Podcast

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord and join us here today
We take this world to be a certain way
Matters seem settled or maybe just set
Death and taxes and all that
People don’t change, never will
Life is hard and then you die.

And then you came
And you lived among us
And taught us about your path
Your ways
Your kingdom
And you loved people
And you healed people
And you set people free
We killed you for this Lord
But then you overcame death

And then you came to us
Each of us
And now that overcoming is ours as well
We can change
We can become great lovers
Of all the people
We can help ease the suffering of others
We can be a part of the healing of this world
We can be a part of setting people free

Life is no longer fixed
No longer dreary or a drudgery
Even in the midst of suffering or pain
We now live our lives enveloped in your overcoming
And we are overcoming too
Unbelievable
Remarkable
Amazing
Astonishing
Thank you Lord for this life
This life
Hallelujah
Amen

Today’s Talk: chuck smith, jr.

John 20:1-20

INTRO: Every Easter, until COVID, my dad would host a Sunrise Service

(First at the Pacific Amphitheater and later the Verizon Amphitheater)

And most every year he would tell the same story; this one about Mary Magdalene

• you might expect people to say, “Oh no, not this story again,”
  ~ but instead it was, “Oh! This is one of my favorite sermons”
  ~ about forty years ago, a Sunrise Service was held at San Clemente High School
  I went because I heard Eddie Piorek was going to speak
  He also told the story of Mary Magdalene
• I’m don’t intend to recover or carry on a tradition today
  ~ but last week—Palm Sunday—we read the story about another Mary,
  the one who poured perfume on Jesus’ feet
  ~ it felt right to spend a moment with the Mary in today’s story,
  who lost Jesus and then found found him

John, in fact, highlights three Marys who appear in connection with Jesus’ death
Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, who prepared Jesus for his burial (Jn. 12:7)
Mary Magdalene, who stood by the cross and later came to the tomb,
And Mary the mother of Jesus

• but we discover something odd regarding Jesus’ mother
  ~ although there were three Marys near the cross, John names only two of them
  “standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene” (Jn. 19:25)
  he does not mention Mary’s (the Lord’s mother) name
  ~ early in John’s Gospel, John tells the story of Jesus’ first miracle — at a wedding
  again there John doesn’t use her name, but says,
  “and the mother of Jesus was there” (Jn. 2:2)
• it’s not as if this were of great importance,
  ~ but John never mentions his own name either,
  even when talking about himself in the third person
  ~ here is how he refers to himself when Jesus spoke to him from the cross,
  “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby . . .” (Jn. 19:26)
• tradition tells us that later on Mary and John were very close
  ~ that they even traveled and ministered together
  ~ is it possible that they agreed that knowing John was writing the story of Jesus,
  neither one of them wanted attention drawn to themselves?
  so John did not identify either himself or Mary by name?
  If that were so, it’d be a great example for celebrity pastors and church leaders today

Anyway, three Marys are highlighted, and each one had given attention to Jesus’ body

• one of them touched his heart by washing his feet
• one of the touched his heart by desperately searching for his corpse
• and, of course, one of them had swaddled his infant body and placed him in a manger
  ~ three Marys, and at the end,
  Jesus was watching out for each of them, and caring for them

Had the events reported in the Bible not taken place in sexist cultures,

We would have more stories of heroic women

• most of those we meet in scripture are strong, brave, wise, resourceful, and devout
  ~ there’s a character type in the Bible, in which an intelligent and astute wife,
  is married to a dense and clueless husband
  ~ the scenes with Manoah and his wife, Abigail and Naval, Ahab and Jezebel
  are comical—at least that’s how I read them
• so, along comes Mary — and right away, she’s special
  ~ though the other gospels tell us that several women came to the tomb together
  John singles out Mary to give us a look inside her heart
  ~ she believed she owed Jesus a huge debt of love
  she owed him her life,
  which was haunted by several demons until she encountered the Lord
• I want us to hold this in our minds and imaginations while re-living this story

From a literary point of view, John expertly takes us to the tomb in the garden

Through the eyes of the characters, we see everything

• Mary saw the stone had been moved from the entrance
  John stooped to look into the tomb
  When Peter rushed into the tomb, he saw the burial cloths
  Mary eventually looked into the tomb—and saw angels
• and so on it goes

Subtle attention is given to the postures and positions of people and objects

• both John and Mary, “stooping” to look inside the tomb
  The placement and disposition of the linen cloths lying there
  We Mary where she “stood” weeping, and then saw Jesus standing there facing her
  The angels, however we’re sitting in the tomb
• all of this visualization carries us there, that early morning

