Title: “And the People Stood There…Watching”
Text: Luke 23:33-43
Day: Christ the King C
Date: November 25, 2007
This is a time of year when our emotions run all over the map, especially on Sunday mornings. During the week, especially now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, we will be bombarded with Christmas. Almost every television commercial will be calling out to our wallets, saying that Christmas is all about spending money and buying gifts. Almost every store you walk into will have the most brilliant and gaudy Christmas displays out. Christmas carols will start to be played on the radio, some of them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from now until December 25th! It is a wonderful time of year when we seem to be surrounded by Christmas cheer. For just this month, our world becomes a happy, enchanted, wonderful place.
Then we come to church…and Christmas is most definitely not here yet. The church, in fact, is the one place where Christmas itself is reserved. You can see that we don’t have any greens hanging yet. Our Christmas tree is still stowed away for several more weeks. You won’t hear any Christmas carols yet. We will not hear any stories of Jesus’ birth for a full month! In fact, we will be hearing just the opposite. Today’s gospel shreds the Christmas spirit that has infused popular culture with the story of Jesus’ crucifixion!
There are so many things that we could talk about in Luke’s telling of the crucifixion. We could talk about how Jesus was crucified as a criminal…but we’re not going to talk about that. We could talk about the blatant irony in the fact that the leaders and soldiers were mocking Jesus as a king, when that’s – in fact – what he was…but we’re not going to talk about that. We could spend a long time picking apart the phrase “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”…but we’re not going to talk about that. We could talk about Jesus curious and hopeful response to one of the criminals when he says, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise”…but we’re not going to talk about that, either.
No, today I want to bring our attention to one little noticed phrase in this story. It is a phrase that one could easily overlook with all of the other stuff going on. I want to talk about the phrase, “And the people stood by, watching.”
Curious, isn’t it? Why would Luke point that out? What is the purpose behind such a simple statement? It surely is not the focus of the story. It is not a crucial detail in the plot. It could be taken out and the story would still make perfect sense. These are all good points…but Luke seems to think that the story would not be complete without it.
You see, these people had been walking around with Jesus for a long time. They may not have all been with him from the beginning, but they surely had heard about him. Some of them surely knew his humble beginnings. Some of them probably had been there as he had been baptized by John in the Jordan. Several of them had gathered around him as the sick, lame, blind, and demon-possessed were brought to him for healing. Many of them were there as he taught them about the Kingdom of God.
And now here they were. A motley crew of characters, who had seen and heard it all. Now all of them gather at the place called The Skull, just outside the city. The shadows from the protective wall around Jerusalem are approaching their sandaled feet. And there they watch as the soldiers drive long, sharp nails into the hands and feet of this one the people have called the Messiah. They hear the excruciating cries of pain coming from Jesus and these two other criminals as their crosses are lifted from the ground. They see Jesus chest heaving as he struggles to catch his breath. They see the blood. They hear the taunting of the leaders. They watch them cast lots for Jesus’ garments.
And the people stood there…watching.
As people who are living in a culture surrounded by the sights and sounds of Christmas, we listen to today’s Gospel story and – if you’re like me – you feel kinda stunned. We are taken aback by the thought of Jesus being crucified when we are surrounded by a culture already proclaiming the day when we celebrate his birth! Trying to put these two things together doesn’t work; it’s like mixing oil and water. They just don’t belong together. And, as a result, we end up sitting here today…watching.
This gospel reading today forces us to be people who live on the edge. Just over the edge in front of us is the season of Advent, the season where we anticipate Christ’s coming. During this season, the nights get longer, the weather gets colder…the feeling of the air just seems to scream “Christmas is coming!”
Just over the edge in front of us, we can see the bright star of Christmas over the place where Jesus is to be born. We can look into that manger and see the horse and ox and donkey sharing a place with the newborn Savior of the World. These are the scenes of Christmas.
All of that is just before us. And once you leave the church doors this morning, you will all of the sudden be thrust over that edge and find yourself fully engulfed by Christmas already. But in here, within these walls, we have to come to terms with the fact that Christmas is still over the edge. Before we can get there, we must deal with the cross. And so we sit here…watching.
It is difficult to live life on the edge of Christmas. It means that we cannot allow ourselves to get sucked into the hype and simply ignore the problems of the world. We cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering mother in Bangladesh who has lost her home, her family and her possessions in the wake of the powerful Cyclone. We cannot resist reckoning with the fact that hate crimes have increased 8% in the last year. We cannot hide from the fact that members from our very community are sick, shut-in, or dying. Life on the edge of Christmas forces us to come face to face with these things. It means that we cannot simply jettison ourselves into that cheery time of year just yet. We must first reckon with the difficult things: and so we hear the story today of Jesus’ crucifixion.
And the people stood there, watching.
