(p.s. - Does the audio link work? I've not really had any feedback about it. Actually, I've not had any feedback about any of these sermons for a while. Is anyone out there? out there... out there... out there...)
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Journey to the Cross: Deliver Us
Over the last few weeks, we
have been on a journey. We are in the midst of Lent. Lent begins with Ash
Wednesday and consists of the 40 days leading up to Easter. In the early church
new believers were baptized on Easter Sunday. Lent was a time of preparation
for that baptism. The new converts would spend the weeks before Easter praying,
fasting, and repenting. In the centuries since then it has become a season of spiritual
renewal. Using the same disciplines of prayer, fasting, and repentance we look
forward to Easter and prepare to celebrate resurrection. But we cannot get to
resurrection without the crucifixion. So during Lent, we focus on the cross. And
over the last four weeks, we’ve been on a journey to the cross.
In the cross we see our
brokenness, our sinfulness. But we also see redemption, the redemption of
resurrection. Lent is a time of reflection and repentance as we prepare
ourselves for Easter.
As has been the case for the
last few weeks, our scripture today points us toward the cross.
John 12:20-33
Over the last few weeks, we
have used the words of the Lord’s Prayer to guide us on our journey to the
cross. We’ve taken phrases from that prayer to focus our thinking and our
reflections. On the first Sunday of Lent we used the phrase, “Thy Kingdom
Come.” Jesus began his ministry with this message: “The kingdom if God is at
hand. Repent and believe the good news,” which gives us a fitting message for
Lent. “Repent and believe.” The good news is that the kingdom is near. Jesus
began the work of bringing the kingdom of God on earth. Now we, as the body of
Christ, are called to continue that kingdom work. It is our job, as disciples
of Jesus, to help bring the kingdom to fulfillment.
But what is the kingdom of
God? Paul tells us in Romans that the kingdom is “righteousness and peace and
joy in the Holy Spirit.” Jesus calls us to repent and believe the good news. Or
to turn and trust. To turn from things that are contrary to the kingdom; things
that are contrary to righteousness and peace and joy. We turn from sin. Turn
from things that divide us. Things that marginalize. Hate. War. Inequality. And we trust Jesus as he leads us to reconciliation and equality.
On the second Sunday of
Lent, we used the phrase, “Thy Will be Done” to guide our Lenten reflections.
Jesus told the disciples that he would suffer and die and return after three
days. After he told them. Peter took him aside and rebuked him. Peter had some
traditional ideas of who Messiah would be. Just before Peter had his meeting
with Jesus, he proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christos. Which, to
Peter, likely meant a teacher but also a military leader, a conqueror. A savior
from Roman occupation and oppression. After Peter privately rebuked Jesus,
Jesus took Peter to task in public. He told him in front of everyone, “Get
behind me Satan. You’re focusing on earthly things instead of heavenly things.”
And that is true of all of us. Our will is incompatible with God’s will. We are
called to a life of sacrifice and service. That is contrary to our instinct of
self-preservation. And yet that is our prayer, or should be. “Not my will, but
yours be done.”
The third Sunday of Lent we
focused on the phrase “on Earth as in Heaven.” In examining the cross, we see
Emmanuel, “God is with us.” In Jesus we see the full revelation of God. God’s
presence on earth. In the cross we realize we don’t serve a distant, irrelevant
God. We serve a present God, who came to replace religion with relationship.
Last week, the fourth Sunday
in Lent, “Our trespasses” served as our focus. John’s gospel tells us that
Jesus is the light and that the light came and overpowered the darkness. But
all of us have darkness, and the light of Jesus not only overpowers that
darkness, but exposes it. “Just
like Moses’ bronze snake saved the Israelites, Jesus had to face the cross so
that those who believe can have life eternal. How did God love creation? By
sending Jesus. To overcome death. To overcome sin. To shine the light of love
from a cross atop Calvary. God loved all of creation. Jesus came to save all of
creation. God loved us by giving us a way out of the dark. God loved us by
shining the light on our darkness, exposing the things hidden there so that
they are unavoidable.”
