Living in the revelation

The discovery of Jesus' tomb empty, and all that follows occurs 'very early in the morning', as dawn is breaking. The time of waiting from the start of the third day at sunset until then, is of key significance for the prayer life for the church. It is an occasion when biblical texts are read which cover the entire story of God's dealing with humankind from the creation of the world onwards. Candidates for baptism and confirmation meet and make their solemn vows before the whole church membership, and with dawn, the Eucharist of the resurrection is celebrated joyfully.

Keeping vigil in this way resembles the Jewish Passover, when the Exodus people gather at supper to tell the story of their liberation and remember their covenant with God. It is the Passover of Jesus, from death to life, so this occasion is called the Paschal Vigil. The angelic messenger says to the mourners visiting the tomb of Jesus; 

'Why do you look for the living among the dead, he is not here but is risen.' (Luke 24:5)

Reflecting later on the meaning of God's work of salvation through Jesus, St Paul says;

" .. even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way... If anyone is in Christ, there a new creation. Everything old has passed away; see, everything is become new." (2 Cor 5:16) 

Although many people may have suspected or wondered if Jesus was God's Anointed, and he himself hinted at this or even privately declared it, the resurrection experience, so unique and unexpected, reveals decisively what was hidden. The nature of resurrection appearances show in St Peter's words, preaching six weeks later, on the day of Pentecost that;

"This Jesus whom you crucified, God has made both Lord and Messiah" (=Christ in Greek) (Acts 2:36)

The words 'son of God' take on a different meaning in the light of the resurrection. Jesus is proclaimed to be the Son of God in an unique way, and it will take years, centuries in fact before this revelation is understood with any clarity. Disciples of Jesus have to devise new ways of expressing what his death and resurrection mean to them. Just starting to realise who this man Jesus is, enables them to see the shame and horror of his suffering and death in a different perspective. They start to understand how his undeserved suffering in total trust of vindication by God the Father is healing and liberating for the whole world and humankind.

Venturing into the depths of relationship with God through a Christian way of prayer takes us from getting to know the words and work of Jesus, the man of Nazareth, as one of the most remarkable exemplary human beings who has ever lived, right through his Passion to the resurrection revelation that he is the Christ, the Son of God and Lord. This disclosure calls for different understanding of what it means to be human, a child of God, destined for a relationship with God not bounded by mortal existence. 

By entering into this experience, dwelling with it and letting it change our hearts and minds, and the way we live, a gradual relearning takes place. Through baptism we identify our lives, our humanity with that of Jesus. Each Easter celebration offers an opportunity to renew our self dedication to life in God, pledged by the renewal of our baptismal promises.

"If you are risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is..." (Colossians 3:1)

Participating in resurrection celebrations opens up for us in prayer a dimension of joy and peace, hope and love above and beyond other experience. Acknowledgement of the heart of this message releases afresh in us the life of the Holy Spirit, who helps us to pray as God intends. It opens us to the life of intimate communion with God that is inexhaustible in its richness, beyond imagination, beyond words.

'He is risen indeed, Alleluia!'

Unknowing

The tradition of Christian prayer follows the Judaic practise of counting a day as the period from sunset to sunset. Jesus is killed on the day before the Passover Sabbath, and is laid to rest in haste to avoid violating, the day of rest commanded in the Torah. 

'Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.' (Exodus 20:8-10)

Even those closest to Jesus would not have wanted to break the Sabbath rest by continuing the rituals associated with death and mourning. They suspend everyday activity naturally, and simply stop until they can resume what they'd started. This Sabbath is a day of waiting, waiting inertly with all the dark heavy pain of undischarged grief on their hearts, not knowing what will be revealed in the dawning of the third day after Jesus was betrayed and condemned to death. 

This day is unlike any other in the year, as the church lives, knowing how the story turns out, yet waiting for what will be revealed, busy with making everything ready to celebrate the coming Day of the Lord. It is a day for spring cleaning places of worship, of preparation for the forty days of celebration to come. Yet, everything is conducted in humble quietness, mindful of what Jesus accomplished by his obedience to death, even on a cross.

