Sermon, Easter 2 (B)

 The timing of today’s Gospel is important – because we so often focus just on Thomas that we might miss some nuance… 

 

Sure, when we hit the exciting MY LORD AND MY GOD! part, we’re a week after the resurrection. 

But let’s go back to the beginning. 

 

That day. The same day of resurrection. The same day that Mary has declared to the disciples the miracle of the empty tomb, who has delivered the first Easter sermon – I HAVE SEEN THE LORD!!

 

The first night, they’re all stunned and shocked and back for dinner and trying to figure out whether or not they can believe what Mary has said to them. Because at this point, they HAVE NOT SEEN THE LORD. 

 

They are the Doubting Disciples at this point. (Sounds like a rock band, doesn’t it? Hmm.)

But there they are. Doubting. Or, more accurately to the Greek, they are not-believing. They don’t yet have the faith that will come. They are the un-faithed – their practices, if we can make faith a verb, they are un-faithing. 

 

And – to this group comes the Lord, they see him, they receive His gift of peace, He breathes on them – clearly not a COVID-protocol Gospel story. – and – most importantly – HE SENDS THEM. 

As the Father has sent me (with peace and grace and Spirit and love)  - SO I SEND YOU!

Talk about a Faith-ing!

 

Now, it’s interesting, we don’t know what else happened in that room, what they spoke with Jesus about, how long he was there, when he left – no, we just hear that at some point later, Jesus is gone. 

And… Thomas comes back in – we don’t know why he wasn’t there in the first place – maybe he’d just popped out for some olives, maybe he was gone for a few days? Who knows. 

 

But we do know that he has NOT received the same gift and blessing and Spiritual breath that the others received. He has not yet received the faith that was literally gifted to the others. So he remains not-believing. Un-faithed. 

And – a very important part of this – Jesus NEVER condemns those who are un-faithed… who are doubting… who are unbelieving. He just invites them to the journey. 

 

Yet, Let’s get back to Thomas. He’s been out and about, he’s been doing his thing, still without the gift of faith, but still loyal and a part of the community. And that matters. 

 

Because Thomas is there, with the disciples. The one who was separate from the others, in that the Resurrected Christ hadn’t been revealed to him yet. BUT – still there. Still part of the community. Not shunned, not mocked, not further excluded. But still as much a part of that group of folks as he was before. 

 

Community is important. It’s a key component of the faith. It’s why we have an entire book just on the Acts of the Apostles. That’s a biblical biographic memoir of our earliest community of Jesus folllowers. 

And they detail not just how they experienced their own spiritual journeys, but also as a means for US to bring faith to others. In the passage we hear today, we’re reminded of what it means to be IN a community. Folks are sharing all they had that all may prosper – living true definition of abundance (which means enough, not extravagance). Could not be a true community with disparity between haves and have-nots. It’s not about making ourselves poor, but about using what we have to ensure that everyone has enough, and has their basic needs met. 

 

So! Back to the Upper Room. The disciples are hanging out. Well, more Hiding out, a week later. Still afraid. Still grieving. Still just… there. Existing. Not living. 

 

And a week later, they’re still there. they can’t go on, they can’t move forward, they are STUCK.

Stuck in their fear – stuck in their agony – stuck in their grief. Stuck. 

Not exercising their ministry, just immobilised. 

 

They’ve received the gift, the Spirit, the peace – and the command to GO – but they’re stuck. 

 

This invites us to ponder on where WE are stuck. What’s our Upper Room? What doors are WE locking? What is our grief, our pain, our fear? 

 

And - Who are we keeping out by this… 

 

Are we limited by buildings – books – “we’ve always done it that way before”s? 

 

Or are we seeking new ways to build community of faith? Are we engaging in ways to share the faith with others – to reach out to the not-believing and un-faithed that they might see the Good News of God with the eyes of their souls? 

Hmm. 

 

And what does it mean for us to be the faith-filled people that we are?

 

Because we ARE faith-filled. We have not seen but we have come to believe – by the gift of Jesus and the blessing of all those who have come before us who have helped us to know! And to trust! And to believe! And to be blessed, and to be a blessing.

 

Blessed are they who Believed because they had seen.

AND Blessed are they who have not seen, but have come to believe. 

MY LORD AND MY GOD! Alleluia!! 

