Sermon: The Emmaus Road (Luke 24: 13-35)

This morning, I wonder if you’ll come for a walk with me. It’s maybe a road that you know well, one you’ve walked many’s a time before. It’s the road to Emmaus, a road paved with confusion and disappointment. It might be the road you walk every day on your one permitted exercise. But even if you’re staying inside, you can still be walking on this road.

All those dashed hopes and disappointments piling up, overwhelming you - the plans you had made, whether it’s a mission trip, or a holiday, or your wedding, and the date comes and it’s not happening as you had hoped. You expected to be in one place, on top of the world, but instead you’re in the doldrums. And it’s confusing, and it’s hurtful.

As you walk along the road to Emmaus, you’re in good company. You see, we imagine how great it would have been to be among the first of Jesus’ disciples. Imagine being there as he performed those miracles; and to hear his teaching; and to be there on that first Easter day. And yet here we find two of the disciples, who had been there in Jerusalem on that first Easter day, and they’re heading home, away from the action.

They were in Jerusalem, they had heard the tomb was empty, they had heard that Jesus was alive, they had heard the good news, but you wouldn’t think it. They trudge home; hopes crushed; dreams fading; they’re confused, hurt, and lost. They talk it out, but they fail to understand.

But as they walk, they’re joined by a stranger - or at least, they think he’s a stranger. They were kept from recognising him. They don’t know who he is. But he wants to know what they’re talking about.

They stop, downcast, and can’t get over the fact that someone who had been in Jerusalem wouldn’t have heard about what had happened. Has he been living under a rock? Well, not quite - he’s been behind the rock, in the tomb, which is now empty, but he just asks, ‘What things?’

Here’s what: They know the full facts - Jesus of Nazareth, a powerful prophet, who was crucified. And it’s there that their hope died with Jesus: ‘We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.’

They expected Jesus to redeem Israel by being a kick out the Romans kind of conquering king Christ. Instead, he had been killed by the Romans and it seemed that the Jesus story was finished. Their hope certainly was.

And now, they’re more confused. You see, they know about the empty tomb; they have heard the message of the angels; they’ve heard that the tomb is definitely empty, but that their friends haven’t seen Jesus. (And they say this to Jesus!)

Have you been walking the Emmaus road? Dealing with disappointments? Any disappointment is hard to come to terms with, but it’s surely even more disappointing when it comes to God. You trust him, and then something happens you didn’t expect, and you wonder what’s going on. And so you set out for Emmaus, you decide to give up and go home.

Now, if you were Jesus, what would you do at this point? If it was me, I would have said, look, it’s fine, it’s me, I’m here, it’s all ok. But God’s ways are not our ways. And Jesus meets them in their confusion and disappointment, and helps them to see him in two ways:

First of all, they see Jesus in the Scriptures. Jesus says that they are foolish, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. He asks the question that we heard earlier: ‘Did not the Christ have to suffer all these things and then enter his glory?’

Suffering and then glory. The path was laid out in advance. And so Jesus helps them to grasp it: ‘And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.’

Can you imagine that? A Bible study led by Jesus?! As he talks about the promise of the serpent-crusher in Genesis 3, and the Passover Lamb in Exodus 12, and the Scapegoat in Leviticus 16, and the bronze serpent lifted up in the wilderness in Numbers 21, and the prophet like Moses in Deuteronomy 18, and the suffering servant of Isaiah 53, and the sign of Jonah, and the promise of resurrection in Psalm 16, and so much more!

God had promised beforehand that it would be like this - so the wheels hadn’t come off the bus. They just had to see Jesus in the scriptures, all pointing to him and his mission to truly redeem Israel - not by military might, but as the crucified Christ.

And as he did so, their hearts burned within them. It wasn’t that they were having heartburn, that they needed Gaviscon, because of something they ate. No, their hearts were burning within them, as they grasped God’s word and God’s purpose - as they heard God speaking to them through the Scriptures, and they saw Jesus in the scriptures.

But then, they see Jesus with them. It’s getting late, and they’re coming into Emmaus, and home beckons. And they insist the stranger stops with them.

And as they sit down to eat, suddenly the guest acts like he’s the host. ‘He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.’ And suddenly, the stranger’s actions are very familiar. It’s what he had done at the feeding of the five thousand; and it’s what he had done at the Last Supper - took, gave thanks, broke, gave. And in that moment, they recognise him; they seem him; and he disappears from their sight.

And suddenly, those downcast, disappointed, confused disciples are transformed! They quickly set out, back along the same road, but the road from Emmaus is one of joy, as they rush to share the good news that Jesus is alive!

Are you walking on the Emmaus road today? In these days, when things don’t go the way we planned, when we fail to understand what God is doing, when we think all is a disaster, we need to see Jesus. To see Jesus in the scriptures - to see what God has promised (and what he hasn’t promised!); and to know that Jesus is with us, even if we can’t see him right now.

As you walk the Emmaus road, look for Jesus - in his word, and in his presence with you.

Lord Jesus,
may we know your presence with us,
today, and always. Amen.

Sermon: John 20: 19-31 Evidence for Easter

What would it take to convince you that Jesus is alive? What sort of proof would you need?

Perhaps you think that even that question is ridiculous. You’re not sure that Jesus even existed in the first place, and so to even try to prove that he is alive is beyond the bounds of possibility. Or perhaps you reckon that people who think Jesus is alive are like the people who try to claim that Elvis is alive.

