Scripture: John 19:38-42
Holy Saturday is one day that just leaves me in a place of anxiety. I do not know why, but I think it has to do with the unknown. It is a day we remember that not only was Jesus tortured and killed, but that He was buried. Buried, placed in the ground, unseen, perhaps lost forever. These are words of finality and dispair. Jesus is dead and buried the hope of the coming kingdom is dead with Him. It is buried in a tomb and things will not change.
There is anxiety there, it is a sense that maybe God does not care as much as we would like. Maybe we were getting worked up about nothing. That is the point of this day. It is a day for us to re-evaluate what we put our faith in. If you think about it the disciples did not have faith in God, they had faith in the idea of Messiah. Their entire life and purpose was wrappd up around this one idea, and there was no room for adjustment. It was either their way or nothing. But their hope died, their Messiah buried.
As I pray over this and consider my own life I ask myself where am I placing my hope? I have great hope in the church, but is that hope found in the meeting house or the people of the Meeting? Today we looked into an issue in our meeting house, the lights did not work so an electrician came to look at the wiring. Long story shortened it does not look good. He speak about it and I begin to think the church is going to die. Quickly I realize that thechurch is not the building. Our meeting house could burn to the ground and those truly committed to the ministry of our Meeting would remain to carry on. I catch myself in the very idea that I so often preach against. I have idolized a building over the people God loves. I have placed my hope in something made of wood fashioned by the hands of men and women.
Realize after this one quick second I understand Holy Saturday. Jesus is dead buried, hope is buried. If our hope is placed firmly in the world and culture we live, then where is our hope? Our hope I in man. My son asked me today why all congressmen look creepy, my answer was they are creeps that’s why. If you are a congressman or woman I hope I don’t offend you, but more often than not they are there because of selfish motives and personal gain. In other words they are creeps. If our hope is in this world then that I what we get. We get people hording the wealth of the world to themselves and doing what they can to keep anyone from taking their claim. Hopeless.
Holy Satuday reminds us that we are dead if left to ourselves. We are hopless without God’s intevention. We weep on Saturday not because Jesus is buried but because we have placed our hope in something other than the truth. We weep because we are not gods we are not the masters of the universe we cannot will the world to our likings. It is scary it means that we are subject to something else beyond our control.
There is hope that remains. The story does not end. As the discples sit in their hoplessness they begin to remember the words and teachings of their Teacher, and hope begins to build, there is a power beyond humanity that does have power over the things of this world, power that healed the sick, cause the lame to walk, and the dead to rise. What if it really could be true?
Scripture: John 13:1-17, 31b-35
This week has been rough. The store I work at was having their annual inventory. I don’t know why they had it this week of all weeks, but as a result I had the opportunity to work massive amounts of overtime! Now I am being a bit sarcastic at this point, I did not want to work the equivalent of seven and a half days in the window of five but those were the cards I was dealt.
After working a double shift and crawling into bed at two in the morning I noticed a strange aroma radiating from my feet, and my hands were black. I then crawled to the bathroom to wash up. This passage today, although usually read on the Thursday of Holy Week, made me stop to think about things in a different light. I moved away from my loved when I removed my shoes because I did not want my wife to get sick. Yet Jesus got down on His knees and washed the nastiness off His friends. I cannot imagine what was on their feet, mine were bad enough.
But that is not the issue. It is just my initial thoughts. Peter argues with His teacher saying you will never wash my feet. I seem to agree with Peter, I would not want anyone let alone the person I respect the most bending their nose that close to my feet after working all day. Jesus responds by saying if you don’t let me wash your feet you will have nothing to do with me. Can you imagine this? Not only having your mentor asking to smell and touch your feet, but then getting told you are out of my group if you refuse. Peter of course says not my feet but everything else. I can imagine he probably had himself half undressed before the words were out of his mouth, which could have been awkward.
Jesus needs to wash us, He cleanses our bodies through His sacrifice on the cross but there is still some dirtiness to deal with. Some may say, no this is wrong, once you are saved you are saved for good. That may be true, but are you clean, do your feet stink? I looked down at my hands several times today during my shift, they are covered with dirt, paint, even a little blood from paper cuts. Am I good enough to eat a feast? No I washed my hands before I went to lunch, in fact my stomach gets upset even thinking about eating without washing the dirt of work off.
We are in communion with God when we enter prayer and worship. We are feasting with God. How are you going to walk into that time? During the course of the day I examine myself. I consider if I have been reflecting the Christ to others. For the most part yes I have been very encouraging, but there were a few times I may have said some thing, though not really wrong, were not very encouraging or uplifting. They were not sinful in the sense of cursing someone, but I did not respect or honor them as an individual loved by God. My hands are a bit dirty. I am for the most part clean but there is something about me that could use improvement. Jesus needs to wash my hands, before I can sit at His table. If I don’t let Him I would leave smudges on the table-cloth.
As you reflect on God’s grace today I encourage you to also let Jesus wash some of the dirt off you. Confess the areas of life improvement is needed and ask for the strength and wisdom to improve.
Scripture: Isaiah 49:1-7
Everyone is created with a purpose, they have something inside of them that every ounce of their being strives to achieve. Unfortunatly for us we do not have full knowledge of ourselves, we can spend a lifetime seaching for who we are, come close, and still miss it because we are distracted by the worries of our lives. We could be something more, but we worry about the bills, the kids, our spouce. How much more could we provide for these if we were able to glimps the meaning of our life.
Jesus, unlike us, was able to see the things we are unable to see. When the book of Isaiah was read in the Meeting of Worship, something inside Him lept with completness. He knew that He was the fulfillment of time not just for Israel but all mankind.
One day the Greek people came to talk with Him and the Father spoke to them just as He did those of Israel. Jesus’ words have reached across cultural boundries and the time for redemption is here.
I wonder about the days when Jesus a boy, listening to the men reading. What did He feel, did He ever say something to those around Him? When He saw a person of another nation did He begin to think is it time? Did he know how sharp His tongue would be or how accurate his arrows would fly? He is hidden waiting to be revealed. Then one day He climbs on the back of an unridden colt and the time is here. He is no longer hidden but in full view. The nations seek Him wanting to know His wisdom, yet there are those wanting to put him back into obscurity.
Imagine Jesus’ youth today and His anticipation. Imagine the strain He had over the knowldge He posessed which we could only dream about. He knows us before our mothers even realize we are growing in their womb, He knows what will cause us joy and pain, what will draw us to Him or drive us away. He knows what we are capable of and yet He allows us to find it through gentle urgings. He grew into who He should be, so do we. Let us today think about our life and consider what we could do if the one who knows us best were directing our lives.