Easter III

The Reverend Martha Frances

Year B, Easter III

26 April 2009 

Texts:  Luke 24: 36b-48

Other readings:  Acts 3: 12-19; Psalm 4; 1 John 3: 1-7 

      One of the gifts we have been given by those who chose the books for the Bible is 4 different Gospels.  Last week, we explored John's rendition of Jesus' appearance to the disciples on Easter Sunday evening.  Today, our Gospel reading is Luke's Sunday night story, & I'd like for us to enter this story similarly to what we did with John's story last week as we become "characters" in Luke's resurrection story.

      It is now late Sunday night, & we have mostly stuck together since the horror of the crucifixion on Friday.  Still stunned by the emotion-laden events of the past few days, we aren't sure what to do, the streets of the city are far too dangerous, so we remain together, in silence much of the time, then in 2s or 3s recounting recent occurrences, trying to make sense of the unbearable.  We had thought our friend & rabbi Jesus was the Messiah for whom all we Jews have been waiting expectantly, but he allowed himself to be captured & crucified.  He was preparing us the other night when we shared the Passover supper with him.  What extraordinary words he had to say when he blessed & then shared the bread & wine!  He called them his own body & blood.  Is it all to come to nothing?

      Look, out of nowhere, here he is with us once again.  Jesus is among us, proclaiming "Peace be with you."  Of course we're terrified!  Wouldn't you be?  We've never seen a ghost before.  But he tells us that there's no need for fear; that we can touch his hands & feet.  Now he's eating a piece of broiled fish!  Ghosts can't eat, can they?  Could the women have told is the truth as they returned from the tomb?  Even Peter said that the tomb was empty when he went to check it out this morning.  And our friends returned from Emmaus with an amazing story of encountering Jesus on the road.  We thought they were suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.  But, can Jesus possibly be alive?  Yes, here he is, among us.

      Listen!  What is Jesus telling us?  That his suffering & crucifixion & then this resurrection fulfill what we have been told in our scriptures.  That what we've read & sung about in our psalms is really coming true in our lives.  How can this be?  It's happening far too fast!  My head is spinning!

      What's he saying now about repentance & forgiveness of sins?  Preach his message to all nations?  Who, me?  Just because I've been a witness?  What does he mean?  It's far too dangerous out there.  Just look what happened to him!  Who does he think I am?

      Right here at Hope Episcopal Church in Houston, Tx, who does Jesus think that I am?  Who are you?  Who are we all who call ourselves Christian?  Are we witnesses to the risen Jesus?  Does he mean for us to go & tell the nations?  What does Jesus' resurrection appearance in Jerusalem that Easter Sunday night long ago have to do with us?  That was then; this is now!

      Yes, indeed, Jesus does mean us.  You & me.  Jesus joins us today, as we celebrate this ancient ritual of Holy Eucharist in contemporary language.  Jesus joins us each time we read his Word from the Bible & stand to affirm our faith in the Creed.  Jesus joins us when we pray for our sisters & brothers in the Prayers of the People, as we confess our sins & then pass Christ's peace with each other as resurrection people. 

      Jesus stands among us & says, "What are you going to do about those for whom you pray?"  How are we to proclaim repentance & forgiveness of sins in Jesus' name to all nations?  That's what we say we'll do, after all.  When we gather at Christ's table to receive the bread & wine of Eucharist, sharing a meal together & being nourished in Jesus' name, what task are we nourished for?  What would Jesus have us do?  Who are those with whom we are supposed to preach repentance & forgiveness? 

      Last Wed. I accompanied a parishioner to the Houston Hospice Benefit Luncheon where we were privileged to hear 2 faithful speakers.  The first was a young mother whose life, & that of her family, had been blessed by the Butterfly team of the hospice who accompanies families as their children die.  This courageous woman gave gratitude to Christ for the hospice nurse who walked them through the birth of a new baby just as their 6 year old daughter succumbed to a brain tumor.  Such witness to Christ's work through health care professionals touched the 600 who attended deeply.

      Then, news anchor Greg Hurst from Channel 11 engaged in a fascinating conversation with Paul Young, author of The Shack.  As they rocked on the stage set front porch of the shack, we learned much of the "back story" of this remarkable novel which Young wrote in response to his wife's urging as a Christmas gift for his 6 children.  He assured his audience that what took one weekend in the book had actually taken him 11 years to work through, & then he elaborated on his own experience of a loving, forgiving, accepting God whom he'd come to know & respond to despite a terribly abusive childhood.  Fame has not tarnished this plain-spoken humble man whose desire in his future is to continue to fulfill God's vocation for him—introducing others to the God who has changed his life.

