Lent V
The Rev. Martha Frances+
Lent V - 25 March 2007 - Year C
Text: John 12: 1-8, Other Readings: Isaiah 43: 16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3: 4b-14
Today's Philippians' passage is dear to me as it ends with one of the first scriptures I memorized. Once again I'm dating myself to tell you that my 8th grade speech teacher had us memorize Bible verses as well as Shakespeare, so in addition to Portia's Mercy Speech, I learned "forgetting what lies behind & straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus." Little did I understand at that time the context of Paul's words written from a Roman prison, or what Paul's pressing on was: the heavenly calling for him was martyrdom just as it had been for his Lord.
Today I recognize that Paul had started his credentials with his pedigree as a good Jew—circumcised on the 8 th day, of the people of Israel & the house of Benjamin, born a Hebrew, a Pharisee & zealous persecutor of the church—all that the past he had left behind when Christ found him on that Damascus road & turned him into the first great missionary to the Gentiles. Paul had been quite a success as a righteous man before his encounter with Christ, whereupon his previous credentials became meaningless in light of Christ's claim on him. Paul embraces the reality of his upcoming death as his way of unity with Christ whom he has proclaimed throughout the known world.
However, even St. Paul, near the end of his life, doesn't claim to know it all & to have it made. In the first place, he acknowledges that whatever his post-conversion successes have been are due to Christ's claim on him & presence in his life. He takes no credit for himself. Also, he hasn't dwelt in the past but has forged forward, confessing his unsavory past & open to what God has in store for his present life. Further, he is a man in process, still living in the "not yet", looking forward to the future, knowing that a violent death is the likely outcome for his life. He says, "Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own. . . ." He gives all the credit & glory to God in Christ Jesus.
This movement is borne out in the other scriptures for today, our last Sunday before Palm Sunday next week. God speaks directly in the Isaiah passage at a time when the Hebrews are enslaved in Babylon . God reminds the people of all they have received starting with their escape from bondage in Egypt & miraculous delivery from Pharoah's army at the Red or Reed Sea. In the depths of the Hebrews' despair, God turns them away from the horrors of the past & promises a new thing described in poetic language which must have been empowering centuries later to those Hebrews just as they are being freed from Babylon. For desert people, God's providing water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, & drink to slake the thirst of the chosen people was the most treasured of gifts—life-sustaining for these nomads who are God's chosen people. They had a temple & a society to rebuild, but it is God who is doing the new thing through them. Looking forward to the "not yet" of a life on God's terms.
Finally, Jesus has made his way to Jerusalem, part of the time in hiding because the authorities are on-the-lookout for him. Before the triumphal entry into Jerusalem proper, Jesus pauses to have dinner with friends in Bethany , on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Fully aware of what lies ahead for him, Jesus nevertheless has chosen to move toward his final destiny during Passover time, with echoes galore of the original Passover & both the successes & seeming failure of his three years of teaching, healing, & being fully present to his disciples.
At Bethany, at table with his friends, the Last Supper & his death are foreshadowed. With Lazarus whom he has raised from the dead, Martha as host serving the meal, & Mary who has previously "chosen the better part" & broken taboos by sitting at his feet as disciple, he moves forward from his own past toward the events which lead inevitably to his death & burial. Mary washes his feet as he will soon wash those of his male disciples—lavishing costly ointment on him in such quantity that it perfumes the whole house—drying his feet with her hair, an incredibly intimate gesture for one not a blood relative.
Here, Mary's actions reveal her as the faithful disciple, contrasted to Judas' carping about a better use for the perfumed oil. Mary knows how to respond to Jesus without being told & breaks out of the societal restrictions for a woman, being rewarded with Jesus' rebuke to "Leave her alone!" when Judas criticizes. Jesus remark that they will always have the poor to care for is not a callous disregard for the poor as the quote is often used today but rather an emphasis on how soon his own death would be.
Jesus' final appearance before his triumphal entry into Jerusalem catapults him & his disciples into the events of the Passion, the new thing which God is doing, making a path through the wilderness of the law, overcoming the power of death with Jesus' death followed by resurrection. Jesus recognizes the necessity of enduring death in order that resurrection might follow, not only for him but for all those who are his followers.