We’re not told what happens to the people. We can imagine them standing there, scratching their furry beards, watching the scene before them with furrowed eyebrows, trying to make sense of it all. But we never find out if they were able to bring Christmas and Good Friday together in their heads.
We know, however, that some of them must have figured it out; for their proclamation gave birth to the Church. Some of them must have seen what many couldn’t fathom: that Jesus’ death was not the end, but another beginning.
The scene in the manger, the wonder of that Holy Night, that awesome, humble event was the beginning of something incredible. Here in this little baby, born of a virgin, was the Son of God. Here in this person of Jesus, God chose to take on our flesh. There in those swaddling clothes was the Savior of the World.
Throughout his life, Jesus followed the will of God; he healed the sick, he freed the oppressed, he fed the hungry. He brought the good news of God to the people of the world. He preached messages of peace, love, hope, justice, faith, and encouragement.
And then his life culminated at this place called The Skull, where the people stood, watching. And some of them must have come to discover that this was not the end…here in front of them, they were watching another Holy Event; they were watching another awesome, humbling event; this was just another beginning.
And today we are doing the same thing. Within these walls, behind these doors, we find ourselves sitting at the foot of this cross, watching. Watching that hopeful event over the edge come ever closer, but realizing that that event is not yet here. Today we are still living life on the edge of Christmas.
Amen.
Monday, November 26, 2007
November 21, 2007 - "What We REALLY Need"
Title: “What We REALLY Need”
Text: John 6:25-25
Day: Thanksgiving C
Date: November 21, 2007
Thanksgiving and I have a “love-hate” relationship. I love it because it always involves a wonderful meal for me and my family. When I was younger, my family would gather at my grandmother’s house for a veritable feast. Thanksgiving was a time when she would pull out all the stops; it seems like she made every dish in her repertoire: spaghetti, meatballs, homemade sausage, ravioli, roast beef, savory duck, stuffed whitefish, corn, green bean casserole, rolls, pastries, cakes, pies, doughnuts…the food covered her entire billiards table. This is how I came to love Thanksgiving.
I came to hate Thanksgiving, though, because I could never stop myself from eating all of this food. I couldn’t help it! It just looked so tasty. The doughnuts, especially, cried out my name, begging me to eat them. And how could I refuse? I couldn’t. And still it continues today…inevitably, every Thanksgiving I end up attending to my stomach’s every desire, and I cross the line between “NEED” and “WANT.” By the time Thanksgiving is over, I feel incredibly stuffed, and I always think to myself, “Sure, I was fed, but now I feel miserable.”
I think my dilemma here is shared by many of you, especially around Thanksgiving. I’m sure many of you have found yourself in a situation when you have listened only to your stomach, maybe against your better judgment. And I always find that when we give priority to our stomachs, we are never really satisfied. We always crave more.
The crowd in our Gospel today is a great example of that. Here you have a large group of people. Just the day before they had gathered around Jesus and his disciples in a large, grassy field of rolling hills. And without even asking for anything to eat, they were told to sit down on the grass. There they sat and they watched with wide-eyed amazement as Jesus fed them – every one of them – with bread and fish. 5,000 people ate until they were satisfied! Now this catches my attention, because it seems to rival even my grandmother’s vast array of food!
Now, after the meal, Jesus leaves the crowd and eventually makes his way to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. The next day, however, the crowd awakes with their stomachs rumbling, growling, and churning. The crowd is hungry, and now they know exactly where they can get some food: Jesus. So, they begin scouring the countryside like ravenous wolves looking for prey. It doesn’t take long for this massive crowd to locate Jesus. They close in on him, their dry mouths watering, their stomachs roaring with anticipation, their beady eyes fixed on this one man who has the ability to give them what they crave: bread.
Now, at this point, they have numbers on their side; they could have forced themselves upon Jesus and demanded that he give them some more to eat. But instead, they choose the more indirect approach and simply ask, “When did you get here?” But Jesus sees through the superficial conversation. He knows why there are there. They are hungry. They want more bread. These are people who KNOW what they NEED…or do they?
Starting now, a full year before the Presidential Elections coming in 2008, we are already seeing debates among the presidential candidates. Have you been watching them? Even for me, a person who doesn’t really like presidential debates, I’ve found them to be somewhat interesting. Gathered together on one stage are people of varying backgrounds, varying political agendas, varying national ideals who come together to give their opinions on different topics. If you ever wanted to know what things Americans in general seem to think they NEED, you could watch one of these debates. What you would find is that people are scouring the political scene looking for someone to give them what they NEED.
Some say “Our gasoline prices are sky-high. We need to do something about the oil crisis in our country and rid ourselves of dependence upon others to satisfy our demand.”
Some say “Test scores are way down in our schools. We need an educational system that ensures that our schools have only the best and most qualified teachers.”