      Most of us will never have the opportunity for such a wide audience, & I admit I probably wouldn't handle that attention with the grace I saw on Wed from either speaker, but we have ample opportunity to share God's amazing unconditional love with others frequently, perhaps daily.  When we speak to newcomers in church & invite them to coffee in the parish hall, encourage them to join a small group or help out on a workday, remember their names next time they come, & encourage them to come again, we are all reaching out with God's love to others.  Whether it be for a game night, a small book study group, the upcoming recital, an event such as the fall festival or blessing of the animals, or simply for worship, we have many opportunities to share our church community to reach into the neighborhood, & we need your participation in all of them.  What about your relationships with co-workers, neighbors, workers where you shop, & your social contacts?  Have you invited them to church?  Has your daily behavior in their company made them desire to know you & your community?  We don't share Christ with others just to get them inside our church.  That may or may not be a bonus when we reach out in joy & generosity to others in Jesus' name. 

      Jesus says that everything written about him in the law of Moses, the prophets, & the psalms is fulfilled in his life, death & resurrection.  Jesus emphasizes the need to have open minds which understand--or strive to understand--the scriptures.  Jesus promises that we will be empowered to go forth, & one way to be clothed with power from on high is to immerse ourselves in disciplined study of God's word.   We have a Bible study group at 9:00 each Sunday morning over in the parish hall yearning to do just that.  If you'd like to start a weekday or evening Bible study, see me for such can be arranged.

      Luke tells us that Jesus opened their minds, & his message was his life, his suffering & death, & his resurrection from the dead.  The promise he said would come to us if we repent & return to God is forgiveness of sins.  That is also the promise we proclaim to those to whom we tell the good news. 

      This message of forgiveness is a powerful one we sometimes miss or discount.  I talked of forgiveness last week also, but the Easter season proclaims the freedom we receive & give when we take forgiveness seriously in our lives.  We pray every time we say the Lord's Prayer that we may be forgiven just as we forgive others their sin.  Those two actions seem to be closely connected, don't they?  Indeed, in the model prayer Jesus taught his disciples, we pray we can fully receive the fruits of forgiveness only if we are willing to forgive others their wrongs against us.  First, can we forgive ourselves for those things we hold deep within our hearts but which Jesus wants to forgive us for? 

      How can we tell that we are living into God's forgiveness of us?  Our attitudes & our actions change.  Oh dear, that means that we may have to change not only our thoughts but our actions!  We may have to begin to see others as Christ sees them, as Christ's precious brothers & sisters, as our precious brothers & sisters.  This business of our living as Easter people, as resurrection people, means that we have to accept ourselves & each other as loved children of God.  When we've been forgiven, we have to start acting as forgiven people, to live lives of gratitude instead of scarcity.

      The season of Easter is the perfect time for us to strengthen our bond with the Christian community so that we are better able to go forth in Christ's name.  I invite you to come & see.  Then I encourage you to go forth & tell the good news of Jesus to all whom you encounter.  Our church community can be your grounding for your outreach to others.  Ours will be a powerful witness if we learn to live out of that life of abundance regardless of how much or little we possess in this world.  Let us commit to be Easter people during this season so it may spill out in abundance in all our lives.

Easter II

The Reverend Martha Frances

Year B, Second Sunday of Easter

19 April 2009

Texts:  John 20: 19-31 

Other readings:  Acts 4:32-35; Psalm 133; 1 John 1:1-2:2 

      Last week I was up after the 10:00 news & heard David Letterman say, "Now that Easter is over. . . ."  Immediately, I was struck by how countercultural we Christians who follow a liturgical calendar are.  Monday morning retailers were busy putting Easter dresses, baskets, plastic & chocolate eggs on sale for Easter was past.  We know that Easter has just begun & is the 2^nd longest season in the church year, even longer than Lent.  For 50 days, from last Sunday until Pentecost on May 31 is Easter  time, or the Easter season.  After all, Jesus' resurrection makes us Christian, & though we recognize Jesus as fully human, we also celebrate his breaking out of the bonds of human life & death because he is also divine.  This stupendous gift of God cannot be contained in one Sunday or one week but is celebrated for 7 weeks because Jesus' resurrection makes all the difference.  The alleluias we buried for the 6 weeks of Lent abound during Easter season, so we lift up our voices again & again to say "Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!"