So during this season of
Lent, we examine the cross and the cross examines us. We reflect and we repent.
We reflect on our lives to find the things that have separated us from the
righteousness and peace and joy of the kingdom. We reflect on our lives to refocus
ourselves from earthly things to heavenly things like sacrifice and service. To
put away our will and find and follow God’s will. We reflect on our lives to ensure
our faith is less about religion and ritual and more about a relationship with
God. And we reflect on our trespasses. On a God who loved the world by sending
Jesus to overcome those trespasses, to defeat death and expose our darkness to
his light.
We reflect on all of these
things and we repent. And we rejoice in the assurance of new life; the
assurance of Jesus’ final victory.
And that brings us to the fifth
Sunday in Lent.
Today’s scripture reading
finds Jesus in Jerusalem. He has just come from the home of Lazarus and Martha
and Mary. The next day he and the disciples go to Jerusalem to prepare for
Passover. Jesus is a pretty popular guy about now, according to John it’s because
so many people saw him raise Lazarus from the dead. Because of that, when they
heard he was coming to Jerusalem, the crowd gave him what amounts to a parade.
Jesus came into town riding on a donkey with palm branches waving around him,
the crowd shouting Hosanna.
Jesus’ fame has grown so
much that a group of Greeks want to meet with him. Some scholars say that these
were Gentiles, others say absolutely not, they were Greek speaking Jews,
regardless, they are a part of the crowd in Jerusalem that has made the
pilgrimage there to celebrate Passover. They have come thousands of miles, and
even they know about Jesus. They meet with Philip and tell him they want to see
Jesus. As you read, you realize, we don’t know if they meet with him or not.
The scripture never says for certain, Philip tells Andrew. They both tell Jesus
about the Greeks and Jesus launches into one of his hard to follow speeches.
There’s a little more to
what the Greeks ask, that I think makes more sense than their disappearance
from the story. In John’s gospel seeing often equals understanding. What if the
Greeks tell Andrew, “We want to understand Jesus. We want to know who he is and
what he is about.”
In that context Jesus’
answer makes a little more sense. Over the next few verses as Jesus predicts
and, somewhat explains, his death we can read that as Jesus helping these
Greeks understand who he is. And in doing so, helps us to understand who he is.
Jesus gives a sort of
mini-parable to predict his death. “A kernel of wheat must fall into the earth
and die before it can be fruitful.” He goes on to affirm that he is committed
to his mission. “Should I say, ‘Save me from this?’ No, this is why I am here.”
He goes on to further explain why is on earth.
Deliverance.
Jesus came to deliver us.
Jesus death and resurrection delivers us from the consequences of sin. Paul
tells us that “the wages of sin is death.” But Jesus defeated death. As
followers of Christ, we share in his baptism. In sharing his baptism we share
his death. In sharing his death, we share his resurrection. For the believer,
sin has no power. For the believer, the worst thing, is never the last thing.
Jesus’ death and
resurrection not only delivers us from sin and death. Through the resurrection,
we are also delivered from the evil of this world.
Jesus came to earth and
lived and taught in a way that made the reign of God visible to all around him.
But the evil forces of the world stood opposed to the kingdom. Or as John puts
it, “the ruler of this world.” It is exactly those evil forces, or the ruler of
this world that lead to Jesus death. But that ruler will be driven out.
Resurrection will mark the defeat of those evil forces. And it is through the
resurrection that we are delivered from sin and death and delivered from the
evil forces that rule this world. Maybe we’re not delivered here and now, but
we are delivered into eternal life.
So on this 5th Sunday
of Lent as we reflect on and repent of our sin, we have the assurance that
those sins hold no power over us. And we have the assurance that the violent
forces of this world that stand opposed to the reign of God have been defeated.
The ultimate act of violence was overcome by the ultimate act of love, and by
that we are delivered.
Jesus has delivered us from
evil.
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