Good Friday i. His death was a part of his suffering. In his death he most deeply joined us in what it means to be human.

Transcription

1 Good Friday i How are we to respond, to the suffering of Christ? To his death? His death was a part of his suffering. In his death he most deeply joined us in what it means to be human. A bit earlier Hebrews says we have a high priest, Jesus, who in every respect is like us. Including pain. Pain is inevitable, to human beings. Including death. But his willingness to die, is rather unusual. Some of us resist it. Resist his suffering. Resist the idea that it was necessary, that God had to send Jesus to suffer and redeem us. Some find the idea hard to swallow. I m not sure, if it was necessary for Jesus to suffer. I think you and I can t prove that. I simply do not believe in the idea of God as a judge, and Jesus as the mediator who took our punishment. I reject it, because that construction makes God into a sort of child abuser. ii I m not sure if it was necessary, But I do know that Jesus felt it was necessary. Last night we heard again, he took the cup at supper, and said this cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant of my blood iii and it became the communion cup -

2 2 And very shortly after the last supper, in the garden, he prayed, Father you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done. iv The cup, was his blood. We rehearse that every week. The cup was his suffering. The cup was his forgiveness. The cup, began the new covenant, the new relationship you and I have open to us, with God. Some of us feel grateful. Responding to the Cross reorients our lives around the way of Christ, and his love. Responding to the Cross, and the blood Christ shed, opens us to his healing. I think Jesus felt his suffering was necessary because of the nature of the Love of God. A simple American theologian named Frederick Buechner described it like this. Buechner said, Like Moses, Jesus believed that if you obey God, God will love you, but [when he offers us the new Covenant of his blood] he is saying something beyond that. He is saying if you don't obey God, that doesn't mean that God won't love you. If you and I don t obey God It means simply that God's love becomes a suffering love: a love that suffers because it is not reciprocated, a love that suffers because we who are loved suffer and [we] suffer precisely in our failure to reciprocate [God s love]

3 3 By giving us the cup to drink, Jesus is saying that in loving us God "bleeds" for us - not "even though" we don't give a damn, but precisely because we don't. God keeps his part of the covenant whether we keep our part or not; it's just that one way costs him more. v Well, yes. Unrequited love, suffers. So when Jesus prayed in the garden, Father if you are willing, take this cup [of suffering] from me He was entering in, to just how much God loves us. His suffering became necessary, because of his love for us. Unrequited love, suffers. However. Many of us. Perhaps most of us. Have followed Jesus, and the way of Christ, for many long years. We know what it means to have the law of God put on our hearts, and to feel the love of God. vi We know what it means to have the laws of God written on our minds, to remember the words and to live them. vii It s not the case that God s love for us goes unrequited. When we truly do love God and we are moved by the way Christ loved us human beings to the end. We might choose to remember Christ s suffering as a way of connecting with others who suffer. Our prayers invite us to do that, to connect his suffering with those who are not yet experiencing resurrection.

4 4 To allow the patterns of God s generous suffering love to be written on our own hearts. In our priorities. In our lives. Our own willingness to love even unrequited. Hebrews says, let/s do this together as a church community let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, and coming here to meet together as we walk in the way of Christ. viii How are we to respond to the suffering love of Christ? On the deepest level, God forgives us, when His or Her love goes unrequited. God bleeds for us. God forgives us. And our best response is simply to live into that. To know we are loved. Know we are forgiven. And to become people of forgiveness. People who forgive as we have been forgiven. ix To forgive doesn t necessarily mean to forget. I know Hebrews says God forgets. I will remember their sins no more. x But I m not so sure we can do that, or even that it would be psychologically healthy to forget. Forgiveness is primarily offering someone a new beginning. You and I can do that, without forgetting that they harmed us. Telling them simply and clearly your version of what happened, how they hurt you, is a part of living in the truth. Jesus said to Peter, before the cock crows three times you will betray me. And Peter did, standing over a fire.

5 5 And then afterwards, in one of the resurrection appearances, standing over a charcoal fire on the beach, Jesus says to Peter three times do you love me? He told the truth. He forgave. And they started over. If you love someone, and they return your love, when you forgive, you may be reconciled. Although our feelings aren t necessarily a good indication of whether we have forgiven someone or not. Once one of my sisters said and did something to me that I thought was unforgiveable. It deeply hurt me. It hurt one of my children, which I think was harder to forgive. And I couldn t forget. I still can t forget. But you know, after that, I kept talking to her, and seeing her. And she felt dreadful and apologized. I accepted. And I stopped bringing it up. But I couldn t forget. So I went to my spiritual director and I said I m having trouble forgiving her. And she said, Have you restored the relationship? Yes. Do you intend to see her again? Yes. Well, you ve already forgiven her. It s just that the feelings take time to catch up. Sometimes, forgiveness leads to reconciliation. It did with my sister. When Jesus forgave Peter, they were reconciled. And sometimes it doesn t. We can do our part, we can forgive, without being reconciled because reconciliation is a lot more than forgiveness. If you, or someone you know, is in a relationship with an abuser. Or an addict. Or anyone who compulsively repeats the same harmful behavior.

6 6 You and I can forgive them, make our peace with the past, and also keep healthier boundaries. For example, If you steal from me again, I will call the police. If you use, in my house, I will change the locks. Or whatever healthy consequence seems appropriate. An addict, or an abuser, may say that forgiveness means to give them a new chance to repeat the same harmful behavior, but it s not true. To be reconciled, we need both forgiveness and accountability. Forgiveness is an approach to someone s past behavior, and to forgive, we need to stop blaming. Jesus was betrayed by almost everyone he loved. xi But he didn t blame them. And he didn t compare himself with them. He forgave. When you and I compare ourselves to a person who has acted poorly, it doesn t help the new beginning. When we compare ourselves we begin to believe we deserve more, we deserve better, they deserve worse, they deserve consequences. Refuse revenge. Christians, refuse revenge. Compare yourself with Jesus, instead. Father if you are willing, take this cup [of suffering] from me; yet not my will but thine.

7 7 That was his prayer, his love in the face of pain. Our best response is to love love and to forgive. i Notes from a sermon given by Paula Harris at St Luke s Episcopal Church. The relevant readings can be found here: ii The story is told of the elderly Don (or scholar) at Christ Church who was heard complaining over his mutton, this is as hard to swallow as the Lamb of God. Personally, I also find the idea of the Lamb of God hard to swallow. iii Luke 22:20. iv Luke 22:42. v Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking, found here: vi Hebrews 10:16 but it s quoting OT. vii Hebrews 10:17. viii Hebrews 10:25. ix Our Father prayer, Book of Common Prayer, 364. x Hebrews 10:17. xi Read any passion account. Link to our Facebook page to comment on sermon