From what and for what are we saved?

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Psalm 51, Romans 7:14-25, Luke 18:9-14

This sermon is adapted from Alan Storey's book "Foundations for Discipleship".

Last Week

Last week we looked at the question:  "How are we saved?"

Paul sums it up beautifully in Ephesians chapter 2:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast."

- Ephesians 2:8-9

We see grace in creation – we are created for good.  We see grace in the law that shows us how we should live.  We see grace in Jesus – God's boundless love revealed to us.  We see grace in the cross; because of his boundless love Jesus is rejected by humanity.  We see grace in the resurrection – in spite of our rejection of him, God raises him up to continue loving us.

Faith is simply saying yes to what God has done for us.  Less than the blinking of an eye, the turning of our heads, or lifting a feather – a simple Yes – to what God has done.  As we receive the gift offered to us.

In Charles Wesley's hymn Where shall my wondering soul begin? He writes:

"Believe: and all your guilt's forgiven,
Only believe – and yours is heaven."

- Charles Wesley

This Week

This week we ask, having accepted the free gift of God's grace:

What are we saved from?

What are we saved for?

What are we saved from?

Recognition:

Part of the grace which God gives us, in which we see the need to turn to him and ask for help, is the reality of the world in which we live.

The reality that we are unfortunately not all we think we should be, and we are not all that we can be.

We see this in our marriages, we want to be good husbands and wives, but we often mess up – do and say the wrong things.  (Wives tell me it's the husbands, and husbands say it is the wives.)

We see it in our relationship to our children and parents – our love, as well intentioned as it is – is never as perfect as we would like it to be.

The problem goes on and on.

Paul writes words that express our frustration with the human condition:

"For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do —this I keep on doing."

- Romans 7:18-19

We are good enough to know what we should do, but for some reason we keep on doing that which we shouldn't.

Paul goes on to say:

"Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it."

- Romans 7:20

It is as if a different personality is at work in us – forcing us to do things we do not want to do.

The problem is, the actions that we do that we know we shouldn't, seldom or never affect only us.  They are connected breaking open into the world around us leaving a network of broken relationships, resentment, hurt, injustice, beginning a cycle that ends in destruction.

And the temptations to do them are powerful.

In the Genesis story, after sin has entered the world, the LORD warns Cain:

"But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door, it desires to have you, but you must rule over it."

- Genesis 4:7

*  *  *

I guess – part of our problem is the fact that we think we have made a house pet of this beast that seeks to destroy us.  We have become so familiar with it that we no longer recognise it for what it is, instead of us taming it, it has tamed us.

*  *  *

It sneaks into our lives…

St Augustine writes:

"My sin was all the more incurable because I thought I was not a sinner."

- St Augustine

We live with it, but we're so used to it that we can not imagine things being different in any way.

We fool ourselves with sin – measuring ourselves against each other.  "Well I'm not much worse than so and so."

We deceive ourselves saying:  "It wasn't me, it was my sinful nature that did it."

Effects:

The effects of this sin are disastrous.

Sin is never personal.

My actions always effect others.

Even some of the smallest things I do, the tiniest decisions I make leave a legacy for the world in which we live.

The things that we do, that create heaven on earth for us, sometimes create hell on earth for others.

Ultimately sin divides us, breaks us up.

(Brian Gaybba) outlines four major areas in which sin divides us.

God

It divides us from God.  In the first story, the story of Adam and Eve, when Adam and Eve have sinned they are ashamed and they hide from God.

Alan Storey writes: 

"In our relationship with God, trust and joy are replaced by fear and suspicion."

- Alan Storey

When we separate ourselves from God we begin to lose sight of who we are and who we can be.

Each Other

It is quite obvious that our sin creates distrust and breaks down the intimacy that we should be able to have with each other.  Our relationships are full of suspicion.  We can trust no one – sin has divided us.

Inwardly

The Psalmist writes:

"While I kept silent,
my bones wasted away…"

- Psalm 32:3

Something gets unsettled within us.  We begin to live with a kind of angry resentment, the torment of guilt.  The distress of knowing that we are not quite who or what we should be.

