Who Comes in the Name of the Lord?

March 24, 2024 by chaplaineliza

“Who Comes in the Name of the Lord?”

Mark 11:1-11 (11:9) – March 24, 2024

Think of a time when you were expecting – anticipating – something really big. And, this really big thing was by no means 100 percent certain of ending well. Maybe you (or I) were facing a major interview at work, a huge exam at school, or even a really important speech. I can just imagine us being anxious, worried, with a knot at the pit of your – my stomach, or how jumpy we felt. The waiting time and expectation of that really big event was palpable! [1]

This feeling is not exclusive to you and to me. No, many, many people have felt this way before! I wonder whether the disciples felt at all like this during the time that they were helping their Rabbi Jesus get everything ready for the entry into Jerusalem? As a subversive Rabbi and leader, Jesus knew His presence in the city was a grand challenge to the Jewish leaders. And yet, Jesus was going to walk right into Jerusalem with His eyes wide open.

Mark tells us in a straight forward way what happened that day. Verses 7 through 9: “When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. ⁸Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. ⁹Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”¹⁰“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” An impromptu grand entrance for the Rabbi Jesus; a parade, even!

Look at this entrance through the lens of anxiety and wonder! For, that certainly was what many people in the crowd were feeling. I suspect some of the disciples were feeling that way, too! As commentator Scott Hoezee says, “What Palm/Passion Sunday celebrates and observes is not simple, it is not neat, tidy, or straightforward. The air fairly crackles with electricity as the characters in this grand drama sense that something big is up.” [2]

Let’s look at this from a different direction. Here’s the situation: It’s almost Passover, the most important religious observance of the religious year. A great number of faithful Jews from near and far come to Jerusalem, in pilgrimage, in commemoration of the Exodus event.

Jesus comes, too. He publicly, intentionally enters Jerusalem, even though the religious leaders are not pleased with Him or what He has been doing for the past few years. Jesus’s disciples must have known about the prophecy of an entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. This was clearly a scene with “Messiah” written all over it.

Traditionally, when a conquering king comes home from war, he is seated on a horse, and the finest horse in the king’s stables, at that! But here, where Jesus proclaims Himself a king of peace, “he rides a donkey and enhances that statement of peace by choosing an unridden colt. The words that were spoken come from one of the enthronement psalms, used when a new king was coming into power. Hard to miss, really.” [3]

Just imagine if you and I were witnesses to our Lord Jesus and His triumphal entry to Jerusalem. I am sure that there were many people present in that crowd who only had a faint idea what was going on. What would you and I do if we were there? Would we be observers only, merely watching the parade? Would we be cheering the Rabbi Jesus as He entered Jerusalem? And, what about the reference to the psalm that people shouted? A psalm that was quoted when a new king took the throne? How many of the crowd really believed Jesus was a new King, a coming Messiah? Lots of questions we have, indeed!

There was a disconnect between the people and their limited understanding, and what Jesus actually was going to do. But I’m getting ahead of myself by rushing on to later in Holy Week. We are still here on Palm Sunday. And, many in the crowd are still excited to welcome the Rabbi Jesus—their hoped-for Messiah—into the city. They are hoping He will save them from the Romans and maybe, possibly, become their King. Except they had an earthly King in mind.

On second thought, I will go forward into Holy Week. This Triumphal Entry is the culmination of Jesus and His time on Earth, of all His time as a human, as God-become-Man in the Incarnation. Think about it: the world, the very cosmos itself, was on the brink of the most momentous event since the Big Bang, with the very Son of God about to be handed over to the authorities. Betrayed, abused, murdered. The very hosts of heaven – and maybe of hell for all we know – were quite literally holding their breath to see this all play out. [4]

You and I have the luxury of 20/20 hindsight, of course, looking at an event so clearly reported in the historical and Biblical record. But, if a grand procession welcoming the Messiah happened today, would people still be waving palm branches? Would you and I?

This Holy Week is where all of the prophecies focus to a fine point, and reveal the Rabbi Jesus as not only the Messiah and King, but also as the Suffering Servant. The Lamb of God, sent to take away the sins of the world.

As we remember this Passover time, this Holy Week, we can thank God that our Lord Jesus did enter Jerusalem. As a King, as a Messiah, yes! But also as Redeemer and Savior. In the first century, Jesus came to save His people from their sins. Just as much as He was Redeemer and Savior for that crowd in Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday, Jesus is our Redeemer and Savior, too. Praise God, He came to save us, today, too! Amen! And amen!

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. and A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2018-03-19/mark-111-11-2/

[2] Ibid.

[3] https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning/depths-of-love/palm-passion-sunday-year-b-lectionary-planning-notes/palm-passion-sunday-year-b-preaching-notes

[4] https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2018-03-19/mark-111-11-2/

Written on Our Hearts!