      Today our Gospel reading takes us to Easter evening, "that day," the evangelist John tells us, "the first day of the week."  Let's join the disciples huddled in the upper room, wondering what on earth will happen to us now.  Several of us went to the tomb but found it empty.  Mary Magdalene says she encountered the gardener at Gethsemane, but when he called her by name, her eyes were opened to see Jesus standing beside her.  She returns to the other disciples exclaiming, "I have seen the Lord!"  What do we think about these happenings?  What to do about them?

      As we ponder, Jesus appears in our midst.  He says "Peace be with you," an interesting contrast to angels who begin their conversation with "Don't be afraid."  Jesus offers peace to us.  He offers his hands & his side to assure us he has actually been crucified & now comes to us in bodily form.  Yet, wait a minute; the door is locked!  How did he get in here?

      We'd thought all was back to normal.  Now Jesus proclaims that he's sending us out into the world equipped with the Holy Spirit.  Jesus breathes on us; we disciples are "inspired" by the power of the Holy Spirit.  We're reminded of the creation story at the beginning of time when God breathed the breath of life into humans, the Spirit which had hovered over the deep which was infused into creation by God's very own breath?  Jesus now inspires us with such breath, with the power of the new or second creation.  Someday, people will say this moment is Pentecost.

      Jesus is pretty specific about what gift the Spirit empowers us to share with others:  the gift of forgiveness.  We're to go out & offer the new covenant of reconciliation, as the collect for this Sunday states:  God, give us the power to show forth in our lives what we profess by our faith.  Jesus calls us to share the gift of forgiveness with others.  When we don't do that, what happens?  Jesus says it right here:  the sins which we retain—those we're unwilling to ask God's forgiveness for—will continue to haunt us.  Remember, he taught us to pray "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." 

      Some of us are plagued with unforgiveness this morning.  I would wager we've all lived with the sin of unforgiveness from time to time in our lives.  Right here, in Jesus' first appearance to his disciples, he tells us to ask & receive forgiveness.  Perhaps it's such transforming action Jesus has been preparing us for. What are the sins that you are holding onto, which you don't believe can ever be forgiven?  Who are we to hold on to sins for which Jesus so freely offers forgiveness? Why is this forgiveness of sins so important right from the get-go?  Jesus is sending us, his disciples, out to the world to live a resurrected life.  How can we be effective proclaimers of the Gospel if we're weighed down by the sin of unforgiveness? 

      We usually confess our sins to God before we come to the table for communion.  Today, I urge you to offer up those sins to God & take seriously the absolution I will pronounce in God's name so that you will be equipped to be sent out as an agent of reconciliation to the world in Christ's name.  Immediately after the confession & absolution, we offer communion, the body & blood of Christ, the sacred meal through which we are equipped to be Christ's disciples.

      What did the original disciples do after this incredible encounter with Jesus?  They discussed it among themselves enough that Thomas found out what he'd missed by not being in the upper room that Easter night.  The church has labeled good ole Thomas "the Doubter" because of today's gospel story.  Why is it Thomas's doubting we remember rather than his earlier courageous suggestion that they accompany Jesus to Jerusalem & to his almost certain death?  Thomas' negative reputation as slow to accept the risen Jesus until the evidence is overwhelming.  Where was Thomas that 1^st night that Jesus appeared?  It may be he was the only disciple courageous enough to face the risks of being Jesus' disciple while the others cowered behind locked doors.

      At any rate, a week later, Thomas is with the other disciples—what are they still doing holed up on the upper room anyway?—when Jesus appears again.  Does Jesus belittle Thomas' doubting?  No, Jesus provides Thomas with what he needs in order to believe: he offers Thomas his hands & side to examine.  Jesus meets Thomas' conditions.  And when Thomas gets it, he utters an affirmation as strong as Peter had at Caesarea Philippi:  "My Lord & my God!"  He recognizes this Jesus whom he had known in the flesh is none other than the God whom they worship.

      Thomas is a testimony to all of us whose coming to faith has been more gradual.  If even one of Jesus' first disciples felt he had to have proof of Jesus' resurrection, then should I feel any less a Christian because Jesus worked on me gradually?  Jesus even responds to my concern lo these many centuries later:  "Blessed are those who have not seen & yet have come to believe."  Jesus assures us that we don't have to have known him in the flesh in order to recognize him as our Lord and God.  Once again, Jesus provides us with what we need: disciples throughout the intervening centuries are likewise given what we need to express our faith in this Jesus as Christ & then to live our lives as Easter people, transformed and re-created.  Our translation recognizes our growing in faith as a process:  "Blessed are those who have not seen & yet have come to believe."  Coming to faith is a process. 

