Mel Gibson overdid it a few years ago with his “The Passion of the Christ.” Never mind the tension he created between Christians and Jews, just the way he portrayed Jesus’ suffering was overdone. He made up stuff that isn’t even in the Bible to make Jesus’ agony even more brutal and difficult to watch. He didn’t have to do that – the account we have in scripture is bad enough.
But you have to grant Gibson this: he made us stop and consider the events between Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday, and that’s something most of us no longer do. Has life simply gotten too busy to take an hour on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday to remember the passion of our Lord?
I’m afraid it is not just busy-ness, it is a loss of caring. My own Rotary club here in High Point has planned a party at a local gathering place for Maundy Thursday evening. Granted, Rotary is not officially a Christian organization, but my club is mostly good Christian men and women, who, evidently, have forgotten that, while they are gathering for drinks and good times, many of their churches will be remembering Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples, and his suffering and death at the hands of his enemies. Maundy Thursday evening just doesn’t seem the appropriate time for a party.
When Jesus was arrested, his disciples fled, and with the exception of John, the next time we see them is on Easter Sunday. I’m afraid that we, too, however unintentionally, desert Jesus during his time of suffering by only gathering to remember his triumphal entry on Palm Sunday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday. We do not stay awake with him as he prays in Gethsemane. We do not walk with him as he suffers the indignities of being mocked and spat upon. We do not walk with him as he is stripped and beaten, or when a crown of thorns is placed upon his head. We do not walk with him as he struggles to carry the cross through the streets of Jerusalem. We do not stand with him as he endures the unimaginable pain of nails being pounded through flesh, muscle and bone until it finally finds its way into the wood of the cross, even though he suffers it all for us.
And, as a result, Easter’s meaning has become shallow. If there is no death, what meaning is there in resurrection? Bunny rabbits and brightly colored eggs will do. But, if we are willing to suffer with Christ, or at least walk with him as he suffers for us, Easter’s meaning truly comes to life. Watching the Christ candle being carried into the sanctuary on Easter morning only has meaning if you watched it leaving the sanctuary on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday.
So, even though we don’t need to rent “The Passion of the Christ,” I hope you will go to church either on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday and remember Christ’s passion. After all, he did it for us. Remembering seems the least we can do.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
The Age-Old Question
In the past two weeks, we have lost two members of our church family in tragic and sudden ways. One man was killed in an automobile collision, the other man suffered brain damage after choking on food. Although there was approximately 40 years difference in their ages, both deaths have left us in shock, asking once again the old, but always relevant question, why? Why does a loving God allow such pain and suffering?
Because this is such a universal question, I thought I would share the meditation I gave at the funeral of the man, Tracy, who was involved in the collision.
“It is not fair. Something painful has happened, very painful. Something precious has been broken, and it is not fixed. It is going to take a long time to get past this, and in some ways, you never get past something like this.
“Meanwhile, we are going to let God know. We are looking death in the face, and we want God to come and give us life. We are in the dark here, and we want God to come and show us some light. We are lost and confused, and we want God to hurry up with the saving grace.
“The book of Psalms in the Bible is not only filled with beautiful, pastoral poems like the 23rd Psalm, which reminds us we belong to God. It is also filled with lament poems, voices of God’s people crying out to God for help, for understanding, for justice, for life to be fair.
“Here is what we do understand in the midst of all that we don’t: God wants us to open our hearts, to pour out our pain, our confusion, our brokenness, even our anger. God would much rather we pour out our pain than to turn our backs on him.
“Still, the question remains: why? Where is God in this?
“My best answer is to remind you of the story of Jesus’ good friend, Lazarus. Jesus receives word from Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, that Lazarus is sick, dying. Yet, Jesus inexplicably delays coming to heal his friend. We don’t know why – so many of God’s actions are beyond our understanding.
So Lazarus dies, and then Jesus comes.
“There is accusation in the sisters’ voices as each says to Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” No doubt, the sisters are angry, and confused. The numbers don’t add up. They know Jesus loved Lazarus, but why didn’t he come? Why did he allow this to happen?
