FORGIVING IGNORANCE February 25, 1996 Doug Diehl Scripture Reading: Luke 17:1-6 At the cathedral at Freyburgh, an old

organist improvises at the close of the day. A stranger enters, listens, and then asks if he may play. He is told that the instrument is very special, and must not be entrusted to the hands of strangers. But the stranger answers, "I, too, am a musician." Then after much reassurance, the stranger is allowed to play but only if he allows the old organist to sit beside him on the organ bench. The stranger begins. The arches begin to ring with music more incredible than the cathedral has ever heard before. The old master cries, "Who are you?" "I am Mendelssohn," comes the answer. In humility the old musician exclaims, "to think that I nearly kept the master from playing on my own instrument." Ignorance -- the condition of being uneducated, unaware or uninformed. Speaking of ignorance, at this time of the year we cannot be ignorant of those events around which this Lenten season focuses. Recently in the 1st year confirmation class I had the students turn in their Bibles to the four gospels of the New Testament - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In each gospel we looked for the point at which Palm Sunday took place. This marks the beginning of the last week of Jesus' life leading to the crucifixion and resurrection. The point of the exercise was to discover how much of their gospel each writer devoted to the last week of Jesus' 30 year old life. It is significant. Without any coaxing from me a student commented, "that week must have been very important." She was exactly right. The gospel writers gave most of their attention to this one week out of seventeen hundred plus weeks. Why? Because, in this one week lies the purpose of Jesus' coming into this world. This past week I ran some percentage's based on the number of verses devoted to the Holy Week as compared to his whole life -Matthew - 36% Mark - 37% Luke - 25% John - 38% In these six weeks to come we are going to narrow the scope even further. We will devote our attention to a very few hours of Jesus' life - the hours he spent on the cross. In particular we will listen to the words spoken from the cross and recorded by the gospel writers. We have come to know those words as the "Seven Words from the Cross" or the "Seven Last Words of Christ." Many preachers throughout the centuries have written sermons from these words. Every Good Friday since I have been in Grand Forks the ministerial is host to a Good Friday service at Augustana Lutheran church in which the Seven last words are used as a foundation. Last year the joint choirs of Zion and Wesley presented The Seven Last Words of Christ by Theodore Dubois. These few words are significant. How do you act when you are under great stress? I maintain that what lies within probably is most likely to be revealed when we get stressed out. If that is the case, it is possible that these words from the cross give us a better picture than any others of what really lay inside the heart of this person we name as our Lord and Savior. The day (Good Friday, as we call it) had not gone well for Jesus. He had been arrested while in prayer late the evening before. He spent the night at the home of the high priest - not to sleep but to be interrogated and harassed. They blindfolded him and slapped him, taunting him at each slap to identify the one who had struck. Surely, someone who claimed to be the Messiah could do such a thing. When morning broke Jesus was dragged from one place to another - first to the Jewish council, then to Pilate, on to Herod and back to Pilate again. The ridicule and torture continued at the hands of one stranger after another. His friends deserted him. The crowds turned against him. They screamed, they pleaded - Crucify him! Crucify him! They pushed him to the hill. They threw him down on the wooden cross. Fire swept through his body as they drove nails through his hands and his feet. He saw stars as they dropped the cross into the hole. The taunts and jeers continued. On either side hung criminals. "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." The first word from the cross - a word of forgiveness. Could we expect anything less from Jesus? He had preached forgiveness on more than one occasion. If we should expect anyone to practice what they preached it was Jesus. But the whole idea of ignorance? What did Jesus mean - "they don't know what they are doing?" Of course they knew what they were doing. They knew the gruesome details of a crucifixion. Jesus was not the first and for sure not the last person they would see agonize on that cold, cruel crucifixion hill. Of course they knew what they were doing as they manipulated and maneuvered the legal system into sending an innocent man to his death. And how could they say they didn't know who he was? They had seen the miracles - blind people seeing, lame people walking, dead people living. They had heard the teaching. They had read the scriptures. They knew the prophecies. How could Jesus be so generous in pleading ignorance for those who had driven him into and onto the cross? Was he excusing their behavior? Was he letting them off easy? Maybe they really didn't know what they were doing. The evidence is also very clear through reading the gospels that the people had a hard time catching on. If anyone should have been in synch with Jesus it

