Today's Meditation - Monday, April 13, 2020

Today's Meditation

John 20:10-12

   Then the disciples returned to their homes.  But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb.  As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet.

   Today's reading was part of the Easter passage that we read yesterday, but there is something that struck me as interesting when I reread it this morning.  In the account given to us by John, we have Mary Magdalene going to the tomb early in the morning.  She saw that the heavy stone covering the tomb was open, but she did not go in.  Frightened, she ran to get Peter and John.  Before she left that morning, perhaps in her grief, she didn't even think about the stone covering the tomb and how she was going to move it in order to purify Christ's body.  But, she arrived and the stone was removed.  Peter and John ran to the tomb.  They both looked in and found that Jesus' body was no longer there.  They immediately left and went back to their homes.  "But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb."  This is what struck me this morning; the two disciples, Peter and John, didn't wait.  They hastened on to go home.  They didn't ask questions, they didn't weep, they didn't wait for even a moment.  They simply pressed on to be about their business - in this case, racing home and hiding away.  But Mary, stood weeping at the tomb.  She didn't push back her emotions.  She let them overwhelm her with grief and waited.  And in her anguish, in her tearful patience of trying to understand what happened; she was rewarded with the message of the angels and, ultimately, with the appearance and an encounter of Christ.  

    Sometimes we move on too quickly.  We have a tendency to push through the emotions, too quickly.  We don't sit there, in patience, allow the emotions to overwhelm us, allow the questions to rise up.  We are uncomfortable with not being in control, with not having answers, with not knowing.  We forge on.  Sometimes too quickly.  Mary waited.  And in her grief and patience she was rewarded.

    This is a time for patience.  This is a time of mourning what we've lost, weeping over the past.  We've spent far too long thinking that we could just press on as if the world has not changed, as if things will always be as we remember them.  They weren't, they never were, and we aren't the same people we were even a year ago.   But as Mary waited and as she wept, she was rewarded with a prize far greater than what Peter and John left with.  So shall we, if we have the patience to wait and allow the grief to overtake us for a moment.  And then look and see the reward!  

    I, for one, can't wait to see it!

Still, My Soul Be Still

Worship for the Lord's Day - Easter Sunday - April 12, 2020

Worship for the Lord’s Day: Easter Sunday

April 12, 2020

A Note before we begin this day’s worship:

          There are several images that mark this day – the vacant cross, the empty tomb, and decorated Easter eggs.  I encourage you to set your worship space with reminders of these visual markers.  If you have a cross (even a necklace or a drawing of one), a stone to represent the empty tomb, and brightly colored eggs (even a plastic one will do), place them around you this morning.  Decorated eggs aren’t usually associated with the Christian symbols of Easter; they are more of the secular adaptation for Easter, but I think this year we need the joy and brightness that these eggs bring to us.  Again, get creative, this is your celebration and our celebration together!

Let’s begin:

Opening Prayer

Lord, this Lenten journey has certainly been filled with the unexpected.  You have asked us to look deeper within ourselves than we ever thought we could to identify the many ways in which we have turned away from You.  As we worship You this day, we ask that You open our hearts to receive Your word of redemptive healing and resurrection hope.  Bring us through this time with confidence and trust in Your eternal love.  AMEN.

Hymn “Jesus Christ is Risen Today”

Prayer of Confession

Gracious and Patient God, we bow before You this day with so many fears, worries, anxieties and concerns which weigh us down.  We would like an "easy" faith, one that doesn’t cause us to look too deeply within ourselves to identify the many ways in which we have forsaken You.  But, we have come to know and realize that faith is never easy.  It requires our very souls.  Forgive us, God, for all the ways in which we have neglected to care for one another; to help someone else be closer to You.  Heal our hearts from the wounds which have been inflicted upon us by the anger and misunderstandings which occur in relationships.  And prepare our lives to be of more service to You.  In silence we wait for the day when we too can emerge from the tomb.  We long for Your presence and Your healing touch.  AMEN

Words of Assurance

God is merciful.  God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Feel the healing, loving power of God in your lives, for it is given to you through Jesus Christ.  AMEN

Pastoral Prayer

God of Awesome Joy, be with us this day as we celebrate the resurrection of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.  As we witness the surprise of the women at the tomb, the appearance of the Savior to Mary, and her good news brought to the disciples, let us remember that this good news exists for us today.  Darkness does not win. Death is not victorious.  Christ is Risen, for each of us. We are raised with Christ to a new life of hope and service.  Let the light of Your love flood into our lives and through us to all those who have been captured by darkness, that the light may give them healing, freedom and hope.  Let us look to children and see joy.  Let us look to the elderly and see wisdom.  Let us look to one another and see Christ.  Let us look to the earth and see beauty.