One vivid image sheds light upon this day of prayer, threaded through with expressions of penitence and trust - the harrowing of hell.

'After being made alive, he (Jesus) went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits'  

(1 Peter 3:19-20)

This passage has long been interpreted as referring to what happened to Jesus after he died, before he made himself known again to Mary Magdalene and the disciples. It appears in that phrase of the creeds which states 'He descended into hell', where 'Hell', refers to the place of the dead - Sheol, in Hebrew thinking. The good news proclaimed by the church is that the work of Jesus goes beyond the boundaries of time, and reaches backwards and forwards in our understanding of history. 

The church proclaims that nobody who ever lived is beyond reach of God's generous mercy. Not only is this a day for making peace with the living, but also remembering the dead, those who have gone before us, whose lives may have been less than exemplary, but for good or ill, touched our lives in some way. Through Jesus, all who have looked beyond themselves find their place in God's grace.

There is so much we cannot know about the mystery of God's grace and how it works. This is, in a way, a day of unknowing, in the life of prayer, as we wait for the dawn of a new day. Waiting in darkness and silence is far from comfortable, whether we follow the church's liturgical rhythm of prayer, or simply try to meditate on the mystery of descent into hell. It is however, a training in humble patience, unable to anticipate anything.  We can make ready to celebrate, but without being free to celebrate until the time of waiting is over.

This is a position many people encounter as patients undergoing medical procedures, as victims or as the accused in judicial procedures. It can feel very lonely, yet we are not alone. So many like us have gone before, but the promise of hope revealed by the faithfulness of Jesus never departs. In prayer we can only cling to this.

'Wait for the Lord, his day is near; wait for the Lord, be strong take heart' (Psalm 27:14)

Stop, look and listen

Churches that emerged from the sixteenth century protestant reformation regard this day dedicated to the hearing of the story of the passion of Jesus as one occasion in the year when the Lord's Supper should be celebrated, citing support from St Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 11:24 'As often as you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes'. Yet, since early on in the Christian era, there were two days in the year when the Lord's Supper was not celebrated, as the whole church in different ways not simply remembered but relived the story from Thursday evening to Saturday evening. 

This is a day of quiet attention to the story of Jesus' suffering and death. Each detail of the narrative, from any of the Gospels, can permit a glimpse into the nature of the sinful and evil deeds which caused this injustice. The truth of the story holds a mirror to ourselves, so this becomes a day of expressing sorrow for sin, in ourselves and in our world. It is a day of return to the infinite compassion and mercy of God in as full a way as possible. Not simply in our thoughts, and efforts to pray, but with our whole being. The practise of walking and praying the Way of the Cross originated in Jerusalem and spread throughout the world. It enables worshippers to imagine what happened as if it occurred wherever they are. Active participation of this kind brings home the story's relevance to the whole of humankind. 

The reading of St John's Passion during the liturgical celebration of the Word, takes place during the three hours when Jesus suffered on the cross. The first three Gospels tell the story in a way that invites us to think about who this man is, who sacrifices his life for the sake of divine truth, who'd save others rather than saving himself. It invites us to confess this is the Son of God. St John, on the other hand, announces at the outset of his Gospel that Jesus uniquely is God's Son and eternal Word. He tells the same story in ways that reveal the splendour of divinity in his human existence, above all in the way he offers his life and accepts suffering so completely for God's sake.   

The dramatization of the reading of the Passion Gospel has happened for the past fifteen hundred years in the public life of Christian faith and worship, as a way of enabling believers to identify with the story. Creative imagination and reflection on the passion has resulted in it being represented in visual art, music, poetry and drama, aiming to take worshippers more deeply into its rich depths of meaning. Artistic endeavour by anyone, however simple or sophisticated, is a pathway to deep silent communion at the heart of prayer.