Living in the in-between time of the "already" & also the "not yet" characterizes our next 2 weeks as well as Jesus' & his faithful disciples. Whatever the past has been—triumphs & tragedies alike—must be let go, abandoned, in order to be open to the new thing which God is doing for us as we embrace Jesus' death & resurrection anew this year. Our community is certainly evidence of this movement: both St. Michael's & Incarnation held some wonderful traditions as well as some serious difficulties, & we've tried to honor both for each congregation. Further, we've moved forward with a new & appropriate name--Hope, broader leadership, & the opportunity to embrace the future, confident that God is in charge & will do new things through our community.
How do we as individuals respond to the new thing which God offers in our community? Together! Each of us must accept responsibility for our part in the whole of the parish's movement forward, journeying with Christ through his death & burial but also into his new life as an Easter people. We at Hope have pledged to be an inclusive community sharing God's gift of love & acceptance with others.
What are the old things & ways of being we'll have to give up in order to embrace the new? We can't continue to relax in a comfortable family-sized circle which is hard for newcomers to break into. We must be willing to let others take some of the responsibilities & accept that they might not be done exactly the same way "we've always done them." The new way might even be better. We can't continue to do ministry with a deficit budget. In order to upgrade the facilities & make our church buildings & grounds more appealing & safer for all, reach out & provide for those whom Jesus called "my precious ones", & make a mark in our community for Christ, we must be more giving of our time, talent, & treasure.
How do we learn the art of welcoming the new thing that Christ is doing in our midst? We grow in our trust & live out of faith instead of fear. Paul talked of the righteousness of God based on faith. We learn how to have faith by acting faithfully. We rely on God & our Christian community to show us the way.
We have ample worship opportunities the next 2 weeks, & I encourage you to be present for as many of them as possible. Further, each of us is called to be faithful to our own Lenten disciplines of prayer, study, & action so that they may guide our Easter journey. Next Saturday we will be preparing palm crosses for the next day, sharing a covered dish lunch, & instructing new folks in the sacrament of baptism. All disciples are urged to participate then, in the regular Lenten activities this week, & in each of the Holy Week services next week. I would especially urge you to include the Easter Vigil in your schedule, for we will hear & participate in selections from the story of our salvation in ways both adults & children can appreciate as well as welcoming newly baptized into our faith community. Then we will truly be prepared to be resurrected with Christ on Easter morning & throughout the Easter season into the rest of our lives.
Come & walk the way of the cross into the new day of Easter when we will truly experience God's new thing within this community.
Lent V - 25 March 2007 - Year C
Text: John 12: 1-8, Other Readings: Isaiah 43: 16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3: 4b-14
Today's Philippians' passage is dear to me as it ends with one of the first scriptures I memorized. Once again I'm dating myself to tell you that my 8th grade speech teacher had us memorize Bible verses as well as Shakespeare, so in addition to Portia's Mercy Speech, I learned "forgetting what lies behind & straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus." Little did I understand at that time the context of Paul's words written from a Roman prison, or what Paul's pressing on was: the heavenly calling for him was martyrdom just as it had been for his Lord.
Today I recognize that Paul had started his credentials with his pedigree as a good Jew—circumcised on the 8 th day, of the people of Israel & the house of Benjamin, born a Hebrew, a Pharisee & zealous persecutor of the church—all that the past he had left behind when Christ found him on that Damascus road & turned him into the first great missionary to the Gentiles. Paul had been quite a success as a righteous man before his encounter with Christ, whereupon his previous credentials became meaningless in light of Christ's claim on him. Paul embraces the reality of his upcoming death as his way of unity with Christ whom he has proclaimed throughout the known world.
However, even St. Paul, near the end of his life, doesn't claim to know it all & to have it made. In the first place, he acknowledges that whatever his post-conversion successes have been are due to Christ's claim on him & presence in his life. He takes no credit for himself. Also, he hasn't dwelt in the past but has forged forward, confessing his unsavory past & open to what God has in store for his present life. Further, he is a man in process, still living in the "not yet", looking forward to the future, knowing that a violent death is the likely outcome for his life. He says, "Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own. . . ." He gives all the credit & glory to God in Christ Jesus.
This movement is borne out in the other scriptures for today, our last Sunday before Palm Sunday next week. God speaks directly in the Isaiah passage at a time when the Hebrews are enslaved in Babylon . God reminds the people of all they have received starting with their escape from bondage in Egypt & miraculous delivery from Pharoah's army at the Red or Reed Sea. In the depths of the Hebrews' despair, God turns them away from the horrors of the past & promises a new thing described in poetic language which must have been empowering centuries later to those Hebrews just as they are being freed from Babylon. For desert people, God's providing water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, & drink to slake the thirst of the chosen people was the most treasured of gifts—life-sustaining for these nomads who are God's chosen people. They had a temple & a society to rebuild, but it is God who is doing the new thing through them. Looking forward to the "not yet" of a life on God's terms.
