The Feast of the Resurrection! (Easter)
Good Friday: The Seven Last Words of Jesus from the Cross
Approximately one month or so ago, I asked seven members to each choose a word (statement) of Jesus from the cross and write a response to it. This was a bit before the viral enemy hit hard and forced us to close the Church building and cancel all regularly scheduled services.
The seven were to present their responses in order on Good Friday. We would have sung verses of “The Old Rugged Cross” interspersed between the statements. What you are receiving now in writing – either by email or snail mail – are those responses. Since most people know the tune to “The Old Rugged Cross” we are including the words here so that you can hum or sing them as they are posted.
Interestingly, I asked each person to choose in order of preference the three words/statements they would prefer to respond to. We were surprised, even shocked, that each person ended up assigned their first choice.
– Interim Pastor David Mueller
“On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
the emblem of suff’ring and shame;
and I love that old cross where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.”
“Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34)
Written by Sandy Pierson
Think of Jesus as He so cruelly suffers on the cross, crying out not for himself, but for all who put Him on the cross. He willingly took the place of any sinner and prayed that they might be forgiven.
The people of that day couldn’t comprehend the enormity of Jesus’ sacrifice. However, as it is written in the Bible, today we understand this forgiveness is for everyone. His mercy is freely available.
Before suffering on the cross, Jesus instructs his followers to “bless those who curse you and pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:28) which appears to be exactly what he was doing on the cross.
Dear Father God In heaven, Help us to use this ultimate example of forgiveness in our lives when we are falsely accused or abused. We rise up knowing you are the truth and the way showing us direction to lead a righteous life and work towards a perfect relationship with you. Amen
Personal side note: This exercise during Lent and this time of social distancing from all that we know (routines, social times with family and friends), has been a time of reflection on forgiveness in my life. Jesus in my life has helped me through all the mountains and valleys. I think we are all reflecting on the important things in life right now.
“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
Written by Kevin Carr
This is the second statement that is listed as one of Jesus’ last seven words. Jesus made this statement to one of the two criminals that were being crucified with Him.
While researching these words from Jesus, I found a lot of discussion on where the comma goes in the statement. Does it go before the word “today” or after the word “today?” Most current Bibles put it before.
There was no punctuation in Aramaic or old Hebrew language. Commas were added to the Bible in the 9th century. I believe this to be misplaced. The Bible tells us that Jesus died and was buried and did not rise until the third day (1 Corinthians 15:34). Also, Jesus tells Mary after He came out of the grave not to touch Him for He had not returned to the Father (John 20:17).
Regardless of where you put the comma, it does not change the inspiration the words convey. This statement is what I believe all Christians wish for — to be with God in Paradise. This is a Bible verse that gives us all HOPE.
Jesus was crucified between two criminals and interacted with both. The two criminals represent ways to respond to suffering. The first criminal joined the mockers from the ground and said, “if you are the Christ save yourself and us, too.” He was looking for Jesus to help him out of a bad situation, death on a cross. The second criminal rebuked the first saying, “Don’t you fear God?” He admitted his guilt, knew he needed forgiveness and wanted hope for life after death. He recognized that was what Jesus offered.
I believe that at times we all could respond like either criminal. Many times, I prayed for God to get me out of a bad situation caused by my actions. I was looking for instant relief from my troubles — what some would refer to as a foxhole prayer. It wasn’t until I came to believe in Jesus that I started to experience peace. When I admitted my sins, became repentant and asked God’s forgiveness, I started to feel His presence. Like the second criminal, when I surrendered to God and stopped trying to be my own god, I found comfort. With humility, admittance of my sins and a repentant heart, I ask God for his mercy.
Now there are still times I behave like either criminal. It takes a concentrated effort to be more like the second criminal. What the second criminal asked for was to be remembered in Jesus’ Kingdom. That is what Jesus promised him. That is when he received peace and comfort. This is the great promise of the Gospel, to be with Jesus forever.
“Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
has a wondrous attraction for me;
for the dear Lamb of God left his glory above,
to bear it to dark Calvary.”
“Woman, here is your son…. Here is your mother.” (John 19:27)
Written by Cheryl Powell
“Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home. (NKJV)
From one viewpoint, this passage shows the consistent subjugation of women in Biblical times, as here Jesus is asking one of his disciples (which one? — a question for another time) to accept Mary as his mother and take care of her. It also begs the question of where Jesus’s nominal father, Joseph, is at this critical time. Is he there? Will he also join the household of the disciple? What is his reaction to this usurpation of his authority as Mary’s husband? All excellent questions and all irrelevant to this interpretation.
I look at this passage from Mary’s viewpoint as a faithful woman of her time, and as the mother of a son. Mary conceived Jesus through the Holy Spirit while still unwed, during a time when pregnancy before marriage was treated with shunning at best and stoning at worst. And still, her response to Gabriel after being told her destiny was simply “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” A faithful woman, certain that God would not send her a burden too heavy to bear. I only wish I could be as trusting as she was throughout her life.
From the few accounts found, young Jesus was a good son to Mary, a son who was obedient (for the most part), thoughtful (when he remembered), and loving (if his friends weren’t looking). Little is said about Mary during his teaching time. There is no record in the Bible of Jesus telling Mary his eventual fate. We know he shared that picture with his closest disciples, and of course, Mary witnessed the Passion, helplessly standing by as her firstborn was tortured, nailed to a cross, and died.
And as He was dying, the final act of this best of Sons for his mother ensured she would not want for any necessity, for a woman without men at that time faced a harsh, hand-to-mouth existence.
So when Jesus says, “Woman, behold your son!” I think of my son — my firstborn and only child — and our relationship. How we were very close when he was young. How we grew apart a little when I was away at school. How he turns to me still, in times of trouble and joy. How he would help me, if I were to become destitute. How I would feel to see him subjected to such treatment, and be as powerless to stop it, or to save him.