March 18, 2024 by chaplaineliza

“Written on Our Hearts!”

Jeremiah 31:31-34 (31:33) – March 17, 2024

Relationships are foundational to life. Positive, negative, distant, close. Both of my parents are gone now, but I had a loving relationship with both of them. My sisters and brothers—again, I have relationships with them. Members of my extended family, too, are included in my list of relationships. Also my friends, acquaintances, colleagues, even my enemies. All of these people have relationships with me.

Think about yourself. You have relationships with many, many people, too. Most of your relatives and acquaintances I just mentioned, if not all of them. Positive or negative, distant or close. We all have relationships—or friendships—with many people.

But what about God? What kind of relationship do you and I have with God? Is that relationship good? Even wonderful? Is it close? Or distant? Bumpy at times? Our Scripture reading for today talks about this relationship. The prophet is talking about it from God’s perspective. God’s view of the relationship, or the friendship, if you will.

If we think about the nation of Israel in the time of Jeremiah, the nation was devastated, and destroyed by the conquering nation of Babylon. The nation of Israel was probably not thinking about keeping up their relationship with God at all – with so much chaos and destruction surrounding each individual, each family, across the whole country.

Centuries before the time of Jeremiah, God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, and the whole law code of Moses in the years after that. This law code or rule book was meant to be a structure for the nation of Israel to follow, to live their lives, on a daily basis. And, this structure was a way for them to have a relationship with their God, their helper and deliverer – if they chose to follow God and God’s ways.

Isn’t that the main problem? The nation of Israel had continuing problems following God’s rule book, God’s law code. Isn’t it exactly the same thing today, that you and I have the same problems following God, too?

We’re not talking about a distant God, a God Who wound up the universe like a watch, put it on some shelf, and then walked away and promptly forgot all about it. No! The Lord wants to be in a relationship – with us!

If we look at this reading, we see that God did have a relationship—a friendship, we could say—with the nation of Israel. God was the one Who started it. See what verse 32 says? God took the nation of Israel by the hand when God led them out of Egypt. God wanted the friendship. Israel did not start the relationship.

We can compare that friendship to God’s relationship with us. God wants us as friends, too! Just as with the nation of Israel, God goes out of God’s way to make friends with us. You and me. Each and every one of us. God approaches us.

But something happened. Something awful! The nation of Israel was not a faithful friend to God. The relationship was disrupted, broken. But, God didn’t break it. No! Israel did. Remember the many, many times in the Hebrew Scriptures that Israel ran away from God? Or forgot about God? Or just plain ignored God? Time after time, we can read about how the nation stumbled, resisted, or was unfaithful to their friendship. Their relationship.

We can see the number one reason the people of Israel were taken out of the land and sent into exile: because the people broke their Covenant and God’s rule book time after time after time again. That’s the big reason for the nation of Israel’s exile to Babylon.

What about us? What about you and me, in our relationship with God? Isn’t it a lot the same? Don’t we stumble, or fall? Haven’t we forgotten about God, or even broken God’s rules? I’m thinking of sin. Putting other things in God’s place. Making other things or other people in our lives more important to us than God.

Our relationship with God is broken! Disrupted. Sometimes we grow so used to sinning, to being apart from God, that you and I cannot choose to do anything else. What a predicament! Our relationship with God—under the Old Covenant—is gone. Destroyed. We are sunk, there is not a chance for you and for me.

What about the nation of Israel? What did God do for them? Rev. Sharon Blezzard said, “God does not abandon the people, even when their hearts have turned from God’s divine love and life-giving law. God is faithful and promises to be known – not just in word and in teaching, but in the very DNA of the people.” [1]

The Lord does not leave us abandoned, either! God still wants to be in relationship with us! With you, and with me. God’s nature is not punishing or arbitrary, but instead loving and forgiving. This forgiveness is heart language, from God. And, God will write this new covenant, this new relationship upon our hearts.

The foundation of this forgiveness comes from our new knowledge of God, written on our hearts. And what is our response to God’s love? God’s forgiveness? God’s reconciling embrace? You and I have the opportunity to live changed lives, as changed people—from the inside out. God is not willing that anyone should be strangers, but instead that all would have the opportunity to be friends with God. Best friends.

God will be our God. We will be God’s people. And that’s a promise. That’s forgiveness. That’s the opportunity that each of us has to be with God, forever. Amen, and amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. and A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.stewardshipoflife.org/2015/03/language-of-the-heart/

Live in God’s Light!

March 10, 2024 by chaplaineliza

“Live in God’s Light!”

John 3:14-21 (3:19-21) – March 10, 2024

Remember getting report cards in school? What about yearly reviews from your boss, or your supervisor? Those can be very stressful, even upsetting. People in authority can have real power over us, and sometimes negative influence, too. Can you remember if you had any mean teachers? Unfair bosses? What about rotten coaches? Getting checks or bad marks on a report card, or a reprimand from a manager at your work?

