Holy Week and Easter Message and Invitation 2012

Easter 2012

So often our times are influenced by news. Listening to the media, on most days we are harassed with a litany of bad news – death, destruction, debt, despair, and more. At times, if just listening to the news, things can seem pretty hopeless. We long for and yearn for some good news; and occasionally a light shines in the darkness. At the same time, whether good or bad it usually just evaporates from our memories – but still it leaves many in a numbed, confused fog.

Fortunately, one Sunday morning long ago, there was a news announcement that has never been equaled. “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen (Luke 24:5-6)!” Talk about Good News!! It’s the best news. It’s the news that changes everything still. And I love how it is both cosmic and personal. Cosmic in the sense that Jesus overcomes death and sin and is alive! Personal in that he appears to individuals to restore and comfort them. And yet, the disciples thought just two days earlier that everything was lost – they had been sold on the “bad news” of the day. But we know that with God all things are possible! As Louis L’Amour wrote, “There will come a time when you believe everything is finished; that will be the beginning.” Amen!

And as if the news of the resurrection itself was enough…there is this truth: “The spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through the Spirit (Romans 8:11). Think about it. The Spirit who raised Christ from the dead – the power and victory that we celebrate on Easter – isn’t just a one day thing. Through our faith in Christ, this power is alive and working within us.

In a world of daily news of death, and dying and decay, we can take heart and hope that we have the source, the power that overcomes even death – within us. So that we look at circumstances and take account of all the obstacles we face – even when we think everything might be finished, because of the good news of the resurrection, because of that same power in our lives – we can be as Paul said, “more than conquerors in all these things.” As well, let us remember and rely on this power more and more as we continue to watch God lead us through this season of renewal for our church!

I invite you to share in the “Hosannas!” of Palm Sunday to the solemnity of Maundy Thursday to the sorrow of Good Friday and to the triumph of Easter. May we experience together the joy, wonder, depth, power and possibility of Holy Week:

April 1 – Palm Sunday Celebration with Luncheon, 10:30 am
April 5 – Maundy Thursday (The Lord’s Supper with Hand Washing), 7:30 pm
April 6 – Good Friday Remembrance Service, 7:30 pm
April 8 – Easter Celebration, 10:30 am

First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook, 5 Ackerman Avenue, Saddle Brook, NJ 07663; http://www.firstreformedsaddlebrook.com. Whether it’s your first time or it’s been a long time – you will be welcomed!
In Christ,
Pastor Christopher

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The Ugliest Day

Mark 15:25-32

The Ugliest Day  

“25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him… 29 Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 save yourself and come down from the cross!”…“He saved others; he cannot save himself… Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.”

 

            Good Friday.

 

            One thing about Good Friday is what it reveals about us humans. You know it is the day Jesus died for our sins; He atones for our sins and takes the punishment so that we can be reconciled with God. You know that part…

 

            But there is another part of this that may often be missed.

           

            This is such an ugly scene. We have seen some very terrible things in our lifetimes – wars, murder, terrorism, September 11^th, all of these are/were awful in their own ways. And all of those were perpetrated by…other humans. 

 

            When you read the above passage we see many of the same things, directed of course at one person. And this is the crucial part of the magnitude of this. The victim or target here is Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. Here is a sample of how He was treated: Put on the cross; He was innocent but was put in the same place as criminals; humiliated and put down; and taunted by officials and the criminals. This is how we treated God then; this is how we often treat God now.

 

            Good Friday is a naked revelation of how awful and ugly the human heart can be. It is a revelation of how far away the human heart can stray from God’s Word and ways. It is a revelation of the hatred and violence and disregard the human heart is capable. It shows how easy it is to be blinded by fear and hatred to “eliminate the problem.” And before you say, “That was then and this is now,” is it really? Don’t we do these things in little ways in our lives? And while we were not there physically that day, as the old hymn asks, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” – Yes we were. The character of humanity, in which we share, was there and at its worst.

 

            And while all of this ugliness is on display, it is called “good.” Why? How?

 

            Because even for all of what happened on that day, and all the minor ways we today mirror the hatred, violence and disregard; all of the culmination of sins in which we live and are drenched in – even with all that – and really, thanks only to Jesus going to the cross and taking all of this on, there still is an Easter morning, the resurrection and the possibility of new and eternal life.

