Sidney UMC - Good Friday - 04/10/20 - Sermon - “He Paid the Price For Us!"

Good Friday 4/10/20 - 7 pm - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:         “He Paid the Price For Us!”

                               

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 22

                                           

New Testament Scripture: Hebrews 10:16-25

Gospel Lesson: John 18:1-19:42

          Friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, and for the many watching at home, we gather to worship on this Good Friday, as the Christian Church has done for nearly two-thousand years. Nearly two-thousand years ago on this day, Jesus Christ our Lord, was tried, beaten, scourged, mocked, spat upon, and crucified. Since Fridays at sundown until Saturdays at sundown is the Jewish Sabbath Day, or the day of rest, Jesus was taken off the cross at 3:00 pm, when he died. He was then buried before nightfall.

          For years, before “Good Friday” became an official day of worship or a holiday to remember and commemorate the events of this day, many Christians gathered to remember this day. In some Christian faith traditions, these churches and people have crucifixes. These crucifixes of course not only display the cross of Christ, but they also display a depiction of Christ’s body nailed to the cross. In churches like the Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Churches, and the Anglican Church, we see depictions of the crucified Christ, or crucifixes. I’m sure we have all seen many of them, and some of us even have some. So seared into our minds, our hearts, and our souls, is this day, Good Friday, that there are depictions of this day’s events all over. In some Christian denominations, churches also have what is called “Stations of the Cross.” These are often hung and numbered around the churches’ sanctuary walls, as this day is literally chronicled step by step. In these numbered pictures or paintings, the entire events of this day are played out numerically. Everything from the whipping, to Christ falling with his cross twice, to his crucifixion. Some Christian traditions also gather during the season of Lent and on Good Friday to go through, as act of worship, the “Stations of the Cross.” They retell this day’s events piece by piece.

          Yes friends, it is fair to say that Good Friday, and the events that occurred this day, that Jesus lived through, are seared into many of our hearts, minds, and souls. Many of us know the story well of what happened today. Some of us have seen movies like “The Passion of the Christ,” or others that depict the events of this day that took place nearly two-thousand years ago.

          The reason that the Christian Church eventually created this whole week that we call “Holy Week,” is that outside of Jesus’ post resurrection appearances, this week is Jesus’ last week on earth until his return to earth. Given this and the events of this week, this whole week is extra important in the life of the Christian Church. So important in fact, that some churches have Holy Week services every day during this our Holy Week.

          Many of us kick off this Holy Week like we did this past Sunday with Palm or Passion Sunday. We celebrate Jesus triumphantly coming into the holy city of Jerusalem, humbly on a donkey, as a servant savior. Jesus will remain in the holy city of Jerusalem until his crucifixion that we remember today, this our Good Friday. The events of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week, are ones that people remember and celebrate in some Christian traditions. In some Christian traditions like ours, yesterday we celebrated Maundy or Holy Thursday, which includes the Last Supper of Jesus Christ. In this Last Supper we are given the gift, the sacrament, of Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper, we are given foot washing, and the mandate or the “Maundy” to love each other. Today though, is the day that Jesus will suffer greatly.

          In addition to the trial, the suffering, the pain, the mockery, the crucifixion, and the death of Christ, what does it all mean? Why is this day important? Further, if these horrific things happened to Jesus, how can we call today “Good Friday?” Shouldn’t it be “Awful” or “Terrible” Friday? Further, since we love Jesus, are we simply to remember the death of our friend today, or his death more significant? For nearly two-thousand years the Christian Church has argued as a vast majority that the events of this day are central to the Christian faith. There are many reasons for this.

          The Apostle Paul says it well in Romans 5:8 however, where he says:

“But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8, NRSV).

          What Christ accomplished today, is something that no other leader, no prophet, no pastor, and no person can accomplish. On this, Jesus Christ our Lord, “Paid the Price For Us!” On this day, Jesus died for the sins of the world, and for those who are yet come. His death on the cross and our repentance of our sins and our acceptance of him as our Lord and savior reconciles us to God. Through the blood of Jesus Christ, and through the blood of Jesus Christ alone, we are healed.

So, the events of this day are significant, as every year we retell this story, but the most significant thing about this day is that Christ died for you, for me, and for the whole world. Christ died for us, with love so great that if the nails didn’t hold him to the cross his love for us would have.

          Did Christ die out of love for us, to show us the love of God? Sure, but since Christ was fully God and fully human, he was the only one qualified to be an all sufficient savior. Friends, on this day, “He Paid the Price For Us!”