The greatest of the Suffering Servant Songs (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) is read before the Passion is proclaimed. It gives an insight into how Jesus may have understood his own mission, and how the first Christians soon came to understand it, after initial dismay and bewilderment at the shame and horror of his unjust death, and their failure to prevent it.

For all or any part of this day, making time to stop and dwell with thoughts of what it means and commemorates in whatever way we choose to do it, is a conscious effort to look at Jesus look at ourselves, and listen to what God's Spirit has to tell us about mercy and pardon. It is a day for reconciliation, a day for forgiveness, a day of letting go of all that separates us from God, allowing his love to free, strengthen and heal us. A day for re-shaping, re-aligning our future.

'Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.'

Remember and proclaim

Maundy Thursday takes its name from the Latin 'novum mandatum', meaning a new commandment. Two quite different eucharistic gatherings take place on this day. The first is with the Bishop in the Cathedral, when the focus of the celebration is the healing ministry of the church, featuring the blessing of Holy Oils used in baptism, confirmation and ministry to the sick. The Servant's missionary declaration of purpose from Isaiah 61 sets the tone - 'The Spirit of the lord is upon me.' read first, then re-read in the Gospel from Luke 4:16-21 where Jesus reads the passage during synagogue worship and speaks to the congregation about it representing his vocation to offer healing, liberation, and good news of hope from God.

It is an occasion for priests to rededicate themselves to ministry, following the example of Christ the servant. It is an occasion when all God's people can share in taking ownership of the church's ministry, as part of preparation to renew baptismal vows together on Easter Eve at the climax of this three days of re-living the Saviour's passion and passover from death to resurrection. 

This is also the time of the Jewish Passover celebration. This evening's Eucharist has a passover theme, opening with a reading from Exodus about remembering the events with a special meal. St Paul speaks of the commandment received by his followers from Jesus of remembering him by sharing bread and wine together in thanksgiving, but not only for the liberation of the Israelites at the first passover, but in thanksgiving for the self-sacrifice of Jesus for the forgiveness of the world's sin, and reconciliation with God.

'Do this ... in remembrance of me. Whenever you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.' (1 Corinthians 11:25b-26)

All those accompanying Jesus would have grown up sharing this special meal, remembering the Exodus and Passover to affirm their Jewish identity. The introduction by Jesus of the words 'This is my body ... this is my blood' over the broken bread and cup, change the meaning of the action forever. They provide a unique point of reference for Christian prayer and worship in relation to Jesus.

The Gospel read this night doesn't repeat the story Paul tells, or repeat what the first three Gospels report about Jesus' words at this meal. Instead, John's Gospel tells how Jesus washed the disciples' feet after supper and gave them the 'new commandment' - "Love one another, as I have loved you." Love, expressed in the humblest acts of service and in his own self sacrifice. Eating and praying together, bonded by love and mutual care are foundations of the personal relationship each person can make with God in the intimacy of their hearts. Jesus also says

'I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.' (John 13:15)

Each person who would serve others, must also let themselves be ministered to. Jesus showed this in accepting Mary's anointing of him a few days earlier. Whenever we pray, this is not just an occasion for us to offer something to God. God is already offering himself, his life for us, and this is cause for thanksgiving and praise. Words from a Psalm rejoicing in deliverance from peril and enemies, have long been linked by the church to the celebration of the Lord's Supper.

'What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me? I shall lift up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.' (Psalm 116:12-13)

After the meal and conversation, Jesus and the disciples end with a hymn of thanksgiving and retire to the Garden of Gethsemane to enjoy the silence of night under the passover moon in personal prayer. The church imitates them by moving away from the main worship area to a place where worshippers can keep a prayer vigil as long as they wish during the night hours. It is a time to recall the agonising of Jesus over his ultimate surrender in total trust and obedience to God, even to death. 

'Not my will, but thy will be done.'  (Luke 22:42)

In recalling his betrayal, interrogation and abuse, also the disciples' flight and Peter's denial, we reflect on our own steadfastness of faith: 'Lord, is it I? Psalms of Lament and penitence can be read. Despite their grim intensity, they will be found ultimately to express trust in the One who vindicates His Suffering Servant.
   