      I've heard it said that faith & doubt cannot reside together.  Thomas is the patron saint of those whose journey of faith is stimulated & carried forth on doubt.  Thomas was honest enough to admit that he needed proof.  For Thomas, doubt stimulated him to pursue answers.  So what if we, like Thomas, want proof?  What if faith does not come easily for us?  It seems that Jesus is assuring us that we'll receive what we need for faith if we're just willing to be open.  That doesn't mean that we're to be hypocrites.  It simply means that, as we live faithfully, we are given faith.  During this Easter season, may we be faithful in discovering what Jesus has for each of us to do to profess our faith by showing it forth in our lives. 

Easter Day

The Reverend Martha Frances

Year B, Easter Day

16 April 2006

Texts:  Mark 16: 1-8

Other readings:  Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118: 1-2, 14-24; I Corinthians 15: 1-11 

      So the women went out & fled from the tomb, for terror & amazement had seized them, & they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.  That's it!  That's how our gospel reading ends today.  They said nothing to anyone for they were afraid.  Doesn't sound very much like the joyous Easter we affirm today, does it? 

      For the first time in 6 weeks, we proclaim Alleluia today.  We began our service with "Alleluia.  Christ is risen.  The Lord is risen today.  Alleluia!"  We have already sung two Easter hymns which celebrate Jesus Christ risen & living & our ability to live because Jesus does.  And all of this is true.  All of this is right for us to celebrate, for today is the Feast of the Resurrection.

      So what are we to do with this Gospel lesson for today?  What are we to think of these women who have experienced evidence of Jesus' resurrection first hand at the tomb yet are so terrified at their experience that they say nothing to anyone for they are afraid? 

      How would you have reacted that first Easter morning had you been at the tomb with those women?  They have come to anoint Jesus with spices for the proper burial for which there had not been time on Friday before the Jewish Sabbath began at sundown.  The women have had to plan ahead to prepare the spices because no work could be done on the Sabbath.  However, they go to the tomb only partially prepared: only on the journey do they remember that they'll have to have someone roll the stone away.  After all, that's why the stone was placed there to begin with:  so that no one could steal the body. 

      Upon arrival at the tomb, they are surprised to see that the barrier is gone; the stone has already been rolled back.  Their relief at that obstacle's being overcome is short-lived, however, as, upon entering the tomb, they encounter a young man dressed in white.  We can guess his identity when his first words are  "Do not be alarmed."  Such words in biblical literature come from an angel, don't they?  Jacob was told not to fear.  Zachariah, Elizabeth, Joseph, & Mary were all told not to be alarmed by the angels who appeared to them.  And how do these women respond to the angel's reassuring words?  They are frightened out of their wits, so to speak.  He tells them that Jesus of Nazareth has been raised—is not there—has gone ahead of them to Galilee.  He admonishes them to go tell his disciples & Peter the news & then to go to Galilee in order to see Jesus again.

      And what do the women do?  They flee from the tomb & say nothing to anyone, for they are afraid.  According to Mark, neither Peter nor the rest of the disciples learn of Christ's resurrection from the women.  The women are struck dumb by the reality of the situation.  They are silent in the face of the greatest news ever to happen on earth.

      How do we react to such fantastic news?  We come to church on Easter Sunday morning where we sing familiar hymns which we've not sung since last Easter.  We rejoice with Alleluias.  We tell each other "Happy Easter!" & we eat the ears off a chocolate Easter bunny if we're fortunate enough to get one.  We hide Easter eggs for our children & make up ridiculous stories about rabbits & eggs which fool no one.  We plan a festive meal with our family or friends, & our mood on Easter morning is joyous.  We're glad that we're Christians on the day when we celebrate Jesus' rising from the dead.

      So what?  What will Christ's resurrection mean tomorrow morning?  What will we do the next day when the scales tell of our excess, when a loved one falls ill, when there is difficulty at work, if our lives begin to unravel?  Even if we've had a good Lenten discipline & read the Bible or prayed or not eaten meat every day for the 40 days leading up to Easter, what difference does it make in the long run?  How does Jesus' dying & rising matter when the chips are down?

      I hope that during the 40 days of Lent, you really have done some interior work to so that your life is more Christlike.  I hope that today Christ Jesus does live within your heart as we affirm in our alleluias as we worship.  I pray your renewal of life makes a difference as you live into tomorrow & next week & next year. 

      It is absolutely true that Jesus Christ died and was resurrected for each of us in this room today as well as those who never darken the doors of the church.  Jesus Christ really would have died for you even if you were the only person left alive, as the old time preachers have told us.  However, I am in very great danger of thinking that Jesus Christ died & was risen for me, just me.   It is terribly important to celebrate Christ's resurrection today together with you as a community of faith. 