Environmentally

Sin divides us from our environment, and I'm not just talking about ecology here.  I am talking about our working environments – our sin is never personal, it always leaves a legacy with which we will have to deal at some point.

We are seeing the results of that sin in our ecology – our selfish use of energy and resources is dirtying our planet – to the point that many suffer because they have no water to drink.  It is either too polluted or just not there…

Conclusion

Jesus saves us, by grace, from these divisions, as through the cross he reconciles us to God, to each other, to ourselves and to the environment in which we live.

What are we saved for?

As he entrusts us with his message and action of reconciliation to the world, Paul writes, speaking of how Jesus reunites us with God:

"All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation."

- 2 Corinthians 5:18

Just as the sin which we were subject to once divided us, now that we are saved from it, we are to take up the job of being Jesus' disciples.

We are saved in order to serve – God does not just meet our needs, but uses us to meet the needs of others.

We are saved to reconcile:

People to God

Instead of suspicion and fear – Adam and Eve hiding in the garden, John writes:

"This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the Day of Judgment"

– 1 John 4:18

There is no longer that fear and suspicion between people and God, but a simple and joyful trust, that looks forward to God's day of justice because we are in a loving relationship with him.

People to People

One thing that happened in the Early Church was the clash of cultures, Jews were brought into religious communities with gentiles.  The one group didn't like the other group very much, and here they were in church together, Paul writes:

"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility"

- Ephesians 2:14

In Christ the most unlikely people are brought together.

People to themselves

In Christ we are set free to be the people we were created to be.  I spoke last week of how we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Think of how Jesus sets people free from their diseases, from possession so that they can be themselves.

People to the environment

"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."

- Colossians 1:19-20

God reconciles "all things" to himself.  Our whole environment, we are so good at thinking of ourselves as isolated individuals that we have forgotten we were created for community, as stewards of the Earth.  We live in relationship, and God restores our relationships to each other, to him and to the world.

Conclusion

We are saved from sin.  Sin is that which seems like a living personality in us, a beast that attacks us.  It is our ability to do what we shouldn't do – when we know what we should.

Sin has consequences:  It divides – dividing people from God, from each other, from themselves, and from the world in which they live.

Jesus' saving us unites us, restores us and makes us whole – uniting us with God, with each other, with ourselves, and with the world in which we live.

When we come to appreciate the reality of our sinfulness and the consequences to which that will lead.  We realise the fact that we are drowning and need someone to save us.

That salvation is offered to us as a gift – it is only up to us to say yes to that gift.

And then we will begin to see the Kingdom of God in this place.

AMEN

Confirmation 1 - How are we saved?

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For the next ten weeks we'll be running a 'confirmation course for everyone'.  We'll be going over the things I would teach to those who would like to be baptised, like to confirm their baptismal vows, and join the Methodist Church.

If you would like to be baptised / confirm your baptismal vows, attend for the next ten weeks, speak to me, and we will be able to baptise and confirm you on Sun 28 June.

Some of us just can't make every Sunday for the next ten weeks so there are ways of catching up:  Via podcast (internet broadcast).  Ask me for a CD, or for my sermon notes.

All of these are available on www.paarlmethodist.blogspot.com.

The other thing you will have to is get together with me for some 'one on one' discussion about what this all means.  And if you can, it would be good for you to attend Bible Study on Thursday mornings at 10am, or evenings at 7pm.

*  *  *

Because, as scripture affirms, there is only one baptism (Eph 4:6) ) if you have been confirmed or baptised in any other denomination we already consider you to be baptised and confirmed.

If you would like to chat about that, lets get together some time.

*  *  *

Outlines of what we will be speaking about should be in your notices.  The topics may change a little here and there as we go along.

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Saved

This week and next week we're going to talk about the concept of 'salvation' / being saved.

This week:  "How are we saved?"

And next week: "From what are we saved?"

Perhaps the first thing that I should say – as I begin to explain things, is that words about God are not like words about say a machine.

A machine can be understood – all we need is a diagram and an instruction manual.  But God, God is bigger.