"If God has the power to stop this, and God loves us, why do these things happen? Where is God in our pain and the unfairness of life?
"Jesus has two responses to the sisters’ words. He goes to see his beloved friend, Lazarus, and he weeps. Jesus weeps. Where is God in our pain, in our confusion, in our tears? God weeps with us. This is a fallen world, not the world God created; not the way he intended it to be, and God weeps at the pain we experience in this broken creation.
"But then, Jesus says, 'Lazarus, come out!' Jesus brings Lazarus back to life. Pain is not the last word – healing is. Death is not the last word, life is. Despair is not the last word, hope is.
"Just as Jesus brought Lazarus back to life, so has Jesus brought Tracy back to life. In the midst of all that we do not understand, let us remember these three things:
"First, let us not turn our backs on God, but let us also say what we mean and how we feel to God. Even Mary and Martha were not afraid to speak their minds to Jesus.
"Second, let us remember that Jesus weeps with us. This is not the way he wants life to be, either.
"Finally, because this is not the way he wants life to be, Jesus has the last word, and the last word is life; life abundant; life eternal; life in his kingdom where, as Revelation 21 puts it: 'he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.'
"Thanks be to God."
Because this is such a universal question, I thought I would share the meditation I gave at the funeral of the man, Tracy, who was involved in the collision.
“It is not fair. Something painful has happened, very painful. Something precious has been broken, and it is not fixed. It is going to take a long time to get past this, and in some ways, you never get past something like this.
“Meanwhile, we are going to let God know. We are looking death in the face, and we want God to come and give us life. We are in the dark here, and we want God to come and show us some light. We are lost and confused, and we want God to hurry up with the saving grace.
“The book of Psalms in the Bible is not only filled with beautiful, pastoral poems like the 23rd Psalm, which reminds us we belong to God. It is also filled with lament poems, voices of God’s people crying out to God for help, for understanding, for justice, for life to be fair.
“Here is what we do understand in the midst of all that we don’t: God wants us to open our hearts, to pour out our pain, our confusion, our brokenness, even our anger. God would much rather we pour out our pain than to turn our backs on him.
“Still, the question remains: why? Where is God in this?
“My best answer is to remind you of the story of Jesus’ good friend, Lazarus. Jesus receives word from Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, that Lazarus is sick, dying. Yet, Jesus inexplicably delays coming to heal his friend. We don’t know why – so many of God’s actions are beyond our understanding.
So Lazarus dies, and then Jesus comes.
“There is accusation in the sisters’ voices as each says to Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” No doubt, the sisters are angry, and confused. The numbers don’t add up. They know Jesus loved Lazarus, but why didn’t he come? Why did he allow this to happen?
"If God has the power to stop this, and God loves us, why do these things happen? Where is God in our pain and the unfairness of life?
"Jesus has two responses to the sisters’ words. He goes to see his beloved friend, Lazarus, and he weeps. Jesus weeps. Where is God in our pain, in our confusion, in our tears? God weeps with us. This is a fallen world, not the world God created; not the way he intended it to be, and God weeps at the pain we experience in this broken creation.
"But then, Jesus says, 'Lazarus, come out!' Jesus brings Lazarus back to life. Pain is not the last word – healing is. Death is not the last word, life is. Despair is not the last word, hope is.
"Just as Jesus brought Lazarus back to life, so has Jesus brought Tracy back to life. In the midst of all that we do not understand, let us remember these three things:
"First, let us not turn our backs on God, but let us also say what we mean and how we feel to God. Even Mary and Martha were not afraid to speak their minds to Jesus.
"Second, let us remember that Jesus weeps with us. This is not the way he wants life to be, either.
"Finally, because this is not the way he wants life to be, Jesus has the last word, and the last word is life; life abundant; life eternal; life in his kingdom where, as Revelation 21 puts it: 'he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.'
"Thanks be to God."
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