John 20:1-18

Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

John 20:1-18

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. 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.

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.

| Centering Prayer |

Christ is risen!

Alleluia!

This is such good news.

This is good news for both the rich and the poor,

The young and the old.

This is good news for us sinners

And this is good news for the Saints who have died in the Lord,

Having now gone on before us.

…                                                   

‘What makes this Easter any different from any previous Easter?’

I can’t help but asking.

First, we’ve welcomed Francesca and Michael into Christianity.

Their lives will be forever identified,

Marked, stamped, and branded

as followers of Jesus.

Let us pray they claim for themselves

God’s sustaining grace,

Continual repentance and forgiveness of sins, and

Eternal life.

Their future is filled with potential,

Bright and beautiful,

Ready to be claimed and realized.

May it be so.

…

‘What makes this Easter any different from any previous Easter?’

Secondly, we welcome

Paula to her spiritual home,

Here in Rush.

Welcome.

We are glad you are here!

Let us thank God

That our paths have converged at this time, in this place.

Let us pray that God bless our future together,

Provide insight to God’s will, and

Be blessed with all things necessary

To faithfully fulfill God’s desire

for the mission and ministry of our parish

and for you to find God’s path for you that leads to spiritual perfection.

…

‘What makes this Easter any different from any previous Easter?’

Christ is risen!

Alleluia!

Take it all in.

Breathe deep and remember prior Easters.

The mixture of sinner and saint,

Mortal and eternal,

Is brand new this year.

Some of our loved ones

made this same acclamation

In previous years, and,

have now received resurrection’s healing grace.

Just as Christ has risen and returned to the Father who created him,

So, too, have our loved ones returned to the Father,

Who have died a mortal, earthly death.

They have now been

Raised as Saints,

Resurrected with Christ into

The glory of eternal life with our God.

Broken relationships have been healed.

Sin and suffering has passed.

The pain of this world

Has been replace with eternal glory,

Joined around the throne,

All giving eternal praise to the Lord God, Almighty,

Alpha and Omega, beginning and end.

…

‘What makes this Easter any different from any previous Easter?’

Fourth, each of us are one year closer to our resurrection.

Today’s acclimation will be tomorrow’s glory.

This is not some morbid death wish.

This is our statement of faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Placing ourselves outside an empty tomb,

Giving witness to the love of God

Who gave His only Son

That all the world might be saved.

This is a humble reminder

That while each of us draw an earthly breath

There still remains

Much to be accomplished,

Starting right now.

There is work to be done, beloved members and friends.

There is work to be done to build God’s kingdom

Right here on earth, just as it is in heaven.

There are people who have not yet heard the Good News

Or receive the call to follow Jesus Christ as his disciple.

There are those living lives marginalized

By poverty, illness, disease, addiction, loneliness, violence, or oppression

– the same people Jesus reached out to and included in the kingdom –

We are called to serve to serve them,

To lift them up,

To bring relief and release to each and their circumstance.

There are those living in darkness

Who have never experienced the light of God’s love, mercy, or healing.

Then, there are those,

Even some among us,

Who are searching for meaning, direction, or simply a sign

That will lead out of the quagmire

Back to the path

That returns each of us home

To the God who created and forever loves us.

…

‘What makes this Easter any different from any previous Easter?’

Fifth and finally, the humility of the cross

Has been replaced by the glory of an empty tomb.

To be true,

Humility isn’t unique to this year.

The humility of crucifixion is not time limited.

Neither is glory a unique celebration this Easter.

The promise of the empty tomb transcends time, place, and person.

Humility of the cross …

Your slate and mine have been washed clean.

The chains of our past have been broken.

We are remade with Christ

Born again

As whole people,

As God’s people.

This is a new day,

A new beginning,

A fresh start.

So, do not waste this opportunity.

Step forth with Christ from the empty tomb

Into the sunlight of God’s grace and love.

Let us taste and see

The glory of the risen Lord!

Amen.

1. John 18:1-11

After Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.” Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

Reflection #1: “Resistance”

In John,

Jesus does not resist.

Jesus does not resist the detachment of soldiers,

Uniquely described in this Gospel,

Totaling an estimated 600 men.

Jesus does not resist the police from the Chief Priests and the Pharisees,

Estimated to be another 400 well armed men.

One thousand man posse.

