Sermon preached by The Rev. Richard Lampert
Lent 2
Lk.13.31-35 ( Mt. 23.37-39)
ON THE ROAD AGAIN TOWARD JERUSALEM,
REBUILDING THE CITY OF GOD IN OUR HEARTS
Today’s Gospel re-presents basic fundamental Lenten themes: Journeying toward Jerusalem; The Way of the Cross; God’s Holy Spirit leading us/driving us, or in the words of The Collect, “….. to bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word….. .” Many of us here are taking the Lenten Course, Christ’s Life: Our Life. It’s a fabulous book written by the late Bishop John B. Coburn, in which the author continually connects, paints images of, our lives with Christ’s life, and then repeatedly asks the question, how are you doing in your walk this Lent with Christ? The chapter for next Wednesday, “His Journey Toward Jerusalem”, is one of the best.
If we think about the Lenten Image of walking again toward Jerusalem, if we connect some of the events of Christ’s life, Biblical stories we know, and then stories of our own lives and experiences, what do we imagine, who do you see? I’m going to ask you to close your eyes for a minute! Much of this is pure Bible, some straight John Coburn, much from your own life, a little from Fr. Dick. Who do you see on the road? Who’s there? Well, certainly Jesus, then the Disciples, some of the Old Testament Prophets, probably the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and when you look carefully you are too! Here are five different people, groups, traveling along the Jerusalem Road, The Way of The Cross. They’re all part of the Lenten journey, Jesus’ and ours. Can you see them? Now open your eyes!
Jesus is on the road because after the events of Caesarea Philippi (Mk. 8) and The Transfiguration Mt. Story (Mk. 9), He “turned His face” toward Jerusalem in Mark 10- told the disciples what would happen and then He set out on the road knowing full well what awaited Him in The Holy City! The Disciples are there although they never really understood what was happening: not on the Transfigura-tion Mt., not when Our Lord told them what was coming, certainly not on the road when they asked for two seats on either side of Him in heaven. The Prophets are there reminding us that for generations God sent them as His messengers, but they were ignored, stoned, spit upon and murdered in Jerusalem. The Pharisees and Sadducees are walking too because time and time again they confronted, attacked, and eventually helped to kill Jesus. You and I are also there walking on the road because Christ calls us to walk with Him and He with us; so that, “….. He may dwell in us and we in him.”
John Coburn makes 3 major points about Jesus‘ Journey to Jerusalem and then asks us 3 basic questions about our lives! First, Jesus: (1) When Jesus heads toward Jerusalem it’s perhaps the decisive turning point in His life, the die is now cast, there’s no turning back. He’s going to confront the political and religious authorities with the authority of God; (2) The disciples just tagged along, they followed. They were bewildered and frightened and never understood until after the Ascension what was really going on; (3) Jesus never spoke just about His death alone, but always about His death and then resurrection. Now, what about us?: Can we translate Jesus’ journey into the journeys of our own lives? (A) Have we ever had to make fundamental decisions, proceed, taking full responsibility, can’t fake it anymore and no turning back?; (B) Do we know that when we trust God and life and our decisions that we may (like the disciples) move on our own, or just tag along, or be carried along by Him?; (C) Do we believe that death and resurrec-tion and new life always come together? When we trust God, move on our own or just tag along, we too we go through these experiences of life and death and resurrection and then new life.
A Lenten Journeying Prayer
“ Lord Jesus Christ, Leader in our journeys, King of life and death
and resurrection, Don’t get too far ahead of us! But don’t let us
rest or go back either! You have called us to new life! Keep us
tagging along! And when the crises come, help us to be true to
ourselves, true to you, and so more ourselves transformed by you
into you and new life. And so on our journey, go on our way re-
joicing in you with those whom you have given to us: our com-
panions along the way.” AMEN