should have been the disciples. Yet time and time again we read of Jesus shaking his head - reprimanding his followers for failing to grasp what he was all about. Even the night before, incredible as it seems, as Jesus shared with them the bread and the wine, speaking of his impending sacrifice, warning them of betrayal, Luke tells us they argued among themselves about which one of them was the greatest. They go to the garden so Jesus can pray. He has told them what is about to happen. They should be scared spitless. But what do they do? They fall asleep. And then tragedy of tragedies when the arrest takes place they split for fear of their own lives. They should have known better - they of all people - and yet they too seemed to come up one floor short in understanding what was going on. "Yes, Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." Is it possible that Jesus was not excusing anyone? Is it possible that Jesus was not letting anyone off easy? Is it possible that no matter how much we know, no matter how much we understand, we will always come up short in comprehending what is really going on? Is it possible that deep within each one of us lies a flaw which disables us from seeing the truth clearly? If they had really understood who Jesus was and what he was all about, is it possible they would have never driven Jesus to the cross? If we really understood who Jesus is and what he is all about, is it possible that we would quit killing each other, we would stop hoarding the world's goods at the expense of others, we would stop beating up on those who are weaker, we would stop abusing our bodies and minds, we would stop treating one another as playthings for our own gratification, we would stop lying to one another and cheating on one another? If we really understood who Jesus is and what he is all about, is it possible we would not force our Sunday worship attendance into such compromising positions, we would not be so tentative about our stewardship of time and money to God's kingdom, we would be a lot more motivated in telling our family and friends and neighbors about the love of God and good news of Jesus Christ. What is our response to these words of forgiveness from the cross? They are meant for us just as much as they were meant for the disciples, the Jewish leaders, and the Roman soldiers. Are we willing to admit we need forgiveness? Are we willing to accept the gift of forgiveness that Jesus offers to us? Are we willing to admit we don't always know what we are doing? Are we willing to admit that Jesus knows a lot more about us than we know about him? Are we willing to look for truth? Are we willing to open our lives up to the truth? Are we willing to move beyond our ignorance and seek God and God's kingdom with all of our heart and mind? Remember the opening story? The old organist after hearing the music of Mendelssohn humbly exclaims, "to think that I nearly kept the master from playing on my own instrument." To think that our ignorance could prevent Jesus, the Master, from playing his beautiful music in our lives.

I'LL SEE YOU LATER March 3, 1996 Doug Diehl Scripture Reading: Luke 23:32-43 Jesus wasn't the only one crucified on Golgotha that fateful Friday. The scriptures tell us of at least two others. Called thieves or robbers by some, revolutionaries by others, Jesus' enemies must have gotten a kick out of him being crucified right in the middle of these two less-than-desirable characters. We can almost hear them saying, "It serves him right. He made it a point to be a friend of sinners. Now he can die with them, too." The Romans, who didn't care much for the Jews, must have thought it was amusing as well. The one who was labeled "The King of the Jews" was flanked not by royal body guards in a throne room but by common criminals on crucifixion hill. The followers of Jesus didn't know what to think. It hadn't been too long ago that James and John had asked Jesus if they could sit at his right and left hand in his new kingdom. Although Jesus could not promise them such spots of honor, little did anyone dream that these places would be occupied by the likes of these two men in such horrible circumstances. We don't know much about these two criminals. Luke gives us the most information. In fact, Luke records the second word spoken by Jesus from the cross as a comment addressed to one of the criminals "Today you will be with me in Paradise" or in very simple terms, "I'll see you later." This scene and these words could lead us in all kinds of directions. We could consider the issue of a death bed conversion. Why would Jesus be so generous? This man was a criminal. He was dying. So what if he confessed his sinfulness at the last minute. He still should have to pay for his life of sin. This wasn't the first time Jesus had mentioned the possibility of such forgiveness. Time and time again Jesus told stories about the extravagance - almost the unfairness - of God's graciousness. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son Jesus places the younger playboy son who repents in a more favorable light than the faithful older son. Do you remember the parable of the hired workers? Jesus told of an employer who hired workers throughout the day. When the day ended and it was time to pay the workers they were all paid the same. From this scene we could also consider the issue of heaven. What did Jesus mean, "Today, you will be with me in Paradise?" Is Jesus confirming the reality of heaven? Is Jesus saying we enter eternity at the very moment of death? Both of those directions would make for good sermons. However, I've chosen not to go either direction. Instead we are going to see what we can learn from comparing the two criminals. In a way they represent all of us, portraying two typical ways of seeing life. We have heard it described as the difference between seeing a cup half full or half empty. It is the difference between someone commenting, "Isn't it a pity those roses have thorns" as opposed to someone who comments, "Isn't it consoling that those thorns have roses." Probably more fitting for this situation is this little verse -Two men looked out through prison bars; The one saw mud, the other stars. To help us, let us place the two. Tradition has given them names and place. The criminal on the left is the one who joins the throng in ridiculing Jesus. His name is Gestus. The criminal on the right is the one who draws Jesus' favor. His name is Dysmas. Of the two, Dysmas comes out on top. It has earned him all kinds of legends. One legend says he was a Judaean Robin Hood who robbed the rich to give to the poor. Probably the most interesting tells how the holy family were attacked by robbers when they fled with the child Jesus from Bethlehem to Egypt. Jesus was saved by the son of the captain of thieves. The baby was so beautiful the young thief could not hurt him. He set him free, saying, "O most blessed of children, if ever there comes a time for having mercy on me, then remember me and forget not this hour." Legend says that this young thief is the same one who hung next to Jesus and was saved for eternity. Gestus and Dysmas were different. Gestus represented the mob viewing Jesus as the author of a false religion. Dysmas saw Jesus as the leader of true religion. Gestus viewed Jesus as helpless. Dysmas saw Jesus as the only one who could bring help in this helpless situation. Gestus viewed Jesus as a mock king "the king of the Jews" as the sign said. Dysmas saw the King of kings. Gestus viewed Jesus as just another sinner. Dysmas saw the Savior. The approach of these two men to Jesus is also different.

