01 April 2012

The usual Palm Sunday celebration gets a new feel this year because it falls on the date of April 1. What wonderful possibilities arise from the combination of the Triumphal Entry with April Fool’s Day! The Liturgy of the Palms is always a good time to explore the subversive nature of the Reign of God when it confronts the systems of our human Empires, but this year, the element of foolishness makes it both fun and even more challenging than usual. We have already encountered this foolishness in Lent 3, but the strange coincidence of this years’ date for this Sunday means that we are not let off the hook of Jesus’ call to Gospel foolishness.

May the foolishness of God’s Reign capture our hearts in this year’s celebration.

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What does Easter Sunday have to say to a world of injustice? Everything! When life triumphs over death, when insignificant women are the first witnesses, when the powers of empire cannot silence a ragtag band of ordinary people, something different is at work in the world. This is our hope, our inspiration and our challenge. May your Easter be a moment, not just of celebration, but of awakening and of mobilisation to find life, bring life, create life in every place of death in your world. He is risen! Alleluia!

READINGS:
Acts 10:34-43: Peter preaches to the Gentiles in Cornelius’ house & reminds them of Jesus’ life, death & resurrection.

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24: A song celebrating God’s mercy and strength, and celebrating the restoration of God after struggle – foreshadowing “the stone that the builders rejected” who “became the cornerstone”.

1 Corinthians 15:19-26: Christ is the one who died and came back to life in order to bring all people to life. Finally, death itself is destroyed.

John 20:1-18: Mary finds the empty tomb and reports it to the disciples. Peter and John investigate and witness the empty tomb, but Mary remains and becomes the first to meet the Risen Christ.

OR Luke 24:1-12: The women find the tomb empty and meet two angels who report that Jesus is risen. They return and report the event to the disciples, who are initially skeptical.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
This Easter the focus is, of course, on the resurrection, but the particular emphasis is on the liberation that Jesus brings. It is notable that the Acts reading is included, reminding us of that great moment of inclusion in the church’s history, where Peter proclaims, “But God has shown me that I should no longer call anyone impure or unclean.” In addition, both Gospel readings focus on the women’s role in the great resurrection drama, especially Mary Magdalene – another great moment of inclusion in the history of God’s people. The message is clear – the resurrection is not just about finding life for after we die. It is a doorway to life now for all who are denied life through exclusion, oppression or judgment.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: Easter is celebrated the world over for the life that Jesus brings to us all. Unfortunately, though, the Easter message of inclusion, liberation and life is often subverted by versions of faith that project Christ’s life only into the heavenly future, and only for a select few. In the name of this Gospel, people of other faiths and nations have been exploited, oppressed and even killed. Many of the global inequalities in the world today are the product of this distortion of Christ’s message and purpose. In the light of this, it may be appropriate to spend some time in repentance, and in renewing our commitment to share Christ’s inclusive liberating life with all people. This commitment applies to issues like immigration, poverty, war, people of other cultures, religions, races, genders and even sexual orientations. What specific places of oppression may God be calling you to reach out to with resurrection life?

LOCAL APPLICATION: Every community wrestles with the forces of death both within and without. Within, we must confront the temptation to exclude those who disagree with us, the temptation to form closed, and critical cliques, and the temptation to keep Christ’s life to ourselves, and as a future hope only. In addition, the power struggles that beset every group of people are not absent in the Church, which always leaves some among us feeling silenced, sidelined and wounded. Without, we face the temptation to turn a blind eye to the dark places in our communities, to stand on the sidelines and judge those who are suffering, or to blame them for their own pain, and to close our doors to those who don’t fit our profile of a Christian. But, if we are to embrace the true power of resurrection life, we must turn our backs on our fears and prejudices, release our hold on power, and invite the hurting, the different, the marginalised into Christ’s liberating life. Who are the people in your community who need to hear this invitation in your community this week? How can you be a community that leads others into a liberating encounter with the Risen Christ?

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Witnesses
Resurrection
Committing To Life

Hymn Suggestions:
Christ The Lord Is Risen Today
Thine Be The Glory
Hail! Thou Once Despised Jesus
Up From The Grave He Arose
Crown Him With Many Crowns
We Shall Go Out With Hope Of Resurrection
Mighty To Save (Link to YouTube video)
Crown Him (Link to YouTube video)
Easter Song (Link to YouTube video)
Everyone Belongs (Link to Amazon.com preview & download page)
Lord, I Lift Your Name On High (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for Easter Sunday

Video Suggestions:
Because He Lives
Tell Everyone
Resurrection
He Is Risen (An Easter Benediction)

Image:
Resurrection

Good Friday is a challenging and exciting opportunity to lead people into a real encounter with Christ as the Suffering Servant. It is tempting to fall back on old ideas and formulae, but I would encourage you to explore being creative, not to overwhelm the solemnity of the day, but to enhance it. As per usual, here are some suggestions for how you could approach this day, and for some possible resources.

