There are not many Good Friday hymns or songs, but one that always comes to mind is the old favorite, “were you there…”  We all know the song, and it asks us if we were there when they crucified my lord. Were we there when they nailed him to the tree?  Were we there when they laid him in the tomb?  These are all excellent questions, and it leads me to ask the question of all of us here today, would you have been there?

The work of Good Friday is messy, and in the end, an innocent man endured a mock trial on trumped up charges and was publically humiliated and executed and all the while his closest friends were in hiding.  Sure, some were there with him, the women were there including his mother, but the men, they were nowhere to be found. They were so afraid that they would be next, they were so fearful that the same fate that fell on Jesus, would claim them, that the hid in fear.  When the time to stand up came, they sat down.

So I ask the question again, would you have been there?

In my Palm Sunday sermon, I mentioned that the entrance into Jerusalem was the most politically charged event in the entire three-year ministry of Jesus.  Sure, he raised Lazarus from the dead, and that raised some eyebrows.  Sure, he threw the money changers out of the temple and said that they, meaning the religious establishment of the day, had turned it from a house of prayer to a den of thieves. But riding into Jerusalem, on the back of a donkey, being hailed as king was a direct challenge to the might of the Roman Empire, and at that moment the tide turned against him.

The entire ministry of Jesus was one of resistance and revolt. What Jesus did was turn the order of the world upside down and left us with an example to follow. Jesus did not just leave his thoughts and prayers with the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the oppressed; he sat with them, ate with them, and loved them.

“Jesus was executed because he turned the powerful and their systems upside down with his radical inclusion of the “other” and his courageous actions against tyranny.” (Mitch Randal, Good Friday: Thoughts and Prayer didn’t get Jesus executed.)

So before we go any further let’s clear some things up, Jesus did not die so we can exclude people. Jesus did not die so we can use the poor as pawns in a political chess game. Jesus did not die so we can tell others who they can and cannot love. Jesus did not die so we can twist his words to suit our image of him, Jesus died because he practiced radical love and inclusion and so I ask again, would you have been there?

Jesus stood up to the religious and political authorities of his day with direct action. He did not take it to a committee and debate the issues he just did what had to be done. He called out those who were not living up to what they were supposed to do or by what they called themselves, the one’s today I like to call fake Christians, you know them, they are all pious on Sunday but by Sunday night they are back to cheering on tyranny and those who persecute others because of the way they look or where they are from or who they chose to love.

Jesus included everyone and left that example to us as well, radical welcome and inclusion is what it means to be a Christian; however, it has become fashionable to practice radical exclusion in many of our churches today, the message of the Gospel is clear, love God and love your neighbor, and that includes your gay neighbor, your Muslim neighbor, you black neighbor, your poor neighbor, etc. it includes everyone without conditions, Jesus did not just for the white folks Jesus died that everyone might find eternal life and when he said to go into all the world, that is not only the white world but the entire world to bring the love and light of the Gospel.

This is what I mean when I say that Good Friday is messy; it is about a radical change in the way we think and act. If we assume that we would have been there then that means we take on the responsibility of what has been left to us and that is radical welcome, speaking truth to those in authority, and when necessary call out those who call themselves Christians but act is a way that is so counter to what that means there is just no semblance of Christianity left in them.

So I ask you again, would you have been there?

The Book of Revelation is not one of my favorite books, and it has been misused and misunderstood almost from the time it was written but, there are some valuable lessons to be learned from those pages.  In the third chapter and the 16th verse we hear this warning, “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (NKJ)

Church, the time has come to turn up the heat.  The time has come to make a choice, we are either going to stand with Jesus at the cross or we are going to run and hide. The time has come to take a stand, just as Jesus did, and call out those who are using our faith to further their white nationalistic pride and discrimination. The time has come to do what is right not just what is popular. It is time to take back our faith from the extremes that wish to use it for radical exclusion rather than the radical inclusion that Jesus practiced and calls up to practice, why, because if we do not, God will vomit us out of his mouth.  Now I don’t know about you, but that does not sound like a nice thing.

Hanging there on that cross, in one of his most human moments Jesus cries out and asks God “why have you forsaken me?” And today I fear that he is asking that question of all of us, why have we forsaken him?

One of my all-time favorite movies is the now classic Braveheart. Now I know that some historical license was taken in the making of that film, and much of the dialogue was created for dramatic effect but, there is one line that fits in with this theme today. The Scottish Army is about to face off against the English for the first time. They are standing on the field of battle, all dressed up, ready to fight. Some of the men start to get nervous and begin to turn and leave and head back to their homes. Then with dramatic music blaring, Mel Gibson rides up and brings hope, hope that they need to face what they must face. He asks them if they will run and hide or stay and fight, and some answer that they will run. He answers with these words:

“Aye, fight, and you may die. Run, and you’ll live… at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin’ to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take… OUR FREEDOM!”