Gestus shouts out, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" He approached Jesus with an "if" - "Jesus, if you are who you say you are prove it -- if you are who say you are get me out of this mess." Dysmas does not use the word "if." He does not say, "if you are going to have a kingdom to establish someday, remember me." He approaches Jesus with a "when" -- "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Do you see the difference? How often we approach Jesus with an "if." "Jesus, if you help me, I will go to church more often - I will change my ways." "Jesus, if you really love me, you will help me prosper in life." How different it is when we come to Jesus with this attitude -- "Jesus, your ways are far above my ways. You know what is best for me and for this world. I leave to you the when's, the where's, and the how's. I only ask for your grace." It is the difference between disrespect and respect, arrogance and humility, unbelief and faith. Gestus was concerned about where he was but not who he was. All he saw was his location on the cross. "Poor me. Look at where I am." He did not stop to consider what had brought him there. He did not see his own responsibility. Dysmas, on the other hand, was concerned about who he was and not where he was. As horrible as the cross might have been it was only a side issue for him. When he looked at Jesus he did not see someone who could get him where he wanted to go but rather someone who could help him deal with the problem of who he was. He knew he was getting what he deserved. He knew that only grace could bring him God's love and acceptance. Is fair to say that as a whole we are more concerned about where we are than who we are? How far up am I on the ladder of success? Where am I in comparison to my neighbors? Do I have everything I want to have? What kind of a difference would it make for us and for this world if instead we would ask - "am I the kind of person God has created me to be?" - "am I loving God with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength?" - "am I loving my neighbor as I love myself." Gestus was only concerned with getting down from the cross. He wanted to get out of his pain. He saw no purpose in his pain. He saw no responsibility in his pain. He is like many today who believe life is supposed to be problem free and pain free, that we are not supposed to be held accountable for our actions. As Dysmas watched Jesus on his cross and heard him speak words of forgiveness he knew Jesus was not trying to escape pain. Rather Jesus had chosen to walk through pain so that he might bring about something better. He saw in Jesus not a way to get out of pain but a way to go through what was inevitable - even necessary. If we try to live this life avoiding pain at all costs we will only end up with what is dull, dry, and shallow. It is only when we live and love enough that it hurts that we will find depth and fulfillment. Jesus has told us that to follow him we will find life - both abundant and eternal. But he also has told us that his way is the way of the cross. Gestus' concern lay in what he thought of Jesus. His evaluation of Jesus lay in his own experience. Dysmas, on the other hand, was not concerned with who Jesus was, he knew who Jesus was. He was concerned with what Jesus thought about him. Forbes-Robertson, an actor, writes in his autobiography of a vehement atheist by the name of Crow who belonged to the same London club. One of the members stopped Crow short by this poem -We've heard in language highly spiced That Crow does not believe in Christ But what we're more concerned to know Is whether Christ believes in Crow. My opinion of Jesus will not change who Jesus was and who Jesus is one iota. But my acceptance of what Jesus thinks about me makes all the difference. Jesus loves me. Jesus took my sins and the sins of this world seriously enough that he died for us all. Jesus cares enough about me that he stands at the door of my heart knocking, waiting for me to let him in. Jesus wants what is best for me. What an example this criminal named Dysmas has left for us. Considering the crowd of unbelieving soldiers, the mocking Jewish leaders, the scattered and fearful disciples we could say that this man was the only person in all the world who really believed in Jesus at that moment. When everyone else had turned against him, he alone had faith that Jesus was who he said he was and Jesus would be who he said he would be. What a reward Dysmas received. No, his body did not escape the cross. But on that day his soul left the cross and he entered Paradise with Jesus, the friend of sinners, the Savior of the world.

