Holy Week 3: Judas Iscariot

 Today, the Wednesday in holy week is traditionally known as spy Wednesday and the focus is on Judas Iscariot. As with the other nights this week I am starting tonight by using my imagination and trying to see what Judas may have been thinking

It wasn't supposed to end like this. When I first met him and heard him preach I thought he was surely the one. The next great Jewish leader. The one to overthrow the Roman oppressors. He was supposed to lead a great uprising. Kill the oppressors, drive them out. Make the Jewish people free again. I wanted to be part of that, to play my part in the glorious new government that would follow his victory. But then he just kept talking about forgiveness. But I truly thought when we came to Jerusalem he would take action. I thought when we gathered for that meal in the upper room, we would be planning the insurrection, the overthrow of the Roman oppressors, but no. I thought if things came to a head, if the temple authorities tried to stop him, then it would be a catalyst. The spark that would start the fire, the fire that would burn down the Romans and leave the Jewish people free. But then, even when Peter drew his sword, he told him to put it away. He let them arrest him without any resistance. I know now they mean to kill him, and I’ve helped them, how can I live with that, but why oh why won't he stand up and be the great leader we need, why allow himself to be killed, to kill all our hopes when he should be leading the fight.

Judas wanted Jesus to be something that he wasn't. The Jews had been living for years under Roman persecution and Judas believed the only way to change that was to physically fight back. The problem is that that is not God’s way. God sees things from a different perspective to us. He has an understanding of how things will pan out over the span of eternity. We are stuck in the here and now. We may often ask or even try to demand of God that he does something, the something that we think is the right thing to do, now. Like Judas we focus on our own understanding and what we think should happen for the best. We need to realise that God may, sometimes, know better. That things happen according to God's plan and time, not ours. 

Judas is also focused on money and on what prestige he can gain from being in Christ's inner circle. This makes it hard for him to hear Christ's message of a different way of being. How often do we prioritise what we want over what God wants? Judas’ motivations for following Jesus isn’t always the right one. When our motives are more about seeking what we want, even if our actions look good, we are not following God. Once we start to make decisions for the wrong reasons, then we can start to lose sight of what is good and right. Evil can start to creep in to our hearts and minds and corrupt our thinking and our relationships. Our focus shifts to what is the right thing for me, what will benefit me the most, and not what does God want? If other people start to get hurt, they become collateral damage. This is not the way God wants us to be. God calls us to be a community, to make decisions for the common good not just our personal good. We can only do this if we have a good relationship with God, if we spend time in prayer where we don’t just issue a list of demands to God, please can you fix X,Y,Z now. We also need to allow time for stillness and to listen to what God may be saying to us. To accept that our way is not God’s way and sometimes we just have to trust that God has a plan, even if we don’t understand it.

Over the last three nights I have tried to explore the events of Holy week through the eyes of three different people involved. On Monday we learned from Mary that we should always aim to bring our best to God. On Tuesday from Simon Peter, we learned that we will probably all mess it up at some point, but because of the events of this week there is always forgiveness and redemption available. Tonight Judas has shown us the importance of seeking to understand God’s ways and recognise that they may not be the same as ours. Judas has also shown us the importance of ensuring that what we do, both in our worship and outside in the wider word is done for the glory of God and not ourselves. I hope that over the next few days as we journey to the cross and to the heart of God’s love we can also grow closer to God and stronger in our faith.

Holy Week 2: Simon Peter

 

Today we continue our journey through holy week by looking at events from the perspectives of different people. I am using imagination and starting each evening with a monologue from the viewpoint of a different character. Today we are looking at Simon Peter. 

Was it only a few days ago, that marvellous entry into Jerusalem? It seems like a thousand years ago. Everything was going so well. I really thought this was it. Jesus would be accepted as the next great Jewish leader. The important people, those in authority would recognise who he was. Then it all went so wrong. We shared the Passover meal, he wanted to wash my feet, but I protested. He’s the leader I should serve him, but somehow he turns everything upside down. Insisted that he serve me. At that last meal when he was talking about one of us betraying him, I promised to lay down my life for him, and I meant it. When they came to arrest him, I tried to fight back and stop them, but He stopped me. When they took him away I followed him, I wanted to help, find a way to rescue him. But then, then, I betrayed him as much as that snake Judas did. They asked if I was with him and I was scared, worried what they would do to me, worried that if I said yes I would have no chance to save him. I wasn't able to save him anyway, and now I’ve let him down, let myself down, can I ever find forgiveness for my actions that night.

We know that Simon Peters world is going to be turned upside down several more times over the next few weeks, but ultimately he will find the forgiveness he seeks. 

