April 8, 2018 Easter 2
Acts 4:32-35; Psalm 133; 1 John 1:1-2:2; John 20:19-31 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, our strength, and our redeemer. Amen. Psalm 19:14 Alleluia. Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia! Do you know the word ‘reconciliation’? What does reconciliation mean to you? Reconciliation is a term indicating the changed relationship for the better between persons or groups who formerly were at enmity with each other; the act of restoring a once harmonious relationship. In our baptismal vows we promise to strive for justice and peace among all people and to respect the dignity of every human being. Matthew 5:23-24 says, “This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.” You may have heard of Truth and Reconciliation Commissions in Chile, South Africa and Canada. Before reconciliation can happen the truth must be told about what has happened. The injured party must be free to tell how they have been injured and the offender must be willing to quietly listen. Whether the relationship between black and white citizens, victims of sexual abuse, indigenous people and the government and church or a husband and wife, many simply want to be heard and to receive a sincere apology for what should never have happened and be reassured that measures have been put in place to ensure it never happens again. Our reading from Acts shares a vision of what a truly reconciled community might look like with the powerful and the wealthy caring for the poor and the marginalized so that none may be in need. This does not mean those with abundance giving away all that they have and being left destitute, it means that he who has two coats giving one of his coats to him who has no coat so that both may have a coat. If corn is grown not for profit, but to feed the hungry, then we would find that there is more than enough for the farmer and their family, for their neighbor and for the stranger across the globe, for the domestic animals and for the deer and kangaroo of the field. As we sang in Psalm 133, “Oh, how good and pleasant it is, when brethren live together in unity!’, so is that my prayer for our community today. But reconciliation is also about our new relationship with God as accomplished by Christ’s redemptive work. God does not need to be reconciled to us, but we need to be reconciled to God. We don’t know how to make things right with God. We may not even care to make things right with God. The good news that we hear in this Easter season is that God provided this reconciliation by the death of his Son upon the Cross so that we can find peace with God. The Lord’s Prayer reminds us “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” Through the mercy of God and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ our trespasses have been forgiven and likewise we must forgive those who trespass against us, not because of anything they have done to deserve our forgiveness but because God first forgave us, not because of anything we have done but because God loves us and wants to be in relationship with us. We tell the story of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, we hear of the tremendous suffering that he went through, torture, humiliation, and crucifixion. Yet from the cross we hear Jesus say, “Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing”, Luke 23:34. I cannot hear myself saying those words. Can you? With Jesus’ arrest and execution his followers have scattered, even his closest friends and disciples have fled and deserted him. Yet as that first Easter Sunday came to a close we hear the story of how Jesus appears in their midst and offers God’s peace to them. Jesus offers reconciliation to his disciples, to those who betrayed him, denied him and deserted him. The disciples fear the Chief Priests and the Roman leaders, that they will be the next to be arrested and killed. Into this scene of fear and despair Jesus enters offering peace and reconciliation with himself and with God. Even though Jesus had told them three times as they journeyed to Jerusalem that he would rise again, they did not understand and did not believe. When the women tell the disciples of the empty tomb Peter and the beloved disciple run to the tomb to see for themselves. The beloved disciple sees the burial clothes lying in the tomb and believes. Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb to care for the dead body of the man she loved. Jesus speaks to her and she believes. Even with the news of the empty tomb and these resurrection appearances the disciples in the upper room do not believe. It is only when Jesus suddenly appears to them that they believe that Jesus has risen. Thomas does not believe them when they tell him they have seen Jesus. Thomas is not asking for anything that Mary, the beloved disciple and the other disciples have not already received, to be able to see the risen Jesus for himself and to touch his wounded flesh, only then can he believe. This is reasonable. Dead people do not come back to life. Why would anyone believe such an outrageous claim without proof and yet, that is exactly what is required of those who do not see Jesus and yet come to believe. After Jesus’ ascension he is never seen again, yet on the testimony of the disciples others come to believe as have we. Today’s story includes John’s great commission and Pentecost story. Just as God sent Jesus into the world to tell people about the Kingdom of God and of God’s great love for humanity and his creation, now Jesus sends the disciples out as his apostles to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, to tell of God’s love and to reconcile all people and all creation back into relationship with God. So too we through the baptismal waters share in Jesus’ reconciling death and rise a new creation knowing that we are loved by God. Jesus, our Lord and God, sends us, you and me, out to share the good news of God’s love and to live into the Kingdom of God loving God and our neighbor, friend and foe, sharing from our bounty to feed the hungry, heal the sick, provide shelter for the homeless and to love the unlovable, reconciling all people to God and all of God’s creation. Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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March 31, 2018 / April 1, 2018 Easter
Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Mark 16:1-8 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, our strength, and our redeemer. Amen. Psalm 19:14 Alleluia. Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia! Isn’t it grand to be able to say “Alleluia!” again? 1. Some of you know me, but for those who don’t, I am Mother Darlene Kuhn, Rector at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Albion. Thank you so much for inviting us to worship with you tonight for the first service of the Easter season. 2. Last night I preached at the Easter Vigil at Trinity Marshall. Although a cradle Anglican I did not grow up with this service. I probably attended my first Easter Vigil about ten years ago. I enjoy the pageantry, the kindling of the fire and the gradual lighting of the candles throughout the church, the retelling of the familiar Bible stories like we do for Christmas Lessons and Carols, the excitement of Baptism and the first Eucharist of the Easter season. I am so glad that you are able to join us for worship this evening / morning. Mark 16:1-8 When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Jesus. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. Mark’s Easter story is very different from what we expect. It is very short, only eight verses. Although the tomb is empty, Mark has no resurrection appearances of Jesus. A young man, that we assume is an angel, tells the women that Jesus has been raised and will meet them in Galilee where he first met them. The women flee in terror and say nothing about what they have seen or heard and yet the author of Mark tells us what we need to know. Jesus is alive and Jesus is Lord. This is the meaning of the empty tomb.[1] Alleluia. Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia! Jesus told his disciples three times that he would be arrested in Jerusalem and killed, but that he would rise on the third day. Jesus’ disciples never understood what it meant for Jesus to rise from the dead and were afraid to ask him. Shortly after Peter confessed that Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus told his disciples for the first time that he would be arrested, killed and rise again. Peter rebuked Jesus for even suggesting this, this is not what Peter wanted to hear and Peter was in turn rebuked by Jesus. Peter did not understand what it meant for Jesus to be the Messiah, he did not understand that Jesus’ Messiah is a humble servant of the Kingdom of God advocating for justice for the sick, the poor and the marginalized, even if it leads to death on a cross. After Jesus foretold his death a second time, we learn that the disciples have been arguing amongst themselves as to who is the greatest. They do not understand that the Kingdom of God is not about power and wealth and violence as exhibited by the Roman Empire, but is about love and justice for all. When Jesus foretold his passion for a third time, James and John came to him and asked for a favor. They asked if they might sit one at his right hand and one at his left hand in his glory. They did not know that Jesus would be crucified with two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. This is certainly not what they were imagining. The disciples and Jesus’ followers did not believe Jesus when he said that he would be arrested and crucified, not until his arrest at Gethsemane, did they finally understand and they fled in terror. Not everyone deserted Jesus though. Mark tells us that some women watched Jesus be crucified and his death from a distance and saw where the body was laid. Joseph of Arimathea requested Jesus’ body from Pilate and laid it in a tomb. So on this first Easter morning the women come to the tomb to complete the burial ritual fully expecting to find a dead body. When the young man tells them that the one who was crucified has been raised from the dead, the women finally run in terror. They do not know what it means to be raised from the dead, but the possibility of a ghost is just too much for them and they run. But we the listeners of Mark’s story know from the very first sentence who Jesus is. When the angel tells them to go to Galilee he is sending them to the beginning of the story where we heard, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” The tomb is empty and we know that Jesus has been resurrected and that Jesus lives—he lives today, not just two thousand years ago.[2] The soldiers mocked Jesus. The religious leaders mocked Jesus on the cross. The passersby mocked Jesus saying “save yourself, and come down from the cross.” Even the bandits mocked Jesus, but Jesus is Lord—one with God, raised to God’s right hand, vindicated by God as both Lord and Christ, and thus vindicated against the powers that put him to death.[3] “What does the story of the empty tomb mean?” Jesus is alive and Jesus is Lord. This is the meaning of the empty tomb. Alleluia. Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia! [1] Marcus J. Borg, Conversations with Scripture: The Gospel of Mark, p 108, Morehouse Publishing, Harrisburg-New York, 2009. [2] Ibid. [3] Ibid. Mark 11:1-11; Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
This gospel reading from Mark is very important. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is significant. Jesus is a rebel and a thorn in the side of the religious authorities. Earlier Peter confessed that Jesus is the Messiah, the long expected one. Mary anoints Jesus’ feet and Jesus appreciates it as his anointing for his death, but kings are also anointed with oil. It was Passover and many visitors would come to Jerusalem and it was probably a tradition to welcome the visitors with palm branches, but people also spread their cloaks on the road before Jesus. It was a tradition to do this when the King visited. Mark does not mention it, but John’s gospel refers to the Old Testament quote from Zechariah 9:9, “Your King will come, riding on a colt of a donkey”. Jesus is entering Jerusalem like a king. This is a treasonous act. The religious leaders and authorities know this because Pilate has his crime, “King of the Jews” posted on his cross at his crucifixion. They get it. While Jesus’ followers and the crowd shout “Hosanna!” as Jesus enters Jerusalem, I doubt their sincerity because we know by the end of the week his disciples and followers flee and the crowd turns on Jesus at the encouragement of the religious leaders and demand that Jesus be “Crucified!” Jesus’ actions contradict those expected of the Messiah and a king. Jesus has not come as a powerful warrior king to overthrow the Roman conquerors, but as a humble shepherd who defies the authority of the temple. Today Jesus arrives at the temple and looks around but we know that tomorrow he will come and overturn the moneychangers’ tables and drive the livestock out of the temple. Jesus does not do away with the law, but expects even more. So remember as you join the procession from our Parish Hall to the Sanctuary that we are counter-cultural rebels fighting against the status quo. We stand up for the poor and the marginalized; we reach out to transgender and the prostitute and welcome them; we heal the sick and feed the hungry; we fight injustice in our society and our community; we follow Jesus Christ the rebel king even to the cross. |
Mother Darlene KuhnPosting of Weekly Sermons Archives
July 2018
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