My words about God are just signposts that point in the direction of the God we worship – hopefully they'll help us all to find our way.

How are we saved?

[]

In Ephesians 2:8-9 Paul writes:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast."

- Ephesians 2:8-9

Grace in Creation

[]

Paul goes on in Ephesians 2 to say:

"For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life."

- Ephesians 2:10

As Christ folowers, its our job to believe the best of everybody.

[]

It is even our job to believe the best of ourselves – as disapointed as we may be with what we've done or who we've become.

Maybe you're addicted to sin – like so many of us, and maybe its destroyed your confidence in yourself.

Maybe we've heard or said so many negative things about ourselves that we've started to believe them.

*  *  *

In Genesis we read that when God created the world he created it good.  That is the 'truth' of Genesis 1 (don't let what some people say about taking 7 days literally distract you from what is most important.)

Not only is creation good but people are created in God's image (Gen 1:26)

[]

"Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness…"

- Genesis 1:26

The psalmist reflects this Psalm 139:14

[]

"I praise you because
I am fearfully and wonderfully mad.
Wonderful are your works,
that I know very well."

- Psalm 139:14

*  *  *

God's grace begins in our creation.  We are created good.  The world we live in is created good.

[No Junk]

*  *  *

The problem is, we take all that is good – and rather than use it to do good, we use it to do evil.

Why?

Because as good as God created us, he created us to love – and to love you need to be able to choose not to love.

[]

(It's nice to know that your husband, friends, wife, children love you – but if they simply loved you because they were preprogrammed to do so, it wouldn't be quite right.)

*  *  *

The goodness of God is there at the beginning, in creation, before we do anything.

Grace in the Law

[]

In the Old Testament we read lots and lots of laws – what sacrifices to make, when and how.  What to do if your neighbours bull gores your slave – a lot of very useful stuff for our day to day living.

What we learn in these laws is a set of principles for day to day living.

In Exodus 20 we get to what we call the 10 commandments.  10 rules by which God's people are called to live.

Many of us think that we have to live by these laws in order for God to love us.

*  *  *

I need to remind you, that God started loving people before they were given any laws.

Even in the giving of the law in Exodus 20 we read:

[]

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt…"

- Exodus 20:2

God had already loved his people, had already shown his love to his people by rescuing them from slavery in Egypt.

And now, because God loves people – he says: "Live like this."  Not in order to ruin people's fun, but so that they can have life in the fullest.

*  *  *

When Jesus is confronted for allowing his disciples to break the law on the Sabbath (Mk 2:23-28), he had allowed them to pluck grain, Jesus' response is to say:

[]

"The sabbath was made for people, not people for the sabbath."

- Mark 2:28

The law about resting on the Sabbath was made for the sake of people, not for the sake of God.

In the world today we know that the harder we work, the harder we have to work, as people don't spend time with their families, because they have to work 6/7 days a week just to put bread on the table.

Life deteriorates.

[]

God gets disapointed – not because beaking laws upsets God, but because God loves the people he created in his image.  And when they break each other – he – who loves them, is also broken.

Summary

God's gifts of grace to us so far:

Good creation.
Good laws.

*  *  *

Grace in Jesus

[]

And now we see God's gift of grace to us in Jesus:

*  *  *

God gives us the gift of his son Jesus to show us what he is like, the writer to the Hebrews describes him as:

[]

"…the exact imprint of God's very being."

- Hebrews 1:2

*  *  *

God's gift of grace to us in Jesus is the gift of showing us exactly what he is like.

And Jesus presents a quite surprising picture of God.

[]

I'm sure that most of us have learnt that to be holy is to be separate.  To be set apart.

But when Jesus shows us God's holiness he shows us a holiness that reaches out beyond boundaries.  He loves and touches all the people we might consider unholy and unclean.

Jesus describes holiness as loving your enemies… Holiness looks like love.

*  *  *

Jesus – in his life – shows us that we are loveable.

Those of us who are miserable sinners.

Those of us who are self righteous and arrogant – who think we know better than everybody else.