Jesus does not resist the political and religious powers of this world

That have joined in opposition to the Word of God.

“In the beginning was the Word …

And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” (1:1, 14)

Jesus does not resist,

But he remains in charge.

His hour had come.

He knew it.

He accepted it.

“Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?” (18:11b)

Take heart.

Jesus remains in charge.

2. John 18:12-14

So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him.

First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people. 

3. John 18:15-18

Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. The woman said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself.

4. John 18:19-24

Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.” When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” Jesus answered, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

5. John 18:25-27

Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, “You are not also one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.

Reflection #2: “Jesus in Charge”

Jesus was arrested and forcibly held that night

In a dungeon beneath the house of Caiaphas.

He was lowered down by a rope.

One way in.

One way out.

One would think the authorities had the upper hand.

They moved the levers of influence.

They had the weapons.

They had the power.

Yet, Jesus remained in charge.

His hour had come.

Since Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead,

The outcome of his trial had been planned and settled.

The trial of Peter, on the other hand, would continue.

The trials of Apostles and Martyrs would continue.

Our trials today continue.

With premeditation,

Jesus was signed, sealed, and delivered to the cross.

God’s will was about to be done.

6. John 18:28-32

Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.)

7. John 18:33-38

Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him.

8. John 18:38b-40

Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” They shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit. 

9. John 19:1-11

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.” Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” 

10. John 19:12-16a

From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.” When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.”

Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.  

Reflection #3: “Irony”

Oh, the irony of Jesus before Pilate!

Christ, the one in chains, is in charge!

Pilate the governor, shuffles back and forth with indecision

Like a school child trying to please everyone,

Pleasing no one.

Oh, the irony of Jesus before those who would indite him!

The Jewish crowd preached

Righteousness according to the Law, on the one hand,

Yet, they were calling for the murder of Jesus,

A violation of the Ten Commandments, on the other hand.

Oh, the irony of Jesus before his accusers!

How quickly they would confess their true faith:

“We have no king but the emperor.”

On Passover,

The anniversary of freedom from Pharaoh,

The new Pharaoh is embraced.

Oh, the irony.

11. John 19:16b-22

Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them.

Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”  

12. John 19:23-24

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.” 

13. John 19:25-27

And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. 

14. John 19:28-30

After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 

Reflection #4: “Our Good Shepherd and King”

“I am the Good Shepherd,” Jesus taught.

Indeed, Christ was the Good Shepherd until the end.

As he hung there dying

Jesus made arrangements for the care of his mother,

Mary the wife of Clopas,

and Mary Magdalene.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gives his life for his sheep.

Even Pilate knew what the crowd did not:

That Jesus was the King of the Jews.

He had it printed up there in three different languages

So that everyone would know where he stood.

“What I have written I have written,” he informs

Those who just confessed that the emperor was their king.

What would only become apparent in hindsight

Is that Jesus Christ is the King of all God’s creation.

By his death, he promised to ascend from the grave.

By his resurrection, he promised to ascend to the right hand of his Father.

These aren’t empty promises from a wise Rabbi

Who had a large following,

Who’s own followers turned on him.

These promises would be fulfilled

By the One who keeps his word,

Is faithful to his covenants,

Who has the power and the love

To be our King.

These are the promises of our King! 

15. John 19:31-37

Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.” 

16. John 19:38-42

After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. 

Reflection #5: “The New Exodus”

The dirty work was left up to the soldiers,

Grunts on the ground.

The very ones who had flogged Jesus,

Dressed him like a comic and struck him in the face,

Pounded stakes through his hands and feet,

And raised up wine on a stick right before Jesus died

Now had the responsibility to remove the corpse from the public’s eye.

It was the soldiers who hand divided his clothes,

Had scorned him with their taunts,

Who had cast lots for his seamless tunic,

To fulfill scripture.

Sometimes the movement of God

Is nearly imperceptible,

Like a 3.2 earthquake three states away.

It was the soldiers who didn’t break a corpse’s legs,

Instead pierced it in the side

“so that scripture might be fulfilled. (19:36)

The soldiers found more courage in scripture and in life

Than Joseph and Nicodemus could only find in death.

Christ dies as the Passover lamb,

Exactly according to scripture,

And thus his caretakers treat his corpse.

This Passover proclaims a new exodus,

Not from Egyptian slavery,

But from bondage to sin and death.