      That's where I want to challenge us to stretch this morning.  How can the Easter Alleluias we sing & say & rejoice in today be the heart of the good news of Jesus Christ unless we share with others so that we & they really believe that Jesus Christ died & rises for us all?  Easter is not just one day, you know.  Easter lasts for 7 weeks, even longer than Lent does, all the way to Pentecost.  This year we have several celebrations during Easter season to remind us of the 50 days of Easter:  an Easter egg hunt next week after the late service—planned that way even before we knew of the likelihood of rain today;  Wednesday evening Eucharists with Healing Prayers on 4 Wednesdays during Easter, a talent show & karaoke evening the last Sat of April—so make sure you have chosen your talent to reveal to all of us;  & even the house blessing at my house on the 3^rd of May if you choose to attend. 

      We also have wonderful opportunities throughout this Easter season to externalize the work we have done during Lent by proclaiming the miracle of Christ's resurrection—which is our own resurrection—in the way we live our daily lives.  

      In the baptismal promises which some of us renewed at the vigil yesterday evening, we promised to "proclaim by word & example the Good News of God in Christ."  Proclaim by word & example:  let's see how many ways we can do that in the next 7 weeks.  The next 2 baptismal vows give us hints as to how to go about that proclaiming.  We promise to seek & serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves.  And we promise to strive for justice & peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being.  We at Hope are choosing ways to live out our lives in Christ despite the downturn in the economy which of course has affected our budget.  What time & talent do you have to share with the Hope community?  We're moving forward with renewed vigor by the grace of God, & you are a necessary part of resurrection in this church. 

      We've just sung a hymn that encourages us all to full participation in God's call for Hope to live into our mission.  The words include "Jesus is Lord of all the earth," & "Spread the good news o'er all the earth." As we bless & receive the body & blood of Christ in our Eucharist today, we partake of the heavenly food which strengthens us to share the gospel with others in our actions as well as in our words.  We'll have many opportunities to share Christ's marvelous gift of new life through the Easter season & into our future in & of Hope.  Let us join one another in making every day an Easter day in our corner of the world.  Alleluia, Christ is risen!

Easter Vigil

By The Rev. Martha Frances+

Easter Vigil

11 April 2009 

Texts:  "Creation" from God's Trombones by James Weldon Johnson

in place of Genesis 1:1-2:2

Exodus 14:10-15:1; Ezekiel 36:24-28; Ezekiel 37: 1-14 

      This evening we've kindled the new fire & affirmed the light of Christ has not gone out but rather has been made new.  We've heard 4 scriptures from the Hebrew Bible, reminding us of the rich heritage we as well as Jesus' disciples carry with us into this Holy Night.  We have among us 3 children who come for baptism on this special night, & we share with them stories & promises of our faith as we welcome them more fully into this family of God's people.  Briefly, let us remember some of the gifts of our faith community.

      We chose the Creation passage from God's Trombones by James Weldon Johnson who also wrote Lift Every Voice & Sing because Johnson's picture of God's need for companionship & tremendous love for us in our being made human pours out to us & is made even more real by the praise dancers.  One of our baptismal promises which we will renew this night along with the children being baptized is that we will proclaim by word & example the God news of God in Christ.  Johnson proclaimed in his music & words the wonder of our creation.  Our praise dancers proclaim in their movement the magnitude of this gift.  How many ways can you & I proclaim that God's gift of our very creation, & our re-creation each Easter, is a gift for all?  How do we invite others into the celebration of such an amazing relationship with God?

      The second scripture this evening celebrates God's release of the Hebrew people from their slavery in Egypt, specifically their escape through the Red or Reed Sea into the wilderness where God spent the next 40 years molding them into the nation of Israel.  We share this celebration with our Jewish brothers & sisters this week as they commemorate Passover, & we ask God not only for the courage to act which Moses & the other Hebrews had but also for the perseverance to be willing to be molded into God's community.  Our first baptismal promise includes essential elements in our becoming disciples:  learning from the apostles' teaching (that is, the Bible) & fellowship where we learn to love one another, breaking of the bread by our regular participation in Holy Communion, & daily personal & corporate prayer.  Just as the Israelites became God's chosen people in their time, we can be open to becoming disciples in our ongoing Christian formation in community. 