Even in the midst of newness of the Spring, we are painfully aware that our world lives in great need of Your renewal, and that new life has not come in its fullness.  We ask to be your instruments in bringing that renewal to our own sphere of influence.  May we reach out to those who need a hand for friendship, a meal for strength, a roof for protection, or a peacekeeper for safety.  May the love of the One who lives forever shine through our hearts, our words, and our acts in ever new ways. 

Let the joy of this good news swirl around in our hearts.  Let us truly be the “Easter People” that You have called us to be.  

          I lift my own prayers up to You now….

          Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.  Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.  AMEN.

Hymn  “Crown Him With Many Crowns”

Scripture Readings

Old Testament Reading: Jeremiah 31:1-6

At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. ²Thus says the Lord: The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, ³the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. ⁴Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall take your tambourines, and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. ⁵Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall enjoy the fruit. ⁶For there shall be a day when sentinels will call in the hill country of Ephraim: “Come, let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.”

New Testament Reading: John 20:1-18

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. ²So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” ³Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. ⁴The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. ⁶Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, ⁷and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. ⁸Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; ⁹for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. ¹⁰Then the disciples returned to their homes.

¹¹But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; ¹²and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. ¹³They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” ¹⁴When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” ¹⁶Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). ¹⁷Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” ¹⁸Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Anthem: Was It a Morning Like This

Sermon

Hallelujah!  Christ is Risen!  These are words we hear every Easter Morning.  Easter is THE most joyful day of the Christian year; as one pastor said, “It is the Super Bowl of Sundays.”  It’s the Sunday, the one we’ve all been waiting so patiently for, as this Sunday follows the 40-day period of Lent.  It arrives, for us in Pennsylvania, just at the beginning of Spring; meaning that it’s a day of symbolic spiritual resurrection as well as the physical one witnessed all around us.  Spring emerges as buds form on trees and the tips of green brighten the landscape, from the forsythias, hyacinths, lilies, and tulips erupting in glorious color.   It is a welcome sight after a long, dark, and gloomy winter.

I remember growing up in the suburbs outside Philadelphia and donning our new Easter outfits mom and dad bought for my sister and me.  I’d be in a brand new suit with matching tie, carefully coifed hair.  She’d be in a brand new dress, bows in her hair, new white shoes that clicked on the pavement as we walked down the sidewalk toward church.  It was a day of joy and celebration. 

In churches all across America children would be given a basket or bag to hunt for Easter Eggs in the church building or outside on the lawn.  Moms, Dads, and Grandparents all would watch nearby as the children would race around the area searching for the brightly colored plastic eggs.  The church bells would ring and everyone in their glorious spring attire would file into the church; ladies donning hats, gentlemen in their Sunday best.  Each family would have specific Easter obligations to complete that day, often based on either ethnic background or family traditions.

That was 50 years ago.  Not much as really changed.  The throngs still gather on Easter Sunday like no other Sunday in the year.  But this year, there are no throngs driving off to worship celebrations at church or family gatherings for dinner afterward.  So, what is Easter without the pomp and circumstance, without the throngs?

While we certainly welcome the throngs on Easter morning of years past and enjoy the splendor of the day, we should note that on the first Easter morning, there were very, very, very few people present.  And those who were present were confused, uncertain, and flat out terrified.  Matthew points out that there were earthquakes between the crucifixion on Friday and Resurrection Day.  All creation trembled.  And the disciples were hiding away in a locked room in fear. 

Only a small number of them ventured out that first Easter morning.  Depending on whose account you read, Matthew’s, Mark’s, Luke’s, or John’s, the few that went to the tomb changes.  Maybe it was Peter and John who went first.  Maybe it was the women who wanted to complete the task of burial.  Maybe it was Mary alone. 