Prayer and struggle

Today's Gospel (Matt 26:14-25) lets us glimpse Judas negotiating a fee to arrange for Jesus to meet the religious authorities face to face. It also recounts the secret preparations made to allow Jesus and his disciples to eat a Passover meal together well away from public demands made upon them. On what may have been another occasion while eating together, Jesus warns of what is about to happen. All are in distress about this. Even Judas seems to be in denial, and doesn't regard what he is doing as an act of betrayal, as does the evangelist. He is the victim of his own short sighted opportunism, as we all can be on times.

In anticipation of the violence about to break out against Jesus, today's Servant Song poem (Isaiah 50:4-9) speaks of a disciple as one who listens to God, and listens before speaking to encourage others. In the face of aggression, a disciple is steadfast, resisting passively, not reacting to the offender. The disciple trusts in God's justice as defence and challenges accusers to take part in a proper hearing to establish the truth of their allegations. Retaining such a strong moral position requires great courage. Any unjust allegation arouses indignation, shame, anxiety, loneliness, as Psalm 69 expresses, in appeal to God:

'For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonour has covered my face.
I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's sons.
For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.
When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.
I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me.
You know my reproach, and my shame and my dishonour; my foes are all known to you.
Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.'
(Ps 69:7-12)

Whatever help can be found to achieve justice in human affairs, endurance and persistence in pursuing the cause comes from appealing to God.

'But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.' (Psalm 68:13)

Strength is to be found in praising God, even more than any material offering which could be made.

'I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs.
When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.

For the Lord hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.
Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them.
For God will save Zion and build up the cities of Judah, and people shall dwell there and possess it; the offspring of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall dwell in it.' (Psalm 68:30-35)

Learning this by direct personal experience in prayer and struggle is what has enabled many champions of truth and justice to survive, down the ages.

Self recognition

In today's portion of the Servant Songs, the calling of the one who God calls to be servant of his Word is declared to reach back before his birth. But there is more. The Servant's calling is not just to serve the children of Israel but all people everywhere. The prophecy of Simeon over the infant Jesus in the Temple acclaims him to be 'The light to lighten the Gentiles'. (Luke 2:32) Clearly Simeon was familiar with the oracles of Isaiah.

'I will make you the light of the nations, so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.' (Isaiah 42:6)

In many ways the story of Jesus' passion sheds light on human behaviour that is relevant far beyond its historical and cultural context. Everyone can find different aspects of themselves reflected in the participants of those events. Identifying ourselves with the traitor Judas is less than easy, uncomfortable in fact. When Jesus said "One of you will betray me." (John 13:21)  those present responded with bewilderment. "Lord is it I?" (Matt 26:22). Hearing the warning of Jesus about the imminent crisis, Peter was quick to assert that he would defend and protect Jesus, yet he flees, and then lies about his association with Jesus.

"Before the cock crows, you will have disowned me three times."  (John 13:33)

To betray is to hand someone over to their enemies. Peter doesn't do this, but his denials betray his weakness and fear, his inability to keep his word. Having warned his disciples, Jesus lets Judas go about his business. Although aware that Judas is up to no good, Jesus will give no more warnings, he simply lets everything happen.

Judas is responsible for the disciples' common purse. John regards him as a thief. He asks for money from the chief priests for leading them to arrest Jesus. Love of money is thought to be the motivation for his action by many ancient interpreters. But, in way love, of power is just as likely. Judas wants to engineer a confrontation with religious authorities that will pressurise Jesus into revealing himself and his true authority. Judas wants to set the agenda for others, wants everyone to interpret things his way, as he sought to when he  reproached Mary's generosity after her anointing of Jesus.

When Judas leaves the supper table to inform the chief priests, the others assume he is going away on some charitable errand. They do not question. Are they in awe of this capable and confident man? The relationship between Judas and the other disciples also merits consideration. Do they trust him? Do they put up with him without really liking him because Jesus does?

