Lenten Meditations 2013

Matthew 27:57-66 or John 19:38-42

In my “minds-eye” I see my place of worship stripped bare of the colors that traditionally adorn the Sanctuary. No paraments, no flowers, no books, no brass, only bare wood. Wood bearing the marks of its age and reminding me of my own advancing years and finitude. My eye travels to the darkened sanctuary light and drifts below to see the open door and the vacant space within the tabernacle. In the pit of my stomach I feel an aching and my eyes well up as I hold back a tear. I wonder, “Has my Lord really left the building? “

The Gospel reading for today describes Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus imploring Pilate to release Jesus’ body to them. They take Jesus’ bodily remains and tend them according to Jewish custom. They wash His naked body and as they wrap Him in the burial cloth the room is filled with the reminder of death as they inhale the scent coming from the herbs they place within the shroud. I wonder if they too had thoughts of their own finitude? Pressed by time, they lay Jesus in an unused tomb quickly so as not to be about this work on the Day of Preparation.

We do not know much about the personal relationship Jesus had with these two men. Much of what has been preserved in scripture is centered on Jesus’ interaction with the Apostles. Their absence from this most intimate scene raises the questions, “Is there a way for us, on this Holy Saturday to empathize with their sense of loss, their sense of defeat, their inability to make meaning of all they have just experienced? Would we be in hiding or would we be brave enough to go to Pilate?”

Today, as a post -resurrection people, I think that it is important to take time to contemplate, and to try and empathize as much as we are able, with the affective response that likely was felt by Jesus’ closet followers. Contemplating Jesus being absent from our community will serve to point to the importance of His real presence. Let this be our day of preparation for the coming celebration of Jesus’ victory.

The Rev. Peter W. Nielsen, III
Deacon, Northeast Mission Area Council
Executive Director, Cedar Hills Camp and Conference Center

O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction. (Hosea 13:14)

My brother said, “No one knows what it’s like to be dead.”
I was puzzled; “Grandpa knows.”
My brother was unconvinced. “No one knows what it’s like to be dead, because no one can ever tell them.”
I persisted, “Grandpa’s dead, so he knows what it’s like.” Reaching for some heavier emotional clout, “George the fifth knows.”
George was the fifth in a series of short-lived hamsters. My brother had sat up with him into the night. Now, he hit me.
“I’m telling,” I cried, as usual.
“If you do,” he threatened, “I’ll tell them what you said about Grandpa.”

It was my first introduction to the idea that death was scandalous, that to die was a betrayal, a shame.
I began to notice how people whispered around death, not using its name but a variety of euphemisms, how they looked off in the distance and let their words trail after their gaze. Death was not fit for polite company. It was indelicate and indiscreet and occasionally downright rude.

And here, in church on Good Friday, was Jesus, doing it right in front of everybody, shameless and scandalous, indiscreet and indifferent to the spectacle he made, forgiving people left and right and crying out to God, with his mother looking on, as though dying were nothing to be ashamed of.

“Jesus knows,” I told my brother. “That’s different,” he said, but I didn’t think it was.

The Rev. Rosalind Hughes
Priest-in-Charge, Church of the Epiphany, Euclid

Living as a Christian in the midst of the world is perceived by some as a political statement. The trouble is, there is no consensus in the culture or in the church, frankly, about what statement we’re making by outing ourselves as Christians on the street. I know folks who define themselves as “followers of Christ” outside of church rather than “Christians” in order to avoid being labeled a bigot, racist, homophobe, or worse. It’s sad but true that the word “Christian” and the related term “Christian values” means different things to different people, sometimes bearing little resemblance to the teachings of Christ as chronicled in the Gospels.

The fact is, we are a diverse lot. Wherever we find ourselves on the cultural spectrum, whatever soapbox we frequent, we can count on offending someone by publicly disclosing that we are a church-going Christian. So how do we cope with all the communication disconnects that occur when we proclaim who we are? The readings appointed for today point the way.

First, we must ground ourselves in Christian community. Worship with other Christians and enter into spiritual conversation so that we can bear one another’s burdens. Second, we need to remember who we belong to! Christ is our refuge and our guide for living in the midst of the world. Our Lord knew who he was and he met people where they were. If we listen to the life stories of other and honor their experiences we will build relationships that last. Jesus taught us that love is an active verb, so, in the words of St. Francis “preach the gospel at all times; when necessary, use words.”