All of us, loved by Jesus.

*  *  *

[]

John 3:16 does not read:

"For God so hated the world that he sent his son so that he would destroy all people."

- Not John 3:16

[]

It reads:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."

- John 3:16

Grace in Jesus' Death

Paul writes in Romans 5:6:

[]

"God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinnners Christ died for us."

- Romans 5:6

Our gospel story for today – a parable which Jesus tells about a landowner who sent his servants and then his son to collect the rent – tells of the inevitability of what will happen to Jesus.

In the Old Testament the prophets are rejected one by one – they call Israel to justice; often, often, often they cry out:  "You neglect the poor…"  They tell the nation that they have rejected God and God's people by not living in love as God commands.

It was inevitable that Jesus' too would be rejected, we are just like that. 

And as he was rejected – he was crucified.

It was not God who crucified Jesus, who flogged him. 

It was people like us, rejecting his challenge to love.

Yet, in his death he saves us – because – when we look to the cross we believe.  We trust.  We know that someone who loves us enough to die for us – loves us.

[]

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast."

- Ephesians 2:8-9

Jesus Saves

[]

But this love that Jesus offers is saving love, a gift of God.

It would be silly to save someone who didn't need saving.

In becoming human, living among us, sharing our human nature Jesus binds himself to us, giving himself to us.

He continues to offer his love, even though we will reject and kill him.

But when he is rejected and killed, God raises him from the dead.

And so Jesus who we now know is God's son (God raised him from the dead) continues to love us as he did when he died on the cross.

And somehow – because he has attached himself to us with love, we are also raised up because of him.

How does this happen?  This is where words about God do not really work.

*  *  *

We can only describe it in our own terms.

The letter to the Hebrews explains Jesus death in terms of a sacrifice.  People would sacrifice animals in order to make peace with God.  Jesus becomes – in his dying for us, a perfect sacrifice.

Paul speaks in legal terms – as if we were in a court of law on charges of sin, we plead guilty, but Jesus takes the punishment on our behalf.

However it works – we are made right with God because of what jesus did.

Faith Saves

In Ephesians we read that we are saved by grace.

God's good gift to us:

[]

In creation.  Created Good.

[]

In God's law.  Given to us so that we can have life in abundance.

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In the life of Jesus.  Reaching out to everyone – surprisingly enough, even people like me and you.

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In the death of Jesus.  Jesus who dies because he refuses to stop loving us.

By grace, through faith:

And Paul emphasises that this is not our own effort, it is just faith that saves. 

Faith is not a product of how clever we are.

How hard we can concentrate in order to believe something that isn't proveable.

The faith that saves is a simple yes to what God has already done.

[]

It is less than lifting a feather, or opening our eyes, or turning our head.

It is simply accepting the fact that this – however it works – is just the way things are.

[]

"God loves us so much, that he even offers himself."

*  *  *

When we accept this good gift, we begin to become the people that God created us to be, and we will soon see the Kingdom of God, here in this place.

Response

Because salvation is God's good gift – nothing we can do 'saves' us.  But it is helpful to us to do something, to remind ourselves that God has saved us; for some it is the outward sign of baptism – a way of declaring that this has happened.  Or confirmation.  And – you can simply pray.

If you would like to speak to me about this – please, my numbers in the notices and I am available.

Palm Sunday

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Mark 11:1-11, Psalm 118:24-25, Zechariah 9:9, Zechariah 12:10, Zechariah 13:7, Luke 19:42-44

Today is Palm Sunday – the first day of Holy Week.

In the Christian calendar Sunday is the first day of the week – Saturday the last.

We often forget that – Sunday worship sets us up for the week ahead – we get the food we need for the journey we're on and carry on courageously into the week – armed with the gospel of God's love and power.

*  *  *

Holy week begins with Sunday.  It's the week that Jesus was crucified, during Holy week we think about what Jesus went through – we rethink our attitudes and we prepare ourselves for Easter day – the beginning of the next week – Jesus resurrection in which everything we thought we knew about the world is changed.

The day that marks a new beginning – but today we journey on this side of Easter – through Holy Week.