Action is also highlighted

• it begins with Mary coming to the tomb
  The stone over the door had been moved
  She ran and found Peter and John,
  And they went, and they ran
  So the action goes, all the way to the moment Mary was clinging to Jesus
  (at least, trying to cling to him)
  Jesus told her she could not hang onto him, because he had to ascend to his Father

The importance of all this information—all the details and embellishments—

• is the way the richness of these descriptions work on our imaginations
  ~ we’re able to be there, to see what they see and feel what they felt
  ~ at first, they didn’t know what to think
  and neither do we — at least, not at first, and not all the time
  we venture through periods of unanswered questions,
  and serious deep, dark doubts
• allowing ourselves to feel the Scriptures is one way of getting them into our hearts
  ~ and getting them into our hearts is as important and maybe even more so
  than getting them into our heads
  ~ desire and determination, passion and motivation, love and empathy
  live in the tissues of our hearts

I speak only for myself when I say rational “proofs” of Jesus’ resurrection leave me cold

• if we’re honest, we must admit they work only for people who already believe
• living this many centuries since his resurrection took place,
  ~ it is not something that needs to be proven as much as believed
  now it’s about putting our faith in God and his Son
  now it’s learning to trust him, when there’s no rational reason why we should
  ~ the reasons we have for trusting God reasons are personal more than rational

I’ve heard preachers make statements like,
“We do not judge the Bible by science; we judge science by the Bible!”

• I would agree with the first half of that statement
  ~ we do not judge the Bible by science,
  we judge our interpretations of the Bible by science
  (although science is not infallible)
• the Scriptures are inspired, our interpretations are not
  ~ in fact, we have to have some flexibility in holding onto our interpretations
  ~ but let’s get back to Mary

Mary headed to the tomb before sunrise

Obviously, she was eager to get to the task at hand

• now this whole first half of the chapter is about the body of Jesus,
  ~ but the word, body, occurs only one time in the chapter (only five times in John)
  ~ Mary can’t bring herself to think of Jesus as a lifeless body—a corpse
  she consistently refers to him as “the Lord” or “my Lord”
• the instant she saw the stone was no longer blocking the entrance
  she turned and ran
  ~ she didn’t know why she was running, but assumed grave robbers had been there
  ~ breathless, she tells Peter and John,
  “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him”
  she cannot identify those who committed the terrible crime
  she can only say, “they”—everyone is a suspect
  Of course, she could not have
  guessed that the Heavenly Father had awakened and raised his Son

After Peter and John left the garden, Mary stayed there, crying

Where would she go?

• ever since she met him, her whole life was Jesus
  ~ even tending to his body would have given her existence a meaning
  as long as our crises, our emergencies require action,
  as long as there are things that must be done—or can be done—
  we hold off crying
  ~ but when the dust settles, when there are no more distractions,
  when we’re forced to give up hope, that is when we cry

Bible teachers have offered explanations for why Mary didn’t recognize Jesus at first

• and that, even though John says she turned and looked at him
  ~ but not recognizing Jesus is a recurring theme in the post-resurrection stories
  Luke give us two clear examples
  for instance, with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus
  and there it seems Jesus had a little fun with them
• Jesus knew Mary would not recognize him at first
  ~ and the way I read this, is he started to have a little fun with her too,
• feigning ignorance, as he did with the two disciples
• so he asked her,
• “Woman, why are you weeping?”
•     ~ but it’s as though, when he sees how devastated she is,
• when he hears the anguish in her strained voice,
• he drops the charade, and simply says her name
• CONCLUSION: Everything about this encounter reveals Mary’s desperate love for
• Jesus
• And why did she have this great depth of love for him?
• Because he was good to her
• Because he was good!
• Because he showed her kindness
• Because she knew she mattered to him
• Why did the other Mary pour perfume on Jesus’ feet?
• Why did this Mary cling to him—or at least try to cling to him?
• Perhaps these were the only ways they knew to express their love
• And Jesus accepted and received their love 
• This is why I’ve wanted to demonstrate how John tries to pull us into the story
• He wants us to have an experience of the love of Jesus
• And to love him in return
• God gets so much more from us when he has our love,
• than when we are merely doing our duty
• So, go, enjoy the remainder of this Easter Day
• And for heaven’s sake, HAVE AN EXPERIENCE!