And I weep.
“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34)
Written by Sue Saltar
“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” I have given this a lot of thought. Of course, there is the obvious. Christ was brutalized, humiliated and alone. When He was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He even asked to have the upcoming events removed from Him. He knew. He was human. It must have felt so very frightening but still He allowed it all come to pass. He knew what He had to do.
I did a lot of thinking and praying during this Lenten season. Was there a time in my life when I felt alone? I cannot compare myself to what Christ went through but I can relate to feeling so very alone at one time. There was a time when I wondered where God was. My faith was tested and I struggled. It took a real desire to find my way back and I found a spiritual advisor who helped me find my way. The journey was not an easy one and very painful.
I think about how Christ could continue on with the direction this last day took. His love for me and for his Father allowed him to move ahead with humility and a certain peace. Yet on the cross he questioned — OR DID HE? Maybe He was showing me how we can feel lost and yet get to the other side. Maybe He was showing me how to do it. I could feel lost and hurting and not give up. Christ died on that cross and the world changed. His example of love grew and grew.
With this example of love, I was able to walk out of my pain and move closer to my God day by day.
I am not saying that things went easy for me. I had to bury a grandson at 21 of a genetic disorder. I watched him begin to die at age 3. It was so painful to watch my daughter watch her son die. I had to bury a granddaughter at 27 of a drug overdose. Again, I had to watch a daughter bury her daughter. But at no time did I feel abandoned now.
My faith was my strength. Christ taught me through his suffering how I could be afraid and yet not feel alone.
The lessons Christ taught while on that cross. The lessons of love and obedience. His kindness for the thief hanging next to him. The gift of making his mother our mother, while hurting. I am so grateful for the example of this loving Christ. My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Maybe not. In His last discourse to His disciples, He tells them His father was there right in Him. He was not alone. His lesson to me, even at the end, is to know that I am not alone and I can count on my God. I am not always sure what OK is, but I know I will be OK, no matter what. I am not alone.
“In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
a wondrous beauty I see;
for ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
to pardon and sanctify me.”
“I am thirsty.” (John 19:28)
Written by Wayne Smiley
John 19:28: “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.”
I asked for this verse because I feel that in this simple passage Jesus shows us exactly who he is. Jesus shows us just how focused he was on the word of God. Jesus knew why the Father had sent him and he showed his desire in fulfilling his Father’s will.
Jesus knew the writings of the Old Testament. He knew the prophecies. In Psalm 69:21 it is written, “They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” There was no compassion shown to Jesus as he hung on the cross. When Jesus said, “I thirst”, they filled a sponge with vinegar and raised it to his lips.
Some scholars argue that Jesus was fulfilling prophecy in this act while others argue that Jesus knew that even as his life neared its end there might be something important to say and his mouth was simply dry.
Crucifixion is the most horrible death one can imagine. Prior to being hung on the cross Jesus was severely beaten. The skin was ripped from his body. Jesus, fully God and fully man, submitted himself to the will of his Father and allowed himself to be executed in such a horrible manner. He endured the pain of beating and being nailed to the cross.
This was only the beginning of his torment. As he hung there, Jesus’ joints were pulled apart from the weight pulling against them. Every time he took a breath, he would have to pull himself up so that he could inhale. It was arid in the desert and indeed our Lord’s mouth did get dry. Therefore, “I thirst.”
I think of Jesus coming and walking among us as a man. He understood the tolls which we face and the temptations we experience every day. Jesus, as a man, turned to God in prayer to refill his cup and ask for God’s will to be done in his life.
Jesus poured himself out for mankind. He gave of himself through his teaching, his compassion, and in the end through his death. I think as Jesus neared the end of his life, he thirsted but not just in a physical sense. I think Jesus’ spiritual cup was ready to be filled. It was the only thing that would truly quench his thirst.
Jesus being fully God had been in the Father’s presence. He had experienced the love of his Father and thirsted to be in that place again. Jesus gave his all. He is the only one truly deserving to be in his Father’s kingdom, but through Grace we, too, have been given an opportunity to experience the Father’s love.
“It is finished!” (John 19:30)
Written by Beth Miller
Pause with me a moment. Breathe in. Breathe out. Do it again. Breathe in. Breathe out.
That we can still do that — well, I think it’s a sign that we still have something to do. A role to play. The chances are pretty good that many of our roles have changed a lot in the past month.
Think about it. A month ago today — March 10 — most of us were still in our offices. Kids were still in school. Stores were open, restaurants were taking reservations. Life was chugging along as it did so long ago.
There were some troubling clouds, to be sure. We saw what was starting to happen. We knew things were bad overseas and those of us who have done any travel anywhere beyond these shores could match faces with some of the places so grievously afflicted.
But life here hadn’t changed too much.
Then came March 11. The World Health Organization declared the Coronavirus outbreak to be a pandemic. Full stop. It’s as red a flag as you can get.
On that same day, those who saw this as someone else’s problem might have heard that Delaware had confirmed its first case. And soon offices and schools were closing. Store shelves were vacuumed clear. Confusing messages were sent, contradictory information, false hopes.
And so much was left undone. Incomplete. Unfinished. Loose ends everywhere.
And that’s sort of how life always is, isn’t it? You can work 12 hours a day on something, but you’ll lie down at night with unfinished business awaiting you tomorrow. You can change diapers eight times a day, feed your family over and over, do the laundry, clean the house, fix the truck, pay the bills, help someone out — and it will all need doing again, maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, maybe for the foreseeable future.
Life often seems like a continuum of unfinished business, a never-ending “to-do” list.