TAKING CARE OF FAMILY March 10, 1996 Doug Diehl Scripture Reading: Mark 7:9-13; John 19:25-27 A pastor friend of mine commented as he preached, "Recently, (when) I was preaching . . . . I read the Gospel lesson (from John 19) . . . . I began to cry. I never before knew the agony -- never before have I known the agony and the terror of Jesus Christ, as seen through the eyes of His mother on that Good Friday. I watched my son die, and that terror is frightening." This pastor friend of mine had watched his own son die. He came upon his boy just as he, in a fit of desperation, held a gun to his head and killed himself. What a horrible tragedy. Few of us will ever know the agony of having one's own child die. Very few of us will ever know the agony of watching one's own child die a horrible death. Is it even possible for us to imagine the pain? Mary watched her son die. One of four women standing at the foot of the cross she watched her beaten and bloodied boy die. How could she bear to look at him? More than once, when he was a boy, she had gently laid her hand on his forehead checking for any sign of fever. Now that forehead bled from the crown of thorns so cruelly placed. She used to rub his smooth back as she held him close. Now that flesh was torn from the whip. She could still remember those first moments in Bethlehem as she carefully fondled his hands and feet, looking at and feeling each tiny finger and toe. It took all the strength she had to see those same hands and feet punctured by the nails. If only time could back up so she could hold him one more time. If only time could back up so she could hear him once more tell her who he was and what he had to do. This time she would try to listen a little bit harder and understand a little bit better. Maybe if she had she could have prevented this. Now it was too late. She turned her head away. She couldn't bear to watch the life flow from her son. Her heart jumped when he called out, "Woman . . . ." It was a term of respect and endearment. Could he be talking to her? She turned around. Yes, he was looking right at her. "Jesus?" "Woman, here is your son." His eyes turned to the disciple standing next to her, "Here is your mother." Jesus was thinking about her even now. Only her son would do something like that. Yes, even in the excruciating agony of the crucifixion, with the salvation of the world hanging in the balances, dependent on his faith -- even then, and even there, Jesus lifted his mind above himself. In all that turmoil he was peaceful and calm enough to think, and pray, and plan, for others. In his first word from the cross he forgave those who put him on the cross. In his second word from the cross he brought hope to a dying thief. Now he remembered his mother. Preparing for these sermons on the last words of Christ have not been easy. I guess I have never thought that much about them before. I have heard them, and I have felt them, but now to figure out a way to talk about such a few words for 10+ minutes for six Sundays has been more than challenging. Maybe it's enough to be impressed by the love of a mother towards her son. It wasn't safe to be standing at the cross. Most of Jesus' followers had scattered by this time. Of course it had never been easy being Jesus' mother. Jesus had caused dissension more than once within Mary's family. According to scripture Jesus had four brothers and two sisters. Where were they now? Why did Jesus entrust the care of his mother to John instead of her own children? Earlier in the gospel we are told that not even Jesus' brothers believed him. In another instance Jesus' family comes to take him away because of a report that Jesus is a madman. Mary had a hard time understanding not only who Jesus was but why he had to make life so difficult for himself and those who loved him. No it wasn't easy. How often she had wished for a normal boy with normal aspirations. And now this. But she was there. How can a mother ever give up on her own child? Maybe it's enough just to be impressed by the sensitivity of Jesus towards his mother. Even with the burden of the world's sins on his shoulders, he took care of his mom. Maybe its enough to be told how important it is to take care of family. In our scripture reading we heard how Jesus was angered by those who used religion as an excuse for neglecting care towards their parents. Years later, the apostle Paul would write to Timothy and to us, "... whoever does not provide for relatives, and especially for family members, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:8) Epictetus wrote, "I should like that it (dying) should find me busy at something noble and beneficent and for the

good of mankind. But since that is little likely to befall me I should choose next to go out, rendering what is due to every relation in life." Maybe it's enough to be reminded that people are what is most important. Maybe it's enough to be reminded there is no person outside of the reach of Christ. As Jesus asked God to forgive he included all but as he spoke words of hope to the thief on the cross and spoke words of love to his mother he included each. We are loved as individuals. God loves each of us as if we were the only one to love. As Jesus' arms were stretched out on the cross he embraced the world, but he also embraced you and he embraced me. Maybe it is enough to remember to be faithful, faithful to those we love, faithful to those with whom we have been entrusted. Jesus cared for his mother. Mary stood at the side of her son through it all. John, we are told, did just what Jesus asked and from that very hour took Mary home and cared for her. That would be far more than enough. What a difference it would make if we were to be faithful to our children, to our wife, to our husband, to our parents, to our family. What a difference it would make if we were to be faithful to Jesus and to this world for whom our Lord and Savior died.

