Easter Day, the Feast of the Resurrection- Colossians 3; John 20

He is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! (Mark 16:6; Luke 24:34) With these scriptural words or similar phrases, Christians have greeted one another for almost two thousand years. The greatest Christian celebration has finally arrived. The primary Gospel in the Book of Common Prayer is St. John 20:1- 10. This passage makes clear how surprising and important Christ's Resurrection was to the first disciples. Believing in the empty tomb and bodily resurrection of Jesus are essential affirmations for being a faithful Christian disciple. 

The Epistle from Colossians 3. 1-4 applies the reality of Christ's Resurrection. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 

In these words, St. Paul applies the meaning of the historical reality of the Resurrection to the lives of believers. First, Christians have been incorporated into Christ's Resurrection. This has taken place through Baptism and faith; believers have died to their old sinful ways and risen to new life in the Lord. (as explained by the Apostle in Romans 6). Secondly, being raised with Christ means that Christians seek "those things which are above." Believers are to look heavenward because Christ is now at the Father's right hand. As a result, Christians do not set their affection on earthly things. We live in a new and different way because we believe that Christ will return to lead His followers into glorious realms. 

So Easter, the Feast of the Resurrection, is multi-dimensional for those who have faith in Jesus Christ. Yes, there is a unique and glorious event at the basis of the church's celebration. Jesus of Nazareth conquered death and arose to life in bodily form. He showed us His true nature as the divine Savior. He could not be destroyed by the powers of death and evil. And because He lives, He can offer us new and eternal life with Him!

Good Friday- The Passion according to St. John

Good Friday is one of the most important and solemn observances of the Christian year. Christians have developed a variety of devotions appropriate for the day. One of my favorites is a timeline previously posted on this blog. Some timelines draw together the different Passion accounts, but several years ago, I developed the following one based on St. John chapters 18 and 19 which are used in the traditional readings for the day. This timeline along with traditional prayers has served as a good basis for reflection.

Friday morning just after midnight - Confrontation in Garden and Jesus' Arrest (John 18:1-12)

Friday early morning hours– Jesus is taken to the house of Annas, former High Priest; Peter's first denial; Jesus receives initial physical abuse (John 18:13-23);

Jesus sent to the High Priest Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin Court –Peter's second and third denials; Jesus bloodied by abuse (John 18:24-27).

Friday 6:00 a.m.-8:30 a.m. - Hearing before the Roman governor Pilate; Pilate tries to release Jesus but the Judean mob objects and prefers the release of Barabas (John 18:28-40).

Pilate has Jesus beaten.- Pilate's Roman soldiers take Jesus into the court ("Praetorium") and engage in mockery and torture, including a brutal crown of thorns (John 19:1-3).

Pilate hesitates but the mob still cries out against Jesus (John 19:4-15).

Friday 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon - Pilate hands Jesus over for crucifixion. Weakened by interrogations, sleep deprivation, and beatings, Jesus is forced to carry his own cross to the place of execution; then He is crucified under the charge of being "King of the Jews" (John 19:16-22).

The soldiers cast lots for His garments (John 19:23-24).

Friday 12:00 noon - 3:00 p.m. - Jesus continues to suffer on the cross. His mother, other women followers, and one male disciple (usually identified as John) remain with Him. Jesus commends His mother into the disciple's care (John 19:25-29).

Friday 3:00 p.m. - Death: Jesus says, "It is finished" and expires. The soldiers do not even bother to break His legs, but one pierces His side with a spear (John 19:30-37).

Friday before sunset - Burial: With the Sabbath approaching, Joseph of Arimethea and Nicodemus make arrangements for a quick but respectful burial in a nearby rock tomb (John 19:38-42)

Thursday before Easter, commonly called Maundy Thursday- I Cor. 11:23-26

 One reading for this day is I Corinthians 11:23 ff which is St. Paul's account of the Lord's Supper. Although Anglicans have sometimes had differing theological opinions about the Sacrament, we have been clear that this Sacrament instituted by our Lord is more than simply an act of remembrance. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away sin and death by offering Himself on the cross. Anglicans and most other Christians have agreed that in some mysterious and unique way, Jesus comes to be with us along with the consecrated bread and the wine.

