United Church in Tallahassee

Good Friday
           Holy Saturday
                        “Were you there?”

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
We were the silence when no bird sang.
Were you in the garden when the disciples fell asleep?
We were the betrayal in Judas’s kiss.
Were you in the courtyard when the cock crowed three times?
We were the denial in Peter’s mouth.
Were you in Pilate’s chamber when he washed his hands of Jesus’ sentence?
We were the hatred of the crowd and the indifference in Pilate’s heart.
Were you there when the soldiers dressed Jesus as a king?
We were the mockery in the crown of thorns.
Were you among the onlookers at Golgotha?
We were the nails that pierced Jesus’ hands and feet.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
We were the silence when no bird sang.

John 13:34-35 ³⁴I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” 

Today is Maundy Thursday, the day we remember the Last Supper of the disciples, the agony of Jesus in the Garden, and the betrayal by Judas. Maundy comes from the Latin mandatum novum; reminding us of the new commandment to loved as we are loved.  I remember a song we sang in Sunday School when I was a child.  The chorus:

             and they will know we are Christians by our love, by our love            yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love … This is a day to remember that new commandment … love one another as I have loved you …

The Hebrew Bible reading for Holy Week is Isaiah 50:4-9. (http://www.textweek.com/festivals/) We read this passage as we ended our 11am Palm Sunday worship, moving toward Holy week. Isaiah 50:4-9 4The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens— wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught. 5The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward. 6I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting. 7The Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; 8he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me. 9It is the Lord GOD who helps me; who will declare me guilty? All of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up. Today, March 19th is the five-year anniversary of the war with Iraq. A prayer written by the Rev. Yousif al Saka, an elder in the Presbyterian Church in Baghdad, offers one word, full of poignancy and promise: We beseech You, we humble ourselves for the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, to send your Holy Spirit to shade the land of Iraq, so that peace may prevail in its dwellings, and the acts of violence, kidnapping and persecution may cease; so that the displaced may return to their homes, the churches may reopen their gates without fear from shells and explosion; so that smiles may be seen again on the faces of children that have been stolen from them here in this difficult time; so that the elderly may lean back on their chairs in comfort and tranquility saying farewell to their children when leaving for school or work without anxiety or fear; so that mothers think only of happy, prosperous, and peaceful futures for their daughters and sons. O Lord, have pity on us, we Iraqis. Let the light of your face shine on us, bless us, strengthen our belief, and bestow patience upon us. We will pray for peace at our 12:10 Wed. meditation group, and at a special 5:30-6:00pm time of lament, meditation and prayers for peace; both in the UCT sanctuary Teach us to wage peace, loving God, teach us to wage peace.

Hosanna … Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna! (Mt 21:9) Palm Sunday is a joyful, joyous day of celebration and confusion.  “Who is this?” the crowds were saying.  “Who is this, who comes on a lowly donkey, yet causes people to shout ‘Hosanna!’ and wave branches of palms in delight?” 

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.” (Mt 21:10-11)

 “Who is this, who heals and comforts and challenges us to serve God and each other?”“Who is this, who welcomes the rejected and consoles the weary?”“Who is this, who calls me and gives my life hope and meaning?” We know what the week ahead will mean for Jesus and for us.  We know that there will be denial, betrayal and desertion by those who followed and those who loved him.   Yet we also know that hope is coming, hope is ours, and nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Loving God, on this day of palms and rejoicing, we shout, we cheer, we rejoice that you have come to us and shared our common lot. Be with us as we rejoice and sing your name.  Be with us as we ‘praise you on the earth now,             joining with Creation and calling all the nations to your praise.’  Thanks be and bless your Holy Name.  Amen.

We are a wilderness people;

we are not a people of paved roads  and polished palaces.

It was not pleasant in the desert   as the people of Israel wandered through.

God  leads us toward a future in mission.

There will be tragic times

as well as

sinful, unpleasant, incidental, celebrative

and hope filled times.

Kennon Callahan, Effective Church Leadership

We are a wilderness people. 

We are also an Easter people.

The time of Lent is a time to reflect on the ministry of Jesus;

It is also a time to reflect on our own ministry

 and our special work in progress – ourselves.

… and it is a time to be joyous and give thanks.

O come, let us sing to the Lord let us make a joyful noise tothe rock of our salvation! Let us come into God’s presence with thanksgiving Let us make a joyful noise to God with songs of praise!

The Mennonite Weekly Review+ reports that instead of giving up chocolate or TV for Lent, some churches in the Harrisonburg, Virginia, area have pledged to use less fossil fuel.

The Less Oil for Lent campaign is intended to show concern for both the Iraq war and climate change and to call attention to the U.S. addiction to oil. 

Some suggestions they give for consuming less oil are to walk or ride a bike to church; reduce or eliminate the consumption of meat, which requires more oil to produce than grain; turn down the hot water heater to 115 degrees Fahrenheit; and use candles instead of electric lights on Sunday.

Our dependence on oil is real.  To give up chocolate for 40 days is hard; to reduce consumption of fossil fuels for 40 days is really hard.  Let’s share the ways we can stop our dependence on oil.