Mark’s account ends with the final scene of the women discovering the empty tomb; but instead of celebrating, they flee, “for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

The reality is for this Easter in the year 2020, we are in much the same place of disappointment and dissatisfaction, not because Jesus’ did not rise from the grave, but our expectations for what we’d wanted to have happen this day have gone unfulfilled and have had to change.  The expectations the disciples had weren’t aligned with what they found.  But, over the course of a few short days or weeks they adapted to their new reality.  They witnessed Christ who visited them on several occasions, they were given the power to believe in the resurrection itself, they were reminded of all that Jesus taught and showed them.  In the end they were empowered to move from their place of disappointment, dissatisfaction, and mostly importantly, they were able to move to the other side of FEAR.  They were then able to live into that resurrection hope and change the world. 

May this Easter be the catalyst for us to move beyond disappointment, dissatisfaction and fear and become more like the disciples when we can finally emerge and…change the world.

A colleague in ministry sent this poem for today’s Easter celebration.

How the Virus Stole Easter

By Kristi Bothur with a nod to Dr. Seuss

Twas late in ‘19 when the virus began

Bringing chaos and fear to all people, each land.

People were sick, hospitals full,

Doctors overwhelmed, no one in school.

As winter gave way to the promise of spring,

The virus raged on, touching peasant and king.

People hid in their homes from the enemy unseen.

They YouTubed and Zoomed, social-distanced, and cleaned.

April approached and churches were closed.

“There won’t be an Easter,” the world supposed.

“There won’t be church services, and egg hunts are out.

No reason for new dresses when we can’t go about.”

Holy Week started, as bleak as the rest.

The world was focused on masks and on tests.

“Easter can’t happen this year,” it proclaimed.

“Online and at home, it just won’t be the same.”

Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the days came and went.

The virus pressed on; it just would not relent.

The world woke Sunday and nothing had changed.

The virus still menaced, the people, estranged.

“Pooh pooh to the saints,” the world was grumbling.

“They’re finding out now that no Easter is coming.

“They’re just waking up! We know just what they’ll do!

Their mouths will hang open a minute or two,

And then all the saints will all cry boo-hoo.

“That noise,” said the world, “will be something to hear.”

So it paused and the world put a hand to its ear.

And it did hear a sound coming through all the skies.

It started down low, then it started to rise.

But the sound wasn’t depressed.

Why, this sound was triumphant!

It couldn’t be so!

But it grew with abundance!

The world stared around, popping its eyes.

Then it shook! What it saw was a shocking surprise!

Every saint in every nation, the tall and the small,

Was celebrating Jesus in spite of it all!

It hadn’t stopped Easter from coming! It came!

Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the world with its life quite stuck in quarantine

Stood puzzling and puzzling.

“Just how can it be?”

“It came without bonnets, it came without bunnies,

It came without egg hunts, cantatas, or money.”

Then the world thought of something it hadn’t before.

“Maybe Easter,” it thought, “doesn’t come from a store.

Maybe Easter, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

And what happened then?

Well....the story’s not done.

What will YOU do?

Will you share with that one

Or two or more people needing hope in this night?

Will you share the source of your life in this fight?

The churches are empty - but so is the tomb,

And Jesus is victor over death, doom, and gloom.

So this year at Easter, let this be our prayer,

As the virus still rages all around, everywhere.

May the world see hope when it looks at God’s people.

May the world see the church is not a building or steeple.

May the world find Faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection,

May the world find Joy in a time of dejection.

May 2020 be known as the year of survival,

But not only that -

Let it start a revival.

Hymn   “This Easter Celebration”

I’ve included an organ only version of this hymn so that you can sing the words below.  These words were written specifically for this year.

AURELIA 7.6.7.6 D ("The Church's One Foundation")

This Easter celebration is not like ones we've known.

We pray in isolation, we sing the hymns alone.

We're distant from our neighbors — from worship leaders, too.

No flowers grace the chancel to set a festive mood.

No gathered choirs are singing; no banners lead the way.

O God of love and promise, where's joy this Easter Day?

