Saturday, March 10, 2018

Dinner WIth Friends (March 2018 Newsletter, Pastor's Message)



Dear Emanuel Members and Friends –
“On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, ‘Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?’ So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, “The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.’ So the disciples set out and went to the city, and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.
 When it was evening, he came with the twelve. And when they had taken their places and were eating, Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.’ They began to be distressed and to say to him one after another, ‘Surely, not I?’ He said to them, ‘It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the bowl with me. For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.’
 While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘Take; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. He said to them, ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.’
 When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, ‘You will all become deserters; for it is written,
“I will strike the shepherd,
   and the sheep will be scattered.”
But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.’ Peter said to him, ‘Even though all become deserters, I will not.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Truly I tell you, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.’ But he said vehemently, ‘Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.’ And all of them said the same.“  Mark 14:12-31

The gospel reading above is the beginning of the Passion narrative that we will read on Maundy Thursday.  Although this narrative is at the core of our Christian faith, its very familiarity can blind us to its implications for us. 

Jesus has warned his disciples repeatedly that in Jerusalem he will face arrest, and so he and his disciples were doing what they could to avoid attracting attention.  In finding the guest room in which he and his disciples would celebrate the Passover, Jesus had apparently made advance arrangements.  He sent two of his disciples to go into Jerusalem and look for a man carrying a jar of water.  Such a man would likely seem unremarkable to us, but would have appeared odd to the two disciples and to most others who saw him, because carrying water was considered women’s work.  Jesus had found a man willing to step outside accepted gender roles in this way, as a signal to the two disciples he sent to prepare the Passover meal.

We’re told that Jesus with his disciples gathered for the Passover, the festival celebrating liberation from slavery in Egypt.  Jesus broke the mood of the meal with the words, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me, one of the Twelve, one who is dipping bread in the bowl with me.”  Of course, they all denied any intent to betray him, and all but one – Judas Iscariot – did so honestly.   Then Jesus said the words instituting a covenant with his disciples, which we know as the “Words of Institution” in the Communion service: “While they were eating, [Jesus] took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘Take; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it.   He said to them, ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.”  In effect, his disciples took a blood oath to remember him in this way, by breaking bread and sharing wine together.

When they had finished eating, Jesus led them to the Mount of Olives, where Jesus told them that they would all desert him – but that after he was raised up, he would go ahead of them to Galilee. Of course, all denied that they would ever desert him, Peter most strongly.  Of course, after Judas had betrayed Jesus, we read, “All of them deserted him and fled.”

The words of institution in our communion service begin, “The Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread…..” The shock and scandal of this phrase is lost due to frequent repetition, but it is there for those with ears to hear. On the night of betrayal and desertion, Jesus shared a last supper with his friends – all of whom would abandon him.  Jesus shared a final meal and made a covenant with his disciples, knowing one of them would betray him, knowing all of them would desert him.  Even knowing all that would come, Jesus still said, “But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”  The disciples abandoned Jesus, but Jesus would not and did not abandon them – nor does he abandon us, despite our many denials and betrayals.  Jesus went ahead of his unfaithful disciples to Galilee…..and he goes ahead of us, waiting for us to return to him from our betrayals and denials.

As the church, we are called to walk in the way of Jesus.  If Jesus loved his disciples despite their many failings, as followers of Jesus we can also love one another despite our differences, our brokenness, our failings.    Jesus would not allow our sin to separate us from him.  We should not allow our failings to separate us from one another. (From the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”)

From one of our Maundy Thursday hymns (#146 E&R)
   “O love of God! O sin of man! In this dread act your strength is tried,
     And victory remains with love:  Jesus, our Lord, is crucified.”

See you in church – Pastor Dave

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