QUESTIONING GOD March 17, 1996 Doug Diehl Scripture Reading: Matthew 27:27-49 Jesus hung on the cross for six hours, beginning at 9:00 in the morning. At noon the sky darkened, remaining dark until three o'clock. At that time the darkness was broken with a loud cry from the lips of Jesus, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" James Stalker writes of these words, "[It is] a cry out of the lowest depths of despair. Indeed it is the most appalling sound that ever pierced the atmosphere of this earth . . . . It cannot be heard even at this day without causing a cold shudder of terror." "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" Through centuries of Bible translation these words have remained in their original tongue - undiluted and undefiled. Except for probable mispronuncation we hear the words just like the witnesses at the cross heard them 2000 years ago. They ignite our imagination. We feel the darkness - the despair - when we hear them. What could Jesus have been thinking? What was he experiencing? Of any words spoken by Jesus we can be sure of the authenticity of these. Whoever would fictionalize words like this? Who would want to deliberately blemish Jesus unless this is exactly what he said? More than the authenticity of this verse, there is also the meaning of what Jesus said: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" We are told that Jesus didn't whisper this under his breath; Mathew and Mark say he cried it out with a loud voice. Jesus didn't care who heard him in his moment of pain and doubt. What brought Jesus to this point? How could one who was so intimately related to God feel so abandoned by God? There is no doubt that Jesus had come into the world to save us from our sins and some have said that as the sins of the world were piled on Jesus God could no longer bear to look at his son so God turned his back on him bringing the cry of anguish. Whether God actually removed his presence from Jesus or Jesus, in his despair and pain, could no longer sense it we can safely say that somehow Jesus reached a point were he felt completely alone, even seperated from God. A Christian explorer and an old African chief sat together around the fire after all the others had left. The explorer spoke of the honor that the old man enjoyed as the chief of the tribe. But the old chief, with many years' experience written on his wrinkled face, only shook his head and said, "Yes, I am the chief it is true, but the life of the chief is a lonely one; for the chief must go down the pathway of life ahead of all the others where he can have no companions. There's no one who knows enough to understand the pathway of his thoughts. He must always be alone." He then turned his eyes to the explorer, "Have you ever thought how lonely . . . Jesus must have been? So few understood him." Jesus did walk down a lonesome road. Almosty from the beginning Jesus was misunderstood, a misunderstanding that created a widening gulf between him and those who heard him. Jesus was increasingly aware of the deep difference between his life and those around him. He was aware of their incapacity to understand him; their persisitent, stubborn desire to cast him in their own mold -- to make him into a magician, a fortune teller, a social rebel, or a revolutionary leader. They just could not understand that he had come to unveil a God of love who sought a Kingdom in which He would rein in the hearts of men and women. Even his disciples could not comprehend a Messiah who would submit rather than dominate, serve rather than be served, and who would finally suffer and be killed. It is no wonder that as Jesus drew nearer to the cross, he felt the distance between him and his followers widen. On the last night, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asks his disciples to be on guard as he himself goes on into the garden and on into the night. The Gospels say, "[Then] He went on a little further." Intended or not these words are a most appropriate commentary on Jesus. Jesus went on when others stopped, in his loyalty to God and in his passion to give himself for others. His destiny set him apart. As the soldiers entered the garden and arrested him the isolation became complete. He was all alone before Caiaphus and the Jewish court, alone before Herod, alone in the hands of the soldiers, alone with Pilate, alone even with the crowd who cried "Crucify Him!" He was alone as he walked with the cross. He was alone as he hung on the cross. As the pain increased and he was weakened by the loss of blood and the fever of infection, he felt the full impact of his lonely calling, suffering more than all the others, while at the same time being misunderstood for doing it. Reduced to such physical and spiritual agony, his heart must have cried out to God for comfort or vindication or at least confirmation that what he was doing was the right thing. It had happened before. When he was baptized, after he was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, at the transfiguration God had revealed encouragement and love. But now no voice came. Had he failed? Had he missed God's direction? Had something gone wrong? Where was God? How could God let him suffer like this? "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" This moment of despair was necessary. If Jesus had not walked through the very deepest pit of suffering there would have been no triumph in the cross. It had to be Jesus and evil alone together. If love were to prevail and break the bonds of sin and death it had to stand alone, seperated from everything except evil itself. Clayton Williams who was the pastor of the American Church in Paris says, "Evil can force its way and impose its power, can bludgeon and strike and carve its way with cruelty and cry and rail and hurl its torment.

Evil has a thousand weapons; love has but one: to suffer and to love despite all. . . . Thus only can love pay the final price and vindicate itself for what it is: the essence of the heart of God Himself." This lonely moment was the climax of God's work in Christ. Jesus was God Himself alone on that cross. Without the benefit of divine power Jesus faced evil's worst and proved forever that love is stronger than hate, that goodness is stronger than evil, that sacrifice does triumph. That moment on the cross had enormous universal consequences but it also has a very personal side. Jesus walked through that moment of isolation to pave the way for us. The writer of the book of Hebrews says that Jesus was tempted in every way that we are. Many of us know what it is like to feel that we have been abandoned by everyone including God. Many of us have cried out ourselves, "God where are you?" "God, if you are who you say you are you wouldn't let this happen." Don't you think there are parents and family in Scotland who are wondering where God was during the shooting of their children? By his cry of despair from the cross, Jesus gives us permission to feel our own despair. Jesus tells us not to be ashamed to feel forsaken because he felt it himself. Instead, we are meant to know that out of our defeat comes victory. Out of our darkness comes light. Living on this side of the cross we know that despair did not have the final word that day. Despair was followed by victory. Death was followed by resurrection. God did not leave Jesus that day. Even though Jesus felt abandoned God remained there at the cross with his Son. Something happened in the midst of that darkness because moments later as Jesus breathed his last he prayed, "Father, into your hands I commend my Spirit." In his despair he received what he needed to finish the remainder of his crucifixion journey with a trusting heart. He was able to reach the end, not with a wail of despair but with a shout of victory. God will never leave us or forsake us. We may walk through dark moments when its seems as if we have been entirely abandoned but feelings are feelings and facts are facts and the fact of the matter is God is always there. Jesus has helped us by every word that he uttered from his cross whether it be a word of forgiveness, a word of hope or a word of care. Even today, from these words of despair we are reminded that it is okay to be human, that Jesus, our Savior, has walked through the valley before us and that God's love is far brighter than our darkest dark and far deeper than our deepest pit.

