A Church Planter is something of a different duck, so this is not a swan song, even though I will soon be leaving Honey Creek to plant a new, as yet unnamed, church in Montana. I plan to blog again although at this time I do not know what the blog will be named. I thank any and all of you who have followed this blog through its 427 or so postings.
And now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of His Son Jesus Christ. And the Blessing of Almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you both now and forever.
In peace,
Linda+
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Photo: goose atThe Monastery of the Holy Spirit
Conyers, Georgia
January 2008
Today is Saint Patrick's Day, and there will be parades if you want to attend one. But today is also Monday in Holy Week. Here is a portion of my sermon from yesterday:
Welcome to Holy Week. This morning we started our liturgy outside. We followed church tradition by blessing the palm branches. We read Matthew’s Gospel account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We read a portion of Psalm 118 and processed up to the altar with our palm branches. Our “parade” was pre-planned.
Have you ever been in a parade? Maybe you marched in the band or rode on a float. The parade in which you participated was probably well-organized. But when it was over, did you have a desolate feeling when you looked around at all the litter cluttering the streets? Did the streets seem lonely and different after the parade was over?
Jesus had planned his entry into Jerusalem, but the parade around him seemed spontaneous. It had all the flavor of a combination religious festival and crowning of a new king. The crowd was shouting “Hosanna” which means “save now.” Once again the crowd, perhaps unwittingly, was attempting to take Jesus by force and make him king. On previous occasions, such as the feeding of the five thousand, when the people attempted to take Jesus by force and make him king, he escaped and went off to the mountain to pray. But not this time. This time was different.
This time Jesus went straight into Jerusalem. His time had come. If the people had not shouted “Hosanna,” the rocks would have cried out. Jesus was indeed going to manifest himself as their king, but not in the way they expected. Jesus knew what he was going to do. He knew what he would do after the parade was over -- after the crowd had gone their separate ways. The people would get more than a king. They would get a savior, but once again he would not meet their expectations. For now, the crown he would get would be a crown of thorns. His throne would be the cross, and his royal robes would be a part of the mockery by his torturers.
According to Matthew’s Gospel, when the parade was over Jesus’ moments on earth were numbered. He entered the temple and upset the tables of the money changers, and drove out those who sold doves. They were taking up space in the Court of the Gentiles, and Jesus made room for God’s house to be a “House of Prayer for all peoples.” He cured the blind and the lame in the Temple. And that was just the First Day of the Week. This excitement would die down and by Friday some will have turned on Jesus and will be crying out for his crucifixion.
Jesus spent that night in Bethany, then Monday he was back in the temple, and the crowd was “spellbound by his teaching.” This upset some leaders to the point that they wanted to kill Jesus, but at this time “they feared the crowds.” Jesus and his disciples left the city unharmed.
Tuesday and Wednesday in Holy Week are the days about which we know very little. We could speculate that our Lord spent those days teaching, praying, and preparing his disciples for what was to come. It would be a tough week for all of them -- so much to teach and learn, so little time left. Meanwhile the enemies of Jesus were looking for a way to kill him secretly. They did not want to cause a political uproar for fear of losing their jobs. Imagine their delight when Judas, one of Jesus’ original twelve disciples, went straight to Jesus’ enemies and offered to betray Jesus into their hands.
Thursday is the day about which we know something very significant. It was on Thursday of Holy Week that Jesus gave the commandment that we should love one another as Jesus loves us. From the elements of bread and wine at the Passover meal, Jesus instituted what we call “Holy Eucharist,” “Holy Communion,” or “The Lord’s Last Supper.” He said, “This is my body . . . this is my blood.” “Love one another as I have loved you. Break this bread; drink this wine; do this in remembrance of me.” Every time we gather at this altar, we remember the Lord’s death until he comes again in power and great glory.
Jesus would get one last parade on earth. It would be on Good Friday. As the Roman Soldiers paraded Jesus down the Via Dolorosa to the Place of the Skull, another procession happened spontaneously. Some faithful followers would go with Jesus to Golgotha and a tomb in a nearby garden. Instead of riding triumphantly on a beast of burden, Jesus would be carrying his cross. We can join in this parade. This chapel will be available Friday. If you wish to come here from noon until three and pray, that would be a matter of your private devotion. Then at 6:15 that evening we will have a solemn service.
Jesus did not jump automatically from Palm Sunday to Easter, and neither should we. It is good for us to feel the full weight of the events of Holy Week. This will make our celebration of Easter all the more glorious. We can get into that last parade and follow Jesus to Calvary and the tomb. It’s a tough trip, and Jesus invites us to travel with him.
What did Jesus do after that last parade? We’ll save that sermon for next Sunday. But here’s a hint – it’s Good News!
In peace,
Linda+
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com
912-267-0333 Photo: pilgrims in Israel, 2004
We get extra readings today in church. We even get extra readings in the Daily Offices of Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. Here is the Epistle reading for Morning Prayer, from the First Letter of Paul to Timothy:
Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time -- he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
And again I say, Amen.