Podcast

Welcome and prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come, Lord, and join us here today

We are full of gratitude that 

You sought us

Found us

Brought us close 

Made us new

And loved us like Your children

We have been so fortunate to live our days with You

To know Your presence

Your loving care

To hear Your voice

Even when quiet and gentle

And this love You have poured into us,

Is the love we want to pour into others

And it makes our hearts glad

Though sometimes—often times—

Life, people (ourselves included),

Are messy

Needy 

Wounded or broken

and life is hard

Loving is hard

Despite our best intentions

Our best efforts

Our determined sacrifices

And things fall apart

Come, Lord, and bind up the disappointed 

Tend their wounds

Chase away their self-doubt

Their self-loathing

And any inclination to condemn themselves

Remind us that You are sovereign

You are making all things new

All people whole

That a dreary, ugly episode for us

Can nevertheless be transformed

That more is happening than we know

That loving others is still our calling

Even when things don’t work out as we hoped

Grant us the grace to continue to love

Just as You have loved us

Morning talk: chuck smith, jr.

“Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive oil made from [an exquisite plant], and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of the disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’ He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone, so she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.’” John 12:1-8

INTRO: I know this is Palm Sunday and I read the wrong story

However, this is like an introduction to this big occasion, because 

  Jesus came to stay in the home of his friends the day before his grand entrance

   – by the time he reached Bethany, his ministry was winding down

    ~ when we read to the end of this chapter, 

         We come to the end of Jesus’ service to the crowds (in John’s Gospel)

    ~ they will hear nothing more from him, personally

  – in fact, this important detail of limited opportunity is highlighted in this chapter

I wonder how long Mary had been wanting to bless Jesus in this way

  – she not have been sure she’d ever have the opportunity

    ~ but here he was, right there in her home

         if she chickened out now, would she have a second chance?

    ~ turns out, she wouldn’t! it was now or never

  – later on, Jesus will talk about missed opportunities — vv. 35-36 & 46

    ~ when he said, “While you have the light,” that space of time was narrow

Mary must have felt some measure of excitement

  – we bring gifts to people because we love them

     ~ we want to bring joy to their hearts

     ~ but we also worry— What if they don’t like my gift

  – did Mary nervously try to slip into the room without being noticed?

     ~ did she fumble with the stopper in the small clay jar?

or feel embarrassment in front of the disciples?

The times we visited orphans in Russia,

A few of the children gave us gifts

  – something small and worn out that they had held onto for a long time,

     ~ because they had nothing else

had the trinket had been anything of much value,

  the older, bigger orphans would have already taken it from them

    ~ the child bringing the gift would approach one of us with a big smile,

holding tightly to the little treasure in their hands

One boy, maybe seven years old—

    (it was difficult to guess their ages, 

because on their slender diets they did not develop normally)

    ~ with bright eyes, handed me an old fountain pen —out of ink

maybe thrown away or handed to him by another visitor,

  because it was worthless — but not to him

     ~ he had hidden it and hung onto to until then, when he gave it to me

I’ve kept it

The first time I was in Russia, at one of the most impoverished orphanages,

  – a small girl took my hand as we walked from a river back to their dormitory

     ~ and she didn’t let go of my hand until dinner, 

then she grabbed it again until it was time for her to turn in

     ~ ever since then, she has held onto my heart

she wrote a poem and gave it to me just before we drove away

  I’ve held onto that too — in fact, I have it right here . . .

     written in Russian and translated by one of our interpreters

If you sometimes skim through biblical passage, don’t overlook this line:

“The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”

  – I’m certain that John is suggesting something, like a hidden meaning

  – entering a person’s home, we often notice the fragrance of it

     ~ in some cases, the aroma was prepared for our visit

     ~ others times the residents scented their home for their own enjoyment

whenever we went to my grandmother’s home,

  it always smelled like chocolate chip cookies

Some people bring a pleasant fragrance into every encounter,

  – but it has nothing to do with our olfactory sense other than by analogy 

“thanks be to God,” St. Paul wrote, “who . . . through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Cor. 2:15-16)

How was it, that Mary’s devotion to Jesus became a problem for someone else?