 

And the faith continues – because un-faith isn’t a life-long blockage. Thomas went on to do some really impressive things – like take the Gospel to the entirety of what we now know as India, establishing churches, preaching and teaching about Jesus, sharing the faith that has been shared with him. He’s taking the “MY LORD AND MY GOD!” as far as he can. Thomas – busy guy!  He’s breaking out of the door of the Uppoer Room, while not abandoning community. 

 

And Jesus invites US then to continue doing the same… to leave the Upper Room of our hearts, to go out into the world, to live faithfully. 

 

To have those moments where our hearts jostle out a MY LORD AND MY GOD! Even though *we* have not seen the body, or put our hands in the wounds. 

 

Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe. COME to believe. It’s a journey, with ups and downs, the proverbial 2-steps forward and one step back. Please note, by the way, that 2 steps forward and one step back is a cha-cha. So our faith journey can be a joyous dance! If we let it. 

 

And that can be part of our ongoing Easter celebration. To dance in faith. To live the faith. To share the faith. To journey wherever and whenever God calls us to declare the Good news to the World: MY LORD AND MY GOD.

For we are blessed. And we are commissioned. And we are gifted. And we are sent: to the world that needs good news. To the world that wants to celebrate. To the world that yearns for peace. To the world that God loved so much that Jesus came and came BACK to!

 

We are sent to the world, with strong and weak and strengthening faith – to not doubt but believe, to have life in the name which sustains us, to cry aloud as a prayer: MY LORD AND MY GOD!

Alleluia!

 

 

 

 

Sermon, Easter Sunday! (B)

This morning, we celebrate the Resurrection. ALLELUIA! Hands up, everyone here; and those of you at home, cry aloud. Alleluia. ALLELUIA! Amen. 

 

And we have the privilege of talking about Jesus’ friends. His followers. His disciples. His consistent bubble of a social circle. 

The bubble who were grieving, who were lost, who were forlorn.

The friends who were losing their ability to cope, who were losing their desire to continue, who were losing their faith. 

The disciples who had given up, who had given in, who were just done. 

…until Mary came back from the tomb. 

 

Mary Magdalene – the woman who braved going out alone, in the dark, to the tomb… 

The woman who had given her financial resources to support the ministry of Jesus’ disciples.  

The woman who had stayed at the foot of the cross while her saviour died.

The woman who had helped prepare the human body of Jesus to be laid INTO the tomb. 

 

Mary Magdalene, who on the first day of the week, 

went to the tomb with respect and purpose, and was the first to find it opened – and emptied.

The woman who stayed at the empty tomb after the disciples had come – and gone.

The woman who was first to speak to a heavenly messenger about what on earth – literally – was happening.

The woman who was the first to see Jesus: and to speak with the resurrected Christ.

 

This was the woman who preached the first – and shortest ever – Easter sermon.

I have seen the Lord. Mary said.

 

And she preached to the tiny congregation, 

Of the folks who did not yet understand the scripture.

Who were not prepared to hear the good news.

Who were so perplexed by the empty tomb that they simply left to go back home.

Who could not comprehend the beautiful truth of what she said.

 

Nevertheless, she persisted. 

I have seen the Lord, Mary said. I have SEEN the Lord. 

 

 And this is not some nonchalant comment she is making.

No, this is a ground-breaking, earth-shattering, life-changing proclamation.

I have SEEN the LORD!

 

And it’s about this time that I imagine the God be praised and Alleluias! Start coming out. 

Because: she is bearing the truth of the resurrection. 

She is bearing the power of the Risen Christ. 

She is bearing the faith. 

 

I have seen the Lord.

I HAVE SEEN THE LORD!

 

And her life will never be the same – for she has seen the living Lord. 

God be praised, Alleluia!

And the lives of the disciples will never be the same – for they have heard of the Risen Christ. God be praised, alleluia!

And the future of the entire cosmos is forever changed and enlightened – for the Messiah, the Chosen One, the Son of God – has destroyed death, and proven LIFE.

 

And friends – this is the joy of Easter – that we too have been invited into new life. 

Into seeing the world through new eyes, 

into interacting with one another with renewed grace, 

into service far and wide with strengthened faith,

and into loving fully with the assurance of life. 

 

For beloved: we, like Mary, can tell the good news: that WE have seen the Lord. 

 

I have seen the Lord in the collaboration with one another

in the connections we are intentional about making

in the faith we are living

God be praised – Alleluia!