Finally, Jesus has made his way to Jerusalem, part of the time in hiding because the authorities are on-the-lookout for him. Before the triumphal entry into Jerusalem proper, Jesus pauses to have dinner with friends in Bethany , on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Fully aware of what lies ahead for him, Jesus nevertheless has chosen to move toward his final destiny during Passover time, with echoes galore of the original Passover & both the successes & seeming failure of his three years of teaching, healing, & being fully present to his disciples.
At Bethany, at table with his friends, the Last Supper & his death are foreshadowed. With Lazarus whom he has raised from the dead, Martha as host serving the meal, & Mary who has previously "chosen the better part" & broken taboos by sitting at his feet as disciple, he moves forward from his own past toward the events which lead inevitably to his death & burial. Mary washes his feet as he will soon wash those of his male disciples—lavishing costly ointment on him in such quantity that it perfumes the whole house—drying his feet with her hair, an incredibly intimate gesture for one not a blood relative.
Here, Mary's actions reveal her as the faithful disciple, contrasted to Judas' carping about a better use for the perfumed oil. Mary knows how to respond to Jesus without being told & breaks out of the societal restrictions for a woman, being rewarded with Jesus' rebuke to "Leave her alone!" when Judas criticizes. Jesus remark that they will always have the poor to care for is not a callous disregard for the poor as the quote is often used today but rather an emphasis on how soon his own death would be.
Jesus' final appearance before his triumphal entry into Jerusalem catapults him & his disciples into the events of the Passion, the new thing which God is doing, making a path through the wilderness of the law, overcoming the power of death with Jesus' death followed by resurrection. Jesus recognizes the necessity of enduring death in order that resurrection might follow, not only for him but for all those who are his followers.
Living in the in-between time of the "already" & also the "not yet" characterizes our next 2 weeks as well as Jesus' & his faithful disciples. Whatever the past has been—triumphs & tragedies alike—must be let go, abandoned, in order to be open to the new thing which God is doing for us as we embrace Jesus' death & resurrection anew this year. Our community is certainly evidence of this movement: both St. Michael's & Incarnation held some wonderful traditions as well as some serious difficulties, & we've tried to honor both for each congregation. Further, we've moved forward with a new & appropriate name--Hope, broader leadership, & the opportunity to embrace the future, confident that God is in charge & will do new things through our community.
How do we as individuals respond to the new thing which God offers in our community? Together! Each of us must accept responsibility for our part in the whole of the parish's movement forward, journeying with Christ through his death & burial but also into his new life as an Easter people. We at Hope have pledged to be an inclusive community sharing God's gift of love & acceptance with others.
What are the old things & ways of being we'll have to give up in order to embrace the new? We can't continue to relax in a comfortable family-sized circle which is hard for newcomers to break into. We must be willing to let others take some of the responsibilities & accept that they might not be done exactly the same way "we've always done them." The new way might even be better. We can't continue to do ministry with a deficit budget. In order to upgrade the facilities & make our church buildings & grounds more appealing & safer for all, reach out & provide for those whom Jesus called "my precious ones", & make a mark in our community for Christ, we must be more giving of our time, talent, & treasure.
How do we learn the art of welcoming the new thing that Christ is doing in our midst? We grow in our trust & live out of faith instead of fear. Paul talked of the righteousness of God based on faith. We learn how to have faith by acting faithfully. We rely on God & our Christian community to show us the way.
We have ample worship opportunities the next 2 weeks, & I encourage you to be present for as many of them as possible. Further, each of us is called to be faithful to our own Lenten disciplines of prayer, study, & action so that they may guide our Easter journey. Next Saturday we will be preparing palm crosses for the next day, sharing a covered dish lunch, & instructing new folks in the sacrament of baptism. All disciples are urged to participate then, in the regular Lenten activities this week, & in each of the Holy Week services next week. I would especially urge you to include the Easter Vigil in your schedule, for we will hear & participate in selections from the story of our salvation in ways both adults & children can appreciate as well as welcoming newly baptized into our faith community. Then we will truly be prepared to be resurrected with Christ on Easter morning & throughout the Easter season into the rest of our lives.
Come & walk the way of the cross into the new day of Easter when we will truly experience God's new thing within this community.
posted by
Hope Episcopal Church
at 9:00 AM
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