          Some might ask, “But Pastor Paul what does the Bible Say about the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ?” Well let’s look at some scripture:

          John 3:16 says:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16, NRSV).

          John 1:29 says:

“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29, NRSV).

          1 Corinthians 15:3 says:

“For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,”                        (1 Cor. 15:3, NRSV).

          Ephesians 1:7 says:

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7, NRSV).

          1 John 2:2 says:

“and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 Jn. 2:2, NRSV).

            One of my favorites, 1 Peter 2:24 says:

^“He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed”                          (1 Pt. 2:24, NRSV).

          In the prophetic scripture of an angel of Lord appearing to Joseph in a dream that foretold Jesus’ birth in Matthew 1:21 it says:

“She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Mt. 1:21, NRSV).

          In Galatians 1:4 it says:

“who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,” (Gal. 1:4, NRSV).

In Revelation 1:5 it says:

“and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood,” (Rev. 1:5, NRSV).

          In 1 John 3:5 is says:

“You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin” (1 Jn. 3:5, NRSV).

          Here is one more of many others, as Hebrews 9:26 says:

“for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Heb. 9:26, NRSV).

          Further, today’s events of Christ’s death and crucifixion are also prophesied in the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible scriptures, as well. For example, in our reading for tonight from Psalm 22, we hear once again in 22:1a:

 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Ps. 22:1a, NSRV).

          According to the gospel of Matthew, Jesus said these prophetic words in 27:46, shortly before he died on his cross.

          Psalm 22 from tonight, then says once again in 22:18:

“they divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots” (Ps. 22:18, NRSV).

          As our gospel of John reading for tonight says once again about the crucifixion of Jesus in 19:23-25a:

“When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says, “They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.” And that is what the soldiers did”                        (Jn. 19:23-25a, NRSV).

          So, the fact that Jesus Christ “Paid the Price For Us,” was not only foretold in the Old Testament, but it is also crystal clear in the New Testament, as I have just read to you, but some of these scriptures.

In our scripture reading for tonight from Hebrews 10:16-25, once again we hear more claims that Jesus died for our sins on this day, and for the sins of the world. This scripture says once again in 10:19-22:

“Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10:16-25, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul says that we can approach God, and the “Holy of Holies,” only through the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ. In part then, when we have communion, we break the bread and share the cup. This is symbolic of what Christ taught us about his body and blood, and what he actually went through on this today.

          It’s truly troubling to me as a Christian pastor though that some no longer teach or believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, despite nearly two-thousands years of massive consensus and immense scriptural support on this topic. There are different ways of viewing Christ dying for us, such as Christ dying for us as a ransom for our sins, Christ dying in our place, etc., but all of those are beliefs about Jesus dying for our sins. So why would some deny that Jesus died for our sins, on this our Good Friday?

          Well to say that Jesus was fully God and fully human on earth, and that he died for our sins, shows us that salvation and eternity is uniquely offered through Christ, and through Christ alone. Some find this teaching to be too “exclusive” for them. Some also don’t believe in the authority of the biblical texts, and what they say.

          Some also reject that Christ died for our sins this day, as they find the events of this day to be too graphic and violent. I have heard questions such as, “If God could just forgive us, why would God require a human sacrifice for our sins?” This is certainly a good question. The best way that I can answer this scripturally, is that this was God’s plan to redeem all of humanity from day one. God did not “require” Christ’s crucifixion, God planned this to redeem His humanity before time itself. God sent prophet after prophet in the Old Testament to call us to repentance and holiness. Finally, in act of unspeakable love God sent his only son to die for us.

          I can’t imagine if we were asked to give up one of our children. Would we do it? For most of us, the answer would be no. Today was brutal for Jesus, but this happened, as it was planned before the foundations of this world itself. God planned this to redeem us, and it certainly got our attention didn’t?

Since this is true, we don’t have to feel awful and terrible about ourselves on this day. It’s true that we don’t deserve what Christ did for us this day, but he didn’t do it so that we would feel awful. Instead, he went to the cross and died for our sins, so that through him we would have new life in him, and that we would be able to transform the world in his name. Today was the ultimate act of love, sacrifice, and humility, and on this day, Jesus Christ our Lord, “Paid the Price For Us!”

          So, we don’t need to feel guilt and shame, instead let us repent of our sin, come to Christ, and live lives of victory, proclaiming Christ, and living for him. We can never earn what he did for us today, but we can embrace it, because through him, we will be offered new life.