In the midst of all of this demand, uncertainty, effort, distraction and the unending “where-is-this-all-going-anyway” kind of questions, it is a fine thing to accomplish something and be able to say, “It is finished.”
You might want a parade when that happens, a bonus check, a “humble-brag” Facebook post that proclaims you a winner or even just a smile from somebody.
But no rainbow spread across the sky when Jesus said “It is finished.” The herald angels who harked at his birth were silent as far as we know. There was blood on the ground, anguish in the air and no one offering their constant expert commentary.
Who on earth knew what he meant? How can the Son of God be finished? Why did no one gallop in to save him? What was anyone supposed to do now? Are we all finished, too?
None of us has witnessed such an event, but Christians are in a love relationship with the One who lived it. We have his words, his counsel, his promises. We have his presence as “Immanuel” — which means “God with us.”
We will never be in a situation truly alone, forsaken, with no one to turn to. God is with us — everywhere, always, forever.
And this is the way Jesus spent his last, torturous day:
- He forgave his crucifiers.
- He promised a future in paradise.
- He showed us where to direct our desperate questions.
- He tended to family and loved ones.
- He expressed his need.
And now he was finished. That searing debt — the debt owed by every hater, abuser, cheater and liar, every murderer and thief and oppressor, every one among us, in other words — could now be accounted for. This is the extravagant price of real justice. This is the source of mercy. This is the wellspring of real, living love.
Every damaged human being, every sinful soul, every hopeless, helpless, horrid, evil-infested heart is covered in this exchange — by grace, in full, in advance of the final reckoning day. If we embrace that gift and live every moment as an expression of gratitude for it, our lives can point others to the same Good News, that Jesus the Crucified finished this debt for them, too.
Charles Spurgeon, the great British preacher, put it this way in a sermon delivered in 1861:
“Come with me, poor soul, and you and I will stand together this morning, while the tempest gathers, for we are not afraid. How sharp that lightning flash! But yet we tremble not. How terrible that peal of thunder! And yet we are not alarmed — and why? Is there anything in us why we should escape? No, but we are standing beneath the cross—that precious cross, which like some noble lightning-conductor in the storm, takes to itself all the death from the lightning and all the fury from the tempest. We are safe. Loud may you roar, O thundering law, and terribly may you flash, O avenging justice! We can look up with calm delight to all the tumult of the elements, for we are safe beneath the cross.”
Safe beneath the cross, where Jesus the Christ said “It is finished.”
Much remains undone in our lives and in our world. But the most important mission is accomplished. God has made a way for us.
Let us give thanks, embrace the gift and spread that Good News. It is finished and we are safe with him.
“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” (Luke 23:46)
Written by David McClure
Luke 23:46: And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit; and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
I have come here from the wreckage of a marriage and a life to find a sanctuary. For some reason, I feel that I am supposed to be here at this place and time. I don’t understand why that is so, but it is. I’ve never been one with clever words or glib phrases. I was a sailor and remain one in my heart.
I can’t write poetry, but I know when it speaks to my heart and soul. I’d like to share this as what I feel from this passage. It may be found in several versions and attributed to different people on the net, but this is the version that has helped me through some very dark days.
“My life is but a weaving, between my God and me.
I do not choose the colors, He worketh steadily.
Ofttimes He weaves in sorrow, and I, in foolish pride,
Forget He sees the upper, and I, the underside.
Not ‘til the loom is silent, and the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why
the dark threads are as needful, in the Master Weavers’ hands
as are the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned.”
JESUS KNEW HIS FATE. From the time of starting His ministry, He knew what awaited Him. He pleaded (more than once) to be released from it, but it was ALWAYS accompanied by “If it be Your will” when He spoke.
He knew His thread in the pattern. We are not that fortunate, if that is the phrase. We wonder, wander and stray from the path, but can always come back to the Presence and the Love that is the Divine.
I am thankful for that mercy and know that on an appointed day, I will stand before the Judgment Seat. I hope that it will be with humility and acceptance of whatever is determined to be my fate.
Closing commentary from Pastor Mueller:
I once was speaking with a young colleague, who carried a certain suspicion as to whether or not lay people could be trusted to do ministry without the help of clergy. I responded simply by saying: “Trust God’s people!” This is what I have done here. I did not edit any of these. I responded to questions if asked. These offerings are genuinely from the hearts and minds of your fellow Christians here at St. Mark’s. I realize that this was not generally an easy task, but they all have done marvelously. I thank them all!
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you, make his face shine upon you, lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace!
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true,
its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Christ will call me some day to my home far away,
where his glory forever I’ll share.
Refrain:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
and exchange it some day for a crown.
Missing St. Mark’s? A ‘critter congregation’ has saved your seat
Church families — including ours here at St. Mark’s Lutheran — are really missing each other during this grievous COVID-19 pandemic that has swept our world. We love to be together, worship together, serve together, laugh, weep and grow together.
In this very special week — Holy Week — the separation is palpable, with grim realities all around us, great loss, great need and also the living and powerful hope that Easter represents to those who follow Jesus.
Our own Bob and Cindy Maser saw a photograph of the empty pews at St. Mark’s and were inspired to do something. Those empty pews represent our respect for the guidance of health care officials and our commitment to do all we can to stop the spread of this virus and protect our community and each other — even if it means we must be apart for a while.
“But Easter should be a time of rejoicing,” Cindy said, “and we need to bring a smile to everyone at a time like this.”
So they conspired — remotely — with Interim Pastor David Mueller, drawing inspiration from a Facebook post Cindy had seen.
“In these increasingly difficult and sad times, we felt a little fun might help!” Pastor Mueller said. “So while we cannot get to church these days, my good friends Larry the Lamb and Leroy the Lion invited a few of their friends to come by.”
