What we see when we look at the cross

This is the text of the sermon I preached at Central Methodist Church Chippenham on Good Friday 2019 for the town's united service. I've been asked to share it.

In his book, Lift High The Cross, Robert Morgan tells about a most unusual cross that stood on the lawn of a Dallas church one Lenten season. The cross, which was about ten foot tall, created such a stir that pictures of it were carried by newspapers across the country and a television station in Dallas filmed it.

It was an ugly thing — made from weapons of violence and crime, most of which had been confiscated by the Dallas Police Department. There were guns and pistols, knives and bayonets, bullets, bombs, and broken glass. The cross rose out of the remains of a car that had been involved in a drunk driving fatality. An ugly barbed-wire enclosure, like they use at prisons, surrounded the whole thing. It was an ugly sight — a thing of violence and death and it caused quite a controversy.

The neighbours hated it — in fact, they started a petition to have it removed. The congregation were repelled by it. They thought it was sacrilegious and had no place on the church grounds. The pastor just commented, "The reactions to our Lenten display are understandable. No one wants to be reminded of our inhumanity toward each other. But isn't that indeed the basis for the cross?"

It was a cross no one wanted to see. Much like the cross of Christ — though his was not a cross of guns and knives, bayonets and bullets. But a cross of suffering and shame. A cross of derision and death.

A cross no one wanted to see. And yet some did see it. And it’s just as well they did, for if they had not seen it, we wouldn’t be gathered here today in gratitude for what his death means to each of us, and for each of us.

Jesus could have died in obscurity. Just one more young man executed by the Romans. But the reason he wasn’t forgotten is that some of those present that day were witnesses to the truth. And they shared the truth afterwards so that the Good News might be heard down the centuries.

Each of the four Gospels contain accounts of Jesus’ Passion and the crucifixion. There are overlaps. There are differences. But together we get as good an idea as we can of the events 2,000 years ago. For our service today we’ve chosen to use Luke’s account.

Let me read 3 verses once more

47 When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’[n] 48 And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. 49 But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. Luke 23: 47 - 49 NRSV

In these three verses Luke introduces us to what one Bible commentator refers to as “three sympathetic witnesses”:

The centurion who I think we can assume was in charge of the execution party.

“the crowds” who Luke tells us “had gathered there for this spectacle”.

And thirdly there are “all his acquaintances including the women who had followed him from Galilee”

Luke tells us that each of these – the centurion, the crowds and the acquaintances - saw what was taking place or they were watching what was happening. These didn’t find the cross too ugly even though it was of course. They didn’t turn away and consequently each of these three saw and watched was happening and it is through their eyes we see the importance of what was happening.

Centurion

When we think of the centurion present at Jesus’ death, we are perhaps more inclined to remember the centurion saying in Matthew’s Gospel, “Surely he was the Son of God!” Matthew 27:54 (A verse forever tainted by John Wayne saying the words in "The Greatest Story ever told"!)

Mark’s words are similar.

But Luke records it as

47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, ‘Surely this was a righteous man.’

It is a significant difference. For Matthew and Mark there is an emphasis in their Gospels on Jesus being the Christ, the Messiah. But for Luke there is a different positive slant.

Luke wants his readers to know that Jesus was a victim not a villain. Jesus was in the right. He didn’t deserve to die. Luke wants to make sure his audience understands that Jesus wasn’t guilty. Luke’s audience may have consisted of Roman citizens who may well have believed in Roman justice. Such people would have asked themselves “If Jesus was tried by a Roman court there must have been a reason.”
Therefore, Luke presents his Roman witness to make it clear that Jesus was not guilty

‘Certainly this man was innocent.’ The Centurion says

But that’s not enough for Luke. He records that what the Centurion has seen brings him to faith

47 When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God

This hard-nosed Roman soldier is convinced of Jesus innocence and is brought to faith by witnessing Jesus’ death on the cross. What better proof would there be if you were a Roman reading Luke than the word of a Roman officer?