This Scripture reading is early in the rabbi Jesus’ ministry. Jesus had already made a name for Himself, with the tremendous teaching He had done and the wonderful miracles He had performed. So, a lot of people were talking about Jesus, this itinerant rabbi from Galilee. Even the most important leaders among the Jews, the Pharisees, were talking about this Rabbi Jesus. One of the Jewish leaders summoned up enough courage one night to sneak over to where Jesus was staying. Nicodemus wanted to know more about Jesus.

Here in John chapter 3, our Lord Jesus and Nicodemus have a long conversation. There is so much fascinating material here! I could preach so many different sermons from this one reading alone. But, I wanted to focus today on the last part of the reading.

Listen again: “the light has come into the world, but people love the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds are evil. ²⁰Those who do evil things hate the light and will not come to the light, because they do not want their evil deeds to be shown up. ²¹But those who do what is true come to the light in order that the light may show that what they did was in obedience to God.”

I suspect you and I and many people around the world know John 3:16. This much beloved verse is one of the dearest and most memorized Bible verses of all time. “For God so loved the world that God gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” But, what about several verses further on? Does God really give us all a heavenly report card? Does everyone get bad marks from God, because “people love the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds are evil?”

So often people “do not want their evil deeds to be shown up.” We humans run from the light of God! A vivid image that comes to the mind of commentator Rev. Sharon Blezzard was that of “cockroaches scurrying when the lights are turned on. Being exposed, being vulnerable, even in the loving and grace-filed light of Christ, runs counter to our [fallible] human nature.” [1]

The upright, law-following Jews of Jesus’ time tried their hardest to follow all God’s rules, to obey even the smallest rule in the Law of Moses set out in the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch. Even the strictest law-follower among the Jews knows they fall down sometimes, and fail to keep strict adherence to the Mosaic Law code.

It doesn’t matter whether we are talking about the strict law-followers two thousand years ago, or upright believers in God today. Telling ourselves that we are good and right and following God all the time is so human, so natural! Sadly, many people “want to keep our evil desires, our sinful expressions, and our selfish ways hidden in the shadows. In fact, we’re pretty adept at adapting to the darkness and fooling ourselves into all sorts of pretty little lies and heady rationalizations.” [2]

The Bible calls this the natural state of people. We often see people in their natural state feeling frustrated because they are fooling themselves, and want to wallpaper over that hidden darkness in their lives, where they trip up or even turn away from following God.

I recognize that so many of our fellow humans judge every little thing. Don’t you know a few people – even more than a few – who have frowns on their faces, their hands on their hips, or shake their fingers at certain people? And, if these disapproving, judgy folks judge you and me, it can really hurt! How much more does it hurt for us to get judged by God? Could we be fooling ourselves? Is each of us going to get a bad report card from God, with failing grades in following Jesus? This is such a helpless, hopeless place to be!

But, thanks be to God! This helpless, hopeless place is not the end of all things. No, we have the blessed truth of John 3:16 to turn to! For God so loved the world.

Some people cannot get past the words “God so loved the world.” If they trust that God loves them, they think God can’t possibly love their awful neighbor. Or the guy who cussed them out. Or the lady who is always really mean. God can’t possibly love them? God loves the world – except for those people from a certain country overseas. Or, except for those homeless people or undocumented people. Or, except for those people who believe something really weird about God. Or, well, you get the idea.

Let’s try an experiment. I am going to say John 3:16 several times, except with little changes each time. Here goes. 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.

Second time: imagine someone saying this to you. For God so loved (person’s name) that he gave his only Son, so that if (person’s name) believes in him, (person’s name) may not perish but may have eternal life. And, the third time, say this to yourself. For God so loved me that he gave his only Son, so that if I believe in him, I may not perish but may have eternal life. [3]

Has anyone ever said that to you before? Jesus means it. He truly does.

What this reading is doing is giving all of us permission to get out of the condemnation business! Jesus did not come to condemn us. [4]

Jesus shines His loving, grace-filled light into the darkness and shadows of our hearts and loves us anyway. As I say each week in the Assurance of Pardon: believe the Good News! The Lord will never waver in persistent, caring love for each of us. And, that is a promise that is faithful and true – we have the words of Jesus on it.

For God so loved the world. Even you and me.

Amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. and A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.stewardshipoflife.org/2015/03/living-in-the-light/

[2] Ibid.

[3] https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning/depths-of-love/fourth-sunday-in-lent-year-b-lectionary-planning-notes/fourth-sunday-in-lent-year-b-youth-lessons

[4] https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning/depths-of-love/fourth-sunday-in-lent-year-b-lectionary-planning-notes/fourth-sunday-in-lent-year-b-preaching-notes

Bigger Than We Can Imagine!

March 3, 2024 by chaplaineliza

“Bigger Than We Can Imagine!”