And they came, all right — some two by two, some solo, all with appropriate social distance.
“They were very enthusiastic and wanted to come but I only had room for two bags full,” Cindy said.
And a critter congregation — sort of a Zoo Lutheran fellowship — assembled for just a few minutes of “togetherness.”
It’s true that the pews and the buildings have no humans in them — for now. But we’ll be back soon. And the heart of the Church is beating and full of love and hope for the future.
“As you can see — the church is not empty!” Cindy said. “And God loves His creatures, great and small. Spread the message to all!”
“He gave him no answer, not even to a single charge:” Palm Sunday message from Pastor David Mueller
[Editor’s note: We thank Interim Pastor David Mueller and John Lasher, director of music and worship arts, for again recording this message and music for us during this season of Coronavirus pandemic when we are unable to meet together. You can follow the text below and listen to the audio by clicking on this link:]
Opening Hymn: Ride On, Ride On In Majesty (verses 1, 2 and 5)
Download hymn sheet music here
Good morning, people of St. Mark’s.
It is Palm/Passion Sunday morning. Please imagine being in church at St. Mark’s this morning. We have read the Palm Sunday Gospel about Jesus humbly entering Jerusalem. One of the regal hymns appropriate to Palm Sunday is being sung. The crucifer is processing, followed by the choir. You have turned and faced the cross as it passes you and have placed your palms in the aisle.
This imagination and the memories from which it comes is what we have today. But worship on in a humble but hopefully faithful way we will.
Listen now to the passion, according to St. Matthew:
NARRATOR: Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked Him:
PILATE: “Are you the King of the Jews?”
NARRATOR: Jesus said,
JESUS: “You have said so!”
NARRATOR: But when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He made no answer. Then Pilate said to Him:
PILATE: “Do you not hear the many things they testify against you?”
NARRATOR: But he gave no answer, not even to a single charge; so that the governor wondered greatly. Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. And they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them:
PILATE: “Whom do you want me to release for you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?”
NARRATOR: For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him:
PROCULA: “HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT RIGHTEOUS MAN, FOR I HAVE SUFFERED MUCH OVER HIM TODAY IN A DREAM!”
NARRATOR: Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the people to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor again said to them:
PILATE: “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?”
NARRATOR: And they said:
CROWD: “BARABBAS!”
NARRATOR: Pilate said to them:
PILATE: “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”
NARRATOR: They all said:
CROWD: “LET HIM BE CRUCIFIED!”
NARRATOR: And he (Pilate) said:
PILATE: “Why, what evil has He done?”
NARRATOR: But they shouted all the more:
CROWD: “LET HIM BE CRUCIFIED!”
NARRATOR: So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washing his hands before the crowd, said:
PILATE: “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves!”
NARRATOR: And all the people answered:
CROWD: “HIS BLOOD BE ON US AND ON OUR CHILDREN.”
NARRATOR: Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered Him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium, and they gathered the whole battalion before Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe upon Him, and plaiting a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and put a reed in His right hand. And kneeling before Him they mocked Him, saying:
SOLDIERS: “HAIL, KING OF THE JEWS!”
NARRATOR: And they spat upon Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they stripped Him of the robe, and put His own clothes on Him and led Him away to crucify Him.
NARRATOR: As they went out, they came upon a man of Cyrene, Simon by name; this man they compelled to carry His cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means the place of the skull), they offered Him wine to drink, mingled with gall; but when He tasted it, He would not drink it. And when they had crucified Him, they divided His garments among them by casting lots; then they sat down and kept watch over Him there. And over His head they put the charge against Him, which read,
ALL: “THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS!”
NARRATOR: Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one at the right and one at the left. And those who passed by derided Him, wagging their heads and saying:
RIGHT SIDE: “YOU WHO WOULD DESTROY THE TEMPLE AND BUILD IT IN THREE DAYS, SAVE YOURSELF! IF YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD, COME DOWN FROM THAT CROSS.”
NARRATOR: So also the chief priests, with the scribes and the elders, mocked Him, saying,
LEFT SIDE: “HE SAVED OTHERS; HE CANNOT SAVE HIMSELF. HE IS THE KING OF ISRAEL; LET HIM COME DOWN FROM THE CROSS AND WE WILL BELIEVE IN HIM!”
ALL: “HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD DELIVER HIM NOW, IF HE DESIRES HIM; FOR HE SAID, ‘I AM THE SON OF GOD.’”
NARRATOR: And the robbers who were crucified with Him also reviled Him in the same way. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice:
JESUS: “Eli, Eli lama sabach-thani?” [That is…] “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”
NARRATOR: And some of the bystanders hearing it said,
RIGHT SIDE: “THIS MAN IS CALLING ELIJAH.”
NARRATOR: And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with vinegar and put it on a reed, and gave it to Him to drink. But others said:
LEFT SIDE: “WAIT, LET US SEE WHETHER ELIJAH WILL COME TO SAVE HIM.”
NARRATOR: And Jesus cried again with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit.
NARRATOR: And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from the top to bottom, and the earth shook and the rocks were split; the tombs also were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of their tombs after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him keeping watch over Jesus saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe, and said,
ALL: “TRULY THIS WAS THE SON OF GOD!”
Hymn: “Ah, Holy Jesus” (verses 1, 2 and 5)
Grace to you and peace from God our father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. amen.
As the week we call “Holy” is about to begin, along with fellow Christians around the world, we are unable to worship together physically. We read in John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”
Ours is an incarnational faith with Jesus having entered our history. It feels very non-incarnational to be away from each other in the flesh and for Christians to be “meeting” in some virtual manner. Better that, however, than to allow the Feast of the Resurrection and the events of the prior week to go utterly unacknowledged.