The crowd

48 And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts.
Let me emphasise “the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle”

It’s perhaps hard to comprehend, but people did used to gather to watch executions. And before we get all self-righteous, 150 years ago public executions were still happening in this country. The last one took place on 26th March 1868. The Times newspaper recorded that

Yesterday morning, in the presence of a vast concourse of spectators, Michael Barrett, the author of the Clerkenwell Explosion, was hanged in front of Newgate. In its circumstances there was very little to distinguish this from ordinary executions. The crowd was greater, perhaps, and better behaved;

It’s the starkness of that report. It’s almost as if it’s been written by the cricket correspondence!

Throughout Luke chapter 23 there are references to “the crowds” or “the people”. They shout for Jesus’ execution. They shout for Barabbas to be released. They shout “Crucify!” Then a large number of people follow Jesus on his way to the cross including women who mourned and wailed for him.

And now we have the crowd at the place of execution. A crowd waiting for the innocent Jesus to die. A crowd we must assume made up in part of those who not long before were shouting for his death. But a crowd who now beat their breasts as a sign of anguish. As a sign of mourning. As a sign of penitence. As an act of contrition or a plea for mercy. A crowd who had gathered for the spectacle of watching an innocent man die are now so moved that they return home thinking “What have we done? Was he really the Messiah? Have we helped kill him?”

All his acquaintances

49 But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

The acquaintances are not identified. They may or may not have included the eleven disciples. But most likely these are the relatives and / or the larger group of followers and disciples that are occasionally referred to in the Gospels such as “the seventy-two”.

It’s perhaps hardly surprising that they stand at a distance. Would you want to witness the barbaric death of someone you love up close? And surely you’d be excused for distancing yourself from him if you were worried about your own skin?

Yet the acquaintances watching from a distance play a crucial role. They are the key witnesses to what is happening. They see the transformation of the centurion. They see the transformation of the crowd. And they have seen why this came about – even if they perhaps do not fully understand it. For they have seen how “forgiveness” transforms lives.

In verse 34 Jesus says:

34 … ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’

These words could be addressed to the soldiers at the foot of the cross gambling for his clothes. But the words apply to the centurion, to the crowds and to the acquittances too.
“Father forgive them”

And let’s not forget, those words apply to us too. “Father, forgive them.”

I doubt that on that Friday afternoon, the centurion, the crowds, the acquaintances, even Jesus’ closest disciples, fully understood what was happening. They could not have fully realised that God had looked down on the universal problem of human sin and realised there was only one way for the problem to be dealt with. That was for God himself, in the human form of his son, to come in to the world and rescue it.

John 3:16 New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Or as The Message puts it powerfully

John 3:16-18 The Message (MSG)

16-18 “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin. There was no other way of Saving the world from sin.

Saving every person in the world from sin could only be achieved by God himself.
Only God’s innocent son can absorb and deal with the sin of the world.
Only God’s innocent son can take the curses of the world and give back blessing.
Only God’s innocent son can take the hatred of the world and give back love.

Tom Wright puts it this way:

“It is because in his death on the cross we see a love which can only be identified as God’s love.
Therefore we Christians can say: He was not just a great teacher dying for his beliefs. He was not just a good man suffering innocently. He was, and is the loving God himself, come as a human being to save men, women and children from sin and death. And from all the stain and fear and guilt and shame which cling to our hearts, our memories our imaginations, our lives.”

It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him; the people stayed there watching, the leaders jeered at him and the soldiers mocked him. Some women, his friends from Galilee, looked on from a distance.

Let us Pray
 
Lord, open our eyes to the wonder of this day, and help us to respond in the only way we can
With heartfelt gratitude
With joyful praise
And with loving service
Offered in your name and for your glory.
Gracious Lord, for all you willingly endured we thank you. Amen.

Acknowledgements

Robert Morgan illustration eSermons.com

New Interpreters Commentary on Luke

Tom Wright - Luke for Everyone

Nick Fawcett - Prayers for all seasons

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow

What follows is the text of a sermon preached at Studley Methodist Church on Easter Day 2019. (I don't often put the texts of my sermons on here. But several people have said how much this meant to them and therefore I feel called to share it.)