A new exodus has begun;

The water and blood of Christ co-mingled

Becomes a new cosmic reality.

Through Baptism and Eucharist

We now venture out into an unexplored spiritual landscape.

We now leave behind the self, the finality of death.

We now make a new exodus:

We are now the Body of Christ.

We’ve become his body.

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Maundy Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 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.”

| Centering Prayer |

Today’s message comes in three meditations.

1. Knowing.

Knowing that the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas to betray him,

Jesus loved his own who were in the world,

He loved them to the end;

Yes, even Judas Iscariot.

Knowing

That the Father had given all things into his hands,

And that he had come from God

And was going to God,

Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and wiped them with a towel,

An act that would have usually been relegated to

The servant of the lowest stature.

It must have been an interesting dynamic

When Jesus stoops to wash the feet of Judas.

What was Judas thinking?

Were his eyes filling with tears?

(I am responsible for Jesus’ death)

Or were his teeth clenched in rage?

(How could you bring us to the brink of victory, only to quit on us?)

John leaves little to the imagination what Jesus was thinking:

Love.

Service.  

Love, then serve.

Start with love.

Like the orthodox benediction says,

“Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord.”

Always start with love.

“Have you loved them first?”

I recently asked a church member

Who was filled with frustration

Over the apparent apathy of others.

Granted, apathy isn’t in the same league as betrayal;

But both are to be turned back to

Our Lord’s ultimate concern …

Love one another.

How does the fact that Jesus loved Judas

Enough to wash his feet,

Enough to love him to the end,

Impact your life

And your relationships today?

(Silent reflection)

2. Resistance.

While we don’t know how others responded,

Peter responds with resistance.

He resists Jesus’ effort to love him

Every step of the way.

Knowing

That his hour had come to depart from this world

And go to the Father,

Jesus comes to Simon Peter with a bowl and towel in hand.

Unlike Judas,

Who had conspired with the devil

And had already put his plan of betrayal into motion,

Simon Peter probably hadn’t even thought of denying Jesus.

It hadn’t even crossed his mind.

Denial had no premeditation.

Bold, brash, and full of himself;

Peter’s self confidence

And personal belief that

He was taking part in some grand, history making political insurrection

Probably keep him blind to his greatest vulnerability:

Denying Jesus if cornered and threatened.

To one degree, or another,

Isn’t our Christian bravado similar to Simon Peter’s?

Of course, we’d never deny Jesus,

Even if put in a pinch,

We say to ourselves.

Of course, we’d never allow Jesus to wash our feet,

Even though we are soiled and covered in filth.

Of course, we’d never allow Jesus to love us,

In such a way that would crack our most stubborn defenses.

But then, we find ourselves

Whistling while walking past the graveyard at night,

Wondering,

If it could happen to Simon Peter,

Maybe it could happen to me, too.

Would we deny Jesus if cornered or threatened?

Would you?

(Silent reflection)

3. Love.

Christian bravado has a wonderful antidote,

Jesus teaches us;

Humility.

Humble service.

Loving service.

Practically speaking,

Should we be in the business of foot washing for cleanliness sake?

Or, should we be in the business of serving others

To remove all that makes one and the world unclean?

Christ’s love is leading us to clean up the world,

Starting right here,

Right now,

With you and me

Before this Table.

There is no greater symbol of humility,

Of service and love,

Than our Lord, Jesus

Sharing his body and blood

For the forgiveness and salvation of creation.

His broken body and blood makes us clean.  

The loving sacrifice of Christ’s body and blood

Is cosmic in reach, while

Personal in experience.

Bread and wine fill us

And remind us,

Of God’s great love for us.

Love tenderizes the heart

And leads one to roll up the sleeves.

Love spreads

Faster than a rumor in the Kremlin,

Faster than a global pandemic,

Faster than an Olympic sprinter.

Likewise, love

Is more powerful than any medication or surgery,

Is more powerful than the armies of Sparta and Athens,

Is more powerful than the greatest hurricane or cyclone.

Love teaches by example

Causing all the world to take notice.

Love one another,

That all the world will

Know

That you and I

Are disciples of Jesus Christ.

Does the world see Jesus in your love?

(Silent reflection)

Amen.

March 17, 2024

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

John 12:20-33

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

| Centering Prayer |

One thing is becoming increasingly clear.