Please pray with me:
Oh God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, may the Holy Wind blow mightily among us and our Christian family the world over today and into the days ahead. Grant us wisdom for dealing with our reality, which unfortunately includes a deadly disease. May we remain trusting and caring in the midst of crisis, and in this precious season, may we be renewed in our hope. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
I have believed for a long time that a most significant scene in this Passion Drama is Jesus standing before Pilate. Freeze frame this image for a minute or two. Just stare at it: A Representative dignitary of the then most powerful Empire on the planet, sent to Palestine precisely because he was so good at dealing with crises, and The Son of God sent to this world precisely because God so loved the world, facing each other. Stare some more at both men, one having at his hand the power of empire; the other whose power was made perfect in weakness.
“Stare some more at both men, one having at his hand the power of empire; the other whose power was made perfect in weakness.”
Earlier, Pilate had asked Jesus: “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus simply said: “You say so!” Now, seconds later, in response to Pilate’s asking of Jesus about the accusations against him, Jesus “gave him no answer, not even to a single charge.” In Mark’s Gospel account of the same scene, “Jesus made no further reply.” (Mark 15:3). Luke also has Jesus saying only “you say so.”
John reports Jesus as having said: “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews…. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” (John 18:33-38)
Without denying Divine inspiration, it seems to me that John simply couldn’t accept the quiet of the Synoptics (Matthew, Mark and Luke), and couldn’t resist adding at least some qualifier in this his much later Gospel.
Generally, we are stuck with this quiet even poignant scene, the seeming helplessness of Jesus against this worldly “Goliath,” known as Pilate and everything he represented.
“For God’s sake, Jesus, say something!” “For Jesus’ sake, God, do something!”
This plea has come from countless people throughout history since Jesus’ time on earth, when injustice was occurring, when diseases were spreading, when Jews were dying in the camps, when Armenians were being slaughtered by the Turks, when illness or accident had taken a loved-one, when marriages were breaking up, when financial ruin was rampant, when, when when…. In the face of human tragedy, God seems so silent, so powerless, perhaps even so indifferent. DO SOMETHING! ANYTHING! Lord God, where are You when most we need You?
One of His disciples would betray Jesus, another would deny Him, the others abandoned Him — and we? Clearly, we would surely have operated differently, better somehow, more faithfully! Yeah, right! The human condition is portrayed in living color here, with us like them — but what of the Divine position?
The very fact of Jesus having died FOR us reveals that God is still dying WITH us, at least for now. Ours is a faith of apparent defeat, of cross-centeredness, not yet one of triumph and victory. The victory can be hoped for and believed in but not experienced just yet. The Kingdom is not of this world! We may not rule here. We may not get our way here! We may not insist that others share our perspective on anything here! And we will need to die rather than kill, bear our crosses before we wear our crowns.
And that is what takes so much faith, gobs of grace, mounds of mercy, loads of love and pounds of patience. The Kingdom has not yet been fully realized and we must continue to pray: “Your Kingdom come” and in the meantime: “Thy will be done on earth as in heaven.”
In our rather quiet way this year, we will celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection, as the victory it was for Jesus and one day will be for us! In His holy and precious Name, Amen.
‘Where Were You Lord?’ Sunday message from Pastor David Mueller
[Editor’s note: Again this week, as we remain separated by the Coronavirus pandemic, Pastor David Mueller and John Lasher, director of music and worship arts, have collaborated to provide a message and special music for the fifth Sunday in Lent. Pastor’s message is drawn from John 11: 1-45.]
With the link below you can listen to Pastor’s voice as you read the text.
Listen to Pastor Mueller’s message here.
As we begin, please allow me a few brief if also redundant announcements:
- Those of you with email, our bulk emails often go to spam. Please check yours daily.
- It is extremely important that you mail in your green sheets. The Transition Team is meeting regularly so as not to get too far behind during the crisis.
- We hope all St. Markians are joining in prayer between 6 and 6:10 p.m. daily. We are adding a prayer component at the end today, but will be praying in general as we want to avoid publishing names and conditions.
We begin now with prayer.
Dear Lord, during this critical period for the whole world, we ask that You enable us to keep the faith, indeed, grow in the faith. Through these humble efforts that we are making as a congregation to communicate and celebrate with each other, enrich and deepen our gratefulness for grace, mercy and love, which we know You are blessing us with. Guard and protect us from severe impact of the virus upon us, others dear to us and all the unknown people who also are cared about by You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!
During the year I was in a Clinical Pastoral Residency at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, a book was published by an adjunct professor at the university. Dr. Raymond Moody was the author; “Life After Life” was the book. Inevitably, upon checking patient needs with nursing staff on any of the units to which I had been assigned, I would be asked: “Chaplain Mueller, so what do you think of ‘The Book?’”
My answer was consistent and most often met with bewilderment and disappointment: “I don’t care!” I suppose folks expect something a bit more spiritual from a Chaplain or Pastor. So I would go on to briefly explain: “There are certain mysteries in life and in the faith which I simply believe must be left alone. Preserve the mystery, even mysticism, of the sacred. After all, St. Paul wrote (Romans 8:24, 25): ‘Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.’”
I believe in eternal life as a gift from God in Jesus Christ by grace through faith, to put it in pure Lutheran/biblical language. If I did not believe that, I had to be lying at literally hundreds of funerals. It is well beyond my pay grade to make judgments of any kinds about other than Christians getting in. Doing so feels like being the Commandant at a German Concentration Camp, saying: “You go to the right into the fields or factory; you go to the left and into the ovens!”
Also, the issue of eternal life or “life after life” CAN be a distraction from other more pressing and current issues which require our attention. Here I am talking specifically about matters Jesus would have us attend to.