The proper minister or celebrant uses Christ's Words of Institution to bless the bread and the wine and assures believers of Christ's living presence. Jesus brings us His forgiving and strengthening grace through the outward means that He established. We are tangibly offered grace whenever we observe the Lord's Supper/Holy Communion/Eucharist. We are called to repent and receive the Sacrament in faith and in reverence.

Hopefully, we can enjoy this great gift as we commemorate its institution on this Thursday of Holy Week. Unfortunately,, external circumstances or schedules make it impossible for some to gather and receive the Sacrament on this day. Yet, we can still meditate upon the Scriptural accounts and contemplate the Lord's Supper. Looking to past and future observances of the Sacrament, we can still pray for Christ to come and be with us wherever we are. Thanks be to God for Christ's special Presence in the Lord's Supper and for His spiritual communion with believers scattered throughout the world!

Holy Week Readings

 Whether in common prayer or private devotions, the basis for a good Week before Easter, generally called Holy Week, is reading and reflecting on Holy Scripture. Traditional Books of Common Prayer provide daily Epistles and readings from the Passion Gospels. The readings for the Daily Office from the 1943 lectionary in the 1928 BCP focus on the Gospel of John, chapters 14-19.  For easy reference, here is a list for Morning and Evening Prayer.

MORNING-

Mon. before Easter                Ps, 71    Isa. 42:1–7 John 14:1–14

Tues. before Easter                Ps. 6, 12   Hosea 14 John 15:1–16

Wed. before Easter                Ps. 94     Zech. 12:9-10 & 13:1, 7–9  John 16:1–15

Maundy Thursday                  Ps. 116   Jer. 31:31–34 John 13:18

GOOD FRIDAY                    Pss. 22, 40:1–16, 54   Gen. 22:1–18 or Wisdom 2:1, 12–24  John 18

Easter Even                            Pss. 14, 16    Job 14:1–14 John 19:38 or Heb. 4

EVENING- 

Mon. before Easter                Pss. 42, 43        Lam. 1:7–12 John 14:15

Tues. before Easter                Ps. 51      Lam. 2:10, 13–19 John 15:17

Wed. before Easter                Ps. 74    Lam. 3:1, 14–33 John 16:16

Maundy Thursday                 Pss. 142, 143   Lam. 3:40-58 John 17

GOOD FRIDAY                    Pss. 69:1–22 & 88     Isa. 52:13–53:12   1 Pet. 2:11

Easter Even                            Ps. 27       Job 19:21–27a     Rom. 6:3–11

Sunday next before Easter, commonly called Palm Sunday- Phil. 2

Many people know this Sunday as Palm Sunday from the Gospel accounts of Jesus entering Jerusalem on this day.  Many also expect the long account of Christ's Passion from Matthew 27. Although the events are distinctive, these two readings from the Gospel tell us what happened this week. Jesus our Lord was glorified and then rejected and horribly killed.  As human beings, we may have some difficulty keeping these two aspects of Holy Week together in our thoughts.  Yet, they belong together, and in the Epistle from Philippians 2, the Apostle Paul ties the themes together in a beautiful way. 

Philippians 2: 5 -11 reads: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This passage from Philippians may be an early Christian creedal hymn, and the words can be applied to many commemorations of the Christian faith. As we look at them on Palm Sunday, the words are very appropriate at the beginning of Holy Week. Their devotional significance is to draw us closer to the "mind" or attitude of Christ (2:5). The divine and unique Son of God deserves praise as the King of Israel and the King of all creation. Yet, He comes in humility in order to redeem human beings.

