2 Commands: "Do this to Remember Me" and "Go tell"

Maunday  Thursday  Sermon     by the Rev. John Donnelly

 So now with this sermon, we continue our reenactment of this glorious, yet horrifying night, all which took place in the attic of a house in the poor section of ancient Jerusalem.  There in the candle light,   Jesus has washed the feet of his disciples, commanding them to, please repeat after me, “Love one another, as I have loved you.”     Next, Jesus and his disciples shared the Passover Feast, just as some of us did earlier tonight.

Finally, after the traditional Passover prayers have been offered, and dinner has been finished, Jesus decides to share something else.

Now, to appreciate this scene you must have in mind that Jesus gave every bit of his love, his wisdom, his patience, his physical strength...he gave his whole heart doing God’s work;

·       He continued giving even when all He shared with the world was utterly rejected and thrown back in his face.  

·       He had poured his very life into the disciples, knowing that they had failed to understand what He was all about.   So, Jesus sits at the table as a broken man.   So then he breaks the bread, symbolizing His brokenness, which he shares with the disciples.

The breaking of the bread, which we do at communion on every Sunday, symbolizes the world breaking Him down and nailing the pieces to the cross.  He says, “This is my Body, my very life, which I now share with you and for those yet to come.”

·       Next, he shares the wine, saying, “This is my life blood…which I have poured out for you through my life’s work, and which I will pour out for you, tomorrow, on the cross; and which I pour out for those to come after you.”

·       Then Jesus gives us this command, this directive, which I invite you to repeat After me  ”DO THIS TO REMEMBER ME.”

 Jesus invites us to share his life with one another and the world AS WE REMEMBER Him---as we remember not just this holy night, but as we remember his teachings and all His commands, or directives:   confess your sins, feed the hungry, forgive others as you wish to be forgiven, love one another, be peace makers, and believe in me, even during dark times, and do this in remembrance of me.

So, as we share the life of Christ with one another this night, we remember that this life is given not for us alone---but that it is given for the world.  And that we who are so privileged to be heirs of the disciples on this night, are also called to be the heirs of the disciples in sharing Christ’s life with the world.

Those 11 disciples at that first Last Supper fed on the life of Christ; then they were empowered to go forth to share his life with this bold proclamation:  JESUS is Alive.   You see, without the Resurrection, Holy Communion loses its meaning and power.   If there was no resurrection, then communion would be some quaint religious ceremony of a failed prophet.    But He is alive and when he proves it to the disciples on that first Easter Sunday, Jesus gives them another command: “Go tell the world that I am alive.”

And that is the same command that He gives to us, here tonight, as we prepare to share the life of Christ with one another at the altar.   Go tell the world—go share my life with your Words—Go tell the world that I rose from the dead.....that I am alive.

It seems to me that   during our own time, it is essential for modern day disciples to tell the world that Jesus is alive.  Why?  Because too many Christians are afraid to speak out these words: “I believe that Jesus is alive//because …you fill in the blank.”

As you may know, I am inviting members of our congregation to do just this on Easter Sunday.  I am inviting all the willing to help me preach the sermon by standing up and telling us one reason why you believe that Jesus is alive.”   Do you know that many of the visitors will have never heard an unordained person actually say that He or she believes that Jesus is alive, because…..”

It seems to me that most Christians believe that if the pastor says it, that they do not have to.  But that is wrong.  Jesus says, YOU, YOU  go tell the world that I am alive.”   Back in the days after the first Easter, your regular believers, just like you and me, told their friends, family & neighbors that they believed that Jesus was alive.  Then, those who heard discovered the truth for themselves—and then Christianity spread across the world. However, in our day and time, most churches in our land are weak and anemic.  The strong churches are where people are not shamed to proclaim that they believe.  Jesus wants us to be one of those strong churches.

Now, I want you to be honest with yourself and answer this question for yourself:

Do you remember a time when you actually told a person that you believe that Jesus rose from the dead?  That Jesus is alive?  If not, then I want you to pray about doing this on Sunday.  You see, communion is meant to be shared with the world.  But if that sharing is to actually take place, then the Good News of Christ being alive needs to be shared first.  

Prayers to pray for Holy Week & Good Friday

Prayers to pray for Holy Week &  Good Friday

from Christ Church Quaker Farms   (Borrowed from various sources)

Good Friday Prayer   O Jesus, Who by reason of Thy burning love for us hast willed to be crucified  and to shed Thy Most Precious Blood for the redemption and salvation of our souls, look down upon us here gathered together  in remembrance of Thy most sorrowful Passion and Death, fully trusting in Thy mercy; cleanse us from sin by Thy grace, sanctify our toil, give unto us and unto all those who are dear to us our daily bread, sweeten our sufferings, bless our families, and to the nations so sorely afflicted, grant Thy peace, which is the only true peace, so that by obeying Thy commandments we may come at last to the glory of heaven.  Amen.