  – nevertheless, this happens all the time

      ~ a Judas who never felt an overwhelming attraction to Jesus,

who has no idea what it means to be in love with Jesus,

who joins the followers of the Lord, not for the Lord but their own benefit,

     ~ sees another follower offer themselves completely to God,

worship him without restraint,

give him the most lavish offering of praise and worship,

    with their entire spirit, mind and body,

and scoff, or criticize, or find fault with them

  – King David’s wife saw him worshipping God 

as the Ark of the Covenant was carried into the city,

“leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart” (2 Sam. 6:16)

     ~ so he arrived home to her bitter insults and insinuations,

but in his own defense, he said, “It was before the LORD”

     ~ he justified his complete abandon 

as an extravagant expression of his adoration of God

the Lord was his audience — she was just a spectator

These harsh critics are skillful in the way they can conceal their contempt

beneath a veneer of piety and sensible decorum

“Why didn’t she sell that expensive perfume and give the proceeds to the poor?”

  – that kind of logic can infect the minds of others,

who may be truly caring followers of Jesus

      ~ John is the only writer who pins this this complaint on Judas

Matthew implicates all the disciples 

  and Mark said there were “others” who shared those sentiments

     ~ and of course — it sounded good — benevolent — generous

“Leave her alone!” Jesus said — he was immediately her hero, her protector

“Back off Judas! You have enough of your own problems,

and you cannot blame them on her.

If you really care about the poor, you always have them around you,

but you do not always have me.”

  – there it is again — that limitation —

the time will run out, the opportunity will pass

     ~ the day will end and then night will descend

NOW we can celebrate Palm Sunday 

“The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming for the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’ And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,

‘Fear not, daughter of Zion;

behold, your king is coming,

  sitting on a donkey’s colt!’” (Jn. 12:12-15)

Wait! Was that it? John gives the most condensed account of this event

  – Matthew tells us how the entire city of Jerusalem was stirred up,

and even some time later children were still singing in the temple,

“Hosanna to the Son of David”

     ~ Mark is more subdued, but not as much as John

However it is Luke who tells us, that if the crowd had been silent,

“the very stones would cry out”

     ~ perhaps John felt his readers were already aware of those other accounts

We have sometimes heard

  – that the crowd who welcomed Jesus with praises on Palm Sunday

     ~ were shouting “Crucify him” on Good Friday

but according to what John says in verse 12, 

  the crowd on Palm Sunday were out-of-towners

the locals had to ask “Who is this?” (Matthew 21:10)     

     ~ it was the locals—and especially the religious leaders protecting their interests,

who clamored for Jesus’ execution

  – John does add something else no other Gospel reported

“Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus” (Jn. 12:20-22)

     ~ at the beginning of this Gospel, one of the first disciples to follow Jesus was Andrew

he went and found his brother Peter and brought him to Jesus

     ~ another first disciple was Philip,

who went and found Nathanael and brought him to Jesus

     ~ the first two disciples were already bringing others to Jesus

now, at the end of Jesus’ ministry, they’re still bringing people to Jesus

  only this time there is a radical difference: these men are not Jewish

  – neither were the Samaritans Jewish,

     ~ but they shared a distant identity with Israel and belief in their same God

     ~ the Greeks were from a different part of the world and a very different culture

it looks like a new stage in the spread of the Lord’s work

  so it seems odd to me, but John says nothing more about them

What happens next: Jesus just starts talking

And it’s as if he is saying whatever pops into his mind

  – he announces that his hour has finally arrived,

     ~ but he isn’t specific regarding what that means

he uses a figure of speech, that at least WE can understand refers to his death

  then he says those who follow him must walk the same path

     ~ before that can settle in, Jesus reveals something very personal

“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me fro this hour? But for this purpose have I come to this hour” (v. 27) 

  – I feel the tension in his voice, 

torn between his mission and his natural inclination to avoid suffering and death

     ~ he didn’t judge himself for having these feelings

     ~ he faced them, acknowledged them, and transcended them

For the third time in John’s Gospel, Jesus talks about being “lifted up from the earth”

  – Jesus was not going to be doing the lifting

     ~ this was going to happen to him

     ~ he was going to be doing something else — a drawing

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (v. 22)

  – in this chapter we’ve seen how people were drawn to Jesus

      ~ Mary, drawn by love

      ~ people drawn to her home drawn by the miracle of Lazarus raised from death

      ~ the crowd as he descended the Mount of Olives, 

drawn by all the wonderful works they had seen

      ~ and then the Greeks, who were drawn to him by who-knows-what or why

  – but when he’s lifted up, all people everywhere are drawn to him.

