Every one here this morning has been and is on a journey and we have come a long way this lent-each one of us! Rosemary and I join you today from Florida and we will return tomorrow; but we will return next month to stay for the spring, summer and fall. A long journey, but a very good one!
On my journey, I am now approximately 2/3rds of the way towards ordination, and God willing, I will be ordained to the Diaconate late this fall, and to the Priesthood next summer or fall. A long journey, but a wonderful one!
And as we, you and I have journeyed through Lent; through these past 33 days and the Sundays of Lent, it has taken us scripturally, if you will, with Jesus and his disciples, down from the cool, green banks of the Jordan river, up in Caesarea Philippi, in the far north of the Galilee, wherePeter both proclaimed Jesus as the Christ, and then got severely rebuked for denyingJesus's call to die in Jerusalem. "Get behind me, satan"! Jesus recognizing the devil in his top lieutenant. What had occurred there was that Jesus first fully realized what his being the Christ, the Messiah, truly meant… to die.
So then "turning his face towards Jerusalem", he leads his disciples and the others with him, being drawn by faith and his father's word, down the Jordan valley, but stopping first nearby to answer the call of his heavenly father; to consult with and comfort him, on the Mount of Transfiguration. Remember who was with him? Peter, James and John! They witness his conversing with Moses and Elijah, and they hear God's voice chiding them to "Listen to Him"! Do you think they understood or got the message? No! Not yet! And not for a while, as we now know!
And on they go and we with them, down the Galilee of the broad fertile fields and hills, stopping in Capernaum, probably at Peter's house; stopping to minister, heal the sick, and He feeds the 5000. And then on down past Jericho, in the desert of the dead sea, and one of the largest oases in the world, and the city at the foot of the Jerusalem/Jericho road. Remember, here he heals the two blind beggars on the road and they join his band going up to Jerusalem.
Then there is dissension in the ranks! James and John, the Sons of Thunder, talk their mother into approaching Jesus while they are on the road, and she asks him, in their behalf, if they can sit at his right and left hand when he comes into his kingdom. Remember his reply, which is rather mild and perhaps done with a smile: "It is not for me grant such a request, but only the father who alone knows who it will be". And " do you think you can drink of the cup I will drink"? Now speaking to James and John directly? And their answer is "yes"! And Jesus replies that they will indeed drink of the same cup, but not as they think, but to their death! And the other disciples are indignant! The nerve of those two! Sons of Thunder, indeed? They had to get their mother to intercede for them!
And finally, we, with Jesus approach Jerusalem and experience the preparations for his triumphal entry and the procession, with the palms waving, the cries of "Hozanna", and the garments laid in his path. And he proceeds to the temple where he cleanses it and then returns to teach there daily before his betrayal.
But our journey now arrives at today, this moment. This morning we have jumped ahead, if you will, to experience in advance, Jesus passion and death on the cross. Why? Because the church, down through the centuries, does not want us to go from triumphal entry directly to the resurrection, without experiencing Calvary. You have perhaps heard it said "You can't get to Easter without going through Good Friday? In other words, if you don't partake in Good Friday and experience all it means, you will at least have received it this morning, in preparation for HolyWeek, and will at least experience it to some degree.
So what then shall we do, you and I, as we continue our journey, these next few days, to prepare our hearts for Easter?
If you are like me, perhaps you are not entirely satisfied with the way you have kept Lent. I suggest that we make a renewed effort in prayer and meditation, and in the reading of scripture, each day, before next Sunday, and ask the Lord to show us what his Son's death means for you and me, in a new way. Let us, each one, reread the passages from each of the gospels, one on each day, Mathew, Mark, Luke and John, on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and journey with Jjesus through Holy Week concerning his passion and death. Let us read, pray and meditate to discover and realize afresh how much Jesus loved the world, and you, and me, that He willingly laid down his life for us, so that we are redeemed by his blood and will live with him forever. For this is our faith, our hope and our salvation.
Finally, when we each hold Him in our hands, in just a few moments, let us ask Him, each in our own way, to give us a renewed sense of His love in our lives and to show us how we can express that love to the world about us.
Amen