The older I get

The more focused becomes the line

Separating the HERE from the HEREAFTER.

Life and death and life everlasting take on

Greater depth and meaning

With each waking day,

With each creaking bone,

With every visit to the doctor,

With every hospital call,

With every passing funeral.

Children are full of life, vitality, and curiosity;

Exactly as kids should be.

Death only becomes a reality

If the family is exposed and is

Unable or unwilling to hide its mourning.

Though I’ve celebrated 274 funerals in my life,

And have attended a great many more,

The one I remember more than even my father’s,

Was looking at my aunt Thelma laid out at the funeral parlor, circa 1967.

According to the US Census Bureau,

She died at age 55.

Only now,

Can I begin to come to an understanding of my Uncle Toad’s crushing grief

As he held his head in his hands

And cried.

Seeing through the eyes of a 6 year old

My first corpse

Began the flow of mortality dripping

Drop by drop;

Carving its way in my life

With the passing of each family member, friend, and parishioner.

The drip accelerates with age,

Or, perhaps, it becomes more noticed.

Like hot water poured on a rooftop ice dam,

I can’t help but wonder when it will become my turn

To break loose,

Fly through the portal,

Cross the abyss,

And be set back home to my heavenly Father.

This is not a death wish.

Not at all.

This is simply wearing mortality on my sleeve.

In doing so,

I hope to give each of us permission

To talk about mortality and death openly;

Thoughtfully,

Respectfully,

And in the context of faith

As a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Beginning with ashes,

Lent reminds us of our mortality.

Lent does this to the faithful,

The observant,

The eager disciple.

So will today’s Gospel.

…

We find ourselves in the homestretch

Leading to the final destination

Of suffering, death, resurrection, and Jesus ascending back to the Father.

Jesus had been in Judea,

In the North Country.

Jesus responded to Mary and Martha’s request

From their home in a nearby suburb of Jerusalem,

In the South,

To call upon their sick brother, Lazarus.

By the time Jesus arrived

Lazarus was dead and buried four days.

Yet, Jesus commanded the tomb be opened.

After a conversation with His Heavenly Father,

Jesus commanded Lazarus to come out.

The resurrection of Lazarus became the

Spark that touched off the fire

In the Gospel of John

For the Chief Priest and the Pharisees to

Have Jesus arrested and killed.

Today, Jesus speaks about his death openly

To some non-Jewish sightseeing,

Curiosity seeking,

Greek tourists

Who happened to be in Jerusalem during the Passover.

They knew some people who knew some people …

Who knew two of Jesus’ disciples.

Andrew and Philip approach Jesus

With their acquaintance’ request

To see Jesus.

If it had been today,

They’d ask for Jesus for an autograph

And to pose for a selfie.

“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies,

it remains just a single grain,

but if it dies it bears much fruit.”

– John 12:24

Jesus knows his agriculture.

A seed must stop being a seed

If it is to grow into a plant.

A seed that remains a seed

Is nothing more than just another grain of wheat ready for the grist mill.

Like a seed,

Jesus explains

he must cease to be as he was

If He is to return to the Father.

His purpose is not to be ground into flour.

Christ’s purpose is to willingly return to His Heavenly Father.

“Those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

– John 12:25

This, then is the Happy Meal prize …

This is the nugget of Grace

From our Gospel of John for today:

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

– John 12:32

Jesus will be lifted up:

Think “Ascension”

– His return to the Father –

That all people

– Not just some people –

That all people will be drawn to Jesus

Into the presence of our Heavenly Father.

Jesus completes the circle.

At every location on His life circle

The invitation is made

For all who are created by the Father,

All creation,

To join with Christ

In returning to the Father.

…

Today, we celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day,

Recalling the 5^th century Christian missionary and Bishop in Ireland.

Patrick’s father was a deacon and his grandfather a priest.

(Think about that for a moment)

Kidnapped and taken by Irish raiders as a slave,

He worked as a shepherd,

During which time Patrick came to know God.

He escaped Ireland,

Became a priest

And returned to convert pagan Irish to Christianity.

Saint Patrick is remembered

For bringing Christ to the people.

This is the purest sense of evangelism;

Introducing

the Jesus we follow

to others

That God may warm their hearts,

bring them to conversion,

and that, one day,

each may be returned to the Father.