      Ezekiel tells us that all peoples & nations shall make up God's holy people as he describes the renewal of God's people after their exile in Babylon & also the re-creation which God offers to us.  All of us can allow our hearts to become stone-like from the burdens of the world, God offers a cleansing which sounds much like our baptism which also softens our hearts into those of flesh, able to feel for & care for our fellow women & men & children.  We promise in our baptismal vows to seek & serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves.  Sounds strangely like the 2^nd great commandment which Christ gave to us, doesn't it?  When you meet people in your daily lives, do you see Christ in that person?  It's not easy, with some of the people we meet, is it?  Do we allow others to see Christ in us?  Christ offers each of us a re-created heart; how many ways can we accept the renewal of our hearts & support others in their own renewal?

      How many of us have been in that valley of dry bones sometimes in our lives?  I've felt a little of the valley in my illness the past 3 weeks.  Although that valley can be caused by many things, I relate the dry bones today to the evil which crops up over & over in our lives & with which we have to deal.  Another baptismal promise is that we will persevere in resisting evil & when we fall into sin, repent & return to God.  Doesn't say if we sin, because we know we'll do so, don't we?  Our children showed us earlier how awkward & mechanical it is to be reborn when we have fallen into evil, yet God promises to breathe the breath of life back into us that we might live, over & over as many times as it takes.  Sometimes we need breathing lessons, & we're promising this evening to keep practicing the breathing & teaching it to our young folks so we can be filled & refilled with the Spirit of God.  Evil is inevitable, yet God promises to overcome it, over & over again. 

      The other promise we will make in a few minutes, not only for ourselves once again but also to support this & our other young folk in their growth as disciples is to strive for justice & peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being.  Jesus' love knows no boundaries, & Jesus' resurrection is for all.  With all the strife in the world today, it is tempting for us to demonize "the other side," whether that be across the aisle in the Congress or people who came to this country illegally or those in other countries whose behavior doesn't fit with our expectations of civility.  Yet, God calls for all of us to be brothers & sisters; Christ's love is for all humans to be treated with dignity & respect. 

      We are the village that it takes to rear our group of young people so they join us in living into what it means to be a disciple of this resurrected Jesus whose new life we celebrate this evening.  May we enter into the next 50 days of this Easter Season celebrating God's gift of new life in Jesus the Christ as well as our own opportunity to find out anew what God has in store for this community of disciples in the near future.  Let us join in celebrating the new life of these & all our children. 
 

Maundy Thursday

By the Reverend Martha Frances

Year A, Maundy Thursday

9 April 2009 

Text:  John 13: 1-17, 31b-35

Other Readings:  Exodus 12: 1-4, [5-10], 11-14; Psalm 116: 1, 10-17;

I Corinthians 11: 23-26 

      Our liturgy this evening is like a toggle button as we move from the 40-day season of Lent into the 3-day Triduum, the period of time in which the Church commemorates the agony & the glory of Christ's passion:  last Passover meal with his disciples, his prayers in the Gethsemane garden, the journey leading up to Jesus' crucifixion on Golgotha, his death & burial, the excruciating waiting time, & the amazing events of Easter morning.  Tonight, we meditate on the first evening of the Triduum:  joining the other disciples in the upper room for their last Passover meal together/their first Lord's Supper.  Since liturgy means the work of the people, it is vital that we come together tonight to re-member, to experience the events again with the original disciples & invited to the table.

      Tonight is named Maundy Thursday because Jesus gives three commands for the disciples, and "Maundy" comes from a Latin word meaning "commandment."  Jesus doesn't say, "It'd be cool if you all do these things if you feel like it."  Jesus gives us 3 commandments:  to share in the ritual meal, to wash each other's feet, & to love one another as Jesus has loved us.  I invite you to enter as fully as you can into the actions of tonight's liturgy, & then meditate on this work as we move through the next 3 days.

      As Jesus & his disciples gather in the upper room, they, too, are re-enacting a centuries-old drama which our Hebrew scripture tonight describes.  The Passover story was & is the story which best identifies the Jewish people's covenant relationship with God who freed them from Egyptian slavery & molded them into the Hebrew nation.  Note that the Jewish people were admonished to celebrate this festival annually—a commandment tied to the Mosaic covenant with God.   Earlier scriptures tell us that the elements of this meal were carefully prepared, so the disciples suppose this to be another yearly celebration. 