There couldn’t possibly be any evidence, any proof. To believe that Jesus is alive, and to believe in Christianity is to take a leap in the dark, to summon up some blind faith in order to believe no matter what the facts might say. As Richard Dawkins once said:

‘Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence.’

Is that true? As we normally gather here in this church building, and as we gather digitally this morning, have we turned our brains off? Are we believing in Jesus no matter what evidence may or may not exist? On first reading, it even appears as if that kind of ‘don’t think about it, just believe’ attitude is being endorsed and encouraged in John 20. Taken by itself, it might sound as if ignorance is bliss: ‘blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’

Out of context, it sounds as if you have to just accept everything, no matter how strange it might appear, no questions asked. You haven’t seen it for yourself, but you’ll be blessed if you just believe it anyway. And maybe you’ve been accused of that kind of faith by a family member or a friend, or maybe someone in work. So they’ll say - you show me God, and I’ll believe. If I just see God, then I’ll believe.

So have we turned our brains off? Are we naive? Gullible? Unthinking? Not at all! Christianity is based on the historical fact that Jesus, who was crucified, has been raised to life again, resurrected. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, ‘If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins... we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead...’ (1 Cor 15:17,19,20)

So how can we be sure that Jesus really is alive? Last week, we looked at the empty tomb. Today, we find even more evidence that Jesus really is alive. We see that evidence in the disciples of Jesus, and in particular one of the disciples, known by the name doubting Thomas. We’ll come to him in a second, but consider first the disciples generally.

Look at how they were personally transformed. As our reading begins in verse 19, they are in lockdown. They’re together in one place, and the doors are locked for fear of the Jews. Perhaps they thought that they would be next, as the leaders moved against the followers of Jesus. And so they are fearful.

By verse 20, they are overjoyed. So what brought about the transformation? It wasn’t that they were having what we would call a wake, and they were just sitting around, telling stories of Jesus, remembering what he was like, and then they had a fuzzy feeling of remembrance, and they felt that he was with them in spirit. No, they were transformed because Jesus himself was standing in the room with them - physically, bodily.

It’s not that Jesus lives on in our memory, or lives on in our hearts. It’s that Jesus is alive, raised body and soul, in the room with them. He speaks the word of peace: ‘Peace be with you’ and shows them the price of that peace - showing them his hands and side - the wounds of love. The fearful disciples are now overjoyed.

They are also now sent. As Jesus was sent by the Father, so he now sends the disciples out into the world with the news of God’s peace, the forgiveness brought about through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The resurrection changed the disciples from weak, fearful men into world-changers who gladly died for the truth that they staked their lives on - that Jesus was alive. As Charles Colson, who was imprisoned for his part in the Watergate scandal in American politics in 1972, said:

‘I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world - and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.’

Now, think about Thomas. He had missed that original meeting with Jesus. And he wouldn’t believe what the other disciples told him about seeing Jesus alive. He knew them, and yet he wanted proof; solid evidence for himself: ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.’

Can you imagine that whole week? The others trying to convince him: ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But it wasn’t enough for him, doubting Thomas.

One week later, today, in fact, the disciples were together, and Thomas was there too. And once again, despite the locked doors, Jesus showed up. He greets them with the word of peace, but then turns directly to Thomas, and offers to him every one of his criteria for believing that Jesus was alive: ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’

Now, we’re not told that Thomas did any of those things. He didn’t need to. Now he saw Jesus, face to face, resurrected, alive, and he exclaims. ‘My Lord and my God!’ His standard of evidence had been met, and he was sure, beyond all doubt, that Jesus is alive.

And it’s here that Jesus says those words about seeing and believing. Do you see how they fit in context: ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’

It took Thomas to see and then believe. But there is a blessing for those who haven’t seen and yet have believed. Now Jesus isn’t saying that you’re blessed if you turn off your brain and just accept it unthinkingly. He’s saying that we believe based on the evidence of the eyewitnesses - the testimony of the disciples who have seen and were sent. We can examine the evidence, and think hard about its reliability, and be sure that it is the truth. And as we do so, we are blessed.

And what is the blessing? It’s having life in Jesus’ name. The risen Lord Jesus shares his risen life with us, and assures us of life with him for all eternity.

It’s the reason that John wrote his gospel. He tells us at the end of our reading that he could have written about loads of other things that Jesus did. There was no shortage of source material. But he has written these signs down so that ‘you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.’

The evidence is here, in John’s gospel. if you aren’t a Christian, then why not sit down and read through John’s gospel some time? Maybe you’re feeling bored during the lockdown, looking for something to do. Read through it in a couple of hours. Examine the evidence and see if you could be persuaded to believe in Jesus.

If you are a Christian, then don’t stop thinking! Keep on reading, and examining the evidence, and rejoicing in the good news that Jesus is alive, that he can be trusted, that it is life-transforming. There is joy to be found, and peace, and blessing, as we believe in Jesus. And don’t be shy in sharing that good news with your friends and family.

Let’s pray:
Father we thank you that Jesus is alive,
and brings peace, and joy, and blessing.
Help us to believe in him
as we examine the evidence
and listen to your word. Amen.

Sermon: Matthew 28: 1-10 Come and See, Go and Tell

Have you ever said something a bit like this: ‘Come here till you see this! Maybe something’s happening outside, and you want the other people in your house to see what’s happening. The other week, there were two people out for a dander round in Richhill in their inflatable fancy dress dinosaur suits - and someone took pictures to put it on Facebook, so everyone could see what was happening!