 

I have seen the Lord!

In the conversations we are having about where God is in the midst of the messiness of life.

In the prayers we are praying for the people we love and for strangers and for the entirety of God’s world.

In the donations to our food banks and women’s shelters and animal sanctuaries.

God be praised – Alleluia!

 

I have seen the Lord!

In the Compassion we are extending to each other, knowing we don’t know what the next COVID announcement will be. 

In the proclamation of the good news of God in the person of Jesus Christ.

In the food deliveries and mail pick-ups and mask-wearing.

God be praised – Alleluia!

 

I have seen the Lord!

In the companionship we are creating, as we do not let social distancing become isolating segregation.

In the reaching out to each other with phone check-ins and drive-by drop-offs 

In the efforts to be a voice for the voiceless

God be praised – Alleluia!

 

I have seen the Lord!

In the work towards peace and justice and equality.

In the fearlessness in trying new technologies, and the grace the triumphs every little hiccup.

In the flexibility of changing plans – and changing plans – and changing plans.

God be praised – Alleluia! 

 

WHY do we do all this? Sure it’s nice to do, but there’s more to it. We do it for Jesus. Because Jesus is here! Because the Lord is risen. 

Because we have opened our eyes to the truth of Jesus – the Risen Christ.

We have opened our ears to the Good News of the Gospel.

We have opened our hearts to the glory of God. 

 

Knowing that Jesus is more than a teacher – more than a rabbi – more than we can ask or imagine!

 

He is Jesus. Saviour, Redeemer, Living God. 

The Lord. The Risen Lord!

And he shows himself to us. 

And he calls us. 

He calls us by name, he wakes us from our stupor, he inspires us into action.

But first, he stirs in our hearts the truth that cannot be hidden, that will not be denied, that cannot be kept silent. 

 

I have seen the Lord.

Because the Lord Jesus wants to be seen. 

He wants to be part of our lives.

He wants to be known by all we encounter, as we celebrate Easter this day, and every day. 

 

I have seen the Lord.

WE HAVE SEEN THE LORD!

 

And our lives will never be the same. 

For we have seen the Lord. 

God be praised – Alleluia!

Amen.

Sermon, Palm/Passion Sunday (B) - Unpacking the Hosannas!

 HOSANNA!

The people cry out.

Hosanna!

They were triumphant. They were expectant. They were exuberant.

Hosanna, Lord, Hosanna! Blessed is the One who comes – in the name of the Lord!

 

Hosanna.

It’s what we all want to cry out, isn’t it? It’s what we’re all feeling! It’s an arm-raising, faith bolstering, excitement raising cry! Jubilation and Praise!

HOSANNA! In the HIGHEST heaven! HOSANNA!

 

And yet.

Here’s the fun part. Do you know what Hosanna means? 

It means: Save me. Help me.

The people cry out their hosannas that day were not expressing jubilation and praise – they were begging for help. For salvation. For release from their oppression. 

Hosanna. Lord, Hosanna. 

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord – for this person, the blessed one, can help us. 

Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David – the continuing lineage of hope, from long ago – can help us.

Hosanna in the highest heaven – help us – for all the other levels of existence that we proclaim have not yet helped us how we expected.

 

Hosanna. 

Save us. Help us. 

Hosanna, Lord, Hosanna!

 

And this is what we cry. Hosanna.

Lord, help us.

Help us in this time of trial and temptation and desperation.

Lord, SAVE us. 

Save us from evil. 

Save us from COVID.

Save us from cruelty.

Save us from systems that degrade and degenerate.

Save us from injustice. 

Save us from violence.

Save us from our own hardened hearts.

Save us from inequality.

Save us from ALL that would deny the fullness of life that you have created and given us. 

Hosanna, Lord, Hosanna.

 

And here’s the Good News, beloved. Here’s is what we – who have cried out for help – need to hear. That salvation has come to us, in the person of Jesus Christ. 

The one who offered peace.

The one who ate with the folks society rejected.

The one who offered grace. 

The one who welcomed the stranger.

The one who offered forgiveness.

The one who challenged oppressive regimes.

The one who rejected the status quo.

The one who healed the sick.

The one who befriended the lonely.

The one who loves unconditionally.

Jesus: the Christ. The Saviour.

 

So: Help US, Lord Jesus. 