There’s another meaning to being “lifted up,” 

  – which means exalted, honored, raised to prominence or positive recognition

        ~ humans lifted Jesus up on a cross—his Father lifted up to glory

CONCLUSION: Before we lay down our palm branches,

Quiet our kids, collect our things, and leave the parade down the Mount of Olives

  – there is something Jesus said I want to take with me

“If anyone serves me, they must follow me; and where I am, my servant will be also” (c. 26)

When I pray, I frequently ask Jesus to be with me

His presence holds me together, when everything else is falling apart

But the verse reminds me, that when I’m praying, “O Lord, be with me,”

Jesus is telling me, “Follow Me, and you will be with Me”

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Welcome and Prayer: Nancy Lopez

Good morning!  Welcome to the RefleXion Community.  The Lord is with you.

The humble barnacle, those critters that attach themselves to the bottom of boats and dock pilings,  I don’t know anyone who has an affinity for them.  When they are born, they float for a very short time and then attach to the first things they find, and that is pretty much where they live out the rest of their lives.  They rely on the flow of the water passing by them, which they comb for food.  They have a hard shell, and if they sense a potential threat, they withdraw into those shells.  Wait….are we talking about barnacles or humans?!  We’re all pretty good at attaching to places we feel safe, retreating into our shells, and settling for what comes to us for our spiritual food.

But, what if one little barnacle had the desire to let go of what he’d always known and float down the flow of the river?  The ones he had been with would probably all yell, “No!  Don’t go!  Danger, Danger!”  But then he did let go and flowed freely again.  Then, what if the little barnacles who lived downstream saw him and they, too, felt invited to detach from what they’d always known, where they’d felt safe, and to follow the flow?  What if they said to each other, “I didn’t know we could do that!”

Today, we celebrate Palm Sunday.  Jesus was rejected by many, because He represented a new way to God and a new way to live.  Some yelled “No, Danger!”    And some felt invited to follow this man.  There was a large crowd around Jesus on Palm Sunday, people who threw down their cloaks and their old religion and chose to follow Jesus.  On this Palm Sunday, which people will we be?  Are we able to imagine that God will come to us in fresh ways?  Do we believe we can hear and trust His invitations?  Are we willing to be ones who can follow the New Way, the new Way of the Spirit?

Shall we pray? Father God, Jesus the Christ, Holy Spirit given to us, reveal to us Your Presence.  Thank you for opening for us the new and living way.  We will follow You.  Thank You for those who have led us and encouraged us.  Thank You for Your Holy Spirit Who is forming us.  We welcome You.  Amen

In our quiet time this morning, I wonder if we can step in to the Palm Sunday scene.   Let’s begin by taking a few deep breaths and then settling into a natural breathing and a comfortable yet alert posture.  Place yourself in the Palm Sunday scene as you imagine that it was.  You are arriving with others to the growing crowd.  It’s quieter than you imagined it would be.  Each one is attentive and waiting for Jesus to arrive.  Each one as the Spirit moves them is throwing down their cloak and laying down palm branches of welcome.  As we are waiting for His arrival, our desire to see Him intensifies, the passion of the crowd moves us into a collective anticipation.  We are here together, yet you are aware of your heart alone.  Let this be your moment to experience the waiting for and the coming of Jesus.

Morning Talk: Jim Calhoun

The beginning of the Passion

Let’s start with Jesus in Jerusalem. (John 10) The Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah)
There is a confrontation.
“If you are the Christ tell us plainly”
“I told you but you did not believe.“
“For which of my good works will you stone me?”

Jesus slips away and goes into hiding to Bethany across the Jordan some twenty-four miles away
While he is in hiding Jesus gets word that his friend Lazarus is very sick.
He delays his departure by a couple of days and we don’t know why.
Eventually he travels to Bethany about twenty-two miles from where had be staying.
He is met by first one sister and then the other and is taken to Lazarus’ tomb.

Though it seems plain that Jesus knew he would resuscitate his friend he was deeply emotional at his tomb.
Many people were there and watched as Lazarus walked from the tomb.
Unlike before Jesus couldn’t put a lid on this. Too many had seen it.

This set off a whole chain of events that led to Jesus’ death. How can this be? The raising of someone from the dead seems to be an unalloyed good.
But the opinions of what they had seen were widely and wildly different. Some believed that Jesus was the Christ and some thought he used the power of the devil.
Some praised God and some reported his actions to the authorities.
The authorities in this case were the high priests, keepers of the temple. They were the Sadducees and the Pharisees and they had quite the conversation about Jesus.

