There are two Gospels today. We start our service with with Mark 11.1-11. As I have said before, Mark keeps the action short and to the point. Jesus briefly visits the Temple but, as it’s late, he doesn’t turn the tables over - he goes back to his base at Bethany. We get the message time and time again in Mark’s Gospel - Jesus is a man in a hurry. Time is short. The main reading today will be a large section of Mark’s version of the Passion of our Lord, his trial, crucifixion and death. We start with Jesus led away from the Garden of Gethsemane to be tried by night in front of a kangaroo court (Mark 14.53-15.39). The chief priests use Jesus’ words to condemn him, as their chosen witnesses cannot agree. While this is going on Peter fulfils Jesus’ prophesy and denies him three times. Jesus is then tried by the Roman governor, who is amazed at Jesus’ silence in the face of the accusations from his own people and tries to release him. The will of the mob prevails. Jesus is condemned to death by crucifixion. He is once again mocked, scourged and then carries his cross until it becomes too heavy for him. Simon of Cyrene helps him carry it. When they reach the Place of the Skull, Golgotha, he is crucified. Once again he is rejected and mocked by all around him. There is an earthquake and Jesus cries out in desolation. A Roman soldier proclaims him as God’s Son. This helps us set the scene for the coming week, what we call Holy Week. On Thursday we shall recall the events of Maundy Thursday, the Last Supper and the washing of the disciples’ feet. We will have a service in Sutton at 10. On Good Friday, if the weather allows us, we shall meet in the churchyard at Burton at 10 for a said Good Friday service, when we shall read the John Passion, which gives us yet more insights into the death of our Lord. IF we are at Burton, IF the weather allows, please wrap up warmly and bring a picnic chair, just as we used to do last summer. If the weather is unsuitable we shall meet at Bignor inside. I will send round an email in good time. True and humble King, hailed by the crowd as Messiah: grant us the faith to know you and love you, that we may be found beside you on the way of the cross, which is the path of glory. AMEN
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Please note: there will also be a live service at Bignor (inside) at 10am and 1130 at Barlavington One of the frustrations of John’s Gospel is it starts gripping stories, makes a point and then leaves us dangling! Did they see Jesus? We have to assume they did; why else is John telling us about it? We would love to know what they talked about. Presumably they are Greek converts or Greek-speaking Jews. Otherwise Jesus is breaking the law by speaking to them at all. Or is this the point of what John is telling us? Jesus speaks to everyone, Jew or Greek. This is what Paul says in several of his letters. Jesus speaks to everyone; Jesus died for everyone; Jesus rose again for everyone - to give everyone promise of eternal life. Jesus explains to those around him that his coming death and resurrection are a source of glory. God’s name is glorified by his Passion. This is one theme for this Sunday, Passion Sunday. To emphasise the point a voice comes from heaven, showing that Jesus and his Father are one. Through his suffering and death, his “being lifted up”, the world will see the working of Almighty God and give him the glory. John is quite clear that his death on the cross is to the glory of God. Where does this leave us? “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” The only way we can help people to see Jesus is by being like Jesus. The point of this incident is to show that it is through suffering that God’s name is glorified, and that Jesus is for everyone. It is through us that this message is spread abroad in the world. If people want to see Jesus it is through us and the way we are with them that they will see him. It is a great responsibility, especially in a time of pandemic and lockdown. How can we show people Jesus? It is in our hands. John’s Gospel chapter 12 vv20-33
Please note: there will also be a live service at Sutton church (inside) at 10am Mothering Sunday The Church in its wisdom has given us a choice of Gospels for Mothering Sunday, one from Luke at the start of Jesus’ life and the other from the crucifixion in John. I have recorded both for the online worship. This is for those who decide not to go to church on Sunday morning. Luke’s scene is part of the longer story that we had at the end of January for the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple. Today’s Gospel focuses on Simeon’s words over the infant Jesus - “This child is destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed.” In other words Simeon sees Jesus as a figure of world significance, who will cause many to fall and many to be raised up, revealing the innermost thoughts of many. There will be opposition. His life will not be easy, but it will be the life of a great person. Simeon finishes with words of warning for Mary - “and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” I wonder what Mary made of these words. Did she put them to the back of her mind? Did she brood over them? What effect did they have on the way she brought up her son, knowing what she did about the miracle of his birth? John’s scene gives us a sort of answer. Jesus is dying on the cross. At the foot of the cross are standing Mary, her sister, Mary Magdalene and the disciple Jesus loved. In all the pain and the heat, the difficulty of breathing and the sense of dereliction, Jesus entrusts his mother to his disciple and his disciple to his mother. Even in death, Jesus’ love goes out to others. He thinks for others and makes provision for them. The disciple takes Mary into his own home, from that moment. A new family is formed. Out of the horror of the cross grows something beautiful. The disciple cared for her until her death some time later, as holy tradition has it. At the centre of our faith are families like this. People are important in Christianity. Our faith builds up, taking those who have fallen and raising them up, in Simeon’s words. In our pandemic times these are Gospels for us. They speak to those of us who have lost loved ones. Jesus knows our suffering and entrusts us to the care of others. There is also a message of hope, even though swords pierce our hearts. Suffering flows from the cross, but so does healing and hope. Beyond Good Friday lies Easter Day. That never changes. You can trust that.
Reflection for LENT 3 on John 2.13-22 This Sunday we have a reading that we might be expecting on Palm Sunday. John, who never wastes a word or a scene, is playing with the chronology of Jesus’ ministry. The ‘Cleansing of the Temple’, as it is called, takes place at the beginning of John’s Gospel, rather than just before Our Lord’s arrest and trial, his death on the cross and his rising from the tomb, as we have in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. What is John up to? I think John wants his Jesus to make a bold statement as he sets out on his ministry. He is challenging the status quo and those who enforce it. He is making a statement to the Temple authorities. This is quite a challenge. It is the high-priests, the Sadducees and Herodians that Jesus is taking on. His disciples sum it all up be quoting scripture: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” This is some measure of the effect Jesus’ violence is having on them. It is awe-inspiring. Who is this man? This is the only time we see Jesus using force to make a point. Matthew and Luke have him overturning the tables of the money-changers, but John describes Jesus making a whip of cords and driving everyone from the temple area. (Mark has him going quietly home to bed! Perhaps Mark is uncomfortable with the violence, as many Christians still are.) When is it valid to resort to violence in a just cause? Many Christians are known as peace-lovers. Yet their Lord, at the beginning of his ministry causes a real turmoil in the House of God, the Temple at Jerusalem. Is being zealous justification enough? When we are faced by a situation we loathe, how do we react? Do we let others know how deeply we dislike what we are seeing? Are we zealous for the Lord’s work? Does that zeal consume us? We are British after all. It is clearly an individual choice how we respond to the situations we encounter in life. Jesus calls us to face each new situation with the same courage and fearlessness he shows in this Gospel today. The choice is ours. Eternal God, give us insight to discern your will for us, to give up what harms us, and to seek the perfection we are promised in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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AuthorCanon John Green Archives
May 2021
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