Save US, Lord Jesus! Hosanna.

 

And HELP us, Lord Jesus, to recognise when your saving grace is UPON us. When we have received your gifts –

your blessings – 

your teachings – 

your love – 

your healing – 

your salvation.

When we have received your help – for which we have cried out, and for which we have TRUSTed and HOPEd and BELIEVEd.

 

Help us to know that you are with us as we take the RISK of faith to take action IN faith. 

In those times when we barely know what we’re asking for, help us, Lord, Hosanna.

In those times when we receive what we’re asking for - help us, Lord, Hosanna.

In those times when we recognise that we have received it! help us, Lord, Hosanna.

And in those times when what we have received seems more intimidating than what we were trying to remove ourselves from - help us, Lord, Hosanna.

 

For the rewards of salvation are great: 

The promise of Salvation is great.

The assurance of eternity with God is great.

The change from today’s insecurities to the future’s assurances are great!

 

So Hosanna – help us – save us from the place of fear and immobility, and bring us to the place of jubilation and joy. 

Hosanna, Lord Jesus: Save us.  

Here. Now. Forever: Hosanna. 

Original Prayers March 2021

 MARCH PRAYERS

 

07 march 

Asking God to grant us fulfillment and peace, we quiet our minds and open our hearts as we pray.

We hold up the church: asking blessings for our leaders – Primate Linda and Bishop Sandra, Archdeacon Tom and Regional Dean Simon. For all who humble themselves before the throne of grace as they seek to serve Christ in today’s world:

Lord, hear our prayer. 

We acknowledge that this week marks one year of global pandemic; we pray for those who are sick with COVID, for those with non-COVID illnesses who have experienced additional challenges. We ask you to comfort those who are devastated by isolation and loneliness. We beg you to lighten the hearts of those who struggle to know hope. We humbly ask for health in spirit, mind, and body:

Lord, hear our prayer. 

We pray for those who continue to work for the betterment of all: for researchers and medical providers, for those who clean and those who deliver and those whose efforts are unseen or underappreciated. Bless those who are unjustly criticized; refresh the exhausted, inspire those seeking creative solutions. 

Lord, hear our prayer. 

We pray for the victims of our society: for the weary and depressed, the hungry and homeless, the frightened and lonely: that we may be inspired by your call to strengthen community and embrace all your family.

Lord, hear our prayer. 

We pray for your world; for places of conflict and fear, for communities and peoples seeking reconciliation, for those who are desperate for rights to be upheld; that we may be counted among those who strive for justice and peace. 

Lord, hear our prayer. 

On this International Women's Day, we hold before you all the women in our lives; with gratitude for the work they do and the leadership they bring; acknowledging the opportunity and obligation to continue our work towards the equality of all your children.

Lord, hear our prayer. 

As we celebrate the blessings of this life, and offer our thanksgivings, we ask you to guide us Lord, and enlighten our days, that we may always know you to be our truth, our way, and our hope.

Lord, hear our prayer. Amen.

 

 

 

14 MAR

Quiet our minds, Lord, and open our hearts, as we come to you with trust that you hear our prayers.
We pray for the Church: the people of God, the people we love, the people we try to love, and the people who try to love us. We pray for the people for whom church is a welcoming community, for those who are still seeking their place, and for those who find church to be too difficult to attend.

Lord, hear our prayer.

 

We pray for those in authority: for the queen and all her family; for Justin our prime minister, Iain our premier, and all elected officials including our town council, and for all those whose decisions affect the lives of others. May they be calm and careful in their deliberations, and always defer to the greater good.

Lord, hear our prayer.

 

We pray for those whose lives have been touched by uncertain political situations, for those who have become stateless, for those who have experienced violence in their cities and their homes. We pray for those who work to bring about a culture of justice, unity, and peace. 

Lord, hear our prayer.

 

We pray for those who experience sickness of mind, body, or spirit; in themselves and in those they love. We ask for patience and compassion for all who struggle with invisible illnesses, for those whose energy is depleted, and for those who await diagnoses, for those who endure painful treatments, for those who live in fear and doubt. We ask your healing comfort on their souls; as we offer thanksgivings for all the caregivers and medical staff who work to ease the world's suffering.

Lord, hear our prayer.