Come and see. That’s what Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were told to do by the angel in our reading today. There was something special, something vitally important to look at and to take in, and so they had to come and see. Come here till you see this!

And what was it they were to come and see? It was the empty tomb. This wasn’t what they were expecting to see as they made their way to the tomb at dawn that first Easter Day.

You see, they had been there on Friday afternoon. They had watched as Jesus had died on the cross; they had seen where Joseph of Arimathea had placed Jesus’ body; they had seen where the stone was rolled in front of the entrance. They had seen all that happening on Friday. So now, after the Sabbath rest, they retrace their steps. ‘To look at the tomb’ as Matthew tells us.

They just wanted to see where Jesus was laid to rest. Perhaps you’ve been feeling the pain of not being able to visit a loved one’s grave this Easter, due to the current restrictions. What the women saw that day at that tomb brings hope and comfort. So what did they see?

‘There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. HIs appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.’ (2-4)

What a lot to see, and to take in! They saw (and felt) the earth shake under their feet. They saw this angel of the Lord, all brightness and fearsome, rolling back the stone and using it as a seat. And they saw the guards lying on the ground in fear.

The guards were there because the chief priests and Pharisees had remembered what Jesus had said - ‘After three days I will rise again.’ And so, to make sure that the disciples couldn’t steal the body and pretend that Jesus had risen, a guard was sent to the tomb, to seal it and guard it. But the guards proved useless against a risen Jesus and an angel of the Lord. They are afraid, and become like dead men; whereas the dead man they are guarding is alive!

It turns out that religious leaders had listened more carefully to Jesus than the disciples. The religious leaders knew that Jesus had said something about rising on the third day. But the disciples hadn’t remembered that at all. And so the women weren’t there to witness the resurrection - they were there to see the tomb.

While the guards are afraid, the angel speaks to the women and says this: ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.’

Jesus who was crucified has now risen. And they are told to come and see the empty tomb, the place where he lay. This is the very heart of the Christian faith. It stands and falls on the empty tomb. And we can be sure and certain that this is historical fact. The two Marys came and saw where Jesus had lay, which was now empty.

Come and see the place where he lay. The women provide the eyewitness testimony. They have seen that the tomb is empty. And that’s important. And it’s great. But it’s not enough.

You see, the angel has something more for the women to do. Having came and seen, the women have to do something else as well: ‘Then go quickly and tell his disciples: “He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.” Now I have told you.’

Having witnessed the fact of the empty tomb, they now have to go and tell. They are sent to tell the disciples - the followers of Jesus, who are now locked in their homes, afraid to leave the house. they have good news to share - the best news ever - that Jesus is alive.

The disciples will in turn be sent to tell that news to the whole world, as they’re sent to preach the gospel in the Great Commission at the end of Matthew 28. And that news will turn the world upside down.

Because Jesus is alive, death is not the end. All who trust in him will live with him in his new heavens and new earth. So while we mourn the loss of loved ones; and while we feel the pain of not being able to visit their graves, we have this assurance, that we will see them again, and live with them again.

Because Jesus is alive, we have hope. Real hope. Not the wishful thinking kind of hope, but the rock solid absolutely certain hope that Jesus will raise us to live with him. It’s a message that the disciples needed to hear. It’s a message that we need to hear. It’s a message that the world needs to hear.

While we’re social distancing this Easter, and maybe even self-isolating, we do not need to be afraid. We can come and see the empty tomb, and go and tell the news. So who could you tell?

Let’s pray.
Father,
we thank you that the tomb is empty
and Jesus is alive.
Help us to come and see, and be sure of the message,
and help us to go and tell, as we share this great good news.
Show us who we can tell, and how we can tell them,
for we ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Cross Words 7 - Peace (Luke 23:46)

My first year at secondary school was a shock to the system. You see, my school was known as a rugby playing school. For something like ten years in a row, Dromore High had won the High Schools’ Cup. So while I wanted to be playing football, we all had a crash course in the basics of rugby - drill after drill of throwing and catching the ball.

Mr McAleese, our PE teacher would tell us why these drills were so important, even if we never played a minute of competitive rugby. “You’ll want to be able to catch whatever is thrown at you. You want to know that you have good hands.”

I never became a rugby player, and I might not be great at throwing and catching, but I never forgot that line about having good hands. Others talk about a safe pair of hands.

Just before Jesus died on the cross, he uttered one last word, which speaks of peace and safety and security, because he was placing his spirit in the best of all hands. Jesus said: ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’

Jesus is quoting from another Psalm of David - this time from Psalm 31 verse 5. David was affirming his trust in the midst of trouble. And Jesus takes those words on his lips as he affirms his trust in his Father as he comes to the end of his life, and completes his saving work on the cross.

Jesus is placing himself in his Father’s hands. For a while, he had been given over to the hands of wicked men, who pursued their evil plot to crucify him. As far back as Luke chapter 9, once the disciples have realised that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, God’s promised king - Jesus tells them ‘The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.’ (Lk 9:44). And in Luke 24, as the angels explain to the women about the empty tomb, they remind them of what Jesus had told them: ‘Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and on the third day be raised again.’ (Lk 24:6-7)

Jesus had been delivered into the hands of sinful men. Indeed, he had chosen to surrender himself into their hands, to do all they wanted to do, to beat, and flog, and mock, and crucify. In their wicked hands, he was mistreated, and killed. They had done all that they wanted, and got rid of Jesus.

