part that we will see that a life aligned to God is so much better than a life that chooses to go its own way.

Nowhere is God so vulnerable, so impotent, so unable to compel obedience than on the cross. Given the choice – humanity has chosen to go its own way, to destroy the love held out to it.

In the poem, Jesus watches soldiers, children and women in the river and does not intervene – because it must be our choice to turn to him.

Jesus knows that it is humankind that has built the barriers between the human and divine. He knows too how much heartache and pain results from that separation. Jesus’ real grief in the poem lies in the fact that he knows that the separation is not necessary.

There is no river – only a separation caused by our own determination to go our own way and God’s unwillingness to force us to return. The choice is ours. The irony is that in aligning our wills to that of God we would discover that we are not bound or limited, not coerced or compelled and that having given our lives back to God we with Jesus will be raised to newness of life – set free from the restraints and limitations of our human nature – truly alive and truly free.

Therein lies Jesus’ pain. Our failure to see, our determination to go our own way, our failure to see that there is no river, causes more pain than the cross itself, but Jesus will not force us to see, we must come to that ourselves.

 

Let us pray:

Liberating God, {God of freedom}

as you made yourself vulnerable for our sake,

so may we make ourselves vulnerable for yours.

As you allowed yourself to be dependent on us,

so may we  learn to depend entirely on you.

As you gave your life for us,

so may we give our lives over to you.

As we ponder the mystery of your passion,

may we understand that you withhold nothing from us.

 

The only thing that separates us from you is ourselves. Amen.

 Collect:

Creator God,

who chose restraint over control

and who trusts us to choose between good and ill.

Help us to understand the cost to you of our freedom,

to learn to choose wisely,

and to know that it is in you and you alone that true freedom lies.

Amen.

Ministry of the Word

Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12

Psalm 22

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me:

            why are you so far from helping me

            and from the words of my groaning?

My God, I cry to you by day, but you do not answer:

            and by night also I take no rest.

But you continue holy;

            you that are the praise of Israel.

In you our forebears trusted:

            they trusted and you delivered them.

To you they cried and they were saved:

            they put their trust in you and were not confounded.

But as for me, I am a worm and no man: 

            the scorn of all and despised by the people.

Those that see me laugh me to scorn:

            they shoot out their lips at me

            and wag their heads, saying,

“He trusted in the Lord – let him deliver him:

            let him deliver him, if he delights in him.”

But you are he that took me out of the womb:

            that brought me to lie at peace on my mother’s breast.

On you have I been cast since my birth:

            you are my God, even from my mother’s womb.

O go not from me, for trouble is hard at hand:

            and there is none to help.

Many oxen surround me:

            fat bulls of Bashan close me in on every side.

They gape wide their mouths at me:

            like lions that roar and rend.

I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint:

            my heart within my breast is like melting wax.

My mouth is dried up like a potsherd:

            and my tongue clings to my gums.

My hands and my feet are withered:

            and you lay me in the dust of death.

For many dogs are come about me:

            and a band of evildoers hem me in.

I can count all my bones:

            they stand staring and gazing upon me.

They part my garments among them:

            and cast lots for my clothing.

O Lord, do not stand far off:

            you are my helper, hasten to my aid.

Deliver my body from the sword:

            my life from the power of the dogs;

O save me from the lion’s mouth:

            and my afflicted soul from the horns of the wild oxen.

I will tell of your name to my companions:

            in the midst of the congregation will I praise you.

O praise the Lord, all you that fear him:

            hold him in honour, O seed of Jacob,

            and let the seed of Israel stand in awe of him.

For he has not despised nor abhorred

the poor man in his misery:

            nor did he hide his face from him,

            but heard him when he cried.

The meek shall eat of the sacrifice and be satisfied:

            and those who seek the Lord shall praise him –

            may their hearts rejoice forever!

Let all the ends of the earth remember

and turn to the Lord:

            and let all the families of the nations worship before him.

For the kingdom is the Lord’s:

            and he shall be ruler over the nations.

How can those who sleep in the earth do him homage:

            or those that descend to the dust bow down before him?

But he has saved my life for himself:

            and my posterity shall serve him.