With sanctuaries empty, may homes become the place

we ponder resurrection and celebrate your grace.

Our joy won't come from worship that's in a crowded room

but from the news of women who saw the empty tomb.

Our joy comes from disciples who ran with haste to see —

who heard that Christ is risen, and then, by grace, believed.

In all the grief and suffering, may we remember well:

Christ suffered crucifixion and faced the powers of hell.

Each Easter bears the promise: Christ rose that glorious day!

Now nothing in creation can keep your love away.

We thank you that on Easter, your church is blessed to be

a scattered, faithful body that's doing ministry.

In homes and in the places of help and healing, too,

we live the Easter message by gladly serving you.

Tune: Samuel Sebastian Wesley, 1864 ("The Church's One Foundation") 

Text: Copyright © 2020 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.

Benediction

Christ is Risen!

He is Risen, Indeed!

And He goes before us, into this world of fear and pain.  He has called us to bring the Good News of healing and hope, of redemption.

Go in peace, and feel the presence of the Risen Lord with you, now and forever.  AMEN.

Today's Meditation

Holy (Silent) Saturday

John 19:38-42

³⁸After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. ³⁹Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. ⁴⁰They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. ⁴¹Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. ⁴²And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

We don't spend a lot of time talking about this day very much, at least not in Protestant Churches.  It is the silent, holy day of Passion week; the day after Christ's crucifixion and the day before Christ's resurrection.  It is the inbetween day.  But, in the most important story of Creation, what happened to the world on that silent Saturday and what happened to Jesus?  We get a glimpse of what our theological forebears thought in a line from the Apostle's Creed: "He descended into hell."  Some Protestant churches remove this line from the Apostle's Creed because quite honestly, there isn't a lot of scriptural backing for this doctrinal concept.  Bear with me for a moment...I might be going off the rails here theologically, but it is something that I've pondered for a really long time.  I want to explore the two questions I posed.

What happened to the world when Jesus died?  At the cross, sin was laid bare, evil was given full reign to do the most profound thing it could do - kill God.  And it did.  The Evil One was triumphant.  Jesus was put to death.  Did humanity immediately devolve into chaos?  No.  Did demons and evil spirits suddenly inhabitat the earth?  No.  In fact, nothing changed, nothing happened.  That's how impotent evil and sin actually are.  They can NEVER WIN!

And the second question, why did Jesus descend into hell?  In the movie The Last Temptation of Christ, Jesus is given a vision of what his life could be like if he chose to resist God's call for the cross and live out his life like a "normal" man.  I don't think that was Jesus' Last Temptation - that's way too easy.  I think it had to be much more difficult than that.  I think it had to delve deep into the most basic, primal part of who we are: FEAR!

What if Jesus' last temptation was that final fear that it was all made up.  That he really wasn't the Son of God, that he was delusional.  That there really isn't anything beyond this life.  That's what Atheists want us to believe.  And I've known very faithful Christians whose last twinge of concern or fear is "what if?"  There are theological arguments and deep discussions about Jesus descending into hell.  But what if it was to confront his last temptation: fear?  That it was all for nothing.

I recently heard a line on a tv show called, Making the Cut..."Everything you want is on the other side of fear."  I think Jesus had to go to that place of fear and get on the other side of it in order to be resurrected on Sunday.

We often say that God is there for us, because God understands and knows our every need, our every desire, our every fear.  The only way Jesus could do that is to "descend into hell", undergo that last temptation of fear and come out the other side of it.  

And because Jesus has been through it all....we have NOTHING TO FEAR!

For your edification this Holy, Silent Saturday

Fear is a Liar

Today's Meditation - Good Friday Bonus

Today's Meditation - Good Friday Bonus

My dear friend Darlene Durrwachter-Rushing gathered with two other friends (observing good social distancing) to present this haunting rendition of the hymn Were You There.  May it bless your soul today.

Were You There

Today's Meditation - Good Friday - April 10, 2020

Today's Meditation - Good Friday

Stations of the Cross

Normally, we have a community service at the Bethesda Church in Elizabeth on Good Friday.  The service includes pastors from various neighboring churches reflecting on the Seven Last Words of Christ.  This year, Pastor Ben Schneider from First Presbyterian Church, Elizabeth and I collaborated on today's meditation based on the Stations of the Cross.  There are 14 stations.  This is meant to be a somber and reflective opportunity for you to go through the events of that day.  Clicking on the link below should open the YouTube video.