      Since John does not include the institution of the Holy Eucharist in his gospel, we heard the description of this ritual this evening from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians.  We Episcopalians are very good at fulfilling Jesus' command to perform this ritual regularly, but I would encourage us to pause as we celebrate it tonight to observe Jesus' gift of nourishment for the soul as he took the bread & wine, blessed them, broke the bread open just as his body would be broken & poured out the wine as his blood would be shed, & then offered these elements to those whom he loved & whom he commissioned to carry forward this community of love. This blood of Christ signals his new covenant just as the Mosaic covenant was sealed with the blood of the Passover Lamb.  Tonight we will be invited to share the bread & wine which become, mysteriously, Jesus' body & blood for our nurturance.  Let us not receive lightly but reverently, open to the incredible gift of love Jesus offers with himself at this holy table.

      The second commandment Jesus gives is seldom practiced in most church communities, yet once a year, we are invited to partake in the ritual footwashing.  Jesus calls us to follow his example of service in washing his disciples' feet.  Just as our God comes as a servant, our basic stance toward each other & the rest of the world, is to be one of service—to give of ourselves freely.  Tonight I as your pastor will begin the ritual of footwashing, inviting any who desire to come forward, first to have your feet washed, & then to wash those of another Hope brother or sister, knowing that only in our servanthood can we fulfill the other of Jesus' commandments.  There's something very unsettling about this ritual, a fact that Peter represents for us in the scripture reading, for washing feet is not something we generally do except for the very young or those who are old or infirm.  Peter is first repelled by the whole idea of his master washing his feet, & then, when Jesus tells him this is the only way he is to continue as disciple, Peter over-compensates & wants a full body bath.  Jesus' point of humility & self-emptying is fulfilled simply by the washing of the feet as he turns the usual hierarchy upside down to forgive through his own self-giving, even to include his betrayer.  Although there is certain reluctance for many of you to come forward to have your feet washed, I invite you to avail yourselves of this experience to meditate on through the weekend, realizing that Jesus can wash our soles & our souls only when we are willing to bare our selves as we bare our feet. 

      Notice that Jesus gives us a third commandment which we are using to guide us here at Hope:  to love one another as Jesus has loved us.  As we leave here tonight, we are called upon to do so in an attitude of servanthood & community as we build our parish.  Many of us have participated in small Lenten study groups discussing The Shack for the past six weeks.  Although I've only received a few of the written evaluation forms back yet (& it's not too late to turn them in), I've heard in the various groups & from individuals of a variety of gifts gained from the honest & heart-felt sharing, ways in which one or more of the persons of the Trinity have become real to them, & an appreciation of each other which was not possible before.  At least one group has already chosen another book to begin almost immediately, & I am open to suggestions for other topics for small groups to explore.  Yes, it takes time & effort to commit to several weeks of study with others; most everything worth while does, & certainly our church community deserves our intellectual & emotional effort. 

      We have several opportunities for community-building in the next little while, not the least of which is our Bible study held at 9:00 each Sunday morning as well as our Christian formation offerings for our children & youth, so I invite you to plan to participate more fully in building God's family here at Hope.  Another way to grow in faith & community is to engage in outreach projects for those who are in great need.  I hope the Lenten meditation booklets have whetted your appetite for ways to respond in thanksgiving to the great love which Jesus lavishes on us by pouring out some of that love & some of our resources on others.  Dorothy Miller, our outreach coordinator, will be offering opportunities for us to reach beyond our own church community to give to others.  Our offering tonight & Saturday night at the Vigil will be sent to the work of the Anglican Church in Jerusalem, & tomorrow's offering goes to MANNA, our neighborhood assistance ministry.

      As we close our service tonight, we strip the altar bare, emptying all the liturgical elements from our sanctuary area in preparation for the starkness of the crucifixion on Good Friday.  As we leave this evening, I invite you to watch & pray with Jesus through the night until tomorrow's service, remembering that he asked his disciples to stay with him in the garden of Gethsemane, allowing the Spirit to reach you in whatever way it may.  May you be nourished by the commandments which Jesus continues to give us that we may find fulsome joy in Christ's resurrection.

Palm Sunday

The Reverend Martha Frances

Year B, Palm/Passion Sunday

5 April 2009 

Text:  Mark 14: 32 – 15: 47

Isaiah 50: 4-9a; Psalm 31: 6-16; Philippians 2: 5-11 

      Good morning to everyone!  Last Sunday I was home in bed sick, the first time I've had to miss a Sunday because of illness since I was ordained, & I'm filled with a mixture of emotions as I return to you today.  All week I've realized that I truly missed worship last week & I missed being with you, also.  Several called or e-mailed to check on me, & a couple of folks brought me comfort food & walked my dogs.  I still have the cough & my voice comes & goes, but I'm feeling ever so much better.  Thank you for your prayers & concern. 