Turn to John 11:1-45 about Lazarus, which I invite you to read on your own later.
The first thing I notice is that the Disciples were reluctant to go back to Judea because “The Jews were just now trying to stone you” (7) on the one hand; and “… many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother” (19) on the other hand. I simply must point out that any speaking of “The Jews,” which is characteristic of John, can never be thought of as “all Jews.” Jews can too easily be the enemy for Christians so we must remember that most Jews were not bad guys. In 11:45, we read: “Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.”
Lazarus, whose name means “God Has Helped,” brother to Mary and Martha, had become ill. The sisters sent for Jesus. Curiously, upon hearing about his friend’s sickness, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Since it is said that Lazarus was four days dead and a stench had developed, it is safe to presume that it took about a week for Jesus to get there. I bring this up because one of the issues we take hardest when it comes to the promises of God is the time it takes for God to get things done. Even back then, now was too late.
Jesus finally arrives and each of the sisters takes a turn at receiving him with words that are often read or thought of softly, when it was more likely they
were angry with him for being so slow to act. “WHERE IN THE HELL WERE YOU?” might have been more like it. In the meantime the Jews were doing the consoling.
Jesus and Martha have a brief discussion about resurrection of the dead, the conversation ending with Martha confessing that she believed Jesus was the Christ, which at that moment changed nothing; Lazarus was still dead NOW!
After encountering the two sisters separately, Jesus goes to the tomb, prays to the Heavenly Father “for the sake of the crowd” to believe and then shouts: “Lazarus, come out!” With the burial cloths still hanging on him and the stench not yet worn off, out came Lazarus!
The incredible thing is that from then on, we hear nothing from or about Lazarus. If one stands at the top of the Mount of Olives and looks down toward Jerusalem, immediately behind about two miles is Bethany. Am I to believe while Jesus was soon suffering in Jerusalem, Lazarus was too lazy or unappreciative to come and lend some support? And, by the way, why is there no book of the Bible written by Lazarus about the post death experience? Inquiring minds want to know! One would think that Lazarus especially would wait outside the tomb of Jesus genuinely believing that he too would be raised from the dead!
The Bible works that way, however, that is certain people come on the scene, do their part, and leave never to be seen or heard from again. Think about Joseph the carpenter. What on earth happened to him? Another mystery! And really, just how much time need we spend on trying to figure it out?
It is interesting that in Luke 16:19-31, another Lazarus is featured in a parable of Jesus. God helped him too, but for the rich man who failed to see let alone help the poor Lazarus, it was too late. He asked to go back to warn his five brothers to get their act together, for not caring about others must have been in their genes. They have Moses and the Prophets and if they don’t listen to them, “neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”
The resurrection of the dead is not in a biblical sense a feat performed by God just to prove God can do such a thing. Clearly, it is a promise of a holy and heavenly hope for us who believe. The promise is in the now, however, so we can be free to live in the now in worship and in service. The rich man and his brothers had Moses and the Prophets and we have the words and will of Jesus to be His disciples in the world as it is: dangerous, diseased, war-ridden and the like.
To that world, in the event that we have not already come on the scene and performed our purpose, which is highly unlikely, we can bring help, healing and hope. We are alive and in Christ free to live creatively, generously and lovingly! While we cannot be absolutely sure, my hunch is that Lazarus learned quickly and surely to live that way. Amen.
Post Script: Any number of books have been written and movies have been produced in recent years about Heaven. Since Dante’s “Inferno,” however, few if any have written about hell. Have any of these been helpful? Perhaps to some! For the most part, such concepts remain a mystery. Even after the 43 years since Life After Life and my comments about it, the mystery is still fine with me!
That said, deaths due to COVID-19 are on the rise and are projected to skyrocket soon. There are those arguing that we older ones ought to sacrifice our lives for the sake of others or the economy or both. There is nothing in our beliefs to suggest that anyone ought to be in a hurry to go to glory. Were that the case, why not let more of us, young and old, be willing to die and “go to that better place?” Since that is ludicrous, all of us can do what we can to preserve lives and, in due time, discover “Life After Life,” as Moody entitled his book.
‘There are still some issues remaining:’ Sunday message from Pastor David Mueller
Editor’s note: Pastor David Mueller and John Lasher, director of music and worship arts, have been meeting to record Pastor Mueller’s sermons while St. Mark’s is closed to help curtail spread of the Coronavirus pandemic. We include a link to the audio here and also the text. We’ll be back together soon!
Here’s the link to the audio:
Sermon by Pastor David Mueller
We still are unable to meet this Sunday for corporate worship. Once again, therefore, we are providing the members of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church a sermon and a song, something to keep our spirits fed during this very unusual and frightful time. We will provide these weekly until the crisis is passed. As is our usual custom, we begin with prayer.
Heavenly Father, good and gracious God, hold all of us, our families and friends, and people the world over in Your hands and allow us relief from this unseen, silent, but lethal enemy. Give us the courage and confidence of faith to face our realities, personal and collective. Grant us a renewed sense of the Holy Spirit so that we might be agents of hope, healing and helpfulness in the times ahead. We ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Grab your Bibles and turn with me to the appointed Gospel from John 9. Please take a quick gander at this chapter, which I will not read now but hope you will read in its entirety later.
One of the issues of life that causes us concern and consternation is suffering. I have previously shared while at St. Mark’s that suffering comes from more than one source. For the Christian, there is suffering for what is right and just. We fight for righteousness and justice in the world for others as well as ourselves and risk trouble for it. We suffer for Christ, although in our culture and political context, the risks of suffering for Christ are few for most believers; not so in other cultures and political contexts throughout history.