He’s what they said: If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.
Judea was occupied territory and had been for a long time. People responded to this differently.
The Sadducees were most closely tied with Rome. They were the keepers of the temple. The head of the temple , the chief priest was appointed by Rome. The Sadducees had no expectation or place in their thinking for a messiah.
The Pharisees – they thought the law was primary in matters not the temple. They put up with Rome wishing to be more or less left alone.
So the Sadducees and Pharisees worried that Jesus, if he were the Messiah, would disrupt the deal with Rome. They would lose their jobs, status, lives and the nation would be sacked.

I’ll say that this was a reasonable thought. When Herod the Great took power in 37 BC he slaughtered forty-five members of the Sanhedrin (the high Jewish council). They knew from recent history how it could go. And they knew Rome was tougher than Herod. In fact in a few years, Rome would tear down Jerusalem stone by stone in response to a revolt against them.

The high priest says this: it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.
This is a classic political assessment. Unknowingly it is also a prophecy.
Jesus did die for the people and for the nation. In fact, for us all.

By now Jesus knew it was no longer safe to be seen in public so he went into hiding again. This time he went to Ephraim in the wilderness, about sixteen miles north of Jerusalem.
Jesus returns to Bethany six days before the Passover. He stays with Lazarus and his sisters. That night Mary anoints his feet with perfume prefiguring his death. The next morning they head into Jerusalem.

Jesus mounts a young donkey. It is a statement all will understand. He comes in peace. The prince of peace. The anointed one. The messiah who will bring peace to the world.
The people (from Galilee) recognize him. He was the one who raised Lazarus from the dead. They cheered him. They laid down their cloaks and palm branches in homage.
It is hard to imagine how long this lasted. A few minutes? An hour or two? I don’t know. Nothing I know clearly says. But it doesn’t last long. Soon Jesus is talking about his impending death.

This moment of triumph was the beginning of the end. It begins the passion week. As true and correct as it is that Jesus was to be celebrated as the promised messiah, it didn’t last long.

We don’t live in a triumphant age.
We aren’t there yet.
While we experience some of the redemption promised in Christ we don’t have it all.
We live in the era of now but not yet.
We want to be triumphant. We want the struggles and battles to be over. We want the suffering and heartbreaks to be done. We want to be without worry. But not yet. We are still in the thick of it.

Some people act like we live in the age of triumph. That we should have all we desire.
It isn’t so.
Every person who is healed and recovers will one day succumb. Every person we know will die. That is how it will be in this era. We live in the time of now but not yet.
Now we get Christ and one day every tear will be dried
Some people hold that prosperity is every Christian’s due.
It isn’t so.
Not in this era.
Think of our poor brothers and sisters, faithful in Christ. They don’t get private jets. They probably don’t have basic medical care.
And brothers and sisters closer to home, faithful in Christ do they get to name anything in their imagination and demand God give it?
Not in this era.
We live in the time of now but not yet.
Now we get Christ and one day all of God’s riches will be ours and ours to share.

Some people hold that we as Christians should be first among all people. That others should comply with us, bend their will to ours, grant us deference and privilege.
It isn’t so.
Our place is known by how we serve others not by how they serve us. This era is when we love our neighbors as ourselves, and we lay down our lives for others because there is still a need for that.
Now we get Christ and one day the whole world will know peace, shalom.

Savor the good gifts of God when they come The happy gifts
A fortuitous circumstance
A rescue from a bad situation
A problem resolved unexpectedly
A great parking space.
Whatever it is savor it
Celebrate it
Keep a journal
Revisit these stories
Hold those moments close.
You may need that encouragement

Learn to recognize the more difficult gifts of god.
Loneliness
Suffering
 Sacrifice
These are the deeper gifts in this day. They cause us to turn to God
To depend upon God
To reorient toward God
Thank God for these in your life.
You can write these down too.
Cherish them.
Knowing God is with you in them just the same as the happy gifts.

These are the blessings of this age. Matthew 5
Listen carefully for your blessing. Thank God for what you hear. Listen carefully for the ones you yearn for and then give yourself to them.
This is the true spirituality of this era. Of the now but not yet:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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Welcome and Prayer: Nancy Lopez

Good morning!  Welcome to RefleXion.          The Lord is with you.

Last week Chuck talked about parables and their working into our soil though we don’t even realizeit.  Then, later, we might recognize or realize something by the pattern that had been planted.  I love that idea and the idea that changing our viewpoint…well, changes our point of view!