          On this day though, on that first Good Friday, the disciples didn’t yet know how this would all turn out. We now know though, that this Sunday morning, our crucified savior will rise to new life, and as he rises to new life we rise to new life! Friends, this is why “He Paid the Price For Us!” Amen.

Sidney UMC - Easter Sunday - 04/12/20 - Sermon - “Alive and Alive in Us Eternally!” ("The New Life of Easter" - Series - Part 4 of 4)

Easter Sunday 04/12/20 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:            “Alive and Alive in Us Eternally!”

                        (“The New Life of Easter” Series: Part 4 of 4)

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24

                                           

New Testament Scripture: Colossians 3:1-4

Gospel Lesson: John 20:1-18

          He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed. Hallelujah! Welcome once again to this our Easter Sunday 2020 Service. Welcome on this day that we celebrate Jesus Christ our Lord physically rising to new life, taking with him his body, soul, and divinity. On this day death has been defeated, Jesus is alive, and since Jesus is alive literally, then he is alive in us! On this day, Jesus Christ our Lord physically got up and walked out of the tomb.

          I have been to many Easter celebrations in my life, but never without the church before. The few that we have here this morning continue to be committed to worshiping here, and to bringing you at home into that worship with us.

          Most Christian Churches worship on Sunday mornings, as this is the day that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Every Sunday, therefore, in the life of most Christian Churches, we are celebrating the day that Jesus officially conquered sin and death. This day is significant in that the saving work that Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross on Good Friday is brought to completion on this day. The claims that Jesus made, the things that he taught, and everything that he was in general, now all sticks together, because his tomb is empty today!

          Some of us remember Easter Sundays where some wore flower dresses and the men wore suits. It was probably the dressiest Sunday service of the church year that I can remember. Other than maybe getting a few clothing items to start school each fall, Easter was a Sunday when you came out looking sharp. This Sunday then, could not be more significant for the Christian faith, as this is the Sunday that our Lord and Savior overcomes darkness, sin, and death. Since Jesus was in fact fully God and fully human on earth, his resurrection proves to us that he is indeed the savior that died for our sins.

          Throughout the four gospels, Jesus told us that he would die for us and then be raised to new life. If he wasn’t telling the truth about this, then his claims would be false, he would have lied to us, and his death on the cross would not have been for the sins of the world.

          This is why Easter Sunday is so significant, and this is why as Christians we are called “Easter People,” or children of “Resurrection.” We are not a people of death, darkness, and despair, instead we are people of new life, light, and love! The resurrection of Jesus Christ today isn’t only a historical event, it is the power of God in our hearts and our souls.

          As I said, for me, Easter Sunday for many years in my life was a big “to do,” as the expression goes. New life was seen, taught, and experienced. The church was often decorated like we have decorated the church this morning, and we felt and experienced, hope, new life, and the love of Christ.

          Of all the 38 Easter Sundays I have celebrated; I have to say however, that this one is the most different. For on this grand high and holy day in the life of the Christian Church, on this spectacular day of new life, hope, love, and resurrection, we are not all gathered here physically together. I am so grieved and saddened over this fact.

          Last Sunday on Palm Sunday, I said that it didn’t really feel like Palm Sunday, since we weren’t all physically here to celebrate it together. In the same way, I feel that our Easter celebration will be truly real when we are all gathered back together once again. Whenever we return for in person worship, we will celebrate Easter again!

          It’s interesting that on that first Good Friday that the disciples and the first followers of Christ didn’t know what to expect. Sure, they had heard Jesus talk about his resurrection, but it hadn’t happened yet. On that first God Friday, I can imagine that there was despair, sorrow, hopelessness, and not knowing what would happen.

          The great news for us, is that Christ is indeed risen, and when we celebrate Easter Sunday now, we celebrate and remember a historical event that already happened. We don’t need to wonder if Jesus will rise from the dead, as we already know he has. Easter Sunday in this way is like wedding anniversary. The great day has already happened, and we are celebrating that great day.

          The resurrection of Jesus Christ this day is more than just a historical event. This resurrection is more than just placing the seal on us being offered forgiveness through Jesus Christ. This day is more than just heaven and eternity with Jesus Christ. Once we repent of our sins and accept Jesus Christ as our savior, then we are good in the way of salvation and eternity. Our spiritual resurrections though, are then lived out, by living the life of Jesus Christ. We are offered salvation and eternity through Christ, and we then are called to live this out in the world every day.