*  *  *

Palm Sunday challenges us to think again about what we look for in our King.  To think about how we should respond to Jesus.

Events

See video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3-KcLwitY0

Early on Sunday morning, while it is still dark – Jesus and his disciples are in Jericho where they have spent their last Sabbath together. 

The twelve disciples and other followers probably all set out at the same time – on their way to Jerusalem for passover.

Their journey will last 7 hours or more – depending on their pace.  Twenty Five Kilometers through mountainous desert like terrain from Jericho 250m below sea level, to Jerusalem 800m above.

Using Satelite Technology we can sweep over the terrain that Jesus, the disciples and a crowd of pilgrims traversed on their way to Jerusalem.

After the long journey Jesus and the disciples arrived at Bethany, near the mount of Olives.  Jerusalem was over the next hill, from here Jesus sent his disciples to fetch a colt, the foal of a donkey on which he would process to Jerusalem – intentionally fulfilling Zechariah 9.

"See your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

From Bethany pilgrims would journey over the mount of olives and into Jerusalem.

From the crest of the mount of olives pilgrims would get their first site of Herod's massive temple complex.

Parts of the temple, adorned with gold, flashing in the sun.

Crowds of pilgrims streaming into Jerusalem.

The smoke of sacrifices.

*  *  *

Mounted on the donkey Jesus begins the final leg of the journey to Jerusalem through the Kidron Valley and up to the city gate.

It is along this stretch of the Journey that pilgrims wave palm branches and shout:

"Hosanna!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Blessed is the coming Kingdom of our father David!"

Hosanna in the highest!"

- Mark 11:9-10

Literally meaning 'Save us, rescue us' son of David.

*  *  *

Yet Jesus rides a baby donkey, not a battle horse, and early icons even represent him riding 'side saddle' – a completely non threatening approach to Jerusalem not to do battle, but to offer himself as God's son, the Messiah, the King of Judah and Israel.

The Triumphal Approach

As they march along the valley – in the shadow of the temple and towards Jerusalem the people with Jesus wave palm branches and shout:

'Hosanna, Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!'

*  *  *

Words which echo Psalm 118:25:

"Save us, we beseech you, O LORD!
O LORD, we besech you, give us success!"

- Psalm 118:24-25

Psalms 113 – to 118, known us the Hallel were regularly sung at the passover – these words would have been on the people's lips.

They wave palm branches, celebrate victory and imagine Yahweh returning to the temple to reign over Judah and Israel.

Their idea of God's victory is however a little different to the kind of victory which Jesus brings.  On other occasions when people have sung these songs and waved palm branches it was because enemies had been driven out of Jerusalem by force.

The temple taken back by the people.

*  *  *

The temple was overshadowed only by the fortress Antonia, near the gate through which Jesus and the Pilgrims would enter.  The Antonia fortress hosted the Roman Garrison responsible for keeping the 'Roman Peace' in Jerusalem.

The Romans even kept the vestments of the high priest in this fortress – they and only they allowed the high priest to be the high priest.

*  *  *

Jesus marches into Jerusalem in the shadow of Herod's temple – in the shadow of the fortress Antonia – reminders that the Jewish people are under the rule of somebody else and they cry:

Save us, rescue us!

But what hope does Jesus have in the face of such power, such might… he rides in on a baby donkey – not a battle horse; a symbol of gentleness and peace…

Travelling towards Jerusalem – towards his Father's house, the temple – to take up his rightful place as Israel's King, not by force, but just because that is his rightful place.

*  *  *

Now, if Israel was to accept him as King the journey would have continued for the Son of David – crowds gathering – people celebrating right into the town and into the temple where he would be anointed and enthroned.

*  *  *

But the gospel writers tell us that this procession happened outside of the town.

It fades away before Jesus goes into the city gate.

Jesus enters the citadel quietly Mark tells us:

"…he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve."

- Mark 11:11

The King arrives in his castle – but nobody really takes notice.