I want to share a word with you that I’ve been playing with for a couple of years; that word is “Realize, “but I think of it as “Real Eyes,” gazing at the unseen Real.  It has to do with seeing differently, the Reál, the Royal Way, the Jesus Way.  In other words, seeing something for what it is vs. what I prefer, what I’ve been taught, or what I’ve always thought.  Maybe it’s not a complete picture, but something I didn’t see before is “Real-Eyesed,” something more Real. 

I’m referring today to two woman mystics.  First, I’m reading a quote from Evelyn Underhill (20^th century) in her devotional “Light of Christ.”  Listen for how she uses the word “realize.”

“You know how sometimes one goes to see a church which one is told has magnificent windows—and seen from outside they all look alike—dull, thick, grubby. We probably say, ‘Well! It is obvious there is good glass here, but we cannot realise it.’ Then we open the door and go inside—leave the outer world, enter the inner world—and the universal light floods through the windows and bathes us in their colour and beauty and significance, shows us things of which we had never dreamed, a loveliness that lies beyond the fringe of speech. And so, in the same way we cannot realise God and His eternal Truth and Beauty, from outside. One constantly hears people commenting on Christianity from outside and missing the point every time. They are on the wrong side of the wall. How important then it is for us to be familiar with the inner vision. It is from within the place of prayer, recollection, worship, and love, where the altar is, where the sacrifice is made, where we are all bound together in a life of communion and self-giving to God, that we fully and truly receive the revelation which is made though Christ. To re-enter that Cathedral, receive a fresh gift from its inexhaustible beauty, see through those windows more and more of the light of God, that is the secret of meditation.”

That is how, I believe, we can real-eyes God’s viewpoint and be on the Real Way of Jesus, the New Way of the Spirit.

Our prayer this morning is from the thoughts of Dame Julian of the 14^th century:
Lord, we remember what was revealed to your daughter Julian, her vision of Christ that was ‘Light, Life and Love’ and that everything was gathered in that.  May Your Spirit show us the Truth, quicken us to fresh vitality, and fill us with adoring devotion. May we real-eyes Your Vision for us. We come into the silence now to real-eyes more Light, Life and Love. We come to contemplate our Christian treasure from the inside, in the Real, the Way of Jesus.  Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them staffs, one for each fathers’ house, from all their chiefs according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staffs. Write each man’s name on his staff, and write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each father’s house. Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. . . .
On the next day, Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. Numbers 17:1-11

Intro: This is an odd story

Not only for the strange miracle that God sets up,
– but also because it seems unnecessary in the context of the larger narrative
• the people of Israel were disappointed and discouraged
◦ their situation was primed for discontent and insurrection
• four rebellions had been staged and subdued:
◦ Moses’ sister and brother (ch. 12)
◦ the whole nation turned from God at the border of Canaan (ch. 14)
◦ a clan of rebels that refused to follow Moses any further (16:1-3, 12-34)
◦ a crew of Levites, who claimed rights to the priesthood (16:4-11, 35)
– in each instance, God intervened and punished the rebels
• so God’s choice for priesthood and service in the sanctuary would seem obvious
• however, considering Israel’s state of mind, and history of complaint and stubbornness,
◦ extra evidence for God’s choice may have been required

At that time, and in desert, a staff had many uses:
– support for standing and walking, herding flocks and cattle, prying, and as a weapon
• staffs were personalized – you could identify its owner by looking at it (cf. Gen. 38:25-26)
• in two passages–I know of–a staff is coupled with a scepter (Gen. 49:10; Num. 21:17-18)
◦ the staff was a symbol of leadership
◦ that is why each staff here was one that belonged to the head of a community
– so if we give this story a title, it could be “Moses’ Staff Meeting”

There is something else in this story I find strange

The test will be to see which staff will “sprout”
– what would it take to qualify one staff as the winner?
• a fresh, green twig? a short twig with one small leaf?
◦ what Moses found the next morning was that Aaron’s staff
had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds (v. 8)
• doesn’t that sound excessive?
Robert Alter, “. . . this fast-forwarding of a slow process of growth spectacularly confirms the miraculous character of the event.”
◦ a line from Bruce Almighty comes to mind
“Okay, now you’re just showing off”
– as I was meditating on this passage, I wondered,
• “Is there more to this story than what I’m seeing?”
◦ the thought that came to me was:
◦ perhaps God is saying something here about the leader he chooses
• so I read it again, and found a possible meaning:
◦ some personal characteristics of a person God is pleased to use
◦ then I made a list

There is nothing novel or profound about my list
– as I go over these items, you’re going to think, “Of course”
• still, they were a good reminder for me
• and since God hasn’t given me a new series topic yet,
◦ I’m going to share my mediation with you
– I believe that what I have to say applies to every follower of Jesus