The At The Foot Of The Cross Prayer    I will go to the altar of God.   To God who gives joy to my youth. Judge me, O God, and take up my cause against the nation that is not holy. Free me from the unjust and deceitful man. For You, O God, are my strength, why have You cast me off? And why do I walk in sorrow, while the enemy troubles me? Send forth Your light and Your truth, they have led me, and brought me to Your holy hill, and to Your dwelling.    I will go to the altar of God,
to God who gives joy to my youth. To You, O God, my God, I will give praise upon the harp,
why are you sad, O my soul? And why do you trouble me? Hope in God, for I will still praise Him,
the salvation of my countenance and my God.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.   Amen.

I will go to the altar of God. To God who gives joy to my youth. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Who has made heaven and earth. May almighty God have mercy upon you, forgive you your sins,
and bring you to life everlasting. I confess to almighty God  that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed; through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore, I beg You to and forgive  me of  my  sins, and bring me to the life everlasting.

May the almighty and merciful Lord grant us pardon, absolution, and remission of our sins.
You will turn again, O God, and quicken us. And Your people shall rejoice in You. Show unto us, O Lord, Your mercy. And grant us Your salvation. O Lord, hear my prayer. And let my cry reach up to You.

SCRIPTURES TO READ     Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12   Psalm 22:1-21    Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9     John 18:1 – 19:40

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Through Prayer, Finding the Good in Good Friday   By Rick Hamlin,

I can remember asking my mom as a kid, "Why is it called Good Friday?"

It completely baffled me. I'd gone to Sunday school long enough to know that Jesus died on the cross on Good Friday. He was arrested, put through a trial, denied by his own, whipped, paraded through Jerusalem and crucified, dying after six hours of agony.

What was so good about that? My mom must have given me an adequate response, that it's a "good" day because if Jesus hadn't died, he couldn't have risen. But I don't think I bought it. Not then. Not now.

As a believing Christian, I find Good Friday one of the toughest days of the year. I have celebrated it in various ways, none too happily. I have sung in choirs through a three-hour service. I have prayed my way through the Stations of the Cross. I have sat in a pew in a church near my office, meditating over the last words of Christ. And I have skipped the whole thing, far preferring the alleluias and flowers and jelly beans and chocolate eggs of Easter.

But I have to admit in my struggles with faith, the shadowy Good Friday moments count as much as those blissfully sunny Easter days (and here in the Northeast, when is Easter ever warm and sunny?). When I pray, it's the hard stuff that gets me really focused.

A 42-year-old friend dies of cancer. "Why, God, why?" I ask, storming the heavens. A hard-working dad loses the job he was sure he was meant for. "What was that all about?" I wonder. A faraway country gets pummeled by a devastating earthquake. "Have mercy, Lord," I pray.

This seems to be the paradox of belief. As often as I try for a prevailing attitude of gratitude and joy, I learn more through the tough stuff. No, I wouldn't ask for misfortune and wouldn't wish it on anyone, but just as mistakes are supposed to be the better teacher, aren't trials the ultimate crucible of faith? It can take a wake-up call of incipient disaster to give me a piercing clarity about all my blessings.

That's how I manage to find my way to the good in Good Friday. Through prayer. Closing out the noise of the world, I ask for God's help, looking for a measure of peace. Better yet, I can join with others who have much greater concerns than my own and pray for them.

PRAYER FOR FREEDOM IN CHRIST.  Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but
first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

PRAY FOR GUIDANCE   Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS   Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console; To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love; For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen.

PRAY FOR CHRIST CHURCH QUAKER FARMS Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth, hear our prayers for this parish family. Strengthen the faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent. Grant us all things necessary for our common life, and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church ;through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

"Believing: Why do bad thihgs happen to good People" Apr. 6, 2014

                                 SERMON ON 'BELIEVING"        April 6, 2014

Beth (age 12) and Ryan (age 9) are children of Lyn & Nigel, two friends of mine from my last parish.  Actually, Nigel was their step farther.  Beth & Ryan’s biological & legal father was Ari, a deeply disturbed man who turned out to be a monster. On evening, Avi attempted a double murder suicide of his children and himself. Tragically, the children had died by the time the police arrived; but somehow, they were able to save Avi.   Lyn and Nigel were two more victims of Avi’s evil, who remain brokenhearted until this day, 18 years after the murder of their children.

Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do the good die young?  Why are innocent people slaughtered?  Why does cancer and other diseases destroy members of our families? Why do some people break our hearts, and don’t seem to care?

Well, this morning we are going to look at some of this—but I can tell you right now—None of what I am going to say this morning will make any sense to you unless you have an active relationship with Christ. To unbelievers, this will be utter nonsense.  But to seekers and believers, we can find some understanding from God’s word.

One reason the innocent are wounded and killed on our earth is because we all have something call free will.  You and I and all others throughout his make our own decisions to do good, or to do sin.  And what is sin?  Well, here is the definition we are using this morning.  Please repeat after me: SIN IS OUR DISOBEDIENCE OF GOD”S WILL.  Sin is our disobedience of God’s will,  The Bible tells us that God’s original plan for humanity was for us to live in peace and harmony, under His protection, as we obeyed his laws.  But humankind rejection God’s plan by disobeying his commandments, which would have assured peace and harmony. Too often, you and I and the world mostly choose to do what we want.  As we confessed just a moment ago, we do not love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds & bodies; and we do not love our neighbors as ourselves.   And it’s within this context of sinful disobedience that the evil one intervenes to inspire people to hurt, abuse, and to murder the innocent. Bad things happen to good people because sinful people choose to do evil.