Simon Peter always strikes me as a bit of a larger than life character, the one that's always rushing in almost without thinking. In the transfiguration, when Jesus is on the mountain top with Moses and Elijah, he rushes in wanting to build shelters. When he sees Jesus walking on the water towards the boat he immediately wants to go to him and finds himself walking on the water, then he has a moment of realisation and starts to sink. In Holy week it is Peter who declares he will lay down his life for Jesus, then when the reality sets in, in the courtyard, surrounded by the leaders and people that want Jesus dead, he falters.

How often do we act like Peter? Keen to follow Jesus at first, but then when things get a bit tough, when lent seems long, we may give up. I see this in myself, a lot. I want to follow Jesus, I want to have a good spiritual life, but when I’m tired or when I'm rushing about trying to do several things at once and get out the door in time to get to work, that quiet time in the morning for prayer is the first thing that gets lost. If I'm honest it can even just be spending too much time scrolling on social media. Time that could and should be spent building my relationship with God. 

However, we know how Peter’s story ends. That beautiful scene on the beach where Jesus gives Peter the opportunity to say that he loves him three times, cancelling the three denials. The same Peter that denied Jesus, will through faith go on to die for him.

The events of Holy week and Easter mean that this same life changing forgiveness is available to us all. Now, that isn't a reason to just carry on as we are. The reality is that we are human and however hard we try, we are going to mess it up at some point. That in essence is how we end up at the cross. 

We, both individually and as humanity in general, get it wrong so often. We let our own self interest, our laziness, our lack of ability to focus on what we need to do and instead spend twenty minutes looking at cute cat videos get in the way of what is really important. Our relationship with God and our seeking to discern God’s will through prayer and other spiritual practices should come first. However, like for Peter, forgiveness is there. On Easter Eve, we have the chance to renew our baptism vows, to reset our relationship with God, to seek and receive forgiveness. We may mess things up but Simon Peter's story tells us that, no matter the mistakes we make, because of the cross and resurrection we can ask for and receive forgiveness and get a fresh start.

Holy Week 1: Mary Magdalen

 Over the next three nights I want to explore the events of Holy week from the viewpoints of three different people involved, starting tonight with our own Mary Magdalene and moving on to Simon Peter and Judas Iscariot. 

These sermons will be a little bit different from normal. I have let my imagination lose and each one will begin with a monologue that imagines what the person we are focusing on might have been thinking and feeling, then going on to explore what we can learn from them and their experience.

So, let's imagine what Mary Magdalene may have been thinking.

I love him, he saved me from myself, from the madness that was tearing me apart. He brought me healing and wholeness. When we entered Jerusalem with the crowds cheering, I was happy at first. I thought everyone else saw what I saw in him. But crowds can be fickle, and I started to have a bad feeling. Others thought I was being over dramatic I can almost hear them saying “that Mary Magdalene, she's still a bit weird”. I just thought if something does happen I want him to know what he means to me, I want to give him the best that I can. That's why I went and spent my money on that expensive perfume and poured it on his feet. I know Judas and a few others complained, they thought the money could have been better spent, but I'm so worried about what might happen in the next few days. The atmosphere on the streets is so charged, with everyone gathering for the festival, anything could happen and I’ve got this feeling that everything's going to change how and when and if it will be good or bad I just don't know. I just want him to know how much he means to me. He has helped me to become the person that I am. I want to give the best that I can to him.

Mary Magdalene’s actions in pouring expensive perfume onto Jesus’ feet are motivated by her love for him. When we love someone we want to express it, to them and to let others know the way we feel. How do we show what Jesus means to us? One way is through the worship we offer. We want to make the worship we offer the best that it can be. Vestments that looks good, that reflect the richness of God’s love for us. The wonderful organ music that Tim provides for us, the lovely smell of the incense, covering any not so nice smells. What about us though, do we always bring our best selves to worship God? If I’m honest I know that I don't always. There can be so many other things going on that even in the time that is supposed to be dedicated to and focused on God, I find my mind wandering to more day to day issues such as do I need to buy some more bread? Did I remember to get something out the freezer for dinner? I wonder who the killer is in the latest crime novel I’m reading. So many things competing for our attention but Mary reminds us that we if we truly love God, we should pay him attention. God wants relationship with us, but it's hard to build relationship with someone who is constantly distracted by other things. Let's try and use the liturgy and time of holy week to really give God our full attention and build our relationship with him.

Mary doesn't just bring herself to God, she offers to him the most expensive perfume she can buy. How often do we spend money on ourselves first and put how God might want us to spend money second? I will put my hands up and admit this is an area I really need to work on. Why do I always buy more books, when I have a to be read pile that will take me several years to get through? Could I be using that money better by giving it to the church or other charities whose work can show God's love to people. The answer is almost certainly yes. 

