It’s really hard right
now to avoid the presidential campaign’s going on right in our nation — 24/7
news—stream primaries and debates ---page
after page of ink is being spilled in our newspapers --blogs are alive with
chatter about this candidate or that-social media capture clip after clip of the candidates and their shortcomings and
mistakes. Donald, Hilary, the Bern and Ted seem like they’ve become part of our
lives. As these campaigns unfold before our very eyes we are able to see each
of the candidate values on full display and what kind of (kingdom) administration they envision.
As I read and re-reread
the story of Jesus last week --- I couldn’t help but see his own values playing
out as he walked these last days before crucifixion—and I couldn’t help but
think that Jesus offers us a whole bunch of wonderful possibilities about how
we might live our lives and how the world might be better if we could work to
make these values our own just some
of the time.
For me it begins in the
Garden of Gethsemane— Jesus has snuck off after the last supper to the mount of
olives to pray--he realizes that his life is about to come to a screeching
halt—everything is about to come crashing down—horrifically and much like you or I would in this situation
he drops to his knees in prayer—he does just what anyone of us would do—he begs,
God to remove this horrific thing the
father please, please, please father take this cup from me. Jesus is scared! but then in the midst of his
prayers something stirs in his soul something begins to change —so he changes
his prayer-- he say if not my will—then your
will be done. Help me to be alright with
this.
In those words I see
great courage—courage to ask God to make him alright with his destiny to make
him alright with what’s occurring in his life.
In some way—he is asking God for
the power to do what God would have him do however difficult that may be.
His values continue to be
on display when the police with clubs and swords to arrest him-- to take him
away by force—his friends look to match this force- they draw out their swords
to defend him and he says “no.”- it’s not going to be this way-when one of the
disciples slices the ear of the enemies- Jesus immediately reaches out his
hands of healing to heal his enemy.
When his life is
threatened- Jesus reaction is not to ball up his fist in violent opposition,
but to reach out his hands in love toward those who will do him harm. The
kingdom he comes to bring is not a kingdom that say violence is the
answer.
Even as he lays down his
life on the cross—Jesus doesn’t waver from his core values—as his hands and feet
are savagely nailed to the cross—the first words from his bruised and battered body,
are, “Father forgive them for they know
not what they do. His first thoughts are not on revenge—but about bringing his
enemies back into the fold.
And finally as his life
is about to slip away—Jesus commends his life to God. Luke says that Jesus’ last words are , “Father
into your hands I commend my spirit.”
I see so many
possibilities for us and for our world in these four moments. I see so many possibilities about how to deal
with life when the stakes are against us.
I see so many possibilities for how we might be agents of healing and
reconciliation not purveyors of violence and revenge.
I see possibilities to
live happier, healthier lives when we embrace the radical forgiveness of
Christ-- And I see so many possibilities for how we can place our lives and the
direction of our lives into the hands of God.
When the stakes were
against him, when he was powerless to change the outcome of life— Jesus invited
God into the fray. He invites God to
give him the strength to face his destiny—he asks God to make him alright with
however the chips fall—not my will, father, but your will and when he has no
other option—when death is finally knocking on the door—rather than fighting
and suffering any longer in an ultimate act of faith—Jesus commends his life to
God—Father, into your hands I place my life.
How might our lives be
different if we invited God into the fray
and asked God not to take the cup, but to give us the courage –not my will but your
will --to be alright with the outcomes, to be have strength to face the travails of
our own lives?
Perhaps there is something that you are simply
powerless to change—what would it look like to commend that to God—what would
it look like to say father I commend this to you? I place my life in your hands.
Or how might our lives be
different if we could take a sliver of the forgiveness that Jesus displays from
cross?
When Jesus has the
opportunity for hatred and anger and to call down fire from heaven when he has
the opportunity to bring God’s wrath—his actions say God doesn’t do that—he
chooses to forgo revenge and begin the process of forgiveness—Father forgive
them for they know not what they do—He set the example that there is no
situation that we cannot begin to work toward forgiveness.
Psychologist and doctors
know that Forgiveness offers so many benefits for those who work on forgiveness—medical
study after study tells us that forgiveness does good things to our bodies it
lowers blood pressure and improves our immune system—it helps us to live longer
and also happier lives. And it also helps
to restore relationship.
Where do we need to do
the hard work of forgiveness—where do we need to work on thinking about
alternatives to revenge --when someone has wronged us? How will we no longer ball up our fist in
anger and strike out, how will turn the other cheek and not use a sharp tongue to tear down and injure the
one who has hurt us.
2000 years ago people saw
the kingdom that Jesus was ushering in, they saw his values and they mocked and they laughed at them—but
they were also threaten by these values—they were threatened when they saw that
every life matters in the kingdom both sinners and saints matter—both friend
and enemy matter to God-- they were threatened by the notion that anyone of us can be in such intimate
relationship with God that God will answer our prayer and anybody can be
forgiven—they mocked and they laughed at those things—they tried to put and end
to them. They snuffed out Jesus by nailing him to the cross.
When we see Jesus and his
kingdom and his values—do we see
possibilities for our lives and for this world?
Jesus said that I came so
that you might have life and have it abundantly—in these possibilities I see
abundant life
Do we see possibilities? I certainly do.
AMEN.
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