          In our reading for this morning from Colossians 3:14 once again, it says:

“So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory” (Col. 3:1-4, NRSV).

          So, on this earth, once we find Christ, once we experience our own spiritual resurrection, let us live a life of resurrection. Let us live like Christ.

          As I said, this is the most different Easter Sunday that I have ever lived through. Yet on this day nearly two-thousand years ago, Jesus rose from the dead. Since this happened, whether we are in good times or bad times, Christ is spiritually present and offered to us.

          So, what if we can’t celebrate in person? What we do when we can’t have many of our normal celebrations? Does this make us bad Christians and bad people? No, I don’t think so. The world has temporarily changed, but we are called to keep loving like Jesus. Right now though, we just need to do this differently. The numerous acts of love and compassion that I have seen from the people in this congregation, in this community, and in this world, through this Global Coronavirus Pandemic, shows me the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What so many of you are doing, shows me the power of the empty tomb. Friends a Global Covid-19 Pandemic is currently present, yet we are still living lives of victory though the resurrected Christ.

          Maybe though, Easter Sunday 2020 has some connections to that first Easter Sunday. How you might ask? Well, like Easter Sunday 2020, that first Easter Sunday, on some level, was filled with uncertainty. By this I mean, we have had a shut down because of this virus for a while. Due to this, we cannot come to church on this Easter Sunday. Some have said a week or two ago, “Well what will Easter Sunday look like?” Some have said, “How can we still worship on Easter Sunday?” We know of course that Christ in indeed risen, yet this year there is so much uncertainty.

          On Good Friday, as I said, I can imagine that Jesus’ disciples felt broken and uncertain about the future. Some of you might feel the exact same way right now. The good news for us, is that Christ is truly risen, and I know that this Global Corona Virus Pandemic will end. When it does, won’t it feel like a resurrection? Not the resurrection of Christ, but we will have a taste of life again. In going through this time, maybe we can understand a little more what it might have felt like on that first Good Friday, or yesterday, that first Holy Saturday, but a resurrection is coming!

          When we look again at our gospel of John reading for this morning on the resurrection of Christ, we see once again, the amazement and the unexpected truth of Jesus’ resurrection. This virus will end, and when it does, we will be resurrected back into a life that is more normal again!

          Yet on that first Easter morning, like today, there is fear and confusion. In John 20:1 it says:

“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb” (Jn. 20:1, NRSV).

After seeing this, the gospel then says of Mary Magdalene:

^“So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes” (Jn. 20:2-10, NRSV).

          Clearly, Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John, had no idea what happened. Mary Magdalene was confused that the stone in front of Jesus’ tomb was rolled away. In fact, as I just read, Mary Magdalene thinks that Jesus’ body was stolen. Mary Magdalene doesn’t think that Jesus rose from the dead. Instead Mary Magdalene thinks that Jesus body was taken from the tomb.

          So, rattled by this news, Peter and John then ran to the tomb to investigate. They seem perplexed by this reality. The gospel says that John believed, but he didn’t understand the resurrection yet.

          I wonder, with this Global Coronavirus Pandemic if we are not like this? We are hoping that something good is coming soon. We are hoping for a resurrection or end to this virus, yet will it truly come? Or like Mary Magdalene thinking that Jesus’ body was stolen, are we stuck with the Coronavirus forever?

          This gospel lesson ends as the Global Coronavirus Pandemic will eventually end, with new life, new hope, and new love. Remember, Mary Magdalene still thinks that Jesus dead body had been taken from the tomb. Our gospel of John reading ends once again by saying:

“But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew,  “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her”                                  (Jn. 20:11-20, NRSV).

          So, Mary Magdalene still thinking that Jesus’ body was taken, is crying outside of Jesus’ empty tomb. She then sees two angels, and these angels ask her why she is crying. Again, she believes that Jesus’ crucified and dead body has been stolen.

          The Jesus himself is standing in front of Mary, but she doesn’t recognize him at first. In fact, she thinks Jesus is the gardener, and she then asks him where Jesus’ body is. In this moment, Jesus says Mary’s name, and Mary sees him. Jesus tells Mary Magdalene to go and tell the others that he is risen as he said he would be.

          Mary heads to Peter and John, and the others, no doubt with great speed and excitement. What seemed like torment, lost hope, fear, suffering, and uncertainty, became hope, joy, peace, love, and resurrection.