The Rev. Lisa O’Rear-Lassen
Deacon-in-Charge, St. Patrick’s, Brunswick

The writer Anne Lamott has an earthy style to her prose.  She has written about her family and friends, and faith.  As a single mom, she raised her little boy named Sam.  She commented once that he was born without any instructions, so she set out to write a book, called, aptly, Operating Instructions.
 
In the book, Lamott told of a story when Sam was only two-years-old.  He had gone into her bedroom and locked the door.  Despite her attempts and directions, he couldn’t unlock the door.  Frantic, she called the fire department.  Before they arrived, Sam became near hysterical, alone and locked in the room.  Anne dropped to the floor and poked two of her fingers underneath the door.  In a moment their fingers touched. He became calm.
 
On this Holy Wednesday, we read from John 13:21-32.  Jesus had just revealed Judas Iscariot – the one that would betray him.  As he sat with the other disciples he said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him.”  The days ahead would be filled with pain and ridicule and death.  But at this moment, Jesus reminded them that God had sealed a lasting bond throughout all that was to come.
 
It’s important that the Son of Man – Jesus the Christ – modeled for us all the presence of God throughout times of trouble and pain.  The real power of healing is opening up our hearts to an awareness of that immanence of God.
 
The Rev. Dr. Michael A. Petrochuk
 
Deacon-in-Charge, St. Andrew’s Barberton 

Do you ever wonder what Jesus did in these first few weekdays of Holy Week following Palm Sunday? Our faith tradition focuses almost exclusively on Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem and than fast-forwards to Maundy Thursday, Jesus Passion and death on the cross and his resurrection on Easter. But what happened on those intervening days of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday?

According to the Gospel of Mark one notable event during this period is the famous over-turning of the moneychangers tables and the scattering of all the livestock sold for sacrifice in the Temple. Jesus is borderline apoplectic as he yells,“ Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations? But you have made it a den of robbers.”

In this event we see Jesus at his angriest, filled with righteous indignation at a system that took advantage and harmed vulnerable people in the name of God. Jesus also made himself vulnerable by disrupting the commerce of Temple life as he speaks truth to power. In this vulnerability he becomes the target of the powers in their desire to eliminate him.

Yesterday (2/1/13) Neil Heslin, the father of Jesse Heslin, one of the six-year old boys murdered in Newtown, Connecticut last December, testified at the Gun Violence Prevention Working Group at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, Connecticut. With over 1,000 people in attendance, Heslin held a framed photo of himself and his late child and pleaded with lawmakers to improve mental health options and to ban assault weapons. “I still can’t see why any civilian, anybody in this room in fact, needs weapons of that sort,” Heslin said. “You’re not going to use them for hunting, even for home protection.”

During Heslin’s testimony, on-lookers wearing NRA shirts and paraphernalia heckled him with taunts of “Second Amendment.”

Like Jesus, Neil Heslin made himself vulnerable as he spoke truth to power on the issue of uncontrolled guns and the violence they cause in our society. Like Jesus, his righteous indignation empowered him to confront a system that takes advantage of and harms vulnerable and innocent people.

When will the mindless gun violence that is a cancer in our society move us to express Jesus’ righteous indignation and anger?

When will we take the risk to be vulnerable in a hate-filled world and join Neil Heslin in speaking truth to power?

On this Holy Tuesday may Jesus’ and Neil Heslin’s witness inspire us to do these things in the name of the weak and vulnerable, so that the resurrection of the Prince of Peace may bring peace for all.

The Rev. Peter Faass
Rector, Christ Church, Shaker Heights

Preaching to the Choir

Yesterday was Palm Sunday and now we are into and moving through the events of Holy Week. Truly this is the most awesome and sacred time of our liturgical year. In the history of the church this week has evolved into a week of pilgrimage. True it helps to have on one’s running shoes in order to keep up the pace but each year it gives us pause to contemplate salvation history as part of our Christian story. The events started yesterday but there are “extra” faith fulfilling opportunities to be observed here even on Monday and Tuesday–simple celebrations of the Eucharist, the Way of the Cross, Tenebrae, morning and or evening prayer are but a few of the options. And all this before Thursday when as devout persons we observe the great “mandate” of Jesus to the disciples (again usually done in the context of a Eucharist); followed by the stripping of the altar; an all night prayer vigil leading through the ecumenical (often three hour) gathering to the Good Friday liturgy; the Holy Saturday observance with those blessed altar guild members who pause from their Easter preparations long enough to hear the readings and say the prayers appointed for this “in between time” from Good Friday until the time of the Great Vigil of Easter (check it out on page 283 of the prayer book!)….and finally, the Great Vigil of Easter and Easter morning. Whew! What a week! What a week, indeed!