The miracle took place in the inner chamber of God’s sanctuary

I’ve been reading Tyler Staton’s, Pray Like Monks, Live like Fools
– he doesn’t say anything we haven’t heard or don’t know already,
• but he does well in reminding us and nudging us toward God
Staton, “. . . this book is an invitation to what cannot be taught, only discovered. . . . An invitation to be found by God in the place he’s most faithfully been found throughout history: not in a megachurch with Broadway lights and arena-rock fog machines or in the eloquent podcast of a contrarian thinker, but in the bare silence of you and the endless expanse beyond you.”
• the inner chamber is where God reveals his presence
– prayer is our conscious connection with God
• okay–my grandchildren use me, and I know it
◦ when they were small and lived with us,
◦ would come into my room and sit on my lap, just to be with me – nothing more
• for our prayer to become an encounter,
◦ we need to realize it’s more than just asking for things
◦ it’s resting in the invisible, yet real and holy Presence

So, the first characteristic of God’s chosen servant is prayer
– this is where the miracle begins – where our lives are changed

The next characteristic is LIFE

When the Hebrew Scriptures take a jab at idols, they point out the fact that idols are lifeless
. . . every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
for his images are false,
and there is no breath in them (Jer. 10:14)
– I think now, perhaps more than ever, we need to be cautious
• we can fabricate a religious experience – a sense of “church”
• I met a young man, raised Christian and in charge of an inner city mission
◦ but he had stopped believing in God
◦ but still, he was working to create a church-like community without a god
– how much do we need God or depend on God to do church?
• it’s possible to create a lot of programs for people,
◦ so they don’t feel the emptiness of not encountering God
◦ many Christian leaders believe they must control people, and they use programs to do it
• the word “fabricate” has two meanings:
◦ to manufacture something and to make up something untrue
◦ we do both when we make something that looks like a work of God, but isn’t

God is the Giver of life – he gives new life to his people
– Jesus said that those who believe and follows his teaching
have passed from death to life (Jn. 4:24)
• this message saturates the New Testament, so I won’t press the point (especially the writings of John)
• if we live a God-given life, we don’t have to fake anything
– coupled with life, is growth – and there is no end to this

The next characteristic is FRUIT

Jesus emphasized fruit as goal of our relationship with him
I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit (Jn. 15:102)
– when Jesus warned his followers of “false prophets,” he said,
You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit . . . Thus you will recognize them by their fruits (Mt. 7:15)
• I am much more at peace with myself than I used to be
• there was a time when I hated having an unproductive day
◦ and right up there with unproductive was being ineffective
◦ days are important, but what counts is my whole life
– others will produce more fruit than I have – that’s cool
• I just want to be as fruitful as God wants me to be

Another characteristic is BEAUTY

I get that from the blossom that the staff produced
– there is a beauty that is superficial and can be disappointing
• St. Peter encouraged women to adorn
the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit (1 Pe. 3:4)
• there’s no good reason not to apply that instruction to men as well
– there are times when we want to look our best,
• but it would not hurt, if every day we asked ourselves,
◦ “Am I a beautiful person?”
◦ “Do I add beauty to the world through my presence, words, and actions?”
• compassion is beautiful; generosity can be beautiful;
◦ forgiveness is beautiful; kindness is beautiful;
◦ the gift of a flower, or a smile, or a hug can be beautiful

The last characteristic I imagine is FRAGRANCE

Like beauty, I relate that to the blossom
– it has to do with the impression we make and leave on others
For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance of life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? (2 Cor. 2:15-16)

Conclusion: I don’t want to leave you with impression that this is all up to you

As we read, it was God who caused the staff to sprout
God gives us life and makes us fruitful and beautiful and fragrant

My first “real” job was working at a fish and chips restaurant. The other employees and I did everything. We cut up the fish, battered and deep fried them, deep fried the chips, wrapped it all up and sold them to the customers. Because my work was close to my home, I could walk both ways. My high school was between work and home. One Friday evening, walking home I noticed there was a dance happening at the school, so I got in line to buy a ticket. But after a couple minutes, I heard a girl somewhere in the line behind me say, “I smell fish!” Quietly I exited the line and went home.
My aroma that evening was not the result of applying a new cologne (eau de poisson), but from being emerged in the atmosphere of my job.

If we spend time in the garden of prayer, we’ll come out smelling like roses