Pause your holiday celebration and personal consumption today

For a moment of thanksgiving

For the example of St. Patrick.

…

Christ comes from God;

Is created as God’s own Son.

Christ is God’s gift to the world;

To humanity,

A free gift to you and me.

Jesus is born a baby.

Tell me

Who isn’t drawn into a deeper exploration of faith

With the Advent and birth narrative of Jesus?

Crowds come out on Christmas

Because of the invitation

To experience anew the gift

Of God’s only Son.

Christmas, viewed through the lens of John,

Is about incarnation

That invites the world

– everyone –

To hitch our wagons with Jesus

On life’s spiritual journey that returns us all to God.

Love’s Full circle.

Incarnation.

Compassion ministry.

Redemption.

Salvation.

Jesus comes round full circle

Through his teaching, healing, and raising from the dead.

Reaching out to the last, the least, the lost, the left behind;

All-the-while thumbing his nose at

The corruption that organized religion had assumed back in his day.

Jesus draws a completely different group of people

To Himself in His journey back to the Father.

The call to bring healing to this world

Appeals to some who are not led by a star to a baby in a manger.

A call for social transformation,

social justice, and

for laborers to usher in God’s Kingdom

will appeal to yet others

Into deeper exploration of faith,

On the journey back to the Father.

We have one week of reprieve before Holy Week.

The Passion, suffering, and death of Christ

Experienced during Holy Week

Will stir deep emotions

To all who hear,

To all who endure.

Avoid the temptation

To sanitize passion, torture, death, and burial.

Let his blood drip.

Likewise, an empty tomb and ascension back home to the Father

Will lead us

To lift eyes

To God.

Like crowds drawn to Criss Angel or Harry Houdini

There are throngs of people

Willing to pay good money to see

A certified corpse reanimated to live another day.

Penn and Teller draw millions to see one or the other levitate.

How about seeing Jesus whisked off into heaven?!!!

Oh my goodness,

Can someone get Jesus a Hollywood agent?!!!

My point being

Is that every place on the spiritual journey with Jesus

– from birth to ascension, and every place in between –

Is an invitation

That draws the

Sin soaked,

Redemption ready,

Salvation seeking world,

Back to the Father

Who first created us.

From the Father,

Jesus draws us all back to the Father

Who art in Heaven.

The appeal of Jesus can stand on its own two feet.

The invitation to join with Him on this spiritual journey appealed to us.

So why doesn’t it appeal to others?

Why aren’t people breaking down the doors of the church to come to Jesus?

The truth is, at least, twofold.

First, the appeal of the world is a powerful intoxicant.

Money, lust, power, envy and arrogance constantly call out, whispering:

Don’t follow Jesus.

Those who do are losers.

Freaks and geeks.

Money, lust, power, envy and arrogance lie to us all the time that

Their way is better than the way of Jesus.

So, don’t even start to listen his invitation to follow him.

Why aren’t people breaking down the doors of the church to come to Jesus?

The other half of the truth is that we’ve

Allowed ourselves to become the barrier that repels people away.

We’ve become the object.

Church growth has become the object.

Playing church and not being Church

has become our purpose

regardless of the fancy mission or vision statements that adorn our website.

As the letter of James says it this way:

Our double tongues,

Our partiality,

Our hypocrisy,

Our insincerity,

Our lies,

Our selfish ambition

And our trumpeted faith in the absence of fruit,

Drives the hungry and the seekers away from our sanctuaries

Like the castle’s door keeper.

The solution?

Cease and desist,

Confess, and repent.

The solution is to remove ourselves as barriers to people drawn to our Heavenly Father.

When we repent and return to the ways of God,

When we embrace humility,

Purify our hearts with confession and cleanse our hands of sin;

When we return to authenticity;

When we

Draw near to God, and allow ourselves to submit to Him,

Then the way is made clear

– the valleys are filled,

the mountains are made low,

the rough places are made plane –

That all might be drawn unfettered

Back full circle

On the journey that leads to the Father.

It is for this reason Jesus has come.

It is for this reason Jesus served, suffered and died.

It is for this reason Jesus was resurrected from the dead and ascended into heaven.

It is for this reason Jesus invites all to return with him back to the Father.

Join in the journey.

Make way for others to be drawn in, too.

Amen.