We have a choice to make, and that choice is to either be at the foot of the cross pointing up and shouting yes, I am with him, and staying and fighting for what is true and just, or we can choose to run and hide where it is safe, the choice is yours.

On this night we pause to commemorate the events that took place in the Upper Room. We are invited in to witness one of the most intimate moments between Jesus and those who have been with him for three years. We are invited to sit at the table and to hear the words of the Master. We pause, in the business of our days for just a few moments.

I have given this meditation the title “Do THIS in remembrance of me” with the word “THIS” in capital letters. This mediation asks what the “THIS” is that Jesus is referring too in these verses of Scripture. The most common answer to what is the “THIS” would be the celebration of the Lord’s Supper after all that is the central theme of the Maundy Thursday service, but, I think it goes much deeper than that, and so we must go deeper.

We begin with the 13th chapter of the Gospel of John. We find Jesus in the Upper Room with his disciple’s, and they are having a meal, the Passover meal, together. We read that during the meal Jesus rose, removed his robe, tied a towel around his waist, poured water into a pitcher and began to wash the feet of those present. What we do not realize is that this action would have taken them all by surprise and, as we will see in a moment, shock.

Washing the feet of guests in your home was not an uncommon practice in the 1st-century world. The roads were dusty, and thus one’s feet would be covered in dust from walking these streets. Upon entering a house, a servant would be ready to wash the feet of the guests. This servant was ranked lowest in the household and would carry out their task without comment or make eye contact with the guests. Jesus, in the simple act of washing their feet, has taken on the role of a servant, the lowest servant, in the household.

When Jesus comes to wash the feet of Peter, Peter rejects the idea and refuses to have his feet washed. He is refusing to allow his friend, his teacher to lower himself to the position of a servant. Peter relents, and Jesus washes his feet. After he washes their feet, he puts his robe back on and sits with them and continues to teach them. He tells them that if he, as their master, is willing to lower himself to wash their feet, they have to be willing to do the same for each other and others.

After the foot washing Jesus tells them that “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Notice Jesus uses the words “my commandments” not “the commandments of Moses” not even “God’s commandments” he says “My commandments.”  What are his commandments?  Jesus tells us there are only two, love God, love neighbor. Later in the conversation, he tells them, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my father will love them.” What is his word? It’s simple, love God and love neighbor.

Near the end of this portion of the story, Jesus says to them, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” How has Jesus loved them, unconditionally?  Keep in mind that before this; Judas has left the room as Jesus has called him out as the one who would betray him.  Jesus is about to reveal to them that Peter will deny him not once, not twice, but three times. But this does not stop Jesus from loving them; yes he loved even Judas, the Betrayer.

Jesus gives us another example of this unconditional love while he is hanging on the cross. As the soldiers nail him to that hardwood and lift him up. As those passing by mock him and spit on him. As the same soldiers that nailed him to that tree cast lots for his garments, Jesus thoughts turn to them and he asks God to forgive them. In his final moments, Jesus’ thoughts were for someone else, and he granted forgiveness to those who had just killed him.

So what is this “THIS” that Jesus is asking us to do?  Very simple:

Be a servant to all
Love all, unconditionally
Forgive all

Amen.

We have reached the halfway point of our Holy Week journey that leads us from the Palm Sunday experience, through the agony in the garden and death on the Cross, to that final moment of victory when we realize that He is not here, he has risen!

Part of the Holy Week journey is to stop for a moment in the Upper Room and witness that moment, that intimate moment between Jesus and those who had been with him from the very start of his earthly ministry. Jesus shares a meal with them and then gives himself to them symbolically through the sharing of the bread and the cup. He reminds them that he is ushering in a new covenant relationship between them and God. A relationship that is no longer reliant on sacrifice but love, love for God and love for one another.

Growing up in my Roman Catholic faith, Holy Week was also a time when the priests would gather together with their bishop to consecrate the holy oils to be used for healings and other rites and rituals of the church, but also to renew their vows that were made at their ordination. Those vows are their covenant relationship with the bishop, the church and with the God that has called them. The call to the ordained life is a call to serve God through the service of others, and as such we share a covenant of love, service, and support.

This July I will celebrate 14 years of ordained ministry, and during Holy Week I always recall the vows or promises I made at my ordination. I was ordained in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and as such, we did not pronounce vows so to speak, but there are promises that are implied in the service of ordination. Since becoming an authorized minister in the United Church of Christ, I have had an opportunity to meditate on promises or covenant that is made during the ordination service and it is those promises that I renew not only during Holy Week but every week.