 

We pray for our community: for those who trace their roots deep into history, and for those who are new to town. For those who work here, for those who have retired here, for our students and children. For all who make this Town what it is, and all who seek new ways to ensure this is a welcoming place.

Lord, hear our prayer.

 

We pray for ourselves: in this season of Lent, in the second year of pandemic living. Calm our hearts to know your peace, strengthen our faith to embrace the possibilities being revealed to us, that we would use what you have given us to love and serve others through acts of compassion and generosity. 

Lord, hear our prayer.

 

We humbly offer these prayers, spoken aloud and in the whispers of our hearts, knowing that you will answer as may be best for us. 

Lord, hear our prayer. Amen.

 

 

21 march

As we quiet our minds and open our hearts, we offer our prayers responding to "Lord, in your mercy" with "hear our prayer"

We pray for the whole people of God; for those whose hearts have turned to you throughout their lives, and those who are new to the faith. We pray especially for those inspired to rekindle and strengthen our relationship with you. 

Lord, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

We pray for the Queen, the Prime Minister, the Premier, and all in government. We pray for the Archbishop of Canterbury, for the Primate, for our bishop, and all in leadership within the church. May they know your blessings and feel your peace as they are tasked with responsibilities that affect countless people. 

Lord, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

We pray for the world, as the dawn and dusk yield to each other, inviting us to marvel at the beauty of creation.  May our hearts be filled with awe as we face the changing of the seasons, delighting in the longer and warmer days. May we seek wisdom and joy as we encounter the mysteries of this life, and act with respect and wonder for this generation and for ages to come.

Lord, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

We pray for our local community and for all who live here. We ask your blessings on those whose employment depends on the weather, on the unemployed and underemployed, on those who feel underappreciated in their labours, and on those who love what they do. May we recognise and value the efforts of all our neighbours to the benefit of our community and our world. 

Lord, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

We pray for those in need; for the sick and recovering; for the lonely and weary; for those who will be victims of crime and those whose desperation has led them to perpetrate such actions. We pause and recall all those this week whose names we carry in our hearts. We ask you to fill them with knowledge of your love and strength to endure the trials they endure. 

Lord, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

We pray for those who have completed their earthly time; may their family and friends find the comfort that comes from you alone. We pray for those who are preparing to die, and give you thanks for the caregivers who make their passing as peaceful as possible. 

Lord, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

Holy God, we speak these prayers, reverently in your presence, giving grateful thanks that we have been invited to live this day in obedience to your Word. Amen.

 

Sermon, Lent 5 (B)

 This morning, I’m going to focus on the scripture from the Prophet Jeremiah – who is speaking to the people in exile. Exile: the act of expulsion from one’s home environment, for punitive reasons. 

And that is what is happening to the folks in the scripture. Hmm. Jeremiah has an uphill struggle to bring about Good News in that context. Because exile is a disaster! The Israelites believe they are being punished, as they have turned away from God.

And for the folks back then, exile meant everything. Because religious understanding at that time was that God was connected to a geography – namely Jerusalem. 

And so the fate of the people was to remain connected to that place. 

So for a people in exile – it meant they were being cast out of their homes. Cast out of their sanctuary. Cast out of their connection with God. 

 

Exile, my friends, is BAD. And these folks are in captivity in Babylon – cut off from everything they knew. SO the people are grieving. They feel disconnected from God. They don’t understand what is happening, or why, or how to make it end – they just know that they are desperate for it to end. 

Exile. Not good. 

And it is in this context that Jeremiah speaks. Jeremiah: a prophet. The prophet of the time. 

 

And he delivers an extended learning about God, And his words are shocking. Scandalous even! Because he is telling them a LOT of things. About how they treat one another. About how they are to care for one another. About how God has not forgotten them even as they have turned away from God. About how they are a part of the creation. About how they are important. 

It’s a lot for these folks to take in. 

 

And the passage we’re blessed with today focuses on their relationship. Because what he says is: The day is coming, when I will make a new covenant with you, with your families, with your neighbours, with your descendants. 

 

Now, this is the only time in the Hebrew scriptures that the words “New Covenant” are used. And this is important – because for those of us in the Christian tradition, the New Covenant refers to the relationship of humanity and God as mediated by Jesus Christ.

But the time of Jeremiah, the time of this exile, is literally hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus. 

 

As a friend of mine said this week – “Jesus wasn’t there! The man wasn’t born yet! And when he DID walk the earth, he was busy enough without trying to go back in time and change things.”