Numbers 21:4-9, John 3:14-21

March 10, 2024

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

John 3:14-21

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “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. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

Prayer: Dear Jesus, you tell us that everything is possible for those who believe. We do believe; Lord, help us overcome our unbelief. (Mark 9:23-24) Amen.

Our Old Testament Lesson this morning is Numbers 21:4-9.

We find our Hebrew ancestors,

Newly freed from Egyptian captivity,

Recently saved from the Pharaoh’s pursuing army

By the Divine parting of the Red Sea and drowning of his soldiers.

God 1. Pharaoh 0.

The Hebrews were wandering in the Sinai wilderness

Searching for food and water.

They are a grumbling, cantankerous crew,

Making their complaints known to Moses and against God:

“Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?”

Lord knows,

I grumble like a bear coming out of hibernation

When I’m hungry and thirsty.

Doesn’t everyone?

The Lord responds

To criticisms and complaints

By sending poisonous serpents among the people.

Consider this a possibility next time you complain to God.

Serpents slithered among our Hebrew ancestors.

Some were bit and many died.

The Hebrews were smart enough

To associate their words and actions

With God’s response.

Cause and effect were clearly linked in their opinion.

Remember,

They witnessed God’s actions against Pharaoh that delivered them.

They are fresh off a victory!

So they went to Moses and confessed their sin,

Begging deliverance from the snakes:

“We have sinned

By speaking against the LORD and against you;

Pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us.”

(Numbers 21:7)

So, like the obedient servant he was,

Moses prayed for his people.

God spoke to Moses;

Gave him an immediate response,

An immediate revelation:

“Make a poisonous serpent,

And set it on a pole;

And everyone who is bitten

Shall look at it and live.”

(Numbers 21:8)

When the people gazed upon the bronzed serpent on a pole,

Their attention turned to God.

Confidence and trust warmed hearts.

God healed them.

God saved their life from death.

Notice this little attention to detail:

God didn’t remove his serpents.

God provided a means of salvation from them.

Everyone who looks up,

Sees the faithful response to God’s command,

Will see the bronze serpent and will live.

Look up, and live.

…

Our Gospel lesson for this morning is from John 3:14-21.

There is so much here;

Let us focus upon on John, chapter 3, verses 14-15:

“And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,

So must the Son of Man be lifted up,

That whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

(John 3:14-15)

The setting for this passage

Is Jesus’ late-night conversation with Nicodemus,

A Pharisee and leader of the Jews.

While Jesus is in Jerusalem for the Passover,

Nicodemus secretly seeks Jesus out,

Under cover of night,

And says to him,

“Rabbi,

We know that you are a teacher who has come from God;

For no one can do these signs that you do

Apart from the presence of God.”

(John 3:2)

Quite flattering, don’t you think?

To which, Jesus responds,

‘Very truly, I tell you,

No one can see the kingdom of God

Without being born from above.’

(John 3:3)

Thinking literally, Nicodemus asks

“How can anyone be born after having grown old?”

(John 3:4)

Jesus replies with his statement about being born anew, or from above:

‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.” The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’

(John 3:5-8)

This is where the phrase “born again” originates.

When asked, “are you born again?”

Those who’ve been baptized by water and the spirit,

Can confidently answer, YES!

Born once, from your mother’s womb.

Born a second time, at your baptismal waters.

…

The conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus trails off

And John, the evangelist,

Continues Christ’s theological discourse.

Jesus reflects upon

Our Old Testament passage from Numbers,

“And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,

So must the Son of Man be lifted up.”

(John 3:14)

The Greek word Jesus uses for “lifted up” is

HYPSOUN

Which literally means one continuous ascent.

This word is found only three other times in the Gospel of John

• When Jesus is lifted up onto the cross,
• When He is raised up from the dead, and
• And when Jesus is lifted up into heaven.

The Gospel author’s approach …

John’s approach … is this:

When he uses the words “lifted up”

John is intentionally

Equating it with SALVATION.

When Jesus is lifted onto the cross,

We are given salvation from sin (forgiveness).

When Jesus is lifted up from the dead

Salvation is given from death (that is, eternal life).

When Christ is lifted up into heaven,

We are granted salvation from Christ’s absence.

Christ leaves with us the presence of the Spirit (Holy Spirit).

The story doesn’t end with His ascension.