          The story of this day friends, that first Easter Sunday, is the story of righteousness, mercy, hope, and love winning. On this first Easter Sunday, death, anger, fear, hopelessness, and evil have been defeated.

We as Christians are people of resurrection. We are “Easter People.” Jesus is “Alive and Alive in Us Eternally!” His love burns in us, and this love will be on full display, that very first Sunday we are all gathered back here for worship. Even though the resurrection of Jesus Christ happened long ago, even though it secured our salvation and eternity, won’t it be like a resurrection when we are all gathered here again? Won’t it be like that moment when Mary Magdalene knew that Jesus’ body wasn’t stolen, but rather that he was alive and well.

          Our first Sunday back together will be a resurrection, as this quarantine, as the lives that we are living now, the fear, the worry, and the anxiety, will all be extinguished with the power of the resurrection. So, if we are living through a Good Friday or a Holy Saturday right now, wondering, waiting if there will be a resurrection, we need to have faith that there will.

When will it happen? I don’t know, but brothers and sisters, a resurrection is coming! Happy Easter from Melissa and I, and your church family. Know that you are loved, prayed for, missed, and the Jesus is “Alive and Alive in Us Eternally!” For He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed. Hallelujah! Amen.

Sidney UMC - Maundy/Holy Thursday - 04/09/20 - Sermon - “The Servant Savior: Our Standard"

Maundy/Holy Thursday 4/09/20 - 7 pm - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:    “The Servant Savior: Our Standard”

                               

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19

                                           

New Testament Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Gospel Lesson: John 13:1-17, 31b-35

This past Sunday 04/05/20 we celebrated Palm Sunday, which is the day that Jesus triumphantly entered the holy city of Jerusalem on a donkey, to the shouts of “Hosanna!” Celebrating Palm Sunday is always best when we gather physically as a church, wave our palms, and celebrate Jesus’ triumphant entry into the city together. As I said on Sunday’s Palm Sunday service, this is my first time in 38 years of life, that I have seen a Palm Sunday where we haven’t been able to gather to face to face.

Tonight, is also the first Maundy or Holy Thursday service that I have seen where we haven’t been able to gather face to face. This is also the first Maundy or Holy Thursday service that I have ever attended or led, where we cannot offer communion to everyone here in person.

This night, this first day of the Jewish Passover, Jesus gathers his friends, the disciples, for one final dinner together. This dinner is in the holy city of Jerusalem, where Jews from all over the world would flock to celebrate the Passover holiday. The holiday of the Passover is one where the Jews celebrate leaving slavery under Pharaoh in Egypt through the Red Sea, and the receiving of the Law of God and the 10-Commandments. Jesus, who was a Jew, Jesus’ disciples, who were also Jews, gathered for one last dinner, on this the first day of the Passover holiday.

Traditional Jewish Passover meals are often called “Seders,” and the food served therein is all symbolic of that first Passover in Egypt, when death “passed over” the houses of the Jews. The Jews were instructed to kill a pure, white, spotless lamb, and to smear the blood of that lamb over their doorposts and lintels. The blood of the lamb would save their first-born child, and thus death would “Passover” there first born (Ex. 12:1-14, NRSV). This is the holiday of the Passover, and Jesus and his friends, as such, are having one last meal together. We often call this meal the “Last Supper,” and the gift, the sacrament of bread and wine that we have received from this dinner is Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper. Tomorrow, on Good Friday, Jesus will die for us, his spilled blood on the cross will be our forgiveness. For Jesus is the new, pure, white, and spotless lamb, but his blood won’t just save us for the night, but for all of eternity, if we put our trust in him.

          For as John the Baptist said in the gospel of John 1:29 when saw Jesus walking towards him:

“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn 1:29, NRSV).

          So, while Jesus and his disciples might have eaten lamb also on this night, and while the blood of the lamb caused death to Passover the Jews for a night in Egypt, Jesus’ blood will give us eternal life. Jesus is the new Passover or “Pascal” Lamb.

While Jesus and his friends might have ate other things at this Passover Seder dinner, like I said, Jesus placed special emphasis on the bread and the wine. Now in the Book of Exodus, the Jews had eaten unleavened bread at one point, as they had to flee Pharaoh in Egypt so quickly that their bread didn’t even have enough time to rise.

The Apostle Paul tells us specifically of this night in the Upper Room, this Last Supper. In our reading for tonight from 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, it says:

^“For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes”                            (1 Cor. 11:23-26, NRSV).