Some say “Our country’s reputation is the worst it has ever been. We need someone who will restore America’s image in the world’s eyes.”
Some say “National security is first and foremost. We need to be sure that the American people are kept safe from all harm.”
These are all issues that haunt us on a daily basis. We cannot escape them. And as the presidential election of 2008 draws ever nearer, these issues will seem to grow larger and larger. The public will find themselves getting crankier and crankier. Soon, we will look to someone – ANYONE – who will give us what we think we need.
But are these things accurate representations of what we really NEED? If we take an honest look at ourselves and at our world, we might come up with a completely different set of NEEDS: as the people of Bangladesh clean up after Cyclone Sidr, we may come to realize that we need more people working in Aid and Relief Organizations to provide for the needs of our neighbor. As we slurp down our bottled waters, we may come to realize that we need to provide clean, drinkable water to the millions around the world that have no access to it. As we turn on the evening news and see that Hate Crimes increased 8% over the last year, we may come to realize that what we need is to foster a culture of reconciliation in our midst.
It seems to me that we often listen to our stomachs more than our faith. Listening to our stomachs means that we are driven by an insatiable desire for more. We are driven by greed. We are driven by desire. We are driven by what seems best in our interest, with no regard to our neighbors.
Listening to our faith, however, allows us to get to the heart of what we really are craving: community, love and hope.
These are the things that the crowd in today’s Gospel were craving all along – and Jesus points that out. When the hungry crowd had finally encircled him, crushing in upon him, anticipating the taste of sweet bread upon their tongues, Jesus calmly says to them, “You are looking for me not because you believe in me, but only because you want more bread.” The rest of the discussion is spent trying to get this hungry crowd to understand that Jesus has already given them what they are really hungry for.
This was a crowd of ordinary people, trying to make an honest way through life, though they struggled against the many systems that prevented them from doing so. These were people who were driven by hunger; but they were hungry for liberation.
This was a crowd of ordinary people who lived in a world of oppression and violence. These were people who were driven by hunger; but they were hungry for peace.
This was a crowd of ordinary people who worked hard to put food on the table every night. And this was a crowd of people who worried constantly about how they were going to provide the best for their families. These were people who were driven by hunger; but they were hungry for hope.
This is a more accurate picture of the hungry crowd that had gathered before Jesus. They come to Jesus as hungry people, and Jesus satisfies them. “I AM the bread of life,” he tells them, “Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Jesus fills their appetites with more than just ordinary bread; the bread he gives is his very self…literally…bread that will never leave them hungry again.
And this Thanksgiving, we gather here to celebrate that Jesus provides us with this bread, too. We are here because we are hungry. We are hungry for real things, for things that really matter. And we know that Jesus can satisfy us. We are satisfied here with music and song, which fill our spirits. We are satisfied here with Word and prayer, which increase our faith. We are satisfied here with bread and wine, the real presence of Jesus, which nourishes us for continued service in Christ’s name.
This is what Thanksgiving is about. It’s not only about the turkey, the stuffing, or my grandmother’s doughnuts. It is about being thankful that, in Christ, we have been filled with what we really need.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Text: John 6:25-25
Day: Thanksgiving C
Date: November 21, 2007
Thanksgiving and I have a “love-hate” relationship. I love it because it always involves a wonderful meal for me and my family. When I was younger, my family would gather at my grandmother’s house for a veritable feast. Thanksgiving was a time when she would pull out all the stops; it seems like she made every dish in her repertoire: spaghetti, meatballs, homemade sausage, ravioli, roast beef, savory duck, stuffed whitefish, corn, green bean casserole, rolls, pastries, cakes, pies, doughnuts…the food covered her entire billiards table. This is how I came to love Thanksgiving.
I came to hate Thanksgiving, though, because I could never stop myself from eating all of this food. I couldn’t help it! It just looked so tasty. The doughnuts, especially, cried out my name, begging me to eat them. And how could I refuse? I couldn’t. And still it continues today…inevitably, every Thanksgiving I end up attending to my stomach’s every desire, and I cross the line between “NEED” and “WANT.” By the time Thanksgiving is over, I feel incredibly stuffed, and I always think to myself, “Sure, I was fed, but now I feel miserable.”
I think my dilemma here is shared by many of you, especially around Thanksgiving. I’m sure many of you have found yourself in a situation when you have listened only to your stomach, maybe against your better judgment. And I always find that when we give priority to our stomachs, we are never really satisfied. We always crave more.
The crowd in our Gospel today is a great example of that. Here you have a large group of people. Just the day before they had gathered around Jesus and his disciples in a large, grassy field of rolling hills. And without even asking for anything to eat, they were told to sit down on the grass. There they sat and they watched with wide-eyed amazement as Jesus fed them – every one of them – with bread and fish. 5,000 people ate until they were satisfied! Now this catches my attention, because it seems to rival even my grandmother’s vast array of food!
