“There’s a line where the sky meets the sea
And it calls me
But no one knows how far it goes
All the time wondering where I need to be
Is behind me
I’m on my own
To worlds unknown”
I wonder if you can identify with Moana singing “How Far I’ll Go” in the lavish original Disney film?
“Every turn I take
Every trail I track
Is a choice I make
Now I can’t turn back
From the great unknown
Where I go alone
Where I long to be”
When you look at the beauty of the world around you, does it fill you with a sense of wonder? Does its abundance inspire you to praise God? Are you thankful just to be alive? Are you frustrated with the world the way it is? Does the presence of evil and suffering impel you to want to help those in need? Are you restless? Are you longing to fulfil your destiny? I encourage you to see the film Moana.
If you were like me, when you were very young, there were only two really important events in your life. You felt like they could not come soon enough. What were they? The first was… your birthday. The second was… Jesus’ birthday. Both involved presents. Lots of presents. Then when you were old enough to know that Father Christmas was not in the Nativity Play and you were allowed to stay up late, there was a third special day. New Year’s Eve. There were no presents but you still looked forward to the party and seeing in the New Year. We love to celebrate beginnings. We celebrate new life. Our birthday. Family birthdays. Jesus’ birthday. The birth of a new year.
So, what is it with the Church? When does the Church year begin? Not at Christmas and the birth of our Saviour. Not Easter and the resurrection to new life. Not even Pentecost and the birth of the Church. The Church year begins with Advent. Advent simply means coming. Our Bible readings reveal that Advent is not about Christmas or the birth of Jesus. No. Advent is about the return of Jesus. So why does the Church year begin with the return of Jesus? Because it is the most important event still to come. Jesus is coming to bring an end to this corrupt, godless world order. Jesus is coming to reign as Lord and King and inaugurate a new heaven and a new earth. Our gospel reading gives us three reasons why we begin the church year with the end of this world as we know it.
During the Munich Crisis of September 1938, as Hitler rallied his forces and the world slid inexorably toward war, more radios were sold than in any previous month. In this atmosphere of tension, Orson Welles and his staff prepared for their weekly Mercury Theater radio play. Auspiciously, on the night before Halloween, listeners found themselves listening to the innocent sounds of “Ramon Raquello and his orchestra”, only for the music to be interrupted by the first of a series of increasingly alarming news stories. First came reports of several explosions of “incandescent gas” observed on the planet Mars, then after a brief interlude of more music came a hook-up to Princeton Observatory professor Richard Pierson (played by Welles) who assures the listeners that there is nothing to be alarmed at. Then there are reports of a meteor impact in an unassuming sleepy little hamlet called Grover’s Mill. That night it became the centre of the universe as the beachhead for a Martian invasion advancing on New York City, brushing aside American defenders and destroying dozens of familiar place names along the way. An emergency government announcement gave credence to the story, and huddled about their radios, panicked listeners (all over the USA) began to bombard local police stations with calls. From Trenton comes the account.
“We were petrified. We just looked at each other, scared out of our wits. Someone was banging on our front door. It was our neighbour across the street. She had packed her seven kids in their car and she kept yelling, come on, lets get out of here.”
Life is a journey. It has a beginning and end. We are all travelers, somewhere on that journey, forever on the move, learning, growing, changing. When someone that we know and love dies, our loss invariably arouses strong emotions.
It may also raise questions about our own mortality. About the meaning and purpose of life now. Psalm 23 is probably the most widely known and best loved Psalm of all. I read it with Joanna in hospital the day before she died. Psalm 23 is a great comfort because it addresses the strong emotions we often feel at times such as this.
The English translation refers to the ‘Valley of the Shadow of Death’. In Hebrew it means ‘The Valley of Deep Darkness’. How can we handle the deep darkness we may feel as a family today? Let me draw out three ways God intends this Psalm to give us comfort and strength as we face the death of Joanna – a sister, grandmother, mother and wife.
Do not be Afraid
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil”. David says “I walk” — not “I run” or “I panic and run the other way”. To walk means calmly, deliberately taking steps through the valley. David says
“I’m not going to be afraid. I will calmly walk through the valley.” So today in the face of our loss and our own mortality, God says, do not be afraid. How can he say this?