READINGS:
Isaiah 52:13-53:12: A song of the suffering servant, who is persecuted and dies for the sake of others (“us”).

Psalm 22:  A Psalm of lament, grieving the suffering and abandonment of the writer, but celebrating the inevitable rescue that will come, and praising the God who brings this salvation.

Hebrews 10:16-25: We have confidence to approach God, because of Christ’s sacrifice for us, and can now live in hope, in intimacy with God, and in love-in-action.

John 18:1 – 19:42: Jesus is arrested, tried, crucified and buried – and through it all, reveals the brokenness and lack of integrity of those who face him, while revealing his own truth, integrity and divine character.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
Good Friday is a tough day to prepare for . The story is so familiar, that the shock and impact of it can easily be lost in a “same old, same old” ritualism. However, with a little creativity and thoughtfulness, some powerful themes emerge. First is the question of Jesus’ purpose – did he live to die, or did he die in order to live and bring life to all? This is more than semantics. It opens up our faith to the reality that what Jesus came to do was not about death so much as it is about life in all its forms and possibilities. Jesus died because he refused to allow a lesser life – evil, compromise, expediency – take him over. He died because he embraced a life of love fully and completely, and would not be moved from it. And in so doing, he lived fully, and gave an example for us to follow and a way for us to enter life. The second theme is that of our response. What Jesus did was not simply to give us a ticket to bliss in heaven. Rather he opened the door for us to be forgiven – which requires us to face our darkness and brokenness – and to live fully, as he did, if we will also die to everything that keeps us from real, abundant life, and embrace a life of love. Good Friday, then, confronts us with what life is really meant to be, and with the price we must pay to find it – which, in the end, turns out to be much smaller than it may at first appear.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: In so many ways religion has come to be irrelevant to the big issues of our world. Glen Beck’s recent call for Christians to leave social justice oriented churches simply illustrates the point. However, what Jesus did in his death goes to the heart of the crises we face. In a world of war, Jesus refuses to take up arms, and gives himself to death. In a world of corruption in the halls of power, Jesus exposes expediency and manipulation, and dies with his integrity intact. In a world of poverty, Jesus gives up everything in order to offer life to others. Jesus makes it clear, whatever the situation, practical, sacrificial, cross-bearing love, is the greatest confrontation and challenge to the broken systems of our world. And, while some view love as ‘wimpy’, the Sunday that is coming reveals it’s true, death-defeating power. What does this say to us about being Easter people in our world today?

LOCAL APPLICATION: A Christianity that is about nothing more than a guarantee of personal forgiveness and a life of eternal bliss is the antithesis of what Christ came to do – it is selfish, escapist and unloving. It removes us from any cost, and deceives us into believing that all we have to do is agree to a set of ideas and sit back until we get to heaven. Good Friday does not leave us with this delusion, however. Jesus confronts selfishness and self-protectiveness at every turn. He challenges us with his willingness to give his life in order to practically love even his enemies. He disrupts our comfort by mirroring back to us the extent of our depravity and collusion in the evil systems of our world. But, he also opens a way for us to find a new life now. He leads us into the abundant life that comes when we embrace the cross, commit to love, and refuse to settle for less than true, authentic, generous living.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Dying To Live
A Day Of Wonders
A Naked Death

Hymn Suggestions:
When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
O Thou Who Camest From Above
Beneath The Cross Of Jesus
Alas! And Did My Saviour Bleed
Jesus Keep Me Near The Cross
O The Wonderful Cross (Link to YouTube video)
Amazing Love (You Are My King) (Link to YouTube video)
This Place (Scroll down for chord chart). Go here & scroll down to listen to a preview.
Amazing Love (Link to YouTube video)
Above All (Link to YouTube video)
Once Again (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Communion Liturgy for Good Friday

Video Suggestions:
The Cross: A Curse For Us?
The Cross
Easter Part 2: Jesus Crucified
The Wonderful Cross
Wingclips.com Easter Videos

Image:
Crucifixion