Many years ago, I was on a bus in Swindon. It was I think Maundy Thursday and I was coming home from work. In the seat in front of me were two women. They had bags of shopping with them and their bags contained Easter eggs.

There was the inevitable chit chat and then one woman said “These Easter eggs cost a fortune. But you’ve got to buy them for the kids, haven’t you?” The other woman said “Yes. And it’s such a rip off. I don’t even know what Easter is all about. Christmas, I get. It’s about giving presents. But Easter? What does it mean?
That’s a fair question. What does Easter mean?

These were the days before I was a minister. In fact, I’d only just started training as a local preacher. Otherwise I’d like to think I might have tried to explain what Easter is about. Well, I say I like to think I’d explain what Easter is about. But where would I begin?

Christmas is easy isn’t it? Even in our increasingly secular age, most people have some understanding of “Baby Jesus” lying in the manger. And Mary and Joseph. And an innkeeper. And shepherds. And Wise Men. But Easter is much more difficult.

After all, if we’re to try and explain Easter we need to start with Good Friday, don’t we? And what’s so Good about it? And Good Friday needs to include a discussion of sin and how God wants to save the world. And how he did so by sending Jesus his son. Who by the way is God and human. Then Easter itself. Jesus was killed on Good Friday. Laid in a tomb and then on Sunday morning he’s alive again? If we said all this to non-church people, the reaction might be “Really? You expect me to believe that? You expect me to understand that?”

Perhaps it was just as well I didn’t try and explain Easter to those two women!

We’re here this morning because – presumably - we do believe the Easter story. We mightn’t understand it. And that’s ok by the way. Jesus’ resurrection is like nothing we’ll ever encounter in this life. How can we understand it?

But don’t panic. I don’t feel we are expected to understand it. We’re expected to believe it. And that’s an important difference.

And in believing it we can take on what the Easter story means. It means many things of course. It means that those who believe in Jesus are promised eternal life. It means we do not have to fear death because Jesus has overcome death. He has conquered death. Though you might still say “What does that mean?”

If you had been living in the Roman Empire in the first century, you would have noticed a strange custom practiced by the early Christians. They would go out to their graveyards with laurel wreaths, the wreaths that had been used in Greek and Roman culture to crown the victors of athletic contests. They would take those laurel wreaths and place them on the graves. If you had asked them why, they would say, "Because we believe that in Jesus Christ, we have received victory over the power of death."

Those early Christians had an advantage over us of course. It is possible that they would have contact with some of the earliest followers of Jesus. Therefore, they would have heard first-hand accounts maybe of the resurrected Jesus. That made it easy to believe in the power of the resurrection.
2,000 years on it’s not quite so simple or is it?
Of course, we’re not helped in our culture by medical science. Medicine has improved so much that people now live for longer and survive diseases and illnesses that years ago would have killed them. But sadly, this means people can think they are invincible or more to the point, when they are confronted with death, they are fearful. Death appears so final.
I was attending a funeral a few years back of a friend. Sat next to me in the congregation was another friend who took great pleasure in reminding me that she was an atheist. We have had some interesting conversations over the years.

At this funeral the vicar conducting the service spoke of the hope we have as Christians following Christ’s resurrection. And my friend whispered to me in all seriousness “I wish I had hope”. I thought that was so sad. Because of her refusal to believe she had no hope.

I honestly do not know how people live without hope. And for me, hope is the most important part of the resurrection story.

The actions of the three characters in our Gospel reading – the beloved disciple John, Peter and Mary Magdalene, – are all actions of people needing hope and finding hope.
John the beloved disciple is portrayed in the Fourth Gospel as the disciple who always responds in the most appropriate way to Jesus and his message. He has stayed with Jesus right to the bitter end. He has heard all of Jesus words and we must assume he understood what Jesus meant by saying he would return after three days. But despite this, John the beloved must have been hoping that it was true. Therefore, when John sees the empty tomb first of all, and then when he enters and sees the linen wrappings, he instantly believes. His hopes that what Jesus said are affirmed.