In peace,
Linda+
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com
912-267-0333
Spring is almost here, and this reminds us of God's faithfulness to renew the face of the earth. We believe that God renews and changes the world around us, but do we really believe God can renew and change us?
Here is what Louis Evely had to say about that:
Sinning against the Holy Spirit means no longer believing He can change the world because we no longer believe He can change us. The genuine atheist isn't the person who declares, "God doesn't exist," but the one who maintains that God can't remold him or her and denies the Spirit's infinite power to create, transform, and raise him [sic] from the dead.
This is the type of person who, whether sixty years old or just fifteen, goes around announcing, "At my age, I can't change any more: I'm too old, too weak, too far gone. I've tried everything, and it hasn't worked. No, there's nothing to be done for me!"
But with unflagging optimism, the Church sings each day, "Send us Your Spirit, and we shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth!" The most potent creative force is the Holy Spirit, whose might reanimates the dead, welds their parched bones together, clothes them with flesh, and gives them vigor and life. (That Man is You, 196)
In peace,
Linda+
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com
912-267-0333
This week we are experiencing the last few days before Palm Sunday, which begins Holy Week. If you get right on it, there is still time for a Lenten retreat. Here is some good advice about retreats from Louis Evely, in That Man is You, translated by Edmond Bonin, 1964. This is a book that my mother gave me years ago, and goodness knows she could have used a retreat from her five children every now and again. Evely says:
As long as we're in a turmoil, taken up with our problems and our interests, we're safely sheltered from God and out of God's reach. We need several days of recollection before we can begin to live in God and on Him.
We have to stay there in a kind of stupor and let our motor idle till we've adjusted to a new tempo we've never experienced before. If we're too intent on our questions, we can't hear God's answers, which are surprising, disconcerting, and never come to us the way we expect.
To meet God, we have to get away from ourselves. Retreatants always stuff their suitcase with a pile of things: letters to be answered, a book, three or four chocolate bars, a newspaper . . . in case the whole business becomes intolerable.
We all feel the need of a few projects to shield us from God. We imagine God can't nourish us. What we must do, instead, is disencumber ourselves - even of major problems, even of vital ones.
God will discuss all that with us in God's own good time and in His own way. It's none of our business, but God's. It's God's worry far more than ours. We're all panting and puffing under a burden that's unbearable because we've taken it on ourselves without authorization. . . .
In peace,
Linda+
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com
912-267-0333
Photo: bucolic scene at
The Monastery of the Holy Spirit
Conyers, Georgia, January 2008
Our Gospel for tomorrow is John 11:1-45:
Lazarus was dead. It was a known fact. News of his death was not greatly exaggerated. People had come to Bethany from Jerusalem, a distance of about two miles, to console the grieving sisters, Mary and Martha. Jesus and his disciples had come upon the scene just as the mourning had gotten into high gear.
Mary and Martha had come through the stage of denial and now they were at the anger stage. "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." How could you, Jesus? I thought you loved Lazarus. Why did you not come running when I sent word that he was ill? You could have done something. Why?
But Jesus could still do something, and at great risk to himself. Jesus risked his life to reveal his divinity. Only God could bring someone back from the dead. Jesus used this opportunity to bring glory to God, but Jesus also wept. It's human nature to weep at the death of a beloved friend, but maybe, just maybe . . . Jesus wept because he was bringing someone back from paradise. Jesus would be going back there a few days hence. I wonder if the thought of that made him weep. I wonder if he missed the Paradise of God during his time on earth.
So Jesus called Lazarus back from the dead, but he left it up to the people who witnessed this miracle to "unbind him, and let him go." Are there people in our lives that we have locked into categories? Unbind them, and let them go. Give them a fresh go at life. It could be almost as good as Lazarus' second chance.
In peace,
Linda+
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333 Photo: "The Palestine of Jesus" classfrom St. George's College, Jerusalemvisits Lazarus' tomb in BethanyAugust 2004
To fast is to deny oneself a certain good thing, because ultimately one desires to be filled, not by that food or drink, but by the Spirit of Christ. ...our sinfulness can corrupt our hearts and lead us not to love God, but rather to attend to created goods. Fasting is simply a way to discipline and remind the self that it can go astray, trusting more in the consumption of immediately available food and drink than in the promises of Christ.The poor, however, mostly wrestle with a lack of food and drink, and so spiritually they are often called to heroic hope in the face of their sufferings. Their spiritual discipline is not fasting, per se, but, more immediately, hoping. As a full stomach can cloud over the reality of God's providence for the ungrateful wealthy, despair and depression can cloud the reality of God's presence with the poor. Food is not an accidental feature of our life; it is a necessity, and we have a right to it. Fasting from food may lead one to open a space for charity to the poor or to clear a place within one's self for welcoming God in prayer. (from Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion, 84)In peace,
Linda+
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com
912-267-0333