This shall be told of my Lord to a future generation:

         and his righteousness declared to a people yet unborn, 

         that he  has done it.

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Hymn: 350 There is a green hill far away

.The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark Chapter 15 beginning

at verse 21.

Glory to you Lord Jesus Christ.

For the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Hymn: 345 Were you there when they crucified the Lord?

(During the hymn a collection will be taken up for the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem)

Intercessions:

God of freedom,

be with all those whose lives are circumscribed

by disease, poverty, violence and oppression.

Give to all world leaders a desire for peace and justice,

and to all people a willingness to share equitably the resources of the earth.

God who sets us free.

Hear our prayer.

God of love,

give us an openness to your love,

a willingness to trust in your direction,

a hopefulness for the future.

God who sets us free.

Hear our prayer.

Compassionate God,

encourage all those in our community who feel lost and alone,

those who are house-bound, those who suffer from mental illness

or any form of addiction.

Be with the victims of violence,

especially those who suffer violence at the hands of those who proclaim love for them.

God who sets us free.

Hear our prayer.

God of  Grace

comfort and sustain all those in need of your healing power

give them confidence for the future and a firm trust in your love.

God who sets us free.

Hear our prayer.

Living God,

Open us to your presence that is always with us,

Help us to trust you in good times and in bad,

And to come at last with all your saints to life everlasting.

Lord’s Prayer: Accept our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who taught us to pray.

            Our Father in heaven,

                        hallowed be your name,

                        your kingdom come,

                        your will be done,

                        on earth as in heaven.

            Give us today our daily bread.

            Forgive us our sins

                        as we forgive those who sin against us.

            Save us from the time of trial

                        and deliver us from evil,

            for the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours

                        now and forever. Amen.

 

Confession:

At creation, God gave us freedom, so that we could choose how to live.

In the Incarnation, Jesus showed us what that freedom could look like.

On the cross, God willingly submitted to the choices we had made.

We have abused and misused the freedom God has given us, and still God withholds the power to control and direct our lives. Let us therefore confess our sins, accept our failure and trust in God’s infinite love and goodness.

God of freedom

we confess before you

and before each other,

that we have used our freedom for ourselves,

and have trusted ourselves and not you

with our fate and the fate of the world.

Free us from the desires and constraints of this world.

Forgive our self interest, our greed and our absence of vision.

Transform and heal us by your spirit with us.

Renew and encourage us by your life in us.

Give us a trust in your goodness, a willingness to submit our lives to you, and a commitment to share with you a love for all creation. Amen.

Absolution:

On the cross, Jesus affirmed our freedom.

Use that freedom wisely, for yourself,

and more especially for others.

Know in God’s forbearance, the deep love God has for you.

Understand that you are forgiven and extend that forgiveness to others

for Christ’s sake. Amen.

Recognition of the cross:  341 (During the singing of the hymn you might like to come forward and acknowledge the cross. Alternately you are welcome to sit or stand in quiet reflection.)

Blessing:

 

Hymn: 344 Glory be to Jesus

Please leave the church in silence

Copyright. Marian Free , 2011

Lent 5

John 11

Marian Free

In the name of God who opens the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf and raises the dead to new life. Amen.

The invention of the telescope changed the way we see the world. By using the telescope to follow the movement of the stars and the planets, Copernicus, followed by Galileo came to the conclusion that the earth was not the centre of the universe – instead of the sun revolving around the earth, the earth revolved around the sun. A similar seismic in the way we view the world occurred later when Darwin released his theory of evolution. For most of us it is impossible to think that the world is flat, to imagine that the universe is centred on planet earth or to believe that nature is static and unchanging.

Even though we are not all scientists, all of us have, from time to time what you might call “aha” moments – moments when we see something from a completely different perspective, moments when something that had previously seemed completely incomprehensible suddenly becomes crystal clear, or moments when we finally understand why it is that someone else appreciates a particular piece of music, or enjoys watching a particular sport. At such times it is like the fog has lifted and we see the world in a completely new light. Once our eyes have been opened, our lives can never go back to the way they were.