We would have done the same. How often we want to use Jesus for our own desires; to abuse him; and have him serve our plans. Our hands would have been just as ready to crucify the Lord of glory. Our hands are just as guilty, we are caught red-handed with Jesus’ blood on our hands.

But, having suffered all that men desired to inflict on him, and fulfilled the rescue plan, Jesus commits himself into his Father’s hands. The safest pair of hands in the whole universe.

Just after he says these words, he breathes his last, and dies. Yet Jesus shows us that, while his body is taken down from the cross, and buried in the tomb; his spirit is in God’s care and keeping. Now, it’s not that the body is worthless and it’s only our spirit or soul that really matters, and it’s just longing to get free of this bodily prison. No, far from it.

Jesus’ spirit is in the Father’s hands, awaiting resurrection, when body and spirit and soul are reunited and raised. For Jesus, that will happen on the third day, early on Easter Sunday. But because Jesus has died on the cross, that’s also true of all who believe in him.

So if you’re trusting in Jesus, when you breathe your last, your spirit is instantly with God, while you await the last day and the resurrection to the new heavens and the new earth. And that’s true of your loved one who believes in Christ. They are not lost - you know exactly where they are, through the death and resurrection of Jesus; they are in the safest place they can be - in the hands of God, in his care and keeping. As Jesus says in John 10: ‘My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I am and the Father are one.’ (Jn 10:27-30)

There is eternal safety and security for those held in the Father’s hands. Are you held in his hands today? Have you entrusted yourself into those good hands?

Jesus dies, not in despair or distress, but in peace, fully trusting in the Father’s power and protection. And he gives us that same peace - for our loved ones and for ourselves - when we’re in the Father’s hands.

The seventh cross word is a word of peace.

Jesus says: Father, into your hands I commit my spirit..

Let us pray.
Heavenly Father,
in your keeping are all those who have departed in Christ.
We thank you that your hands are love and they are good.
Help us to know the peace that only you provide,
as we entrust ourselves into your hands,
now, and in the hour of our death,
through Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. Amen.

Cross Words 6 - Victory (John 19:30)

Amidst the devastating news of the coronavirus pandemic, there are glimmers of hope, and stories of amazing dedication and sacrifice. Maybe you’ve seen some of the medical staff who have separated themselves from their families for several weeks in order to serve without risking their children’s health. Or the keyworkers who volunteer to do extra shifts and to cover for their colleagues.

I wonder did you hear of Friar Don Giuseppe Berardelli? He was a parish priest in Casnigo near Milan. He contracted Covid-19 and his parish raised funds to buy a respiratory unit to help him. He refused to use it, though, allowing someone else to use it, and so he died. He gave his life so that a stranger would live.

Today, as we focus on the cross, and listen in to the cross words, we hear how Jesus viewed his death on the cross. You see, for some people, the cross is just a tragic end to a promising life. They reckon that Jesus was an amazing man, able to do wonderful things, but what a pity that it all went wrong that week in Jerusalem and he ended up dead. And so they hear in his words ‘It is finished’ a cry of defeat. As if Jesus is merely saying, it’s all over - even, I’m finished.

But that’s not how Jesus viewed his death. You see, Jesus hadn’t come to an unfortunate end, unexpectedly. Rather, Jesus was completing the plan of salvation, promised through the whole of the Old Testament. Just before our verse, we read these words: ‘knowing that all was now completed...’ And that led into Jesus saying that he was thirsty, to fulfil the scripture.

So as Jesus says ‘It is finished’ he is referring to God’s salvation plan. All was now completed. Everything that needed to be done to rescue sinners had been done. And so this is not a cry of defeat - it’s a declaration of victory.

Already in our reflections we’ve heard how Jesus prayed for forgiveness, how he gave assurance of salvation to the dying thief, how he paid the great cost as he was forsaken by God. Jesus is now saying that all has been completed - that the price of salvation has been paid in full. That’s the emphasis of the Greek word behind this saying. It’s a commercial word. It says that the bill has been paid, the demand has been satisfied, and nothing more is owed.

So, when the restrictions are lifted and you’re able to go out for a meal somewhere nice, and the evening’s drawing to a close and you ask for the bill. Imagine if the waitress said to you, it’s already been settled. Someone else has paid your bill, and that means you can walk out without having to get your wallet out. Your debt has been settled, your bill has been paid.

That’s what Jesus is saying here. And what is the bill that has been paid? He has paid the debt you owed because of your sins. Jesus gave up his place in glory, and died in our stead, so that we could be forgiven, and saved, and redeemed.

Giuseppe gave his life for a stranger. Jesus gave his life for people he knows and loves - you and me - in all our sin, and shame, and guilt. He has paid our debt and gives us his life, his righteousness. There is nothing we can do to contribute to our salvation - it’s already been finished.

We just have to receive it. To see in Jesus’ death our life and peace, our sins paid in full. As our Communion service puts it, ‘he made there the one complete and all-sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.’ (BCP p. 210)

And he did it for you.

The sixth cross word is a word of victory.

Jesus says: It is finished.