  +Jan. 30, 2008, cited Christian Century

We received this email from Kathy Lawes, Acting Association Minister, Prairie Association, Illinois Conference, UCC regarding the recent tragedy at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois.

“We Grieve Together.”

These are the words on the signboard in front of First Congregational UCC, DeKalb.

The ongoing shock is palpable in the community. The sense of security that we have enjoyed and even taken for granted has been shattered. Yesterday afternoon, as four news helicopters hovered over the NIU campus, other helicopters were transporting several of the injured students from our local hospital to hospitals that could better handle the particular injuries suffered. The air was thick with helicopters, fear and uncertainty; for a while it did indeed feel like DeKalb was under siege.

Local faith communities stepped forward quickly to assist students, faculty and parishioners sort through their own disbelief and horror. Candlelight vigils, prayer services, and community-wide gatherings of worship and remembrance have drawn people together in the face of tragedy. Dawn Jones, campus minister at NIU and in-care with Prairie Association, was been present on campus … and continues to offer comfort and care to many. Six large white crosses, draped with purple sashes, stand in front of the Lutheran Campus Ministry building in the center of campus, and the site of our United Campus Ministry outreach.

Thank you for the many expressions of love, concern and support during this horrific time. We are grateful in DeKalb for the outpouring of concern and care, for the promises of prayers, for the assurance that our pain here is shared and borne by others.

In this time of tragedy, John’s words are particularly poignant and comforting: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” It is the light of God’s love, who surely weeps with us; it is the light of Christ’s resurrection, the miracle of love that followed senseless violence; it is the light of the Holy Spirit reflected in the hearts of those who grieve, who seek not retribution, who work for healing among shattered people.

Your prayers are real to us. Thank you.

There are many times in life when the sun shines, work is meaningful, our life makes sense and God feels very near.  Then there are the other times. We all know about the wilderness.

The wilderness is not a place our culture encourages us to go.  Our culture encourages organization, preparation, and intentional activity.  Many, if not most of us, work hard to avoid temptation or disorientation.  Yet immediately after the Spirit descends upon Jesus, he is driven by the same Spirit to the wilderness and to temptation.  And it is in this time of dislocation and temptation that Jesus discerns his ministry and begins to understand God’s call.

Perhaps the one certainty we all have in life is that we will each encounter the wilderness - the place of uncertainty - sometime in our life.  Each of us will at some time in our lives know dislocation - disorientation - and despair.  The wilderness is not a place our culture encourages us to go … and the wilderness is not a place we want to go.

This Lent I encourage us to consider the time of wilderness: whether we are led … or whether the happenstance of life take us there.  God tell us: I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Take time this Lent to find time in the wilderness for prayer and reflection.  You can use one of the devotional books offered on the table outside of the sanctuary, or you sign up for daily Lenten devotions from UCC Congregational Vitality.

Blessings in the Wilderness,

Sandy

Lent comes very early this year.  Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, is this Wednesday, February 6^th!  

Lent is a time of 40 days of quiet reexamination of our lives and our relationship with God.   It is a time to let go of habits and practices which separate us from God, and a time to create habits and practices which bring us closer to God.  Making changes and beginning new devotions and disciplines doesn’t happen spontaneously, however.  We need to plan to makes these changes.

Consider and pray for the ways you want to be closer to God.  What time of the day can you create time for reflection and prayer?   Make an appointment time for prayer and write it in your appointment book as you would with any other meeting or appointment. 

What other ways can you deepen your relationship with God?   Reading the Bible is one way. The Revised Common Lectionary weekly readings are four weekly Bible readings – one each from the Hebrew Bible, Gospels, Epistles (letters to the early church) and a Psalm.   Vanderbilt Seminary’s link to the weekly readings is:  http://divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary/

You can also follow the UCC Still Speaking link to sign up for daily devotions during Lent:

http://www.uccvitality.org/devotional/  and individual and family devotional books will be available on the table outside of  the sanctuary.

 We will have an Ash Wednesday worship service, Wednesday February 6^th downstairs, to share in a time of prayer, scripture reading, reflection and community as we prepare to prepare.

Today, January 15,  is Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday.  We will celebrate his birthday as a nation on Monday, January 21^st.     Dr. King was also awarded five honorary degrees, named Man of The Year by Time magazine in 1963 and received the Nobel  Peace Prize at age 35. He was also Dr. King was arrested more than 20 times, assaulted at least four times; his house was bombed. Dr. King was 39 when he was killed in Memphis on April 4, 1968. Each year I read “Letter From A Birmingham Jail” one or more times.   It is a letter which gives me courage, inspires me and grounds my faith.  Dr. King wrote the letter in response to a letter to the editor signed by eight white clergymen: “An Appeal For Law and Order and Common Sense.”  I quote two paragraphs: … Several months ago the affiliate of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights here in Birmingham asked us to be on call to engage in a nonviolent direct-action program if such were deemed necessary. We readily consented, and when the hour came we lived up to our promise. So I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here.  I am here because I have organizational ties here.  But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their “thus saith the Lord” far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.  Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere…  … Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere…                                               Thanks be to God for the courage and faith of Dr. King.  To read “Letter From A Birmingham Jail,” in full, or to read the clergymen’s statement which led to Dr. King’s response,  follow the link: http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/popular_requests/