God is with us
David said, “For You will be with me. You’re with me every moment.” God promises to be with us in the dark valleys. In the first part of the psalm all of the pronouns are in the 3rd person — David talks about God: “He leads me beside still waters, He guides me into green pastures, He restores my soul“. David is talking about God. But when he begins to walk through the dark valley, his language changes to the second person pronoun. “You are with me. Your rod and your staff comfort me.”
It is often only in the dark valleys of life that we turn to God, or find he is with us. In the dark valleys, the ultimate becomes the intimate. Religion becomes what it was always intended to be – a relationship. In the valley of deep darkness we learn from Psalm 23 not to be afraid because God is with us. But more than that, God promises,
God will Sustain us
David reminds himself that God’s rod and staff comfort him. The rod and staff were the two basic tools a shepherd used to protect and guide the sheep. God is saying,
“When you go through the dark valley, I’m not just with you but I am defending you. I’m protecting you.”
One final observation – David writes, “When I walk through the valley of the shadow of death“. He didn’t walk through the valley of death, but the valley of the shadow of death. When a shadow falls on you remember
Shadows are always bigger than the reality
Like a shadow, fear is always greater than the actual reality. It is fear that debilitates or paralyses, not the reality of our mortality. Shadows are always bigger than reality.
Shadows cannot hurt you
There is a difference between the shadow of a truck and a truck itself. Shadows are image without substance. They cannot hurt you. They may warn you, they may scare you, but they cannot hurt you. They are just shadows.
There is no shadow without a light somewhere
When we are going through a dark valley, we think the sun has stopped shining. We may feel alone. We may imagine we are in total darkness. But where there is a shadow there is a light somewhere. What happens if you turn your back on the shadow and look directly at the light? The shadow falls behind you. So if and when you’re afraid, don’t look at the shadow.
Jesus says, “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness.” (John 8:12). When you look to Jesus for wisdom, for guidance and strength, the shadows fall behind you.
As the old hymn says “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”
When you are walking through a valley of deep darkness, remember three things from Psalm 23. The Lord says, “do not be afraid, because I am with you and I will sustain you.”
The Beaufort scale measures…. wind speed. The Richter scale measures…. earthquakes. The Engels scale measures… faith. That’s right – faith. The Engel scale was developed by James F. Engel, as a way of representing the journey from no knowledge of God, through to spiritual maturity as a Christian believer.
Everyone in the world, and everyone who has ever lived, is somewhere on the Engel’s scale. The Engel’s scale is helpful in identifying where people are in their spiritual journey and how best to help lead them to Jesus Christ. In our gospel reading today, we can observe that as people encountered Jesus, three kinds of faith were exposed. Only one will do. Some had doubting faith, some displayed an unbelieving faith and some evidences a saving faith. Lets consider each and decide which one best describes yours. Which of the three are you relying on today?
“Treacherous colleagues, competitive friends, bloody-minded commuters – it’s a war out there. And according to Robert Greene, it’s a conflict we’re ill-equipped to deal with. After analyzing the moves of history’s great military leaders, he’s written a rulebook to achieving victory in life’s daily battles.”[1]
The blurb goes on to say, “Spanning world civilizations, synthesizing dozens of political, philosophical, and religious texts and thousands of years of violent conflict, The 33 Strategies of War is a comprehensive guide to the subtle social game of everyday life informed by the most ingenious and effective military principles in war. Learn the offensive strategies that require you to maintain the initiative and negotiate from a position of strength, or the defensive strategies designed to help you respond to dangerous situations and avoid unwinnable wars.”
According to Penguin the publishers, this is “An indispensable book… The great warriors of battlefields and drawing rooms alike demonstrate prudence, agility, balance, and calm, and a keen understanding that the rational, resourceful, and intuitive always defeat the panicked, the uncreative, and the stupid… The 33 Strategies of War provides all the psychological ammunition you need to overcome patterns of failure and forever gain the upper hand.”[2]
Today we are going to learn about Jesus’ strategy, not for war but for peace. We are going to compare Jesus’ strategy with that of the Pharisees (and by way of application – observe how the same tactics are used by Zionists today).