Let us pray.
Heavenly Father,
we thank you that Jesus has paid it all;
that his sacrifice has been completed,
and we are saved only through him.
Help us Lord, to trust in him,
and in his finished work on the cross,
for we ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Cross Words 5 - Suffering (John 19:18-19)

There’s something very natural in the fifth word spoken from the cross. On the night before the cross, Jesus had shared in the Last Supper with his friends. But since then, going out to Gethsemane, praying in earnest, being arrested, and tried, and led out to the place of the skull, he hasn’t had anything to drink. His fluid loss, as his blood flows out, must have been reducing. It’s entirely natural that Jesus would be thirsty as he undergoes the agony and suffering of the cross.

As we confess in the Nicene Creed, the eternal Son of God was made man - as fully man as he is fully God. And as man, he has fully entered into our experience with one exception - though he was tempted, he did not sin. And so Jesus experiences life as we know it. He was hungry; he was tired; he wept; and here, on the cross, he was thirsty. One of our natural experiences.

And yet, there is a profound mystery in these words of Jesus. It’s in John’s gospel that Jesus requests a drink of water at a well in Samaria. The question startles the Samaritan woman, because Jewish men and Samaritan women didn’t ever associate with each other. And at that well, Jesus says these famous words: ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him with never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’ (Jn 4:13-14)

The woman had been trying to satisfy her thirst in all sorts of ways with all sorts of men - five husbands, and now another who hadn’t even committed to her. Jesus offers her living water to quench her thirst. And yet, on the cross, Jesus thirsts.

Later in John’s gospel, Jesus stands up on the last and greatest day of the Feast, and with a loud voice says, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ Jesus is offering the Spirit to all who believe in him.

But for Jesus to offer this living water which will quench our thirst, he had to thirst himself. We know this, because it’s what John tells us in the context of this saying of Jesus: ‘knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”’

By this point, Jesus has endured the agony, the darkness, the weight of our sin. All is now completed - the price has been paid. And Jesus brings to mind all the Scriptures that prophesied his work on the cross. All of them had been fulfilled; we’ve seen some of them in our reflections this week. There was just one that remained unfulfilled. A verse in Psalm 69.

Psalm 69 foreshadows the cross, just like Psalm 22. And the verse that was outstanding was verse 21. ‘They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.’ In order to fulfill the Scripture, and ensure that every part of the plan was completed, Jesus declares: ‘I am thirsty.’

Now, if you’re thirsty, you need a good drink of water. But the cruelty of the cross meant that wine vinegar was offered. A bitter drink; not very thirst-quenching. And yet that was fulfilling the prophecy of David in Psalm 69. They gave me vinegar for my thirst.

There are over 300 prophecies about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus in the Old Testament. And every single one of them was completed and fulfilled. To the last detail, God’s salvation plan has been accomplished.

The man who thirsted on the cross offers you the living water so that you will never thirst again. Jesus offers refreshment and revival if you will but take and drink. Believe in him, trust in him, and that spring of water will well up to eternal life in you. Will you receive from him?

The fifth cross word is a word of suffering.

Jesus says: I am thirsty.

Let us pray.
Heavenly Father,
we thank you that through Jesus’ thirst,
he has opened the fountain of living water.
We turn to you afresh;
will you satisfy our thirst,
and give us this spring of water
welling up to eternal life.
We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Cross Words 4 - Cost (Matthew 27: 45-49)

Tonight is the night that we normally share in the Lord’s Supper. After the meal, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he prayed this prayer: ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’ Luke tells us that Jesus sweat drops of blood, so earnest was his prayer, so great his distress.

Why was this so? It’s clear that Jesus knew what lay before him. Many times he had predicted that he would be handed over, be killed, and rise again on the third day. And yet, as the cross approaches, Jesus asks if there could be any other way.

He knew that in a matter of minutes, his disciples would flee, abandoning him. He knew that in a matter of hours he would be beaten, flogged, and nailed to the cross. He knew the physical pain that lay before him, arms stretched out, struggling to breathe, his life blood being shed. And yet, above and beyond all those pains, he knew that there would be a deeper agony, as he bore the spiritual cost of salvation.

That cost is expressed in the fourth cross word. ‘About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani,’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’’

Jesus is quoting from the first verse of Psalm 22. That Psalm sounds like it is an eyewitness account of the sufferings of Jesus - the mocking, the piercing of hands and feet, the dividing of his garments and casting lots for his clothing. Yet the Psalm was written by David 1000 years before the cross. He foreshadows the experience of the suffering Saviour.

Those opening words speak of the horror of the cross; the cost of our salvation. As Jesus takes our place, as he dies for us, he receives the wrath of God. In those three hours of darkness, Jesus was forsaken by God, bearing the weight of our sin.

As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:21: ‘God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.’

Jesus, who had no sin, who had always fully and perfectly obeyed God’s law. This Jesus, was made to be sin for us. He took our sin and our sins from us, and took the punishment that we deserved. As we sing in the song, ‘In Christ alone:’

Till on that cross as Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied For every sin on Him was laid Here in the death of Christ I live.

It’s because Jesus was forsaken, that we will never be forsaken. Through his sacrifice we are welcomed, and accepted, and redeemed. Here again we see the reverse of the curse of Genesis 3.

After Adam and Eve had sinned in the Garden of Eden, they were removed from the garden, and from God’s presence. Sin brings separation. That was emphasised again in the building of the tabernacle, and then the temple. You could only get so close, but no closer. Only the high priest on one day in the year could enter the most holy place, bearing blood for his sin and the people’s sin.

But when Jesus died on the cross, having borne our sin, having been forsaken by God, what happened? The curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. We can now draw near to God - the way has been opened through the sacrifice of Jesus.

