Triduum
The Resurrection of Jesus
Yesterday’s sermon was entitle You Have been Canceled? Gospeled! The reading was from1 Corinthians 15:1-11 in which the Apostle Paul declares that he gospled the Corinthians with the Gospel! He makes a verb out of the noun gospel, emphasizing its unique character. Only Jesus’ resurrection makes this word special, unique, unlike any other word in the word. This Paul, who as Saul worked hard to cancel Christians, now gospels people with the Gospel. You and I have been gospeled, too, receiving it as dead sinners—dead things can only receive. Yet, like the creative Word at creation, this Gospel makes us alive again, and so we stand in it day in and day. The preached word is how this Gospel comes to people, not just by pastors but by all of Jesus followers—his baptized people. His people gospel people into his kingdom with words of peace, hope, and comfort, speaking to the big issues that plague our lives. All of this accords with the Scripture—Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, 69, Zechariah 12:10 and 13:17. From these scriptures we know the essence, the core of our faith in early credal form: he was buried, he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and appear to Cephas (Peter) and more than five hundred. He then uses the phrase: “though some have fallen asleep.” This is how Paul wants us to think of death: it is like sleep. Like the most glorious nap, Christians sleep in the perfect presence of Jesus. So, death never—never—causes fear for Christians. Death may make us sad because we do not see our loved ones like we did for awhile. That is why Paul emphases Jesus appearing to many. We, too, will see our loved ones who have died trusting in Jesus. They will appear to us! All of this hope, peace, and joy, motivates us to work hard in the kingdom, gospeling people into the kingdom.
Good Friday
On Good Friday the sermon title was Obsolete? Relevant! I opened with a longer quotation from sociologist Christian Smith, whose point in the quotation is that once again we have lost the next generation because we “…hollowed out religion’s relevance for younger generations. … Religion, packaged as ‘nice,’ didn’t resonate.” Millennials wanted big answers to big problems. We gave them coffee shops in church narthexes. It didn’t jive with them and they left. So, we the Church have become obsolete to our culture. No worries! There is nothing more obosolete than death. Death makes you and me obsolete. It does not only without Christ! With Christ, though, death, has relevance. God the Father uses Christ’s death to bury SIN—every sin ever committed—forever. With no sin the result is life once again emerges. With Jesus death, life is possible once again. We breathe free without the noose of the wrongs we have done! So, the church has died for most Americans. Ok. Christ has died, too, taking all that is wrong with that church into the grave. But more has come. Jesus is Risen!
Maundy Thursday
The Triduum begins with Holy Thursday, the day we celebrate the gift of the Lord’s Supper. I pointed out that the celebration of the Lord’s Supper was not always so elaborate, showing an image of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome as a contrasting image. The point: to force us to consider the roots of its celebration: first-century Christians gathering in homes to receive Jesus through the power of his Word. I noted while showing Paul Rubens painting The Last Supper that that this sacrament has always been central to the life of the Christian Church. In this image light from the upper right shines on Jesus, highlighting his faithful look to the Father. His look contrasts sharply with the look of Judas, who looks straight out from the painting with scared eyes. The next image was one of Martin Luther, who makes a distinction between Christ’s general presence everywhere and his specific presence in the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper brings Jesus to YOU, in real time, making you part of his Holy people. I then referenced 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 as powerful verses that underscore Jesus’ presence in the bread and wine. The word participation in these verses means an intimate interaction, mixing between substances. So, both bread and body and wine and blood are interacting by the power of Christ’s words of institution. The final image was a bit goofy, but it intends to convey the fellowship that we have with faithful Christians for all time. When Jesus comes to bring us himself in the Lord’s Supper, he brings heaven to earth—after all, what is heaven but the presence of Jesus! That’s the reason we sing in theSanctus, “Therefore with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven we laud and magnify your glorious name.” For a great depiction of this, see this clip from the movie Places in the Heart. In the scene people who have died sit next to people still living, and terrible sinners in the movie now join those in church. Jesus gathers his people!