          On this night, this Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday, Jesus has a final dinner or supper with his disciples. As part of this Last Supper, Jesus gives us the gift, the sacrament of Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper. For nearly two-thousand years, Christians all over world have celebrated Holy Communion, or the Eucharist, or the Lord’s Supper together. We have broken bread and shared in the wine or the juice.

          Some churches have Holy Communion every Sunday, some monthly, some even less, and some not at all. In some churches it is believed that this bread and juice, when prayed becomes the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ. Some believe that the bread and the juice are here only to draw us to repentance and towards Christ. These folks would argue that the bread and the juice in and of themselves have no power.

          When we call something in the church a “Sacrament” though, we are making the claim that we believe that something unique and special happens in and through that sacramental experience. In this way, as United Methodists, we don’t see the bread and juice as just bread and juice, as just a memorial of this original event. Instead, we see Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper as a great mystery of God’s grace. We believe that in the pastor praying over the bread and juice, through the power of the Holy Spirit, that Christ is present with us, in us, and in the elements of bread and juice. United Methodists believe in this “Real Spiritual Presence,” as this connects us more deeply to the Triune God and grows our faith in Jesus Christ. Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper in the United Methodist Church then, isn’t just a memorial, it isn’t just something we do only to cause us to repent and grow closer to God. We believe that when the bread and juice are consecrated, through the power of the Holy Spirit that the bread and the cup become a unique and special and are a sacramental means of God’s grace.

          For these reasons, I prefer not to offer “Virtual Communion” over the internet, as this would mean that I, through the power of the Holy Spirit, would be consecrating bread and juice all over the place. Generally, in our tradition, the Lord’s Supper is consecrated and shared together as a family, as a congregation. I will do this for those few of us gathered here this evening. At home though, if you want, you can get some bread and juice if you have it. You can partake of it as a “love feast,” to show your love and devotion to Christ, to repent of your sins, but it won’t be the same consecrated communion that we receive in church. Nevertheless, you are welcome to get some bread or a cracker and some juice and participate in a “love feast” with us, which is not consecrated communion.

          On this night, this first night of the Passover, in the Upper Room, we of course get the gift, the sacrament of Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper. Jesus also washes the feet of the disciples, as this is a big part of the tonight’s gospel of John reading (Jn. 13:1-17, NRSV).

Some churches have and continue the practice of washing feet or sometimes hands. We don’t believe as United Methodists that washing feet or hands is a sacrament, but we do it to display the love and the humility of Jesus Christ. Jesus, “Our Standard,” knelt like a lowly servant and washed his disciple’s feet, showing that we are here to serve and to love each other. Jesus shows us, as my sermon title for tonight says, that he is “The Servant Savior: Our Standard.” We are to be like him.

          It is also interesting that some call this day, this night, “Maundy Thursday,” and some call it “Holy Thursday.” There are even other names to. Holy Thursday tends to emphasize the give of Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper, sometimes also emphasizing the foot washing.

          The Church of England, the Anglican Church, the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, and others, call this “Maundy Thursday” for a very specific reason. This is the reason in the last two verses our gospel of John reading for tonight, John 13:34-35, which says:

          “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”                                        (Jn. 13:34-35, NRSV).

          In Latin the word “Mandatum,” means commandment or mandate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maundy_Thursday). In English “Mandatum” translates to Maundy. So “Maundy Thursday,” emphasizes Jesus’ commandment or mandate, that we should all love each other, as Jesus is “The Servant Savior: Our Standard.” Holy Thursday, as I said, has again historically more emphasized Holy Communion and the washing of the feet. I call today Holy/Maundy Thursday, as I think that this whole night and its events are important.

          On this night, this Last Supper, we receive Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, we receive the example of the washing of the feet, and commandment, mandate, or Maundy, to love each other.

          Since many of us are in social isolation right now, and since we are implementing social distancing right now, some of us “huggers” and “handshakers,” just can’t do that right now. Yet, we can still love each other right now. We can love each other with phone calls, e-mails, text messages, over social media, through written letters, and many other methods. Jesus’ commandment or Maundy isn’t specific, he just tells us to love each other. So, friends, let’s do that, for Jesus Christ is “The Servant Savior: Our Standard.” Let’s strive to be like him!

I hope that you few that are here, and you at home, know how loved you are by God, by me, and this church. Friends, Happy Maundy/Holy Thursday, and I hope to see you all in person very soon! Amen.