So when Jeremiah is making this prophecy, this new covenant, for folks in the Jewish tradition, he is not describing a new arrangement, but a renewed and deepened commitment. 

 

God is not saying to these exiled people – “well, it didn’t work out. Sorry! Go away for a bit, fix yourselves, and when you come back, we’ll try something new.”

What God is saying, is: let’s try a different way to get this right. 

 

The covenant that is being renewed and strengthened here is the Mosaic Law – the Law of Moses – what we find in the first 5 books of the scripture. Think the 10 Commandments. Think the 613 Laws. There’s a lot there, and it can be intense. It’s about the same number and scope of laws as the Criminal Code of Canada – and about as exciting. 

They make the COVID restrictions of the past year look like a walk in the park. And we know how much those have impacted our life!

So, given those parameters, it’s no wonder folks are having a hard time keeping it all straight. And following them precisely. 

 

So again: God says: let’s find a different way of doing this, to make this work for us. A different way to make our relationship healthy. A different way to live out the fullness of what it means to be the people of God. 

 

And God says: I will put my law within them, I will write it in their heart.

 

That changes the narrative entirely. No longer is the relationship with God about the work of memorizing the law… it’s not about having chapter and verse memorized… it’s not about arguing the nuance of the laws… it’s no longer about testing one another in the streets.

 

Instead, it’s a labour of love. 

For when the law is written in the heart, it means you can never be away from it. 

It means that everything you do – every word, every action, every thought – is being touched by it. 

It means that it is bigger than words on a page, and that it is simple enough for all to understand and use.

It means that it is not tied to location, but it will be part of everyone’s journey.

It means that it is no longer an object, but a living reality.

It means that no one can take it away from them; for it is a very real part of their existence. 

It means that no one else can control it, for it is internal as well as eternal.

It means that it is not dependent on position or status, for everyone has the same law in their heart.

It means that everyone has received the promise of God; that their sins will be forgiven.

 

And so: it means that the people are being freed – they are being liberated – even in the midst of their exile.

It means that they are being invited into deeper relationship with God and with each other – in new places and spaces.

It means that they are invited to return to the God they have forgotten – with confidence of being received.

It means that they are not bound to a past way of life – which is part of what got them sent into this exile.

And it means that God has not turned away from them – even when they turned away, even when they forgot, even when they rejected. God did not cease to care – to connect and reconnect – to speak.

 

Y’ALL! God is speaking. 

God is speaking to the folks who are lost – and to the folks who are out looking for them.

God is speaking to the folks who are exiled – and the ones who cast them out.

God is speaking to the folks whose faith is waivering – and those who are supporting them. 

God is speaking to the folks who are ready to listen – and to those who are not wanting to listen. 

God is speaking to all of us today – 

Calling us back home. 

Calling us to turn from our sins.

Calling us from our own exile. 

Calling us to repent. 

Calling us to re-affirm our covenant.

Calling us to listen to our hearts – for that is where we truly hear the voice of God.

Calling us to hear the Good News of God.

 

God. Is. Speaking. 

Hear what the Spirit of God is saying to us, the church. 

AMEN.

 

 

Sermon, Lent 4 (Laetare!) (B)

 Our scriptures this morning are a great insight into the human condition…. Good days and bad, God is with us. And our context as people of God, as Christians, needs to be ALWAYS that we know, we proclaim, we rejoice that GOD IS WITH US.

And yet… despite this, we complain. We grumble, we groan, 

And despite the assurance of health, salvation, spiritual wholeness: we are resistant to the hard work of healing. How very human!

We first see this in the reading from Numbers. The folks are out for the biblical equivalent of Gilligan’s 3-hour tour, and it’s taking longer than they wanted. So: grumble. We start hearing “I don’t like this. This isn’t what I had imagined. I didn’t want to eat THAT. I’m not happy.” 

Despite being liberated from literal slavery and abuse, nothing is good enough for them. Hmm. They no longer worry about their sense of community, their cohesive togetherness in overcoming adversity; instead they just focus on their own sense of loss. It’s what they personally feel is being denied, not what the whole of 

And this, at the height of their individualistic moaning and groaning, is when we hear that snakes come out. Now - - anyone who knows me known that I generally try to avoid snakes. Thinking about them, seeing them, everything. Snakes: not my thing. 