We see this humble acceptance of the human condition at His birth and throughout His earthly ministry, but it culminates in Holy Week and Good Friday: "He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (2:8). These words summarize the details of the Passion Gospels. Christ voluntarily humbled Himself. The divine Son became the servant so that He could accomplish the ultimate obedience to holy principles, obedience unto death which had no rightful dominion over Him. Furthermore, the death He accepted was not just any death but death upon the cross. He accepted crucifixion, one of the most degrading and horrifying means of torture and execution devised by cruel men.

The Cross of Christ should always be at the center of Christian preaching, doctrine, and devotion. It is at the heart of Christ's earthly ministry, and it is a basic element in understanding the profound meaning of divine love. Nevertheless, as central as the Cross is to our Christian faith and life, the words of Philippians 2:9-11 also teach us that believers should look beyond the Cross. The Cross is necessary and central to our faith, but Jesus Christ transforms the Cross. He suffers as a human being, but He is also God the Son who cannot be conquered in the end. His perfect obedience and sacrifice are accepted, and He is exalted. He receives "a name which is above every name."

This means that as believers, we see a deeper reality. The way of the Cross is the path toward Resurrection and true Life. So like our Lord, we walk the way of the Cross both figuratively and in the real trials of human existence because we trust that God uses the Cross for our redemption and true life.

Lent V- John 8:58

On some traditional Western liturgical calendars (including the 1928 BCP), the Fifth Sunday in Lent has been called Passion Sunday. The original meaning of the word passion is suffering, and we know that there are many aspects of Christ’s suffering.  There had been social, political, and religious opposition to Jesus since early in His ministry. Nevertheless, as His ministry approaches the end, the conflicts intensify. Something about Him makes His opponents even more determined to destroy Him.

Today’s Gospel from John 8 reflects this deeper conflict. The central issue is Jesus' identity and His character. He makes claims that some of His opponents find outrageous. He crosses the boundaries of acceptable eccentricity. Some of His sayings even frighten potential sympathizers. In  John 8, Christ implies that no one can convict Him of sin. He says that He can conquer death, and He implies that He is greater than the patriarch Abraham. Even more bluntly He says, “Before Abraham was, I am” (Jn. 8:58). In the Jewish context of Exodus 3:14, “I am” is a title for God that Jesus alludes to several times in John's Gospel. So Jesus implies that He shares the divine nature, and His listeners sense His claim.

This claim to share the divine nature is earth-shattering for first-century Jews. Christ’s Judean listeners confront a clear and radical choice regarding His identity. They can no longer ignore Jesus as a simple religious teacher from the backwoods of Galilee. This choice is what C.S. Lewis calls “the Shocking Alternative.” Either Jesus is telling the truth about His relationship with God the Father or He is a liar. There are three possibilities. Either Jesus shares the divine nature, or He is dangerously crazy, or He is a blasphemer who despises all that was sacred. Many of His hearers made a choice. They decided that He was guilty of blasphemy, the worst of sins. And given their assumptions, they felt bound to seek His death.

Most people in our time, whether Christian or non-Christian, fail to recognize the radical choice that Jesus Christ demands. Many contemporaries merely view religion as an expression of ethics. And they just think of Jesus as a nice guy who did some good deeds. So people in our time fail to see what He means.

However, Jesus knows what He is saying, and so do many of His opponents. Jesus asks for a radical choice- accept Him or reject Him: lukewarm admiration is not a real option. The biblical message still confronts each of us with the same choice. Jesus Christ asks us to have faith in Him as our divine Savior. The central point is whether people believe Christ’s claims.  If Jesus is who He says He is, then we are talking about the most basic human choice- to accept or reject God Himself. Every human soul that hears Jesus' claims must choose. We need to be in prayerful contemplation. We need to ask ourselves whether we have accepted Jesus in sincere faith. And if by grace we do have faith in Jesus Christ, we need to repent of our shortcomings each day and seek to grow in grace.