WHEN GOD WAS THIRSTY March 24, 1996 Doug Diehl Scripture Reading: John 4:1-14 Joan Osborne, a contemporary singing artist, has a song that has been on the charts for several weeks now. It is entitled, One of Us. I don't claim to know exactly what the message or the motivation of that song is but she asks some questions very appropriate for us today -- "If God had a name what would it be?" "If God had a face what would it look like?" Most predominate in the song -- "What if God was one of us, just a slob like one of us, just a stranger on a bus, trying to make his way home?" "What if God was one of us?" Although God is much bigger than any kind of image we might picture, God has come to us with a name, and a face. God was one of us - a slob (so to speak) just like one of us. Jesus was called Emmanuel - God with us. As Jesus himself claims he was God incarnate - God in the flesh. In order to save us God had to become one of us, to dwell among us. John 1:14 -- And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. Leslie Weatherhead, in The Transforming Friendship, quotes an old allegory which recounts a meeting in Heaven. An Angel came to the Throne of Grace and requested of God "I would like to be a savior to the people on earth." The Angel explained that he had heard the cry of their misery and pain and sin - it was hard to miss. It was so loud it reached up to heaven itself. "Let me fly down from above and rescue them." The other angels and assembled host huddled in close to listen. God said with a voice very gentle: "You want to be a savior to the people but your eyes are bright and happy and your heart beats with joy that has never been dimmed. And your hands are white and clean. Have you ever seen my Son?" The Angel was silent. He was a very new angel and had no idea what God was talking about. God said, "Go for a season and live with the people and see what you will see on the earth." The Angel left. A long time went by. One day an angel stood before the Throne. His countenance was sad although from his presence shone a great hope and a great joy. God asked, "Who are you?" and he answered, "I am the Angel who you sent to dwell for awhile with people." God said, "But your eye is dim with pain and your heart is broken and you hands are stained with blood." The Angel answered, "I have seen sorrow and pain and sin. The human beings grind one another for wealth, they spill one another's blood for power, and trample on one another for their own pleasure. When I looked my eyes were dimmed, and when I loved, my heart was broken, and when I worked to lift the fallen, my hands were stained with blood." God said, to try him, "And you have returned so your wounds may be healed?" The angel said, "No Lord, for the sake of these people I would cling to my pain. How else could I save the people? Let me return, I ask you, to the place of anguish for I cannot raise the humans except I stand and suffer at their side." As the angel spoke there was a movement in Heaven and all those assembled turned and look and there appearing among was a lamb standing as though it had been newly slain. God turned to the Angel and said: "Go! For you too have learned to be a savior of men and women." The angel learned what was necessary but he didn't learn anything new. When it was time to bring salvation into the world God knew that in order for salvation to come He would have to come into the world as a human being. He came as Jesus Christ. Jesus stood with us, suffering with us. Nowhere is that clearer than what Jesus endured on the cross. This is especially clear as we look today at Jesus 5th word from the cross. We find it in the gospel of John.

(John 19:28-29) After this, (speaking about the conversation he had with his mother and John) when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), "I am thirsty." {29}A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. We have all watched a death scene in one movie or another -- especially war or cowboy movies -- in which a dying person asks for a drink of water. That scene is based on reality. Pain, agony and thirst often go together. The same was true for Jesus on the cross. Jesus was thirsty. Yes, it did fulfill the words of Old Testament scripture. We read both in Psalm, (Psalms 22:15) my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. (Psalms 69:3) . . . . {21}They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. But Jesus was not faking it. Jesus was thirsty. He had been hanging on the cross exposed to the sun and the heat of the day for 6 hours. It is very possible that the last time he had had anything to drink was as he shared the Passover with his disciples the night before. Jesus was God, but Jesus was a real human being as well. That is the first point of this sermon. The second is this -- someone gave Jesus a drink. " A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth." We don't know who that person or those persons might have been. But I would like to think that this act of compassion came from the same people, the soldiers, who upon seeing Jesus' death and the way he died testified, "Truly, this was the Son of God." I would also like to thing in the divine, eternal scheme of things that those who quenched the thirst of Jesus were rewarded for doing so. I believe there is reward for nourishing Jesus when he is thirsty. After all precedence exists for such a happening. We heard about one incident in our scripture reading. Jesus was traveling through Samaria. As his disciples went into a nearby town to get food he sat down to rest by a well. It was midday. It was hot. Jesus did not have anything with which to get water from the well. A woman came by and in his thirst he asks her if he might have a drink. In the conversation which ensues she is rewarded. She not only has a chance to hear about the living water from which one never thirsts again but she receives it from the source of that living water himself. The moral of the story. When God is thirsty give God something to drink. One more incident exists where Jesus expresses thirst. This time it does not involve a soldier at the foot of the cross or a Samaritan woman at the well. It involves you and I. Did you know that Jesus has told each of us of his thirst and each of us has been given the opportunity to quench it? Listen to these words of Jesus found in Matthew 25:31-45. "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. {32}All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, {33}and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. {34}Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; {35}for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, {36}I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' {37}Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? {38}And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? {39}And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' {40}And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' {41}Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; {42}for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, {43}I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' {44}Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or