In some senses Peter’s reaction to Mary’s news is less understandable. He’s spent the last few days running away from Jesus why is he running towards him now? Perhaps it is simple jealousy, a desire to prove that he is as good as the faithful Beloved Disciple John. Or perhaps Peter is motived by guilt? The guilt of denying Jesus after boasting about his loyalty. And guilt for not being present at the cross. Or maybe it is hopeful curiosity. Peter was present with all the other disciples when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Could it be possible that the same thing has happened to Jesus? And perhaps Peter hopes that if Jesus is alive then Jesus will forgive him and even reinstate him, to take away the guilt Peter carries.

And what of Mary Magdalene? What hope did she have? She obviously expects nothing to happen. She has come to mourn the loss of life. She has come to tend the grave. Did she hope for the resurrection? Or was her hope more that by mourning at the grave side the pain of grief would be eased? Whatever it was, Mary was the first to see Jesus after his resurrection. And it is to Mary that Jesus gives the commission to go and tell what she has witnessed.

17 Jesus said, ‘Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”’John 20:17

Through Mary Magdalene’s commission, the world is given hope. The ultimate hope. That if we believe in Jesus, we will have eternal life with him.

A new minister was visiting one of his church members who was in the hospital. The minister was a young man, fresh out of college and still wet behind the ears as a minister. He was visiting this elderly man named Joe, and Joe was extremely ill. He wanted to talk to his minister about his funeral service and the minister wanted to talk about anything else – the weather, football, politics, or anything else he could think of.

Finally, the minister asked, "Joe, doesn't it bother you? Aren't you frightened?" Joe smiled and said, "Preacher, I know I'm not going to make it, but I'm not afraid. I have a confession to make. I've peeked at the back of the book. I know how it ends"

"What do you mean?" the minister asked.

Joe said, "You didn't know me 10 years ago when I had my first heart attack. They called it cardiac arrest. I can remember the medical team thinking I was dead. I can also remember the tremendous feeling of being surrounded by God's love. I was revived by the doctors, but ever since that day I have been unafraid to die. I've been there and it doesn't frighten me. I know that one day soon I am going to go to die and I believe that when I awaken from death, I will, once again, be surrounded by God's love."

I can relate to that from my own experience. I feel I've had a sneak peek and all will be well.

This is the message of the first Easter and every Easter since. The tomb is empty. Christ is risen. Jesus is alive. And because of this, we too, shall live.
It’s the hope we have. And what a hope!

John Dunne writes of the impact of the resurrection upon humankind: "The Resurrection is an enormous answer to the problem of death. The idea is that the Christian goes with Christ through death to everlasting life. Death becomes an event, like birth, that is lived through."

What a magnificent statement of faith. Death is merely another event in the ongoing process of life - something one lives through with Christ. The resurrection of Jesus reinforces these words from The Wisdom of Solomon: "The souls of the just are in God's hand, and torment shall not touch them…they are at peace."

I’m sure you like me saw images of the Notre Dame Cathedral burning. On Monday evening it looked as if the whole structure might collapse. How could anything survive that fire?
It must have seemed the end of this ancient building and all it represented and meant. That’s what those watching and waiting on Monday night must have felt.
But then on Tuesday morning pictures were released of the inside of the cathedral. And there, handing over the altar was a large cross. Untouched by the fire. The mood changed. The cross gave hope.

As I saw this, I was reminded of the story of Sir Christopher Wren when he was rebuilding St Paul’s cathedral after the Great Fire of London in 1666. There are slight variations, but it seems that at some point during the rebuilding Wren was given a piece of stone that had been part of the original building. On the stone was carved the Latin word “Resurgam”. This means “I shall rise again”. Wren, a devote Christian, took this as a sign that he was to rebuild God’s house.
Today, over one of the doorways in to St Paul’s is a carving of a phoenix rising from the ashes. And underneath this carving is that word “Resurgam”. “I will rise again”.
Our faith is not about buildings of course. And the whole cost of rebuilding Notre Dame raises many ethical questions. But today that is not my point. My point is that Christ rose again and we will rise with him.