Whatever it is that you have done. Whatever you are guilty of, or ashamed about. Every sin was laid on the Lord Jesus. He has endured the penalty, the punishment, the God-forsakenness - for you. You can come to God today; you can come back to God today. So won’t you come, and find that welcome, because Jesus has paid it all. Another song puts it so well:

This, the power of the cross Son of God slain for us What a love! What a cost! We stand forgiven at the cross.

The fourth cross word is a word of cost.

Jesus says: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Let us pray.
Heavenly Father,
we thank you that we have confidence
to enter the Most Holy Place
by the blood of Jesus.
Thank you that we can be welcomed and accepted
because Jesus has died for us.
We praise you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Cross Words 3 - Comfort (John 19: 25-27)

As we’ve been adapting to the new normal of the current social distancing and self-isolation restrictions, perhaps one of the most difficult aspects has been in relation to death and bereavement. To deal with a relative’s death at any time is difficult, but even more so in these days. So at present, if a relative is nearing the end of their life in hospital, then visiting is either strictly limited or else prohibited. Wakes aren’t possible at present, nor funeral services in church, with just a very small, socially-distant graveside service.

As the Lord Jesus hung on the cross, most of his closest followers had self-isolated. One of the twelve had betrayed him, and was no more. Another had denied knowing him. And the rest had abandoned him. All except one - the disciple whom Jesus loved - John.

And in his gospel, John tells us who else was standing near the cross. Most of the men had gone, but it was the women who were still present, watching as Jesus suffered and died. Jesus’ mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene.

The women who were last at the crucifixion and burial would be the first to witness the resurrection on the morning of the third day. But focus in on one of the women, the first mentioned, the mother of Jesus.

Can you imagine the grief Mary is experiencing? In the gospels, the last we hear of Joseph is in Luke 2, on the visit to Jerusalem when Jesus was 12 years old. By the time of Jesus’ public ministry, we imagine Joseph had already died. And now, Mary stands at the foot of the cross, watching as her firstborn dies.

To lose a child at any time is traumatic. To see him suffer in such a way, her precious, innocent son, in so great an injustice must have been devastating. As Mary stands near the cross, those words spoken to her by Simeon so many years before were now coming to pass:

‘This child (Jesus) is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.’ (Lk 2:34-35)

As Mary approaches the death of her son; as she plunges into the depths of grief and sorrow; as her soul is pierced it is Jesus who speaks this word of comfort from the cross. He says to her. ‘Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to John, ‘Here is your mother.’

Even in his final moments, Jesus is fulfilling God’s law, as he honours his mother and provides for her in so many ways. John takes her into his home, to provide for her material needs, the food that she needs to survive in the absence of any other means of income. But more than that, she is provided with fellowship, as she and John go through this time of darkness together.

Jesus, who wept at the grave of Lazarus his friend (even though he was about to raise him to life) knows what we’re going through. He is able to sympathise with our experience of grief, and gives us his grace in our time of need. That grace comes through other believers, through practical helps, and through his own presence with us.

How might the Lord be directing you to help others who are in need today? Could you be present in their grief through a phonecall, or a text, or by leaving something at the door in an appropriate and safe way? Could you be the means of providing the Lord’s comfort to those who mourn?

Or perhaps today you are grieving. Look for the ways in which Christ is showing his kindness to you through his disciples. And remember, in the words of that most loved of the Psalms, ‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.’ (Ps 23:4)

The third cross word is a word of comfort.

Jesus says: Dear woman, here is your son. Here is your mother.

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, you are the Father of compassion, and the God of all comfort; May we know your comfort in these days, and may we be the means of comforting others, as your word takes root in our hearts and bears fruit in our lives. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Cross Words 2 - Assurance (Luke 23: 43)

On Sunday evening, Her Majesty the Queen addressed the nation and the Commonwealth. Speaking from Windsor Castle, she thanked everyone on the NHS front line, care workers and those in essential roles, as well as all who are staying at home to protect the vulnerable.

In the United Kingdom, we have a strong sense of what the monarchy looks like - castles and palaces; pomp and ceremony, guards and bands and parades, horses and carriages; and glittering crown jewels.

In our Bible reading tonight, we find a king, devoid of any appearance of royalty, looking unlike any king you’ve ever seen. A cruel crown of thorns adorns his brow. A scarlet robe adorns his body, as his blood flows, as he hangs on the cross, the symbol of shame and loss.

And almost everyone around the cross joins in the mockery of this supposed king. The people and rulers sneer at this ‘Christ of God, the Chosen One.’ The Christ being God’s long-promised, chosen king. But how could this man upon a cross be a king?

The soldiers join in, mocking him. If you’re the king of the Jews, save yourself! That same title hangs above his thorn-crowned head - This is the King of the Jews. This is what happens to people who think they’re the king.

And even one of the criminals, hanging on another cross, insulted him. ‘Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!’

Those taunts were truer than they could have imagined. Yes, Jesus is the king, he is the Christ of God. And yes, he is bringing about the saving of many. But in order to save others, he cannot save himself. They just can’t see it, right before their eyes. And so they mock this monarch; they castigate this king.

Yet there is one person who recognises Jesus as the king he really is. The other criminal, hanging from the other cross, he entrusts himself to Jesus the king.