As we have seen over the last few weeks, the author of the gospel of John appears to be trying to move his readers to such an experience, to bring them to a place in which they see things in a completely new way. Through conversations and acts of healing, Jesus tries to open the eyes of those around him, to help them to think in a radically new way. He talks about ideas which to his listeners are at first completely incomprehensible – being born from above, living water, the light of the world. He is teasing them, tantalising them with new concepts in the hope that he will be able to break through their conventional view of the world and enable them to see the world through God’s eyes.

And now we come to the crunch – Jesus does something totally shocking and unbelievable – he brings a man from death to life. The new form of existence, this new way of being to which Jesus points is literally new life, it is like being raised from the dead!

For the author of John’s gospel, the raising of Lazarus is the climax of the gospel. John been carefully building up to this point – challenging his readers to see things differently, to look beyond the obvious, to see the new dimensions of being that are now dramatically and visibly illustrated in the raising of Lazarus. Faith in Jesus leads to new life in the present as well as in the future. Those who believe in Jesus are radically changed. Through faith in Jesus they become truly alive, they recognise the emptiness of their existence and the possibilities that faith in Jesus makes possible.

John’s gospel aims to open the eyes of his community to this new life that is possible through faith in Jesus and the raising of Lazarus is the most eye-opening event that has happened so far.

More than any other gospel, John is written for a community of believers. It assumes that the readers/hearers know the story and how it ends. In some sense the gospel is written as an elaboration of the story. It endeavours to do more than simply tell the story of Jesus, it wants to move its readers to faith – a faith that will totally redefine their understanding of reality, to move them beyond the superficial and material to a deeper more spiritual existence. It is not that the story of Jesus is not important – of course it is – but John assumes that those who will read or hear his gospel already know the story of Jesus. John wants to ensure that the way in which he tells the story leads to a life-changing experience for those who hear it. John wants to do is to move his readers from an intellectual faith to a relationship with the living God.

In a sense the gospel is a spiritual handbook to help the community live that faith. So it gradually brings its readers into this new awareness until it reaches the climax in which Martha declares Jesus to be the Christ, and the life that Jesus offers is vividly demonstrated in the raising of Lazarus. Having reached the climax – faith in Jesus leads to new life, not only in the future, but in the present -the author moves to the mundane instructions for the community – a community changed and charged by faith in Jesus.

This is the point that Jesus is moving his readers to – an awareness that faith in Jesus is life-changing, and life-renewing. That knowing Jesus means that their lives will never be the same again, they will see the world differently because their eyes are ears will be open to new possibilities. They will see and experience life in a new way. They will move as it were from death to life. Alive to God in Christ, enlivened by the Holy Spirit in them, free to live life and to live it to the full.

We can choose to remain within the safety of the tomb, safe and secure in the life we have always known. We can hold on to the past, allowing our lives to be circumscribed and limited by what we can see or touch or feel. Or we can respond to the voice of Jesus calling us out of the tomb into new way of living, into an adventure of faith that refuses to be defined, but which constantly opens and expands our horizons as Jesus draws us deeper and deeper into the truths that he reveals.

The story of Jesus is so much more than a story. It is an invitation into a journey of faith, a journey that will lead us into the very heart of God. We are invited to throw caution to the wind and embark on the adventure of a lifetime that will take us all the way to eternity. How can we not respond?

Lent 4

John 9:1-41

Marian Free

May the God who opened the eyes of the blind, open our hearts and minds to see what he is doing in our lives and in the world today. Amen.

When I was in theological college and our year group were doing the hospital chaplaincy course, we were asked to write a number of verbatims of the conversations we had with the patients we visited. A verbatim is a word for word record of what was said by each party. The object of the exercise was to help the writer to re-visit the conversation and to understand how what they did and did not say affected the direction of the conversation. A verbatim helps the student to see in what way his or her own issues may have crept in and influenced the exchange.  For example, someone who is the child of an alcoholic may discover that whenever he or she is pastoring to someone who is an alcoholic, they tell their own story instead of listening to the person they are visiting. The verbatim may reveal other ways in which the visitor may be limiting the conversation or preventing the one being visited from sharing what is important to them.