Now, after the meal, Jesus leaves the crowd and eventually makes his way to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. The next day, however, the crowd awakes with their stomachs rumbling, growling, and churning. The crowd is hungry, and now they know exactly where they can get some food: Jesus. So, they begin scouring the countryside like ravenous wolves looking for prey. It doesn’t take long for this massive crowd to locate Jesus. They close in on him, their dry mouths watering, their stomachs roaring with anticipation, their beady eyes fixed on this one man who has the ability to give them what they crave: bread.
Now, at this point, they have numbers on their side; they could have forced themselves upon Jesus and demanded that he give them some more to eat. But instead, they choose the more indirect approach and simply ask, “When did you get here?” But Jesus sees through the superficial conversation. He knows why there are there. They are hungry. They want more bread. These are people who KNOW what they NEED…or do they?
Starting now, a full year before the Presidential Elections coming in 2008, we are already seeing debates among the presidential candidates. Have you been watching them? Even for me, a person who doesn’t really like presidential debates, I’ve found them to be somewhat interesting. Gathered together on one stage are people of varying backgrounds, varying political agendas, varying national ideals who come together to give their opinions on different topics. If you ever wanted to know what things Americans in general seem to think they NEED, you could watch one of these debates. What you would find is that people are scouring the political scene looking for someone to give them what they NEED.
Some say “Our gasoline prices are sky-high. We need to do something about the oil crisis in our country and rid ourselves of dependence upon others to satisfy our demand.”
Some say “Test scores are way down in our schools. We need an educational system that ensures that our schools have only the best and most qualified teachers.”
Some say “Our country’s reputation is the worst it has ever been. We need someone who will restore America’s image in the world’s eyes.”
Some say “National security is first and foremost. We need to be sure that the American people are kept safe from all harm.”
These are all issues that haunt us on a daily basis. We cannot escape them. And as the presidential election of 2008 draws ever nearer, these issues will seem to grow larger and larger. The public will find themselves getting crankier and crankier. Soon, we will look to someone – ANYONE – who will give us what we think we need.
But are these things accurate representations of what we really NEED? If we take an honest look at ourselves and at our world, we might come up with a completely different set of NEEDS: as the people of Bangladesh clean up after Cyclone Sidr, we may come to realize that we need more people working in Aid and Relief Organizations to provide for the needs of our neighbor. As we slurp down our bottled waters, we may come to realize that we need to provide clean, drinkable water to the millions around the world that have no access to it. As we turn on the evening news and see that Hate Crimes increased 8% over the last year, we may come to realize that what we need is to foster a culture of reconciliation in our midst.
It seems to me that we often listen to our stomachs more than our faith. Listening to our stomachs means that we are driven by an insatiable desire for more. We are driven by greed. We are driven by desire. We are driven by what seems best in our interest, with no regard to our neighbors.
Listening to our faith, however, allows us to get to the heart of what we really are craving: community, love and hope.
These are the things that the crowd in today’s Gospel were craving all along – and Jesus points that out. When the hungry crowd had finally encircled him, crushing in upon him, anticipating the taste of sweet bread upon their tongues, Jesus calmly says to them, “You are looking for me not because you believe in me, but only because you want more bread.” The rest of the discussion is spent trying to get this hungry crowd to understand that Jesus has already given them what they are really hungry for.
This was a crowd of ordinary people, trying to make an honest way through life, though they struggled against the many systems that prevented them from doing so. These were people who were driven by hunger; but they were hungry for liberation.
This was a crowd of ordinary people who lived in a world of oppression and violence. These were people who were driven by hunger; but they were hungry for peace.
This was a crowd of ordinary people who worked hard to put food on the table every night. And this was a crowd of people who worried constantly about how they were going to provide the best for their families. These were people who were driven by hunger; but they were hungry for hope.
This is a more accurate picture of the hungry crowd that had gathered before Jesus. They come to Jesus as hungry people, and Jesus satisfies them. “I AM the bread of life,” he tells them, “Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Jesus fills their appetites with more than just ordinary bread; the bread he gives is his very self…literally…bread that will never leave them hungry again.
And this Thanksgiving, we gather here to celebrate that Jesus provides us with this bread, too. We are here because we are hungry. We are hungry for real things, for things that really matter. And we know that Jesus can satisfy us. We are satisfied here with music and song, which fill our spirits. We are satisfied here with Word and prayer, which increase our faith. We are satisfied here with bread and wine, the real presence of Jesus, which nourishes us for continued service in Christ’s name.
This is what Thanksgiving is about. It’s not only about the turkey, the stuffing, or my grandmother’s doughnuts. It is about being thankful that, in Christ, we have been filled with what we really need.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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