 

But not only sinners hurt the innocent, but mother nature does likewise. God’s word tells that the physical world is NOT the way God panned it.  Contrary to what idealists may think, the physical world is capable of evil too.  God’s word tells us that the sin of humanity infected the natural world, making it dangerous. Therefore, innocent people are killed by landslides, such as the recent one in Washington State, killed by earth quakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and the like.  God’s word says that these natural disasters are the result of the sinful decay and corruption of our natural world.

 

So, what is God’s reaction to this?  Is he aloof, uncaring, or maybe even impotent?  He is a liar, because throughout the Bible declares over and over agins His compassion for us. God’s compassion for the suffering is best revealed by Jesus.  God chose to become mortal to demonstrate to the world that God cries when we cry; he suffers when we suffer.  Indeed, according to t the Bible , the compassion of God is far greater than what most of us ever experience.   Whenever Jesus encountered the sick or broken hearted people, the Bible tells us that His compassion was so deep—so strong—that He felt physical pain, right in his gut. This is what is happening in today’s Gospel reading.   Jesus looks into the future, where he sees the total destruction an annihilation of the City of Jerusalem, which occur at the hands of the Roma Empire some 35 years after the first Easter Sunday.  He is moved to tears, and he weeps not just about the pain He encountered in the present, but also about the pain and suffering and innocent bloodshed that evil would perpetuate in the future.

So, Jesus decided to take action—action which would turn the tide against the destruction of humanity and the natural world.  Jesus understood that because he was the Son of God, because He never sinned by choosing to disobey God or God’s commandment---that he was in the position to do something that no one else could do. He knew that he could offer his sinless life on the cross; He knew that by the shedding of his innocent blood, that He could break the power of sin and evil.  He knew that His father would not let him down.....that His father would then raise Him from the dead, so that he could offer amnesty to all who confessed their sins. And not only that, but that He would gather an army of forgiven sinners who, by their own free win, would stand up to the evil and to sin that hurts and kills the innocent.  And this army would have one weapon—the know that everyone who choose to believe in Jesus, would receive his amazing love, and be equipped to share that love with those victimized by evil.  And further, this army would do what he did: offer our lives to oppose evil, even at risking our own security, or comfort or in some cases, our lives.  And we do this in the knowledge that as more and more people choose God’s plan through Christ, that one day, the God’s peace and harmony will be fulfilled.

So, now we go back to our story.  The murderous Avi was convicted by the courts, and sentence to live without parole. However, shortly after he entered prion, he died under mysterious circumstances. Child abusers and murders never live long in prison. Avi received his justice, which all evil doers will receive in God’s own way, at his discretion.

Lyn and Nigel—they could have gone down the tubes; but they did not?  Why?  Because they were overwhelmingly supported not only by their parish church, but also by their friends and neighbors and especially by the Jewish community, who cried with them.  They clung to their faith in Christ, knowing that they felt like hell; but also continuing to believe that Jesus Christ would guide them through this valley of the shadow of death.  AS I sat with them for many days, I saw how touched they were by the kindness of God as expressed through other people:

For example, they were comforted by the medical examiner, which must have the worst job on earth.  This doctor had the best bedside manner that I had ever seen.

The Police Department provided around the clock protection at their home from the press and other spectators, who otherwise would have disrupted their grieving.

The county prosecutor worked tirelessly to bring the murder to justice.

The night after the murder, 75 of our parishioners spontaneously gathered for a prayer vigil to offer prayer for the suffering and mutual support for us all, for we suffered, too.  The children were part of our family.

Beth’s Youth Group ladder and Ryan’s Sunday School teacher worked tirelessly to comfort their young friends, who were shocked and traumatized.

                     

The churches “Sonshine Committee” brought meals to the family, night after night, week after week, and month after month.

There was a newspaper reporter, who snuck into the funeral—but she was so uplifted by the service, that she wrote a compassionate article, thereby downplaying the sensationalism o the day.

The support continued to roll in like a flood, and it upheld this couple during the worst times of their lives.

18 years later, Lyn and Nigel are in a new state with new friends and a new church. They partially filled the void in their lives by becoming foster parents.  Lyn is now working for the Police depart as a victim’s advocate. They have found assurance that Jesus has always been with them; and that they look forward to being reunited with their children, in the next life.  They openly acknowledge that all this happened because of their faith in Jesus Christ.

 Lyn & Nigel’s story is evidence for the truth that the amazing love of Christ, in us,  is stronger that suffering, tragedy, and death. He who died for us now walks with us, working to heal, restore, console, renew on a supernatural level, and through His followers, like you and me. Amen.

 

---The Rev. John Donnelly