Also… not the thing for the folks following Moses. These are things causing pain and suffering; literal death and further division of community. 

And – as we humans tend to do – when we experience suffering and challenge, we suddenly re-turn to God. 

And: God is with us. God is always with us.

Yet… like a great parent, God’s journey with us calls for us to do some healing and growing. 

For the folks in the wilderness, they needed to look at the image of the snake – the very thing that hurt them. 

And it’s not just a snake: it’s a Brazen snake. 

I like the play-on-words here – for a brazen snake means it could have been formed from the metal brass. Okay – easy. 

Or, it could mean that the snake is a bit… audacious. Bold. Brazen. 

What a message, then: look upon the bold and audacious thing that has caused you pain; and see in it that it is cold and hard and impersonal. 

Hmm. 

And from this, from this shift of perspectives, from this recognition of facing the source of pain, comes the beginning of healing. 

 

Which, of course, brings us to Nicodemus. 

Wait – Nicodemus? Why? 

Because the Gospel passage today is a part of a private conversation that is happening between Jesus and Nicodemus. It’s not a public discourse, it’s not some grand declaration: Nicodemus has come to Jesus, privately, secretly almost, at night – under the cover of darkness so that the folks in society don’t see him. Nicodemus wants this discussion to be unknown by his friends, neighbours, colleagues. 

And Jesus speaks of long-term spiritual healing. The power of baptism and the change that makes for life. The benefit of community in prayer and fellowship. The strength of faith which sustains and supports as people make the choice to focus on God. And then, as the passage moves more to a monologue than a dialogue, we hear what is possibly the best-known line of scripture. 

So: John 3.16: God SO loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

Context is important. It’s important for Nicodemus to hear this message – as they sit there alone in conversation, he is invited to apply the reality of this offering into his life. 

Jesus is reminding Nicodemus of the way that God walks with us where we are – but that healing is a process that can be painful – but worth it.

And so we recognise that it’s not a coincidence or a casual commentary that has Jesus bring up the snake issue from the first passage we heard today.

He is telling Nicodemus, in this very clear way, that there is a need for healing in the community. That there is a need to face what is causing illness. But especially that they are not doing this work alone; that God is with them. That salvation – a spiritual salve – is being entirely offered to all of creation, through the person of Jesus. 

John 3.16 was not intended by God to be used as a sign to hold up at sporting events, or as a mantra for promoting or continuing judgement or criticism.

It was intended as a mirror into which society can look at itself – and consider if we like what we see.

It was a private comment to a person who worked within a corrupt system to examine his own role in the hurts that society was feeling. 

It is recorded as a reminder to all who hear it – who read it – who proclaim it – as individuals, as families, and as communities. We are reminded that there are hurts in our midst. That there is suffering in our midst. That we have need for God – or healing – for wholeness. 

And our health and wholeness is possible! Because – context – God is with us!

But the God who walks with us, who gave us Jesus, who offers the unimaginable gift of salvation and redemption – 

This God also calls for us to look around. To look at what is hurting us. Not to grumble or gossip or be part of continuing a problem. But to come together: with God, with each other, with ourselves: and look upon the cross as a source of healing for ourselves. To dwell in the promise articulated in the letter to the Ephesians: by grace you have been saved.

And sometimes, life happens in a way that takes our attention away from that. And when we fall into that trap – as we all do –when we focus only on ourselves, and we get stuck in our greed, our egos, our individualistic me-first mentality

… and we forget that God is with us.

Because when we remember that God is with us, we see that God is with ALL of us: inviting us all to health. To wholeness. To salvation. 

And so - - we are reminded. Over and over and over again. God is with us. God is always with us. THAT is the context of our lives. That is the context of our faith. That is the foundation that upholds our being: God is with us. On our good days, on our bad days: God is with us.

Because God loves us: SO much that God gave us the gift of Jesus: the healer, the comforter, the teacher.

And when we can keep our eyes turned toward Jesus, we receive the blessing of connection and communion with God and with all of God’s creation. Holding us, encouraging us, inspiring us, leading us. 

And healing us. 

May we journey forward this week, not as the complaining dessert-wanderers, but as the truth-seekers, the sojourners, the spiritual companions that God has called us to be. 

Let us journey forward this week delighting in the truth of our context: 

That God is with us. 

Now and always.

Amen!