           

            And for us, as much as we hate; as much as we kill; as much as we disregard God and others – thanks to Jesus, the door is open to acknowledge that in all that we need a savior to redeem us from all that we have done. And by acknowledging Him as our savior and repenting of our sins – we will die and be raised by, through and be with Him forever. There is this great quote by a church father named Gregory of Nyssa, “What is not assumed, is not healed.” This is a good explanation of why Good Friday had to be so bad. While on the cross, Jesus assumed the sin of the world, this fallen heart and character of humanity, so that it could be healed. So yes, was it ugly and terrible? But, it had to be to make our redemption possible.

 

            You see, we will never begin to fully understand God’s grace and love in Jesus Christ until we start to see from where it comes – from the depths and horror of sin and darkness and suffering and isolation of the cross. It wouldn’t be God’s awesome, life-giving, liberating and eternal grace, if it didn’t require a savior, a savior named Jesus…

 

            Later this week, on Good Friday, please take time to reflect on what the “good” means to you.

 

            Amen.  

 

Discussion Questions

1. Prior to reading this what were you thoughts about Good Friday?
2. What are some of your thoughts on sin after thinking about Good Friday in the above way?
3. What are some ways we can personally reflect/acknowledge Good Friday in light of this Scripture?
4. Think of some adjectives to describe the events described in the above passage.

 

 

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christopher-B-Wolf/17378287393

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The Cross

Isaiah 53:4-6

The Cross 

4 “Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4-6 

Why? 

In this infamous and often quoted prophetic passage that clearly points to Jesus and the cross, we hear of punishment and sacrifice and misperception.  The misperception is alluded to when it says, “yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.” Back then, on Good Friday, you had people fulfilling these words when they said things like, “some king.” They couldn’t see the “bigger picture” of what was being accomplished. They saw some guy who made outrageous claims and was being put to death.

One could ask, “Why the brutality and violence?”  Even today, there are people who don’t see it. Maybe even some believers don’t understand or misperceive the purpose of Jesus going to the cross to suffer, bleed and die. 

It starts with the reality of God’s holiness. Very simply, God is holy and we are not because of our sins and our sinful natures. But…But God still wanted us to be reconciled with Him. After all the sins, after all the failures, after all the turning away from Him, He is still standing there with His arms open. This is the grace and mercy of God.  

So there had to be a way that we as sinners could be reconciled with the Holy God. Because God is both just and merciful at the same time (another Living Water maybe) the justice part had to be fulfilled too. The penalty had to be paid… “But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed (5).”

Prophecy and reality were fulfilled when Jesus, the Son of God, willingly went to the cross to accomplish these things.  As horrifying and ugly as the reality of the cross was and is, we must look at it especially this week each year.

You see, the cross in some ways is a mirror; at the cross we see the devastation and consequences of sin – yours and mine. Sin is so destructive that from God’s perspective we, all of us fall short and deserve to face the consequences of our sins. It is very much like we are guilty during a trial, but during our sentencing, someone, namely the Son of God, stands up and says, I will take the punishment for _________ (fill in our names). Talk about courtroom drama! 

And so that is how we are made whole and healed. Because as awful as the cross was and is, beyond it, the other side of the cross is Jesus’ resurrection and consequently we are made whole and healed. When we are in Christ, in God’s eyes we go from condemned to redeemed; because of Jesus’ shed blood and death on the cross – nothing that we did or could do. 

The cross is perhaps the most powerful and meaningful symbol in the world – signifying all at once, defeat and victory, pain and healing, sin and grace, hatred and love, life and death, mercy and justice, strength and weakness, the cosmic and personal, separation and reconciliation.  

This is why we talk about “going to cross” or walking with Jesus to the cross this week because we can never even approach understanding Easter and the resurrection and all that it means in life and eternally, until we truly see the cross.  

When we truly see the cross, it may “cross” our minds that it could have been us that could have suffered, could have paid the penalty for our sins, could have been separated from God. But it wasn’t us; it was Jesus on the cross… 

If you are asking “Why?” about the cross this week, for the first time or as a reminder…it still comes down to one thing – because He loved, loves, us that much. 

Amen.   

Discussion Questions

1. In what other ways have you understood God’s holiness and our sinfulness? Have they been helpful or not and why?
2. In what ways can you look at the cross differently this week?
3. If you don’t already, what is keeping you from believing that God loves you as much as is described above?
4. How might your Easter Sunday be different after hearing all of this?

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