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sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' {45}Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' Jesus said, "I thirst." He was given a drink. Jesus continues to say, "I thirst" whether it be a neighbor next door who is looking for meaning in life or a neighbor on the other side of the world who is lives in poverty, unable to find safe water to drink. Jesus continues to say, "I thirst" whether it be a neighbor down the street parched by loneliness or a neighbor on the other side of the world afraid to go to the city well for a drink because she might be shot by a sniper. Jesus continues to say, "I thirst" whether it be a neighbor in the local hospital dying alone or a neighbor on the other side of the world who lives in a spiritual desert, never having heard of the giver of living water. Jesus says, "I thirst." Will we give him something to drink?

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GOING HOME Good Friday - April 5, 1996 Doug Diehl Scripture Reading: Luke 23:32-53 Some time ago a story came out about a man who had made himself famous in the restaurant business, establishing restaurants all throughout the United States. His life was nearing its end and those who were closest to him gathered around his death bed. He motioned them to draw close as he whispered to them his final words, "Slice the ham thin." It has been said that people often die in the same way they have lived - facing death as they have faced life. Charles Lamb wrote of a friend who had died, "He parted this life on Wednesday evening; dying as he had lived, without much trouble." People who are afraid to live are afraid to die. People who live in faith die in faith. Have you ever thought that? When the day comes for you to draw your last breath and you have a chance to share some final words or a final attitude, what will it be? How will your dying reflect your living? Of course we know we can't always have control over that - a sudden death, dementia, excruciating circumstances can rob us of a proper reflection. However, at least considering our handling of the final moment makes for a good and possibly life changing meditation. Did you hear Jesus' final words in the scripture reading, "Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Having said this, he breathed his last." No doubt these words reflect the life of Jesus. Jesus had an intense relationship with (as he verbalized it) his heavenly Father. He lived how he believed his Father had called him to live. When times were tough he withdrew in order to spend time in prayer with his Father. Now, even as the blackness of the cross causes him to shout out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" he returns to his heavenly Father at the very end, "Father, into your hands commend my spirit." Jesus' ability to trust his passing to the hands of God was a reflection of his everyday practice of maintaining his relationship with God. These final words are also reflective of Jesus' strong relationship with the scriptures. Many of Jesus' seven words from the cross come from the Psalms. It's as if Jesus relied on the scriptures to get him through the difficult times of his life. Three years earlier as Jesus was about to begin his ministry, he faced the devil in the desert for a time of temptation. Jesus maintained himself through those temptations by quoting scripture back at Satan. Now at the end of his ministry we see Jesus during another stressful time using scripture to get through. But these were not just words to Jesus. They represent reality. When Jesus quotew this scripture from Psalm 31:5 he is reflecting a relationship with God, a relationship shared 1000 years previous by his ancestor David. What is most interesting about these final words is they may have represented for Jesus what a familiar bedtime prayer represented for many of us -- "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul, to keep. If I should die before I wake I pray the Lord my soul to keep." Psalm 31:5 reads, "Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God." It was the prayer every Jewish mother taught her child to say every night as they lay down to sleep. In some ways our final words on earth may be our first words to God. It will be easier for us to give ourselves to God at that moment of transition if we have made it a habit of giving ourselves to God during our living. But how often have we failed or even refused to trust our living with God. A great artist was spending time with some relatives. While he was there the little girl in the family had a birthday. At the party she received a very ordinary looking silk fan. The artist asked the little girl if he could look at it and offered to paint a picture on it if she would allow him to have it for some time. She snatched the fan away immediately, "No way - I won't let you spoil my fan."

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Our failure to trust God with our lives not only will rob us of what is best today but it also might rob us a peaceful transition into eternity. A transcontinental train stopped at a small mid-western town. A passenger watched from his window as an elderly couple put a young boy into the care of the conductor. It was apparent that the boy had been visiting his grandparents and was now returning home. The passenger watched as the boy came into his car, surprised to see him happy and at ease. As he walked by the passenger asked the boy if he was afraid to be making the long train trip by himself. He answered, "No, because I know that my father will be there to meet me." Remember -- we prepare ourselves for our dying now -- today -- as we are living.