Of course, most of us in the course of our lives have wished something unsaid, wished we had used more sensitive language in a difficult situation. We don’t need a verbatim to tell us that we could have done better. In a social situation we hope our friends will forgive us our awkwardness and we trust that we can learn from our mistakes. For those whose profession requires them to listen to others, a thorough examination of their conversation technique can make them a much more effective listener, ensure that they recognise their weaknesses and enable them to learn techniques that will improve their skills.

Thank goodness Jesus was not required to attend theological college! Verbatims of Jesus’ conversations would have revealed him to be deliberately obtuse, failing to listen, being directly confrontation and having a tendency to railroad his conversation partner for the purpose of getting his own message across. As we have seen in the last two weeks, Jesus doesn’t respond to Nicodemus’ flattery or to the questions of the woman at the well. Instead he talks about “being born from above” and “living water” – teasing and confusing them in the hope that they will move, with him, beyond the obvious and the external to something deeper and more spiritual.

In any other situation, we might think that, even though we are talking about Jesus, it is the height of rudeness to speak as he does. However, hopefully, we understand that the purpose of the gospel is to bring readers to faith. The author of John’s gospel is using Jesus’ conversation as a literary tool to help his audience understand that faith in Jesus is a life-transforming experience that moves a person from one realm of existence to another, from the earthly to the heavenly, from the physical to the spiritual. For this reason, the style of the conversation doesn’t matter. What matters is that the reader’s life is changed, by what they read or hear.

Today’s gospel is very different from those of the last two weeks, but it is still possible to observe that it is through conversation that the author of John makes his salient points and moves his readers to a particular conclusion and a new way of being. The healing of the blind man and the ensuing conflict with the Pharisees is not so much an account of healing but a revelation as to who Jesus is and an expose of the ‘blindness’ of the Pharisees who fail to recognise him. John’s gospel is using the account of the healing of the blind to open the eyes of all who read or hear it such that they understand that Jesus is the Saviour (the light) of the world. It is intended to move them from the superficial, to a deeper, more meaningful existence.

The Pharisees and their followers were good people who kept the commandments. However, they had become so sure of themselves and so confident in the way that they practiced their faith that they did not allow any room for God to reveal Godself. They relied on a person’s external behaviour to tell them about that person’s relationship with and position before God. They were so sure that they knew what to do and what not to do, that they were unprepared for the person of Jesus. Jesus did not fit into their nicely prescribed rules and regulations, he didn’t toe the line that they had drawn, he didn’t belong to their “in group”. Nothing in their rigid and rule bound practice of faith had prepared them for the person who God sent to save them.  He didn’t have any of the characteristics that they had come to associate with someone who came from heaven, he was just a man, and worse than that, he was a man who broke the commandments of God. How could such a man be someone sent from God?

To this extent, the Pharisees were blind. God, in Jesus was present among them, yet, because Jesus did not fit the pro forma that they had developed, not only did they fail to recognise him for who he was but they labelled him a sinner. This, according to Jesus provided ample evidence of their inability to see. The Pharisees were so bound to their literal interpretation of the law, so confined by their narrow outlook on life and faith, that they could not see the goodness of God in Jesus’ action of healing. All they could see was someone who broke the Sabbath law.

In his conversations with Nicodemus and the woman at the well, Jesus is obtuse, using unfamiliar expressions and ideas to force them into a new way of seeing things. When Jesus speaks with the Pharisees in today’s gospel, he is much more direct, Their attitude, revealed in their refusal to accept what he has done confirms that they are firmly established within the earthly realm and completely unable or unwilling to risk venturing into the spiritual realm. The Pharisees are comfortable in their neatly prescribed life. They have rule books to tell them what to do and how to behave, they simply cannot cope when the spirit breaks through and disturbs their settled existence. In their minds. anything which doesn’t fit the world as they have defined it, doesn’t belong – even if it is a man who is able to heal the blind.

Two thousand years after Jesus walked the earth, we must be careful that we do not allow habit and complacency to close our minds to the possibility that God is active in the world. We must allow the gospel to keep us on our toes, to tease and confuse us, such that we retain an openness to God’s revelation. We must always be alert and expectant, hoping to be surprised by God and seeking a life that is determined by the spirit and not by the demand and restrictions of the material world. If we say that “we see”, we can be certain that we see nothing at all. If we allow God to open our eyes, we will see and experience more than we could ever imagine.