The Stations of the Cross

Today's Meditation - Maundy Thursday - April 9, 2020

Today’s Meditation for Maundy Thursday

Luke 22:14-20

¹⁴When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. ¹⁵He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; ¹⁶for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” ¹⁷Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; ¹⁸for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” ¹⁹Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁰And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

This day/evening is one of the most sacred in the Christian Year.  We generally celebrate by gathering with our Christian sisters and brothers and we share communion together.  This year, that is not to be.  I am envisioning Christ with his disciples in that Upper Room.  The disciples were more than likely in a buoyant, expectant mood.  After all just days ago, the crowds in the street were praising God, shouting Hosannas and waving Palm fronds, placing their cloaks on the ground for the young donkey Jesus rode upon.  But I think Jesus was mired in a more somber apprehension of what was to come that night.  There can be no doubt that Jesus stared at that broken loaf of bread on the table and caught a vision of what would happen to his own body the next day.  He then peered into the cup of wine and glimpsed an image of his own face and knew that it would be stained in the blood he would shed.  How haunting, gripping, and poignant.  Most denominations have rules about Holy Communion; who can serve it and who can receive it, and even how it is served.  Thankfully, our own denomination of the PCUSA has loosened many of the old rules in regard to this.  But I don’t think there are any rules about Communion in a pandemic.  I might be breaking them, if there are. 

In my opinion, based on the life of Jesus Christ and the stories we read about him in the scriptures, he was utterly inclusive.  Jürgen Moltmann in The Church in the Power of the Spirit writes: “The Lord’s supper takes place on the basis of an invitation which is as open as the outstretched arms of Christ on the cross. Because he died for the reconciliation of ‘the world,’ the world is invited to reconciliation in the supper.”

Here’s what I want you to do today.  Whether you are home alone or with your family, take a piece of bread tonight at your dinner table.  Yes, an ordinary, everyday piece of bread (that’s what Jesus had to work with), give thanks to God for that bread, ask God for blessing upon it and say, “In remembrance of you, dear Lord, I take this bread and eat it knowing that you gave your life for me.”  In the same way, take your glass of water, your milk, juice, or even wine…any liquid (it doesn’t matter!)  And say, “In remembrance of you, dear Lord, I sip from your cup and know that you have forgiven my sins.” 

I don’t think God will lose any sleep that we will forget that the Eucharist is sacred.  I think God is more anxious that we might forget that it’s ordinary.  Until we meet again in ordinary time!

In Remembrance of Me

Today's Meditation - Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Today’s Meditation – Wednesday, April 8, 2020

John 18:1-5

When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it. Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place and came to the garden guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)

I used to have such a difficult time with Judas.  I was taught to believe that suicide was a sin against God, that there can be no redemption from it.  Therefore, Judas must be in hell.  I don’t believe that anymore.  Judas was wracked with guilt for what he’d done.  He was so sad, so sorry, so ashamed that he couldn’t bear the pain.  The only answer he knew was to leave this world to ease his troubled soul.  As Christians, we’ve often said that there is nothing that God cannot forgive and that we can always go to God for help and for comfort or solace when the pain becomes overwhelming.  But not everyone can do that, sometimes their pain is so great that they cannot find that solace in God or that their very pain is about God.  Such was the pain that Judas endured.  I think it was a sin of the disciples to not reach out to him, to not go to him in his hour of need and be there for him.  They left him alone with his guilt, his self-loathing, and his pain.  I now often wonder whose sin was worse; Judas’ or his friends.  It is our job to reach out to people in such pain.  It is our duty to seek out those who feel lost and lonely.  During these days of isolation, depression will be a very real part of people’s pain.  Please reach out to those you know in every possible way.

Josh Groban wrote a song about another man who committed suicide, Vincent Van Gogh.  It isn't a song one would think to associate with Holy Week, but listen carefully to the words - the lyrics are part of the video.  I often wonder if Josh is singing about Vincent, or Judas, or Christ, or even Us...?
Starry, Starry Night