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IT IS FINISHED? Easter - April 7, 1996 Doug Diehl Scripture Reading: John 20:1-20 I need to get back to woodworking. As you may know at one time furniture building was a hobby of mine. Now the busyness of parenting and pastoring such an active church has taken that away. My own personal priorities are also to blame. Woodworking was therapeutic. I am or at least I used to be the kind of person who liked to finish a task once I started. That remains important to me but I have unable to hold on to that as a pastor. Yes, I may be able to sit back on Saturday evening, sometimes earlier, and cry out in exultation, "It is finished." But the accomplishment is short lived. 24 hours later the cycle starts again as I turn my attention to the next Sunday morning service. I can never say, "I am done visiting, I am done planning, I am done helping." I suppose deep, deep down I am sharing that to elicit some sympathy. But on the level I am simply sharing the fact that sometimes we find much comfort, much pride, much joy, in the words, "It is finished." Whether writing a grant, finishing a term paper, landing a contract, harvesting a crop, coming through surgery, there are times when it feels good to say those words. I have several items of furniture standing in our house that are finished. I feel good about them. I also have a chest, not finished, laying in the garage, on top of a cabinet -- once intended to be a gift for a very young daughter, now intended to be a wedding gift for - hopefully - a very old and mature daughter. That brings frustration. Speaking of whining you maybe read Baby Blues on Tuesday. The mom is ventilating, "I just can't stand it sometimes! The house is never completely picked up, the dishes are never all washed, the checkbook is never exactly balanced, the yard is shaggy, and the bottom half of the windows are dirty!" Her understanding husband asks, "Is that all?" "Yeah, I think that covers it." She sighs and concludes, "The only thing I ever manage to finish around here is the complaining." Her husband takes her shoulder to comfort her, "Well, at least that's something . . ." Often these words do not bring comfort but instead are words of defeat and disappointment. Jesus' disciples had breathed those words often in the preceding weeks. It all started when Jesus began mentioning his impending death. Jesus told his followers that he must head for Jerusalem where he would be arrested by the Jewish leaders and turned over to the Romans to be crucified. I would guess that at first the disciples dismissed the prophecy as foolishness but after it had been mentioned enough times they must have thrown up their hands, despairing "it is finished - it is over - we are washed up. If he is going to be so negative we might as well quit right now." Jesus is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane -- "it is finished - we are through." Jesus is dragged between the high priest and Pilate and Herod -- "it is finished - we might as well through in the towel." They follow Jesus down the streets of Jerusalem to be crucified -- "it is finished - it's no use." And now, if any of them were close enough to hear, Jesus himself cries out, "it is finished." Yes, it is finished. They turn away planning their return to life before Jesus - back to fishing - back to tax collecting. At the foot of Mount McKinley a skeleton was found seated on the root of a tree. Just above was a finger carved in the bark, pointing down to the skeleton. Beside the finger were these words: "The end of the trail." They told the tragic story of one who had set out to climb that lofty mountain, but somehow everything went all wrong. At one time the disciples were optimistic. Jesus had spoken of a new kingdom ruled by love and peace. They were going to be a part of it. He healed the sick, the blind, and the lame. They were a part of that as well. Sure Jesus had his enemies, but crowds followed Jesus everywhere. People liked him. He was popular. Then, it was all over. Now they found themselves at the end of the trail. Is it possible they were wrong? As Jesus cried out "it is finished" was he only reiterating what the disciples were already feeling?

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If history would have ended on Friday we would have to say yes. But history did not end on Friday. Sunday came -- and we know what happened on Sunday. Jesus' cry was not a cry of failure or frustration. Jesus was not giving up. Jesus was not throwing in the towel. Jesus cried "it is finished" in triumph. It is finished. I have finished what I have been sent to do. "Sin" is finished. "Satan" is finished. "Death" is finished. It is finished and I will be back to prove it. "It is finished" is an Easter message. We may feel like the pre-Easter disciples. After such a long, cold snowy winter we throw up our hands in despair, "it is finished," spring will never come, it will never warm up, the farmers will never be able to get their crops in, we are going to have to pay these heat bills forever, I'll never get to walk outside again - I give up. We lose our job - a friend, maybe even a spouse or one of our children turn against us, a dream is taken away - we are ready to throw in the towel. "It is finished", life will never have meaning again - I can't go on. We read of earthquakes, floods and famines. We read of bombings, genocide, wars and rumors of wars. We read of abuse, murders and gang violence. "It is finished", the world is going to hell in a hand basket. Jesus said "it is finished" so we don't have to say that anymore -- at least not in the context of pessimism and despair. On the other hand Jesus would like for us to shout in victory those same words. Jesus put an end to some things in our lives that we continue to keep alive. Jesus would like for us to name them and declare them finished off. Bad habit - it is finished! Sin - it is finished! Bitterness - it is finished! Jealousy - it is finished! Apathy - it is finished! Unfaithfulness - it is finished! Greed - it is finished! When we put those words "it is finished" into the context of Easter everything changes. During Napoleon's Austrian campaign his army advanced to within six miles of Feldkirch. It looked as though Bonaparte's men would take Feldkirch without resistance. But as Napoleon's army advanced toward their objective in the night, the Christians of Feldkirch gathered in a little church to pray. It was Easter Eve. The next morning at sunrise the bells of the village pealed out across the countryside. Napoleon's army, not realizing it was Easter Sunday, thought that in the night the Austrian army had moved into Feldkirch and that the bells were ringing in jubilation. Napoleon ordered a retreat, and the battle at Feldkirch never took place. The Easter bells caused the enemy to retreat. You and I are Easter people. We have been given the privilege and the responsibility to herald the Easter message. When we lift it up in word and in deed the enemy will retreat. Christ the Lord has risen today! It is finished!

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