Sidney UMC - Palm/Passion Sunday - 04/05/20 - Sermon - “Jesus Will Present Himself!” ("The New Life of Easter" - Series - Part 3 of 4)

Sunday 04/05/20 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:             “Jesus Will Present Himself!”

                    (“The New Life of Easter” Series: Part 3 of 4)

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

                                           

New Testament Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11

                                                   

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 21:1-11

          “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Mt. 21:9b, NRSV).

          According to our gospel of Matthew lesson for this morning, once again, this is what people shouted as Jesus entered the holy city of Jerusalem on this day, riding a donkey. Palms were waved, and many felt that this man, this Jesus Christ who was entering Jerusalem, was coming to save them. Since Israel has a climate that supports Palm Trees, many people cut palm branches, waved them as Jesus entered Jerusalem, and laid them on the road with their cloaks, along the path that Jesus rode in on.

          In my life, I have been to and have pastored many Palm or Passion Sunday services. What is different this morning, however, is that all of you aren’t physically with us. We have a small group leading worship this morning, and we miss all of you being here. I don’t think that ever before in the history of our United States of America, has there been no church, so vastly, on Palm Sunday. Maybe in some isolated places, but never like this. Churches are shut down for public in person worship, and as a result, we worship for now, like this.

          On this Palm/Passion Sunday in many churches around the world, people often wave Palm Branches, or just the individual palms. Some churches have processionals with palms, bless the palms, and many churches say, what I said at the beginning of this service:

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Mt. 21:9b, NRSV).

          In part then, this Sunday is us retelling the story of the events of this day that happened long ago. This story of when Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem to the shouts of Hosanna! Yet in Jesus entering the holy city of Jerusalem, he does so in the humblest of ways. Jesus is not in a chariot, or on a grand horse, does not have an army with him, does not have great financial wealth, and is not wearing fine armor. Jesus is on a donkey, and the common people lay palm branches and their cloaks before him, as the savior of the world enters the holy city like a humble commoner. Jesus enters the holy city, like one of us, as on earth he became like one of us.

          This Palm or Passion Sunday celebration in the life of many churches then, developed through the tradition of the Christian Church. This celebration comes out of our desire to retell this story, and to even attempt to act it out and understand it better. On Palm or Passion Sunday, many churches attempt to recreate what might have happened on this day when Jesus entered the holy city of Jerusalem on a donkey. So, out of a desire to know Christ more, and out of a desire to understand the events of his life and ministry more, many churches celebrate this day and try to get into the story to understand this day and Christ more.

The reason that this is also called Passion Sunday, is that some churches read a much longer gospel of Matthew narrative that involves Jesus’ betrayal, Jesus’ night praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, his trial, crucifixion, entombment in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, and Pilate putting guards in front of Jesus’s tomb to guard it (Mt. 26:14-27:66 (27:11-54), NRSV).

          The Passion of Christ narrative in the gospel of Matthew, which is in part where we get the movie title “The Passion of Christ” from, is a great, yet very long scripture. I have tended to not read the passion narrative on Palm Sunday, because we retell most of this story on Good Friday. For me, I have always found that it made more sense to go through this Holy Week sequentially, as the Passion narrative from the gospel of Matthew gives you everything through Jesus’ crucifixion and burial on Palm Sunday. Instead of doing this, myself, and many churches focus this day just on the entrance of Christ into Jerusalem, or this Palm Sunday.

          To provide a little more insight on what Palm Sunday is, I want to share this source with you that says:

“Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. In most liturgical churches Palm Sunday is celebrated by the blessing and distribution of palm branches or the branches of other native trees representing the palm branches the crowd scattered in front of Christ as he rode into Jerusalem. The difficulty of procuring palms in unfavorable climates led to their substitution with branches of native trees, including box, olive, willow, and yew. The Sunday was often named after these substitute trees, as in Yew Sunday, or by the general term Branch Sunday” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Sunday).

          So, on this Sunday we celebrate the humble, lowly, and yet triumphant entry of our Lord and king, Jesus Christ into the holy city of Jerusalem. From this point, Jesus will stay in Jerusalem. On Thursday, or Holy or Maundy Thursday, Jesus will have his “Last Supper” with his friends. On Friday, or Good Friday, Jesus will be tried, tortured, and crucified for the sins of the world. Next Sunday on Easter Sunday, Jesus will rise gloriously from his tomb to new and abundant life.