      Now at the beginning of Holy Week, I'm feeling a tremendous need to play catch-up, to try to get everything done that I was too ill to do last week.  I'm reminded of the little girl learning to ride her bicycle.  As she goes down her first hill solo, she whizzes by her mother who stands helpless watching her, & she shouts, "I can't remember how to stop pedaling!"  Indeed, we all lead such busy lives that we don't remember how to stop pedaling, do we?  And when illness halts us for awhile, we feel like we have to pick up & catch up, double-tasking to make sure all our important duties are completed on time. 

      I feel sure I'm not the only person in here who had great plans for their Lenten journey, & now it's Holy Week so the temptation is to redouble our efforts to make sure to do everything we told God on Ash Wednesday we were going to do.  Perhaps we can see what Jesus did on the last Sabbath of his life.  Hmmm.  There's nothing in Mark about what he did the day before his entry into Jerusalem.  Can't find out how he spent his time in Matthew or Luke either.  Not even John, the last gospel to be written, outlines Jesus' goings-on the Sabbath before his last Holy Week.  What could this mean?  Wasn't his activity important enough to record?  Wasn't he busy training the apostles or teaching the people? Do you mean he took a day to rest & worship?  We get a hint in the 4^th chapter of Luke:  "On the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue, as he always did, & stood up to read."  Good gracious, if Jesus observed the Sabbath of his last week on earth in worship & rest, might we do the same?  All of us have the opportunity to return to Hope this evening at 6:30 for a Taize prayer service, a meditative worship opportunity which can set the mood for the whole of our Holy Week.  You do not have to have attended a Lenten study group to attend this evening; our worship is open to all.

      However, you may decide that you have heard the whole of the Easter story in today's Gospel & you don't need to return to worship until next Sunday for the Easter celebration.  After all, most of the people you run into shopping for Easter clothing or Easter dinner ingredients this week will be quite content to show up at church next Sunday morning.  I have a few suggestions for those who want to be like most of the population & enjoy Easter as a lovely spring vacation. 

      #1 Be lazy.  Daily scripture reading is a drag with all that talk about the terrible things that happen to Jesus.  Why would we want to "read, mark, learn, & inwardly digest" the Holy Week scriptures?  Instead of quiet time to immerse oneself in the sacred story that forms the very heart of the Christian faith, we can catch some really great bargains in the stores & be truly patriotic by stimulating the economy. 

      #2 Stick with routine as usual.  Daily quiet time, prayer, & fasting hasn't worked very well through the first 5 weeks of Lent; why start now?  If we go to all those extra worship services this week, people will think we're some sort of religious fanatics.  Since the Good Friday service is shared with the other churches in our neighborhood, we might run into an estranged neighbor who might expect us to act like a Christian next time we see him or her. 

      #3 Focus on Easter as a secular holiday—or as a day for the kids.  Look at all the cute chickens & rabbits & Easter clothes & decorations in the stores!  We can get some great bargains, score points with our kids, pack a picnic lunch & take off for a weekend golf game or shopping trip or mini-vacation.  After all, we need to make that trip to the relatives before gas goes up any higher & before the weather gets too hot.  If we wait till later, we'll miss the bluebonnets. 

      #4 Don't make a special effort to reach out to someone who needs you.  After all, we all need time for ourselves & our immediate families; those in nursing homes, sick friends, people who live alone, & folks who have little to celebrate can wait until the economy is a little more stable.  We need to take care of our own.  The children who are being baptized at the Easter Vigil next Saturday evening will have plenty of people here to welcome them into the Christian faith & into our community.  They won't miss us if we're not here. 

      #5 Avoid visiting the cemetery or memorial garden of a loved one, & for goodness sake, don't think about your own mortality.  The Maundy Thursday & Good Friday services as well as the Stations of the Cross include all that stuff about death, & it's depressing enough to think about what all those people did to Jesus, but it's even worse when we have to think about our own death.  It's downright unseemly.  We might discover some parts of our lives that need to be changed, & we're too busy these days to consider what lies ahead no matter how long or short a time we have left to life.  Better to wait until next Sunday when everyone will be dressed beautifully & the children will bring flowers for the cross & we can sing "Alleluia" again. 

      There's a formula for a bland Easter, my friends, which doesn't get below the surface of our lives.  Such plans pretty much guarantee that we'll be like the majority of our neighbors.  But if you decide to accompany Jesus on his journey to the cross & beyond that, to resurrection, then you may want to keep the Calendar in your pew bulletin, join your community in worship through the week, & more fully celebrate the joys of Easter next Saturday evening & Sunday morning.