He rebukes the mocking criminal, by confessing that ‘this man has done nothing wrong.’ He knows that he himself is getting what his deed deserve, but Jesus is completely innocent. Jesus is dying the death of a sinner, even though he has done nothing wrong. This is how Jesus can save others, as he dies in their place.

And so the criminal makes a request of the Lord Jesus: ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ As unlikely as it appears, he puts his faith in Jesus the king, and his coming kingdom. He makes Jesus his king. And in that moment, he receives the most glorious promise from the lips of Jesus:

‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.’ Just consider what Jesus was saying:

Today - this very day, without delay, immediately on dying.

You - this is a personal promise, to this dying thief who has believed in Jesus.

Will be - it’s absolutely certain, it will happen, there’s no maybe about it.

With me - he will be with Jesus, together again, in his presence and company.

In paradise - in the place of perfection, the place where there is no more pain, no more tears, no more suffering or sadness or sickness or sin.

Jesus the King is coming into his kingdom on that very day. And this crucified criminal will be with him in paradise. That’s the promise that Jesus gives to everyone who trusts in him, to everyone who recognises Jesus as their king.

Of the two criminals crucified with Jesus, only one of them received the promise. Even in the closing moments of life, whoever believes in Jesus will receive his promise - no matter who they are, no matter what they have done. But we can’t take it for granted that we can leave it until our dying moments - only one of the criminals called out to Jesus and received his promise.

As the Queen finished her address to the nation and commonwealth on Sunday night, she said this: ‘We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.’

Isn’t that the promise of this crucified King, to all who trust in him, and say to him: ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Jesus says: we will meet again.

The second cross word is a word of assurance.

Jesus says: I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on the Tuesday of Holy Week, 7th April 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sermon: Cross Words 1 - Forgiveness (Luke 23: 34)

Dr Catherine Calderwood had been regularly on the news in Scotland. As Chief Medical Officer, she had been front and centre of the campaign urging people to stay at home during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Yesterday, however, she was in the news for a different reason. Despite advising people to stay at home, it turned out that she had travelled to her holiday home, on two separate weekends. Under pressure, she apologised, and then last night resigned her position.

There was a disconnect between her words and her actions. She had told the public to do something, but had failed to do it herself. Today, as we come to the first of the cross words, we find that there is no inconsistency in the Lord Jesus. He practices what he preaches.

Back in Luke chapter 6, Jesus says this: ‘Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who ill-treat you.’ (Lk 6:27-28).

As we hear those words, who is it comes to mind? Your enemies; the people who hate you; the people who curse you; those who ill-treat you. And when you hear of how Jesus wants you to treat them - love, do good, bless, pray for - you think, surely not! That’s impossible!

And yet that’s exactly what Jesus goes on to do, having been arrested, and beaten, and flogged, and now nailed to the cruel cross. He doesn’t speak up to defend himself, or to plead for himself. He doesn’t open his mouth to threaten or curse or accuse. He opens his mouth to love his enemies; to bless them, and to pray for them.

Even in the midst of the terrible ordeal of crucifixion, Jesus loves his enemies. He prays for them. And he prays in this way: ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’

Who are the people he’s praying for? Who are the ‘them, and they’ in his prayer? Most immediately, he was praying for those who nailed him to the cross - the Roman soldiers. They were just doing their job, following their orders. They had crucified many people, and this was just another working day. They didn’t know that this man on the middle cross was the Son of God.

Beyond that, Jesus was praying for all involved in the crucifixion. Several weeks later, Peter preaching in Jerusalem, would say to the crowd: ‘You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead... Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.’ (Acts 3:14-15,17)

And ultimately, Jesus was praying for you. You see, we too have gone our own way. We too have rejected God, we too, by nature and by choice, are his enemies, and we have crucified the Lord of glory.

Yet see how precious the Lord’s prayer is. He loved his enemies, and prayed for them. And his prayer is for their forgiveness - for our forgiveness.

Isaiah chapter 53 is an amazing chapter of prophecy, speaking of the crucifixion seven hundred years before it happened. And the chapter closes with these words: ‘For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.’ (Is 53:12) On the cross, Jesus bore our sins. He took our burdens. But he also prayed for the sinners.

As you trust in Jesus, you find that his prayer is being answered, as you receive the forgiveness only he can provide. He who bore your sins has prayed that you would be forgiven. The sin that makes you his enemy can be forgiven, so that you become his friend.

Jesus demonstrates love for his enemies. He practices what he preaches. We can be forgiven. And that’s a glorious truth.

But the forgiven are also called to be forgiving. As we receive God’s forgiveness, we are to pass it on. In 1 Peter we read these words: ‘To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness, by his wounds you have been healed.’ (1 Pet 2:21-24)

As we receive the forgiveness Jesus provides, we also have his example to follow. Think back to the people who came to mind earlier. How might you treat them differently, in light of the forgiveness of Jesus?

The first cross word is a word of forgiveness.

Jesus says: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on the Monday of Holy Week, 6th April 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sermon: Matthew 21: 1-17 The Palm Sunday Script

My acting career wasn’t very successful. I’ve no Oscars on the mantelpiece, but even I know the importance of getting your lines right. When I was in P6, our school put on a performance of Snow White. I was one of the seven dwarves - Drowsy. And there I was, with my rosy cheeks and my wee hat, doing the best sleep-acting you’ve ever seen. The whole night, I had two lines: ‘I’m tired,’ and ‘Is it time to go to sleep yet?’ Just two lines, but I got them right!