          We will be a recording Maundy or Holy Thursday service this Thursday, to hopefully be ready to view at 7:00 pm, and likewise we will be recording a Good Friday service this Friday to hopefully be ready to view at 7:00 pm. I say hopefully, because I will try to get everything loaded by 7:00 pm, if the technology cooperates. So be on the lookout for those!

          While today is Palm Sunday, we are of course still in the season of Lent. As I have said for the past two Sundays, some of us might have a tradition of giving up or giving away something for Lent. Some of us might fast, pray, and or do other things to bring us closer to God. This Lent however, we have all given up so much, and for some of us, more than we have ever given up before.

          With this said, this morning, I am continuing in my sermon series called the “The New Life of Easter,” and I will conclude this sermon series next Sunday, on Easter Sunday.  

So far in this sermon series I have discussed that Jesus is, “The Light of the World,” as Jesus himself said in the gospel of John 9:5:

“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (Jn. 9:5, NRSV).

          Last Sunday, we had the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and we discussed that Jesus has come to give us “New Life: Literally!” Jesus did not raise Lazarus from the dead when everyone expected him to, but he showed up. Jesus came through.

          Through this time of Lent and soon to be Easter, I pray that we feel and trust Jesus, who is the light the world, and I pray that we will soon be physically together. We can have new spiritual life right now, even through this Coronavirus Pandemic, knowing that new physical new life will occur when the pandemic ends. Like Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, it is coming soon, but we just don’t know exactly when. This pandemic will end though.

          Today, for the people of the holy city of Jerusalem, “Jesus presents himself” physically. As Jesus arrives, the lives of many of the people in Jerusalem and Judea are ones of hardship. They live under the power of Roman rule, and they yearn to be free. Jesus arrives this day and gives them hope. I have hope in Jesus Christ, do you?

          In our reading for this morning from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians, Paul tell us this:

“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross”

(Phil. 2:5-8, NRSV).

Not only will Jesus make himself known and be present when the pandemic ends, he can be with us spiritually through it all. It you’re home alone, I would submit to you that if you know Jesus Christ, then you are not alone. Jesus, God in the flesh is with. He came for us, he loves us, and this Friday he will die for us.

If you asked me a month ago about this Global Coronavirus Pandemic though, I would have never guessed we would be here in this present situation. In a way then, it seems that we are living holy week in reverse. I say this because, it’s as if we are living through the pain and the reality of Good Friday right now, knowing that Jesus is with us, and that soon he “Will Present Himself,” when we are physically all together again.

Even though we don’t know exactly when this will end, and even though I have lived through 38 Palm Sundays, and this is the first one that we haven’t had church in person, I know this will end.

During all this however, I have seen Jesus “Present Himself” in others. I haven’t seen Jesus being presented in the celebratory way of ending this pandemic, but I have seen him within this pandemic. I have seen companies change their production to make masks, ventilators, and other needed products. I have seen alcohol manufacturers stop making hard liquor and begin making hand sanitizer. I have seen church men and women pull together to make masks, donate and deliver food and other things, and to show in credible love of Jesus Christ through this whole time!

Yes, my friends, even though this Coronavirus Pandemic I have seen Jesus Christ. While I await his triumphant entry into the city, signaling the end of this pandemic, I see him all around us.

The continued courage that has been displayed by men and women in uniform and our medical workers in uniform, has been as such, that I have seen Christ. People risking their own lives, so that others might live. People sacrificing, taking layoffs from work, so that others that need the money more can work. People checking on the elderly, loving their neighbors even more. People being told that if they are short of money right now for certain things, then that will be ok for now. People of great financial wealth giving millions of dollars to help. Countries sending supplies and health care workers to other countries. People that don’t have much, saying “I have some extra food, who can I give it to?” People calling each other, and people reaching out in amazing ways! Yes, brothers and sister, I have and continue to see the glory of God in Jesus Christ present, and I hope that you do to! I pray through this that and we might turn closer to Christ and to each other.

Today, Palm Sunday, is a day of celebration, and yet many of us are not here this morning. The next time we are all physically here on Sunday morning though, won’t it be like Jesus entering into the holy city to shouts of Hosanna? Won’t it be like that empty tomb on Easter morning? Friends, “Jesus Will Present Himself,” and I hope that it is soon through ending this pandemic. May we trust in Christ, and on this day may we say once again:

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Mt. 21:9b, NRSV).

Happy Palm Sunday, and Amen.