We suffer because we live in a fallen world. Here on the planet, there are consequences. If we smoke, there is a good chance we could get lung cancer. If we drive recklessly, we could hit a tree and get hurt badly or killed or worse, hurt or kill others. If we consume too much alcohol, we could get cirrhosis and other social problems. Oh, there are exceptions, like some old guy in Arkansas who when asked about what his secret to living for 104 years is, replies “a cigar a day and a pint of good whiskey.”
Then there is suffering by coincidence: being in the intersection when someone blows a stop sign or red light; sitting on the front porch when a bullet meant for someone else hits you; walking in the woods when a tree falls on you, etc. It is perfectly acceptable to refer to these sorts of things as “bad luck.” There are accidents: slipping on ice, a ladder falling, etc. And finally, there is the issue of bad genes, picking the wrong parents.
The suffering questioned most often is of coincidence. We need a cause even if it is cruel or wrong. The Disciples were like that, except they looked for causation in another place: “Whose sin caused this man’s blindness, his own or his parents?” This was a typical notion in those days: the cause must be the sins of someone. Obviously, they had a lot to learn. The verse was also true for Pharisees: “Whose righteousness was responsible for their success and prestige?” Why their own, of course. It was a simple if inaccurate way of looking at the people of their world: black and white, absolutely no ambiguity or mystery.
Can you imagine persons being so cold and sure of themselves as to be simply incapable or unwilling to celebrate a man born blind regaining his sight? The Pharisees interrogated his parents and got nowhere with them because they really didn’t know how their son received his sight. They then threatened them with being thrown out of the Synagogue, whatever that meant? Sad, sorry and spiritually bankrupt this was!
The man, formerly blind, knew! It was Jesus who did it with a healing touch of his eyes. He did not, however, know who Jesus was when asked, but later came to know when Jesus revealed Himself to him! Is it not truly amazing that this man was given no time, due in large part to the hang-ups of others, to just look around at his world, to see for the first time the parents who raised him, to enjoy the sights of trees and flowers blooming, to wonder about how the many building he now saw could ever have been built? The Pharisees drive him out; thank you Lord for the capacity to keep sinners out and unable to influence our well-being!
Oh my, what a sinner this Jesus must be, to help and heal on the Sabbath! Horrors! In a very real way, the Pharisees were more blind than the formerly blind man. The “Sabbath” issue is another sermon.
Might we be able in faith to make the quantum leap of two millennia and from blindness affecting one person to a virus affecting the whole planet? Let’s try!
Already there are those who know exactly why the Lord is so inflicting us or who are the main targets of wrath even if a slew of others must take some hits. It is inevitably and invariably those other sinners, whose sins the “knowers” of God’s will gladly confess. It also could be yet another demonic plot to deceive us or to distract us from other real societal or human issues. Unfortunately, Pharisee-like Christians are still around in force. That is what is so demonic or “wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing” like. Jesus warned us to be weary and worried about false prophets.
Back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, I was a member of the Institutional Review Board of Christiana Care, having followed Carl Sachtleben, by the way. Over supper, between screening treatment protocols, interesting conversations would take place. For instance, Northern Delaware and its surrounding valley has a high incidence of breast cancer in women and prostate in men. Is it due to chemicals buried in the ground decades earlier or poisons in the air or streams? Good guess in our region, except that most people in Delaware at least, were not born and raised here. Could it be that people who have moved here brought with them a predisposition for these cancers?
Who will get very sick and possibly die from Coronavirus and why? There are some hints: age, health, social contacts, etc. Yet within those categories, there are many exceptions. How can we deal with the mysteries of it all? Together! Instead of Pharasaic blaming, shaming, gaming and judging, this can be an incredible opportunity to care for and about each other: doing the unusual and not doing the usual for our own and the sakes of others. If the good Lord has anything at all to do with this, it is jumping in and trying to get all of us to reorder our priorities in life. The Disciples finally would come to learn this but the Pharisees never did!
Just as with the Samaritan woman at the well and the “living water, welling up to eternal life” last Sunday, so also with this formerly blind man: “I believe” meant that his sight was not just restored but his relationship with God was sealed forever. Amen.
We love you — stay home!
St. Mark’s Church BUILDING is Closed
I can’t believe I am writing this. In the course of two weeks the way we do church has changed dramatically — at least for now. New words and ideas are now part of my daily life —pandemic, social distancing, Coronavirus, CDC, stay safe. Maybe stay safe should always be there! It’s happened fast and for many of us it’s a little hard to keep up. Watching the news makes me crazy. Not watching the news makes me uninformed. It’s hard to know what to do. I know my sons want me to turn it off.
St Mark’s Leadership Council had an emergency meeting on March 17 to discuss the Delaware State of Emergency and the best course of action. We want to do the right thing — for the larger community, for St Mark’s and for each other. We decided that we had to close the church building. It’s the right thing to do. We are sad, but we don’t want to get each other sick. It’s really that simple. STAY HOME. It only takes one person with no symptoms. We decided to re-evaluate the decision on April 19. Council will meet remotely via a web call. If that sounds very techie to you — it does to most of us, too. It is new for us but it is the right thing to do. I am grateful for technology right now. This will pass. In the meantime – STAY HOME. We will be communicating with you.
IN THE MEANTIME:
- A brief sermon and music will go out with a link in an email each Sunday afternoon. The website will also be updated.
- Each day from 6 p.m. through 6:10 p.m., we ask members to be praying for each other, the church, and the world.
- We will update and send out emails as needed. Please be sure to check the website daily and check your email spam (or junk) folder. We know that not everyone has email. Call the office and let us know if you need USPS mail.
- We are trying to creatively establish ways to keep our spirits up during this crisis. Be patient, please, as we learn together what is most effective.