Mary's actions also tell other people how she feels about Jesus. Mary is the sort of person that I should imagine everyone would be talking and about her relationship with Jesus. But what about us? Do our actions tell the people around us about Jesus and how great he is? Do people that know us even know that we are Christians? Mary provides an example of how to live a life of unashamed deep love of God. A relationship to which she brings everything that she is and has, and through which she finds wholeness and healing. 

Mary challenges us to do the same. This Holy week I hope we can provide some amazing worship, that we can bring the best of our skills and talents to God. I pray that what we do will draw people into relationship with God and that we can learn to be people that reflect God to others and make them want to find that relationship with God for themselves.

Baptism of Christ

May I speak in the name of the Father and of the Son and of The Holy Spirit.

A voice came from heaven, you are my Son, the beloved. Words from our gospel this morning, but what do they mean? 

The voice from heaven is presumably that of God, declaring that Jesus is his son, his beloved. A statement is clearly being made about Jesus’s identity. He is the son of God, no ifs, no buts. 

Some people have claimed that Jesus was just a good man, a wise teacher whose teaching we should follow, even a prophet, but he was just a man. Our gospel this morning makes it clear that they are wrong. Jesus is both man, the son of Mary and divine, the son of God. 

Theologians have wrestled for centuries over how this works. This year is the 1,700 anniversary of the council of Nicaea, which led to the formulation of the Nicaean creed which we proclaim each week.  The issue of the relationship between the divine and human natures in Jesus, and how they work was a key point in the debates. 

Were the divine and the human natures separate but in one body, a bit like a split personality? Or were they somehow mingled together? Is Jesus two natures in one body or something else?I was struggling to find a way to articulate these ideas that is easy to underunderstand then I came across a column in the church times by Angela Tilby, in which she discusses the nature of Christ and gives the following analogy. 

“two nature, one person Christians understood Christ as we might experience a drink of whiskey and water: 

a combination in which the distinctiveness of the two components remains apparent to the taste.

 One nature Christians on the other hand, thought the person of Christ to be more like gin and tonic: 

the ingredients once mixed, can no longer be distinguished.”

I did think about doing a practical experiment as part of my sermon but decided it might not be a good idea. So, which is it? The church decided that Jesus was more whiskey and water than gin and tonic. Even with a helpful drink, I still struggle sometimes to really understand how Jesus can be both God and man.  

How does it work? Does Jesus the man know that he is also God? How does that impact on how he thinks and acts? Maybe for the time he is human he doesn't know that he is also God? But there are times in the gospel narratives where he does seem to know. The more I try and think about this, the more I seem to tie myself in knots and the more my brain seems to turn to fluff like Winnie the Poohs. 

However, maybe the answer is that we can’t understand it by just our own thinking. Having faith in something is not the same as knowing something. Speaking about the words of the creed Cardinal Basil Hume wrote

 “these words are but a formula – abstract, cold and unreal- unless our minds and hearts are touched, 

that is unless out hearts are involved in our prayer and our prayer involves our hearts.  

It is only gradually that the words of scripture and the creeds reveal something of their inner meaning. 

It is like the viewing of a landscape. 

The more we look the more we see. 

The eye cannot, at first glance, convey to the mind all the beauty that lies before it, 

nor study every detail that is part of the whole. 

It needs time, patience, persistence before the eye becomes one with the reality it is contemplating , and it with the eye.”

For some matters of faith, trying to understand them in a logical, practical way is the wrong approach. Our human language can at times be limited, God can be and act in ways that go beyond what we can describe with our limited language. It may be at times that we can only come closer to understanding God, through prayer and meditation on what He is saying to us through scripture and the creeds. 

For now, I maybe just need to accept that Jesus is God’s beloved son. But what about us? Whilst Jesus is in a special way God’s beloved son, through our baptism we are all also children of God. 

In our Isaiah reading we are told we are precious in God’s sight, we are honoured and He loves us. 

Sometimes, though, it might not feel like that. We are starting to settle back into normal life after the bright lights and celebrations of Christmas. Although I know the days are starting to get longer, it still feels very dark and cold. Post Christmas the pounds on the scale have gone up, whilst the pounds in my bank have gone down. The news seems to be all doom and gloom, yet here we have this wonderful passage. It tells us not to fear, for God has redeemed us. Yes, we may face problems but God will be with us and can help us not be overwhelmed. 

Note, it doesn't say you won’t face difficulties and hardships, but that God will be with you and protect you through them.  He cares about us so much that he is prepared to give up nations in exchange for you or me. The passage ends with this glorious description of God gathering up his children from north and south, from far away, even from the ends of the earth. 

In our baptism we become part of God’s family, a family that he will protect and care for. Jesus was Son of God and Son of Man and because of that we can try to stop being afraid of the world or of God, we can face the things we are afraid of knowing we are beloved children of God. 

So as we struggle through the dark days of January, we can know in our hearts, even if we don’t understand it with our brains, that we are all children of God, loved and protected by God. 

Amen