“…So must the Son of Man be lifted up…”

God’s salvation story is ignited new and fresh

With each generation of Christians.

The clarion call comes to each disciple

At the moment of conversion,

That is transformed into a duty,

A responsibility,

To lift up Christ,

That all the world

who gaze upon Jesus

might be saved.

Salvation isn’t a one-and-done deal.

It can only happen when Jesus is lifted up

And, like the rabbinical Jews of old said

In an effort to make sense of the Law,

This act will turn our minds to God.

…

I believe that the GEM in today’s passage

Is the timeless message

Calling us to lift up Jesus,

Like Moses lifted the serpent on a pole,

So that all who are broken,

All who have sinned,

All who have been hurt,

All who desire Christ,

May look upon Jesus, believe, and be saved.

It is our responsibility to lift Jesus up to the world,

– like a bronzed serpent on a stick –

– like a candle held high –

– like a city on a hill –

To offer God’s salvation to those who will see and believe.

If we don’t, who will?

Eleven years ago,

I spent twelve days in Israel and Italy.

I experienced the effort of fifty generations of faithful Christians

Making it their generation’s purpose

To lift up Jesus to the world.

“God so loved the world”

Is evident in Michelangelo’s “Creation”

Painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.

“That he gave His only Son”

Is evident in the Orthodox Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem,

filled with beautiful mosaics portraying our Savior’s birth.

“That who so ever believes in Him,”

Believing is evident on the shores of the Sea of Galilee,

The church of the Multiplication,

And the mount of Beatitudes.

“Shall not parish”

Is evident at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher,

Where Jesus was nailed to the cross,

Up-righted into a hole

And his broken body was laid upon a stone.

“But shall have everlasting life.”

Stepping inside the Garden Tomb,

Entering the Church of the Ascension,

Lifting eyes to the heights of St. Peter’s Basilica’s dome;

Each is a historical, archaeological testimony to Christ lifted up.

…

It is our responsibility to lift Jesus up to the world,

To offer God’s salvation to those who will see and believe.

If we don’t, who will?

Ask yourself

“In what ways have I lifted Jesus up this past week?”

“How have I testified to the glory of the Lord and the reality of His salvation?”

A while back an old friend

wanted to talk with me about his grandmother who died.

She never “knew the Lord,” he told me.

I could hear the concern in his voice.

“You’re worried for your grandmother, aren’t you?”

Without using words

He was asking me if she went to heaven or hell.

“The God that I’ve come to know

and experience and love in my life”

I began to testify,

“Doesn’t damn any of his beloved children to hell.”

We condemn ourselves.

But Jesus comes to save.

Hell is right here on earth.

Hell comes from wasting away a life determined not to believe,

Not placing trust in God.

Her hell is over now,

For now, she believes.”

Isn’t this what the Gospel says

When it reads “those who do not believe are condemned already.”

(John 3:18)

We judge ourselves,

By our belief or unbelief.

…

Opportunities abound for us to lift Jesus high;

To lift him high for others to see,

To believe,

And to be saved.

Consider all the people who meet in a day,

At work, home, social organization, scouts, politics, wherever.

Every day, there is a multitude of opportunities

To witness to the God of our experience,

To lift up Christ,

And to share His love.

Here are some proven tips: 

• Stick to people you know, friends & family. Cold calling is silly and intrusive. Friends and family are the people with whom you’ve already established a high level of trust.
• Allow others to share their hurts and pain in life with you. Just like the Hebrews, the ones who were bit by the poisonous serpents were the ones going to Moses for help. Do more listening and understanding than talking and preaching.
• Begin with your own experience: “…the God I’ve come to know and experience and love in my life…” Speak about what you know.
• Be honest in what you don’t know.
• Share your faith, your inner beliefs, and in doing so, your witness lifts Jesus up high. So that, as it says in v.15, “whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

It is humbling to consider, eternal life may be dependent upon our witness.

“And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,

So must the Son of Man be lifted up,

That whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

(John 3:14-15)

Jesus was lifted up:

To death,

To resurrection,

To God on high.

Now, it is our responsibility,

As his followers,

To continue to stand up,

Speak out,

Lift him high

And offer Christ

As God’s gracious gift to the world.

The gift of Jesus

Is the gift of salvation.

Thanks be to God. Amen.