It is confession time. I didn’t mean to do it. I know I should not have done it. Every week I carefully avoid looking but this Friday I did. I don’t know what possessed me. I put it down to mid-life crisis. My eyes just wandered and there it was, the most enticing, the most tantalizing, the most tempting job offer I have ever read in the Church of England Newspaper.
“It’s True Adelaide is a great place… No doubt you’ve read about Adelaide’s fine weather, fine beaches, fine food and fine wine. Its all true! South Australia wants people who see their future in its progressive climate. The archbishop of Adelaide welcomes enquiries from clergy wishing to minister in parishes and schools. Find out more about South Australia at www.southaustralia.com. Send your expressions of interest to…” and then it gave the address.
Do you realise the very first person to see the risen Lord Jesus, the first person to respond to him and the first person to tell the good news to others, was not one of the Apostles, but Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene appears in all four Gospel accounts of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
From these we learn that Mary Magdalene became a friend and follower of Jesus after he cast out seven demons from her. She was present during Jesus’ trial (Matthew 27:45). She was there at the Crucifixion (John 19:25).She watched Joseph of Arimathea bury Jesus (Luke 23:56).
And on Easter Sunday she and some other women were the first to discover the stone had been rolled away (John 20:1), first to meet the risen Lord Jesus (John 20:15-16) first to tell the disbelieving disciples the good news (John 20:18).
Surprisingly, it was also Mary and some other women who supported Jesus financially from their income. This tells us something about the value Jesus placed on women. Jesus recruited and traveled with both men and women followers. That was unheard of. When we think of the disciples we tend to imagine the 12 male Apostles, but Jesus drew around him both men and women, into one extended family of sisters and brothers. In this Jesus was very radical. It was the custom that women would only travel with their families. In the Easter story, the Apostle John gives us the fullest account of Mary’s role. As we read John 20 together I want to make three observations about Mary: About her heart, about her mind and about her will.
Beat the clock. Around the clock. Against the clock. Clock in. Carry the day. Once in a blue moon. From now on. In the long run Come of age. A day in the sun. The crack of dawn. Year in, year out. A month of Sundays. Hour of need. Full of the joys of spring. Now or never. The moment of truth. Better late than never. Make my day. Here today and gone tomorrow. A blink of the eye. Days are numbered. What do they all have in common? Time. We say, long time no see. Killing time. Wasting time. Behind the times. On time. Just in time. As time goes by. The nick of time. Do time. Serve time. A whale of a time. Save time. Good time. Ahead of time. No time to lose. The big time. High time. Time is money. Times flies. Crunch time. Out of time. Time for a change. Times up. I counted over 100 expressions for time. They all refer to chronological or sequential time.
In our gospel reading Jesus teaches us a new one. Kairos time.[i] The word kairos is Greek for “opportunity” or “the right time”, the “fullness of time” or the “supreme moment”. In the Bible Kairos refers to God’s timing. In his first sermon, Jesus said, “The time has come… The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). This was a kairos moment for those who heard Jesus. And for the Christ follower, as for Jesus, chronos time and kairos time intersect every moment or every day because we live in two worlds – in time and in eternity, in heaven and on earth. The evening of Maundy Thursday was one of those kairos moments for Jesus and the disciples. Please turn with me to John 13 and let us discover what Jesus knew, what Jesus did and what Jesus expects.
The Road from Jericho to Jerusalem is just 14 miles. A half-day’s journey, uphill all the way. Bethany is just on the other side of the Mount of Olives. A natural place to stop and rest before the final ascent and panoramic view of all Jerusalem. But it is not the road that should capture our attention. Dusty roads through dramatic scenery were as common then as now, indeed little has changed. Israeli checkpoints, barbed wire, military settlements and the Separation Barrier have replaced the Roman garrisons but it is still Occupied Territory. It is ironic that if Jesus were born in Blackpool he would have no problem getting from Jericho to Jerusalem today. But because he was born in Bethlehem he would not be able to make the journey to the Mount of Olives, let alone join the Palm Sunday procession into the Old City. Like thousands of West Bank Christians he would be unable to visit Jerusalem today. He would be turned back at a military checkpoint – because he was born in Bethlehem. Pray for your brothers and sisters today in the Holy Land who are denied the most basic of human rights – freedom of movement, freedom to worship, freedom to live in the land of their birth.