How to interpret the declaration Jesus makes "Now the Son of Man has been glorified." (John 13:31). 'Glory' is a word used to convey the true nature of divine splendour. Its Greek original can also be used to denote 'opinion', what we think of something or someone. In this statement it refers to that elusive phrase Jesus uses to speak of himself as a human being. It suggests he's saying to his disciples that in the story so far (particularly in the 'signs') they have seen what true humanity is. The revelation of the divine in him is yet to come. 

Despite Peter's protestations of loyalty, nobody can follow Jesus where he has to go. None of the disciples are aware of how things will turn out. Betrayal, denial, rejection, come as unexpectedly as his untimely and unjust death. 

At this time we take into our prayer the disciples' words: 'Lord, is it I', and try to remain as conscious of we can of our vulnerability to fall short of our own hopes and convictions in the face of unforeseen events that out us to the test, for the truth is, if we had been there at the time, our reactions might have been similar.
  

Facing up to toxic feelings

From Monday to Friday this week, readings from the Servant Songs of the Prophet Isaiah accompany the Gospel stories of leading up to the Passion of Jesus. These poems were an important part of his spiritual inheritance. It is unclear whether the subject of the poems is meant to be an individual whom God appoints as his envoy, his Messiah; or whether it refers collectively to the whole people of Israel; or to the remnant of the people of Israel surviving the Babylonian exile, returning to their homeland. 

Jesus takes the message of the poems to heart personally in his understanding of prophetic ministry to which he believes the Father calls him. He realises that it can lead to a cruel fate with undeserved suffering, that must be endured patiently, as part of God's plan to redeem the world from sin. He doesn't broadcast this, but does share it with this disciples as he prepares to make his last journey to Jerusalem.

'He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day".' (Luke 9:22)

There is a certain lack of clarity about whether Jesus did regard himself as God's Messiah. He doesn't proclaim himself publicly to be Messiah as such, and if people acclaim him as Messiah in response to a healing, he tells them to keep quiet about it. When asked under interrogation about allegations of messiahship, his response is ambiguous. 

Jesus prefers to speak of himself as Son of (the) Man, a phrase with overtones of 'everyman' about it. It can, however, also refer to a heavenly archetype of the human being, sometimes this is equated with the concept of Messiah, though not exclusively. There are occasions, such as the story of his encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:25-26), when he speaks of himself as Messiah, on a one to one basis, and to someone whose status would lead to her evidence being considered unreliable. 

Jesus' self understanding is in many ways presented in the Gospels as a tantalising mystery. This is deliberate. The evangelists aims to let the hearer or reader decide who Jesus is on the evidence provided.  As John states in the final verse of his Gospel

'Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (=Messiah), the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.' (John 21:31)

Isaiah 42:1-7, today's, reading speaks of the character, qualities and divine vocation of this servant, called to reveal true justice - quietly, steadfastly, courageously, gently. By this most gentle means, without violence, will sight, healing, freedom from captivity will bring light to the nations of the world. 

The Gospel passage from John 12 again recounts the anointing of Jesus by Mary, sister of Lazarus whom he raised to life from the grave. Her act of loving gratitude is interpreted by Jesus as an unknowingly prescient anticipation of his coming death and burial. The traitor Judas is portrayed as expressing resentment at the waste of a valued resource. His personal dishonesty is denounced by the evangelist. All part of setting the scene for Jesus' betrayal.

Resentment harboured by friends and enemies alike contributes to fate of Jesus. It is a stark reminder of the need to search our hearts and deal with our own resentments before during and after we pray. 

'See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.' (Hebrews 12:15)

'Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.' (Eph 4:31)

It is so important in prayer, even when we feel defenceless, to let go and leave God to deal with those we feel have wronged us, and cannot yet feel good about

'You O God, who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.... My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed. And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt.' 
(Psalm 71:20-21, 23-24)