Exodus 20:1-4 (20:3) – March 3, 2024

Who likes following the rules? How about the rules for games or contests, or the rules of the road? Knowing the rules means you know how to act, how to play the game, what is expected. As people try to figure out the world around them, rules are very helpful. [1]

For the past number of weeks, we have been following the Gospel readings each Sunday for our Scripture lessons and to highlight for our sermons. I am sad we have not been focusing on the Lectionary Hebrew Scripture readings, though. For the past weeks, our Lectionary for the Hebrew Scriptures has followed the Exodus narrative, following Moses and the people of Israel as they left Egypt, left slavery, and became a free people under God.

And now, they are wandering in the wilderness. This Exodus narrative is powerful, indeed! We talked about wandering in the wilderness several weeks ago, when we considered our Lord Jesus in the wilderness, being tempted by Satan. I mentioned that you and I are not often in the actual wilderness, miles from the nearest town, from the nearest person, even! However, you and I can feel very much lost in the wilderness, sometimes. We can be lost and wandering emotionally, psychologically, and especially, spiritually.

It’s at times like these that we need our friends, our families, a familiar group of people we can travel with. Because, that is exactly what the people of Israel were doing, out there in the wilderness. They were surrounded by their beloved community, every step of the way.

Or, was their community really so beloved? As the hungry, tired and footsore people of Israel have been wandering in the wilderness, they haven’t stopped arguing with their leader Moses and testing God! That’s the powerful God who led them out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made miracle after miracle happen, supplying the people’s basic needs for food and water. Can you see why Moses might have had it with being the leader of this stiff-necked people? This stubborn group of constant complainers? [2]

I don’t know about you, but when I get a bunch of rules, I like to know why. I am not very likely to follow a bunch of rules just because the leader is twisting my arm. Or, even worse, because God said – imagine folding God’s arms – “Because I said so!” If that were the case, I think I might be a little stubborn and stiff-necked, too.

If we look at the larger narrative from Exodus, when God gives the commandments to the people of Israel, this provides “the people with a sense of purpose and identity and even a bit of security. Although God has brought them out of Egypt and performed a number of miracles, it is not until this point in the story that God tells the people about God’s intentions for them.” [3]

Think back to your childhood, or perhaps the childhoods of your cousins or your friends. When you had rules in your house growing up, how often were those rules set to give you boundaries, and to make you feel secure? Rules from a loving parent or a caring coach are meant to give us boundaries, to help us feel safe, secure, and even loved!

One of my favorite Bible commentators is Carolyn Brown. She is now retired, but she was a longtime Children’s Ministry Director in the Presbyterian church. She paraphrased the Ten Commandments for our Scripture reading today. Many if not all of these Ten Commandments are there to help us be in community with each other. Listen to several selected ones:

I am God. I am the one and only God. Don’t worship or pray to anything or anyone else.

I am bigger than anyone or anything you can imagine. So don’t make pictures or statues that you think look like me and worship them. You’ll get them wrong.

Say my name with respect. Work six days of the week, but keep one for rest and for remembering that you are my people.

Treat your father and mother with respect. Don’t kill anyone. Be loyal to your family.

Don’t take what is not yours. Don’t tell lies about other people.

Don’t wish that you had things that belong to other people. [4]

These rules sound like common sense, and to help all of us to live in community! These rules help all of us to form ourselves into an alternative community. Not a community under a king or a dictator, but “rather by loyalty to a god who has chosen to redeem a group of slaves from a life of bondage. The commandments mean to sketch out a space where human beings can live fruitful, productive, and meaningful lives before God and with one another.” [5]

We do not have a mean, distant God, giving us a rule-book that is difficult to follow. We do not have God as an annoying supervisor, looking to be a harassing tyrant over us. No! Instead, these commands are “a piece of the whole life of faith, enlightening us as to our relationship with God and our dependency on that relationship.” [6]

When we are wandering in the dark, in the wilderness, far away from the light of God’s presence, it may seem like God’s loving presence and caring counsel are far away, too. Our loving, caring God is always waiting, arms wide open, for us stubborn people to turn around, to come back home.

Remember, God will not say, “Jump through these hoops, and only then will I love you!” No! Instead, God says, “My love for you will shape you into these kinds of people, this kind of loving, beloved community.” Let us strive to live together as a people of faith, as a community loved by God. Amen!

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. and A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2011/09/year-proper-22-27th-sunday-in-ordinary.html

[2] https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-27/commentary-on-exodus-201-4-7-9-12-20-2

[3] Ibid.

[4] http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2011/09/year-proper-22-27th-sunday-in-ordinary.html

[5] https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-27/commentary-on-exodus-201-4-7-9-12-20-2

[6] https://revgalblogpals.org/2014/06/10/narrative-lectionary-the-rules-of-engagement-edition/