*  *  *

God, personified in Jesus, the one for whom the nation has been waiting, the one to whom the people cry out "Save us" – "Rescue us" – "Hosanna" returns to Jerusalem, to the temple, ready to save… and there he becomes just a tourist.

Looking at everything that is going on.

Unnoticed.

The people too busy with religion to notice God among them.

*  *  *

Why don't we notice?

Why would Jesus end up as just a tourist in the temple – instead of enthroned as King – why wouldn't people see who he was?

The gospel writers point to two major themes – a failure to recognise Jesus for who he is, and an unwillingness on the part of those who do recognise him – to respond.

Failure to Recognise

The people's failure to recognise Jesus is illustrated in the release of Barrabas instead of Jesus.

According to custom Pilate may release one prisoner – a presidential pardon – he asks the people who they want:

Barrabas or Jesus.  Barrabas, Mark tells us, was part of an insurrection – a revolutionary terrorist – someone who probably tried to stir people to violence against the Roman oppressors.

People want tangible results, they want a battle they want a victory – they don't recognise a King who comes humbly and riding on a donkey.

*  *  *

Only later will they understand – when they read further in Zechariah's prophecies – after Jesus is crucified:

"…when they look on the one whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn."

- Zechariah 12:10

Many of us have very fixed ideas about who our God should be and unless our God meets us on our terms we will have nothing of it.

*  *  *

Can we open our eyes and minds a little wider – just in case God is trying to surprise us.

With new ideas, new ways of thinking – less religion and more life.

Failure to respond

Another theme that runs through the events of this Holy Week is the people's failure to respond.

That which they are up against seems too powerful – too great to be defeated in such a gentle way.

Another prophecy from Zechariah which Jesus mentions in his last week:

"…strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered."

- Zechariah 13:7 / Mark 14:27

The disciples will flee in fear.

The crowd that marched in with Jesus from Jericho on Sunday doesn't have the courage to stand against those who will call for his blood on Friday.

*  *  *

A story doomed to constant repitition – who of us can not identify with the diciples in their fear?

Do we really have the courage to respond to the gospel Jesus has given us?

Consequences

The Mount of Olives

On the side of the Mount of Olives is a little chapel – overlooking the site of the Old Temple, and now the sight of the Dome of the Rock.

They say this is where Jesus stopped on his way into Jerusalem – Luke tells us that he wept, saying:

"If you, even you had only recognized the things that make for peace!  But now they are hidden from your eyes.  Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side.  They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God."

- Luke 19:42-44

*  *  *

'If you had recognized the things that make for peace…

 …you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.'

*  *  *

Forty years later if Jesus had crossed the mount of olives he would have found nothing but smoke and fire on the other side.  Rubble piled up. 

*  *  *

In about 66 a Roman prefect would steel funds from the temple treasury provoking a rebelion of the already frustrated Jews. 

This rebellion would be a violent one – with swords and battle horses. 

Jesus came on a donkey.

Titus (who would be Caesar) was brought in with four legions to attack and retake Jerusalem.

The seige lasted for four years – at the end of the battle Jerusalem was destroyed, the temple raised to the ground, its treasures stolen and taken to Rome.

The devestation of Jerusalem is also foretold in Zechariah.

The inside of the arch of Titus in Rome records Roman soldiers plundering the temple treasures.

*  *  *

What Jesus said would happen, happened – he wept, according to Luke, because he foresaw what kind of things would happen to the people of Jerusalem because of their rejection of him.

'...you did not recognise the time of your visitation from God.'

Because they failed to recognise:

"…the things that make for peace."

- Luke 19:42

Response

I fear that our fate might be similar to the fate of Jerusalem – as we fail to recognise Jesus and respond to him.

Not because God will be angered and send down fires to destroy us – but because we continue to mess things up.

Always seeking to dominate and control, to become more powerful and more wealthy – but seldom adopting the position of a servant.

Surrendering ourselves to the Lordship of our humble King.

*  *  *

I invite us – not as individuals, but as a community – to see how we can recognise, and respond to Jesus this Easter.

To encourage one another, and pray for one another, as we seek to be more faithful disciples of Christ.

Amen