Each year I wonder, “How many people will walk the way of this pilgrimage week?” Oh sure, Jerusalem is full of pilgrims this week and every Holy Week but most of us don’t have the luxury of spending Holy Week in Jerusalem. So the church in her wisdom orchestrated a portable pilgrimage that could be held anywhere and everywhere. Yet how many of the faithful will participate? It is such a powerful time of spiritual formation.

Because I am a liturgical geek and church history buff, I will remind us that the 1979 Book of Common Prayer committee made a huge change in the observance of Holy Week. In the midst of resurrecting the importance of the catechumenate and establishing the rhythm of Holy Week a change was made to the Sunday leading into this sacred time. Palm Sunday became Palm/Passion Sunday. Why? Because in part the framers of our Prayerbook understood even then, almost 40 years ago, the changing culture in which we live and move and having our being. Many if not most people were attending services on Palm Sunday and then not returning to church again until Easter morning–never having heard the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. All the pomp and celebration without any of that messy suffering and dying. Now at least if people come on the two Sundays which frame Holy Week they will be exposed to pretty much the whole story–triumphal entry followed by betrayal, trial, death and then resurrection.

Again I wonder, how many companions on the Way will be present this week? My experience has been that the same 20% who do 80% of the mission and ministry of the parish are those most likely to involve themselves in taking the time and/or making the time to observe the events of this week we call holy. And I don’t know about your parish but here in Oberlin those faithful 20% are more and more feeling like the faithful remnant.

I suspect I may be preaching to the choir here…but thank God…thank God for the choir, and the acolytes, lectors, intercessors, music ministers, ushers/greeters, and any one else for whom this is indeed a week of pilgrimage. Because of all weeks this is the time for us to focus on the spiritual care and formation our own souls soaking in the story and the experience so that we can “press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14).

The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Wilbert
Rector, Christ Church, Oberlin

The other day, I heard our bishop say that all Christians are leaders.  A few days earlier a Pentecostal pastor of more than 50 years said that the world really needs the church to be the church, now more than ever.

What if our Lenten spirit-work were devoted to finding out what it takes to be courageous Christians? Brave leaders? Followers of Jesus in his fearless reaching out to the overlooked and wounded with healing love and life-changing words?  What if we sought to be true imitators of Christ in his fierce advocacy for the poor and his courageous alignment with the disdained?  

What if our Lenten work were not so much about what it takes for ME to be more faithful but for US to be more just?  Not so much for ME to be cleansed, but for US to be more connected?  Not so much for ME to be better at my prayers, but for US to be clearer about our policies?  Not so much for ME to live a simpler life by fasting, but for US to live more significant lives by measuring that which really matters (hint: the GDP doesn’t do it)?  What if cosmic change toward God’s future merely awaits the realignment of insignificant jesus-people like me and you?

What if God’s love and liberation can never be experienced by ME alone, but only by US together?  

“Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation”.  Psalm 85:7 

The Rev. Jan Smith Wood
Priest-in-Charge, Grace Church, Sandusky

With so much talk about gun violence right now, we struggle to find where the violence begins. While we can blame many other factors, we must look at our words. All too often, we use language that is life taking, disconnecting:
I just want to kill him!
She doesn’t deserve to live.
He’s dead to me.
She’s nothin’
Go to hell!
Drop dead!

We’ve all muttered such words, usually in the howl of being hurt by another or in the throes of jealousy or anger. After we have heard them too much or used then too much, we get numb to their true meaning and power. To deny the life force of someone is to deny their createdness, to say that God’s image does not matter.
And so, for just one day, can we stop the killing language, both out loud and in our heads?
Can we pay attention to what we say and think, and ask God into our very anger?

God, you know I want ________ to fall off the face of the earth. What do you think?

One ex-nun that I used to know had an especially rough time with her internal verbal violence. Years of prayer around this taught her that everyone, even the person she claimed she wanted to drop dead, had at one point been someone’s beloved child. More prayer led her to know that, here and now, all of us are still God’s beloved children.

We can blame many factors outside of ourselves for increasing gun violence. But if we really want the violence to stop, we must stop speaking it into being. 
 
The Rev. Elizabeth M. Hoster

Rector, Trinity, Toledo