Father Basil Pennington, a Roman Catholic monk, tells of an encounter he once had with a teacher of Zen Buddhism. Pennington was at a retreat. As part of the retreat, each person met privately with this Zen teacher. Pennington says that at his meeting the Zen teacher sat there before him smiling from ear to ear and rocking gleefully back and forth. Finally, the teacher said: “I like Christianity. But I would not like Christianity without the resurrection. I want to see your resurrection!”

Pennington notes that, “With his directness, the teacher was saying what everyone else implicitly says to Christians: You are a Christian. You are risen with Christ. Show me what this means for you in your life and I will believe.” That is how people know if the resurrection is true or not. Does it affect how we live? Do we live with hope?
I love the hymn Great is thy faithfulness. And that hymn contains these words “Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow”. If someone asked me what Easter means, what the resurrection means that would be my explanation. Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.

Easter gives me strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow blessings all mine with then thousand beside! I hope you feel the same way too.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Acknowledgements

"Joe"and "Basil Pennington" illustrations courtesy of esermons.com
Feasting on the Word Year C
 

A little less conversation a little more action

I preached today at the Churches Together in Chippenham Good Friday service. One of my Anglican colleagues put the order of service together and he’d included this meditation.

A meditation - by Ian Cowie

There is a time for asking questions
but there is also a day for decision.
There is a time to discuss who Jesus is,
but there is also a time to take up your cross and follow him.
There is a time to weigh the issues carefully,
but there are issues which will not wait until tomorrow.
If we wait until we understand everything
we will wait for ever.
If we do not follow the light which we do see,
we will receive no more light.
If we, today, miss this opportunity
then God help us.

(from Eggs & Ashes, Wild Goose Pub.)

I must admit that during the service I’d not really paid much attention to it. (I was busy thinking about my sermon.) But on the way home my wife commented on it and I’ve reread it.

My wife said that the meditation had really spoken to her. She said that with the Extinction Rebellion climate protests taking place in London, the meditation had made her think of how it is often so easy to spend time debating but not doing anything. She was thinking particularly about the climate issues and how with Britain bogged down with Brexit, nothing else seems to be happening.

We both agreed that whilst we couldn’t quite see ourselves taking part in the passive resistance that Extinction Rebellion were doing, we had sympathy with the people who were doing this.

From everything the experts are saying it seems we need “a little less conversation and a little more action” to quote Elvis!

During Lent at home we’ve been following the Living Lent idea of being vegetarian and not buying anything other than necessities. Being vegetarian has not been difficult. (We have both had the occasional lapse and have had a Sunday roast – well Sunday’s are mini festivals in Lent so that’s ok – he said trying to justify his actions.) But we have ended up buying things other than food and essentials. Nothing frivolous. Just things we needed. However, it has made us think.

And I feel what we’ve done through Living Lent will change our lifestyle to some extent. It’s interesting that on the Friends of the Earth web site, one thing they suggest people doing to help reduce environmental impact, is to eat less meat and dairy. If more people did this there would be some positive effects. Our not eating as much meat has not, and will not, be in vain.

I suppose you could ask what this has got to do with Good Friday. Well I feel the meditation reminds us that for Jesus the time for debating, the time for talking, the time for preaching had come to an end. No doubt he hoped during this ministry that people would have listened to him and would have turned their lives around. And by doing so would have turned away from sin. But they didn’t therefore he had no choice but to put into action his father’s plan. As I said in my sermon this morning:

“There was no other way of saving the world from sin.
Saving every person in the world from sin could only be achieved by God himself in the person of Jesus.
Only God’s innocent son can absorb and deal with the sin of the world.
Only God’s innocent son can take the curses of the world and give back blessing.
Only God’s innocent son can take the hatred of the world and give back love.”

A meditation - by Ian Cowie

There is a time for asking questions
but there is also a day for decision.
There is a time to discuss who Jesus is,
but there is also a time to take up your cross and follow him.
There is a time to weigh the issues carefully,
but there are issues which will not wait until tomorrow.
If we wait until we understand everything
we will wait for ever.
If we do not follow the light which we do see,
we will receive no more light.
If we, today, miss this opportunity
then God help us.

(from Eggs & Ashes, Wild Goose Pub.)