1. Do you, with the church throughout the world, hear the word of God in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, and do you accept the word of God as the rule of Christian faith and practice? I do.
2. Do you promise to be diligent in your private prayers and in reading the scriptures, as well as in the public duties of your office? I will, relying on God’s grace.
3. Will you be zealous in maintaining both the truth of the gospel and the peace of the church, speaking in truth and love? I will, relying on God’s grace.
4. Will you be faithful in preaching and teaching the gospel, in administering the sacraments and rites of the church, and in exercising pastoral care and leadership? I will, relying on God’s grace.
5. Will you keep silent all confidences shared with you? I will, relying on God’s grace.
6. Will you seek to regard all people with equal love and concern and undertake to minister impartially to the needs of all? I will, relying on God’s grace.
7. Do you accept the faith and order of the United Church of Christ; and will you, as an ordained minister in this communion, ecumenically reach out toward all who are in Christ and show Christian love to people of other faiths and of no faith? I will, relying on God’s grace.

These promises bind me in covenant with others for service to the people God has called me to but also to service to the wider church and the world.

“Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” These words were spoken to the Apostle Philip by some Greeks that had come to worship. There were desirous of meeting Jesus and so Philip went off and told Jesus about the request. Asking to see Jesus was not an unusual request, and I am sure that as Jesus fame increased around the area, more people had this same request, but, when people are desirous to see Jesus are they genuinely interested in what that means.

When people ask to see Jesus, more often than not, it is a Jesus of their construct rather than the Jesus of history or reality.  Jesus says in John 12 “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.” So if you want to see Jesus you must follow him and follow him means to imitate him and to imitate him means to serve those he served, the least among us.

Far too often people have a personal image of Jesus that fits their narrative. Jesus fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited the sick, was concerned about the stranger, took on the political and religious authorities of his day and called out hypocrisy when necessary. Jesus did not sit on the sidelines and complain about things nor did he make fun of those trying to make a difference in their world. Jesus got busy trying to bring a little bit of heaven to earth despite those around him.

When we make the bold claim that we “want to see Jesus” we have to be ready for what comes with that request. We must be prepared to die to ourselves and live for him. We must be ready to throw off the old man and take on a new one. We must be ready to have our hearts of stone turned into hearts of flesh. We must to ready to love those around us regardless of their color or national origin. The bottom line is if we genuinely want to see Jesus we have to transform.

If we want to see Jesus, then all we need to do is look into the eyes of another human being. If we are not able to see Jesus in them, we have no hope of seeing Jesus, ever.

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” (John 11:39 NKJV)

In the family of Lazarus, his sisters were very different.  Martha was outspoken, and Mary was the one working behind the scenes to make sure everything was ready. Lazarus was dead, and the sisters heard that Jesus was on the way to see them.  Martha runs from the house to confront Jesus and to tell him that if he had been there, her brother would not have died.  Mary, on the other hand, remains at home, with those who were there to mourn Lazarus and serve.

This story was a turning point in the ministry of Jesus. Very often, when Jesus performed a miracle, he told folks not to say anything about it, very rarely did they listen to him. But this miracle, giving life back to lifelessness, was done in broad daylight under the very nose of the authorities and this frightened them, and they began to plot not only against Jesus but Lazarus.

But my focus is not on the miracle itself but the reaction of Mary and Martha in relation to life in the church today.

Every church has Mary’s and Martha’s. Every church has those who work quietly behind the scenes, and every church has those who are out front advocating. And, as in this story, every church has those who like to assign blame when things go wrong. And every church has people who are afraid to roll the stone away because there will be a stench.

When Jesus arrives at the tomb where Lazarus has been placed, he commands that the stone is removed.  Martha objects because, as the New King James Version puts it, “there will be a stench.”  Martha is more concerned about the stench that will come from the tomb, and that blocks her from seeing the miracle that is about to take place.

Many times, in church work, we do the same thing.

I have written before about my feeling on how the church needs to adapt to every age. If the church is to remain relevant in the lives of the people she aims to serve then she needs to be concerned about issues that concern them, in other words, we as church leaders need to listen and engage, the culture around the church. We need to adapt to survive, and yes, adapt means change.

The internal workings of any church can be messy and complicated. It is “pie in the sky” to think we always do what God wants us to do in church work and, more often than not, we do our will and not God’s will. No one likes to see the sausage made but we all love the result. Budgets, energy bills, endowments, building maintenance, numbers attending worship, etc. are all part of the business of the church, and at times, it is not pleasant.

More often than not, church folks are more like Martha and do not want to roll the stone away because of the stench that will come out when that happens.  As a church leader, it can be difficult to admit that a program that we worked so hard on is not working and needs to end or be replaced. But rolling the stone away, and dealing with the stench is what brings new life from death.

The message of the story of Lazarus is that sometimes we have to roll the stone away and deal with the stench to bring new life. It is not easy nor is it comfortable to confront the stench, but if new life is to come, we have to deal with it head-on.  If Jesus had agreed with Martha, and not rolled the stone away because of the stench, Lazarus would not have been raised, and life would not have been restored.

Let us follow the command of Jesus and “take away the stone” not only in the church but in our lives.