- The Transition Team is still meeting! Please mail your Green Sheets including the first one, if you did not already do so. This is absolutely essential – especially now!
- Help us help you! Let us know if you need anything including Pastoral Care. The office will remain open (Cheryl is answering the phone during office hours even if she is working remotely sometimes.) The office number is (302) 764-7488.
We love you! Stay home! Stay Safe!
Kitty Dombroski, president, Leadership Council
The Rev David Mueller, interim pastor
‘Astonished by a Woman:’ Sunday message from Pastor David Mueller
Good Sunday to you! We visit from a distance during this season of Coronavirus, having canceled services at the recommendation of health officials who hope to curtail the spread of the pandemic.
This morning, Pastor David Mueller and John Lasher, director of music and worship arts, met in our conference room to record Pastor Mueller’s sermon. We include a link to the audio here and also the text.
Lay low for now. Watch for weekly communication! Take care of yourself and others. Rest assured that God is with you and in the midst. We’ll be back together soon!
Here’s the link to the audio:
You can follow along with the text here:
“Astonished by a Woman”
Pastor David Mueller
It is not often that we cancel church worship services, but today is one of those occasional days when environmental circumstances require it and there may be more until the Coronavirus, as it is commonly known, is controlled and a vaccine is developed and produced.
Let’s begin with a word of prayer:
“Lord God, Gracious and Merciful Father, on behalf of and most probably with all of the citizens of the world You created, protect and preserve us all from the harm and danger this germ could cause. Teach us humility in the midst of this crisis so that we will realize anew that there is so much is beyond our control. Allow healing
and hope to happen universally. Turn us to You and, Lord, please help us all. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Now please bear with me as I learn with you to speak and hear a sermon in a communal vacuum. It clearly is odd for me not to have faces to see or expressions to notice, I trust that some instruction and inspiration will occur even though we are not here together.
I presume that you have a Bible handy and can turn to John 4:5-42. It is the first of three quite long Gospel lessons from John during the next three weeks. I am not going to read it here. Actually, I was not going to read it in planned worship at St. Mark’s anyway. I had a song ready to play about this encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman.
This story is jam packed. Given its content, I must admit that I believe it would be better to have a woman and not a man interpreting it. Hard as I may try and diligently as I may pray, it is nearly impossible for me to relate to this woman’s life. And as we all know, I am not Jesus either. But as usual, let’s jump in.
After a long morning haul, Jesus was traveling through Samaria on His way back to the Galilee region to the north. He was tired and was sitting by Jacob’s Well at the noon hour, a usually quiet place at that time of day when it began to get hot.
Earlier in the morning, the area around the well would have been noisy and busy as the women of Sychar, the town, came both to get water and to catch up with each other about scuttlebutt and such. They had long since gone back to their homes, but a lone woman came to draw water when Jesus was there.
Freeze frame this scene for a moment, for a woman alone encountering a man, let alone a Rabbi, was itself rare, risky, and even inappropriate. This may sound benign in our day but back then in that culture. The disciples later on were astonished that Jesus was talking with a woman — any woman. Set aside, please, the water part of this encounter and we will pick it back up in just a bit.
The conversation leads to this woman’s marital history and present state: five previous husbands and now living with a man who was not a husband. Now it is no longer benign. Most of us view her, initially at least, as pathetic, perverted, promiscuous, not a very nice lady. That, by the way, is exactly how the other women in town saw her. Had she gone to the well with the others earlier, she would have been scorned, belittled, shamed and laughed at.
In taking a closer look at her, mindful of life back then, she is also a victim. The prerogative for divorcing was exclusively the man’s. And because of economic circumstances back then, a woman would have to prostitute herself in some fashion to survive. Perhaps one or more of these five husbands died. But that changes nothing. A woman would essentially be destitute. So if you are into blaming, blame the husbands as well as the woman.
Jesus in no way was pejorative with her. He states the facts and treats her with a certain quiet dignity she may never before have known. And what soon becomes most incredible is Jesus’ revelation to her that genuine worship of God has little if anything to do with where — there in Sychar or in Jerusalem — or with whom — Samaritans or Jews. Worship, He freely shares with her — having not yet shared it with anyone else, male or female — is of Spirit and Truth, for God is Spirit.
Next thing we notice here is that this woman ran right into the village where she was usually scorned and badgered and became the very first know evangelist, evangelism at its root meaning “Good News.” To make a still long story a but shorter, people in the village believed her so very authentic testimony and later went to check out this “Messiah” for themselves, becoming even more convinced.
Now, please move with me back to the early water wonder here. After asking her to give Him a drink, Jesus brought up the issue of “Living Water.” Water from this well or any other physical source would have to be drunk every day, but not living water “gushing up to eternal life.” Here Jesus treated this scorned, abused, and misunderstood woman with more dignity and respect and opportunity than she knew existed. “Sir, give me this water.”
I am reminded of the Prophet Amos (5:23 & 24) when he said on the Lord’s behalf: “Take away from me the noise of your songs. I will not listen to the melody of your harp. But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
This woman asked for this water and it would have been cruel and unreasonable for Jesus to have denied it to her. So at this moment this water would have gushed up within and without her and whatever sin she had committed in her obviously sad and sorry life were washed away, making her righteous and granting her justice.
This is powerful, beautiful, and terrifically loving stuff. The disciples were astonished that Jesus was talking with a woman and a Samaritan to boot, but we get an even better look than they did at the time and I hope we can be astonished as well, but by the righteousness and not the risk of it. And may we remember our Baptisms when living water was offered to us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Ash Wednesday
Please join us for a special Ash Wednesday worship service as the Lenten season begins. Pastor David Mueller will be preaching.
We will meet for worship every Wednesday throughout Lent.