It was better than my other appearance. Our youth club put on A Christmas Carol one year. I was Tiny Tim (can you see a theme in my roles...) and the whole play led up to the moment when, with Scrooge a reformed character and celebrating Christmas with the Cratchet family, Tiny Tim would sing a solo. And, at that moment, I forgot the words. I thought I wouldn’t need them, and I got them all wrong. It didn’t work out too well.

I needed to get my lines right and follow the script, just as I had with my two lines in Snow White. As the events of Palm Sunday unfold, it’s clear that everyone is playing their part, and everything is following the script written beforehand. So whether it’s the donkeys, the palm branches, the turning of the tables or the children’s praises, none of it happens by accident; every part was written in advance. The script was there - in the scriptures.

So let’s have a look at the events of Palm Sunday, and see what they show us about Jesus.

In verses 1-3, we’re given the details of how two of the disciples go to get the donkey and colt. Jesus and his disciples are drawing near to Jerusalem, they’re almost there, and so the two disciples are sent ahead to get the donkeys. Now why did the Lord need them? It wasn’t just that he was tired, that this was like him hiring a taxi or a bike to get him into town.

The Lord needs them because the donkeys are included in the script. Look at verse 4: ‘This took place to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”’ The script in the scripture is from the opening verse of our Old Testament reading - Zechariah 9:9.

This pointed forward to the time when the humble king of Zion (Jerusalem) would come riding on a donkey. And now Jesus is fulfilling the scripture - he is filling it full of meaning by acting it out. The promised king is here.

Jesus rides into town on the donkeys. And straight away, the crowd recognise who he is. A while back, when we could go out for a meal, we went out for tea, and as we came up to the front door of the hotel, there was the red carpet rolled out. Not for us, but because there was a wedding fair that evening. They were showing how the happy couple would have a red carpet welcome. Well here, the crowd spread their cloaks on the road; and some cut branches to lay them on the road.

They recognise that Jesus is important, that Jesus is the king. And they join in with their lines, in words written down in advance - words from our Psalm (118). Look at verse 9 - ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ That’s Ps 118:26. And the bit about ‘Hosanna to the Son of David’? That Ps 118:25 - Hosanna means ‘Save, Lord’ - a cry of praise and prayer.

The crowd recognise that Jesus is the coming King, so they shout out the script from the scriptures to welcome their king.

So Jesus makes it into the city. And then he goes to the temple. But he isn’t there as a tourist, just to have a wee look around, take a few photos and maybe buy a postcard. Jesus is there to cause a fuss, to disrupt what has been going on.

Can you picture the scene? ‘Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the benches of those selling doves.’ Imagine the noise of the coins rattling on the ground, and the scramble to gather them up again. The hustle and bustle. Now why did Jesus do this? It’s not what we expect to hear Jesus doing!

I’m here in St Matthew’s Church, Richhill. This building once served as the market house, until the market closed and the building was converted into a church. A place of trade became a place of prayer. Well, the temple authorities had managed to do the complete opposite. Look at what Jesus says in verse 13: ‘It is written, “My house will be called a house of prayer”, but you are making it a den of robbers.’ The temple authorities had made it a den of robbers - because you had to change your ordinary money to temple money (at a poor exchange rate) and you had to buy the pigeons and animals to sacrifice (at really high prices).

So Jesus follows the script as he quotes from Isaiah 56 to make the temple a place of prayer once more. The scriptures become the script for Jesus. The coming king cleanses the temple.

Now with space in the place, the blind and lame came to him, and he healed them. God is in his temple, and wonderful things are happening. The king has come, cleansed the temple, and is putting wrong things right. So how would you finish the sentence?

‘When the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did, and the children shouting in the temple... they’ ... (did what)? They joined in the praising? They welcomed him with open arms? They were really happy?

Well, no. ‘They were indignant.’ Everyone else is happy, praising, shouting out for joy, and they have poker faces. They say to Jesus in verse 16: ‘Do you hear what these children are saying?’ The children have been crying out the same words the crowd were shouting earlier: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David.’ The priests and scribes don’t like it.

And Jesus says that they too are following the script. ‘Yes; have you never read, “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise?”’ I can’t imagine that Jesus said this with a straight face. Do you see what he says to the top religious people in the land - ‘have you never read’ and then quotes a bit from the Bible!

The children are just fulfilling their lines in the script of scripture, from Psalm 8:2. Written down long before, was this promise that children would sing praise to the Lord Jesus. And now they’re doing it. Singing praise to the promised, coming king.

In this one scene, we have four Old Testament scriptures being fulfilled, as the script is followed. And, as we continue to read about Jesus, we discover that everything that happened in his life, his death, and his resurrection was promised in advance in the scriptures.

The question is this: what will your response be? You see, Palm Sunday isn't just a drama we watch on stage. As Shakespeare wrote 'All the world's a stage.' We have to play our part, join in the drama.

In some ways, your only options are the same as my two stage performances. Your lines have already been written. Will you forget your lines, or deliberately move away from the script, and be indignant with the king, refusing to praise? Refusing to welcome him?

Or will you join in the chorus line, the repeated joyful response of the crowd and the children - ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ It’s a cry of rejoicing, because it’s a cry asking him to save us. The king has come, humble, in the name of the Lord, to cleanse and heal, and accept our praise because he is our Saviour on his way to the cross. Will you join in that cry today: Hosanna to the Son of David!

This sermon was preached in the online service from St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday 5th April 2020 during the closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.