Of worms and sinners…and us

On Good Friday, at St. Paul’s Church, Nobleton, we opened worship with the old gospel hymn “At the Cross”, an adaptation of Isaac Watts’ hymn, “Alas, and did my Saviour bleed”.  In it, there is a line that says:

Would he devote that sacred head to such a worm as I?

While Watts will surely have taken his inspiration for that moniker from Psalm 22.6, today, we might wonder whether that’s an appropriate term for a human being.

The Psalmist used the term to denote his feeling of dehumanization from oppression and suffering.  That certainly applied to Jesus, and he appropriated the passage for himself more than once, as you’ll see if you read the entire Psalm.

In response, some hymnal editors have rephrased the line to read:

Would he devote that sacred head to sinners such as I?

This also captures the essence of what Watts was trying to express:  that is, the tragic irony that the perfect God-Man Jesus gave his life for the decidedly imperfect human race.

Sadly, people today tend to track toward one extreme or the other.  That is, people either view themselves as the worst of the worst, hopelessly irredeemable; or they view themselves as ‘darned near perfect’ – not sinners, and definitely not “worms”!

One of the challenges God’s people face in sharing the gospel with others is that many people don’t think they’ve sinned, so they don’t need a Saviour, while others think they are so bad that there is no hope for their redemption.

But we know that in Jesus, neither of those views is true.

Anyone who claims not to be a sinner need only be furnished with the ten commandments to be reminded that she or he has not lived up to God’s perfect standard.  And anyone who claims to be irredeemable need only be told of the apostle Paul’s reminder to the Christians in Rome that “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5.8, NLT), or his statement to Timothy, his young protégé:  “This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all.  But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life” (1 Timothy 1.15-16, NLT).

On those days when we feel like we’re on top of the world and can’t do anything wrong, Jesus still died for us.  And on those days when we feel lower than a snake’s (worm’s?) belly, Jesus still died for us.

We are created in God’s own image, and he proclaimed us, with all creation, to be “very good”. We messed that up in disobedience, but Jesus came to redeem the least and the worst of our disobedience.

Walk with him in confidence today!

“Good” Friday?

It’s Good Friday.

But it’s the day Jesus died.  What makes this “good”?

Well, from a word-origins standpoint, some have suggested over the years that it’s another way of saying, “God’s Friday”, but there’s not much to back that up.  Instead, it is more likely that “good” is another way of saying “holy”.  It’s “Holy Friday”.  In some other languages, the day Jesus was crucified is translated as “Holy Friday”.

That makes sense.  So why not just call it “Holy Friday”?  We know what that means.

Solid point!  I suppose we could do that, but there are many other days that are designated “holy”, and Good Friday is, well, different.  It’s definitely holy, but it stands apart from all other holy days, because it is the day Jesus went to the cross for our sins.  So in English usage, we’ve called it “Good Friday” for a long, long time, because it is a day unlike any other day in the Christian calendar.  And it is, after all, good!

Well, it sure didn’t seem very good for Jesus.

Fair enough.  But he knew from eternity that this day would come.  In his humanity, in Gethsemane, he prayed that it might not happen – that the Father might find some other way – but he still submitted to the Father’s will.  He knew the purpose behind his awful death.  And he knew what the outcome would be, on the third day.

He did it for you, and for me.  For us, it is definitely good:  it is the day on which our sin received atonement.  Without Good Friday, we would not be able to be in relationship with God.  So that’s good.

But didn’t Jesus himself say that there is none who is good but God (Luke 18.19)?

Indeed, he did.  But because Jesus was God, he was also good, in the very best sense of the term – he was holy.

So Jesus the Good died for us on Friday, so it’s Good Friday…

That’s a good way of looking at it!

Remember the sadness of the day, because God in the flesh died because of our sin.  And rejoice in the goodness of the day, because God in the flesh died for our sin…and because we know what comes next!

“‘The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things,’ he said. ‘He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead’” (Luke 19.22, NLT).

Seven Last Words for Good Friday

In this Good Friday worship gathering, our intern, Christine, offered meditations on the seven last words of Jesus from the cross. You can watch the whole worship gathering below, or just the seven meditations, drawn together, below that.

Good Friday 2020: Wholeness

Jesus died that we would be made whole: that’s the thrust of our consideration of Good Friday.  Several passages are read; the Scripture focus is Isaiah 53.1-5.  The message begins at 21:06, but you can watch the whole service below.

Symbols of hope

Perhaps you’ve been walking in your neighbourhood more often lately.  I know I have.  And if so, you’ve probably seen various neighbours’ windows decorated with rainbows.

I went to the all-knowing Google the other day and typed in, “Why are people putting rainbows in their windows”, only to discover mid-search that I’m not the first person to ‘Google’ that question.

It turns out that this trend started in Italy, accompanied by the phrase, andra tutto benne – everything will be alright – when the Coronavirus problem got serious in that country.  And it spread across many countries in the western world, including here in Canada.

Some Christians may be uncomfortable placing rainbows in their windows these days, because of the fear of misunderstanding: a certain demographic some time ago decided to appropriate a variant of the rainbow as its primary symbol, and not everybody understands the difference.

For followers of Jesus, of course, the rainbow is a sign of God’s promise never to destroy the earth again by flood.  It’s a sign of hope.  Indeed, ultimately, everything will be alright.

But if you want to try something different, why not do so?  Some of my social media friends decided to create stained glass Christian images in their windows using masking tape and paint that can later be removed.

With today being Good Friday, and Easter being around the corner, we could use images like the empty cross, or the heart, or even the anchor.  We can even use words, provided they are painted (or printed out) large enough for passersby to see.

Many of our neighbours are hurting and lonely.  A lot of people are looking for hope, looking for something stable to which they may cling in this season of uncertainty.  Consider using your front window as a witness.  When this is all over, who knows what seeds God may have planted in people, through our silent witness, to draw them to him who is unchanging?

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13.8, NLT).

By the way, if you don’t have an online church ‘home’, feel free to watch our live-streaming of worship on Good Friday, and on Easter Sunday, at 10:00 a.m.  You don’t need an account to watch at http://www.facebook.com/stpaulsnobleton.  You can watch later at http://www.stpaulsnobleton.ca/sermons.

Father, I Entrust…

Our Good Friday service in 2019 featured a message entitled, “Father, I Entrust…”, from Luke 23.46.  There was also a time to entrust matters we have held back from God, and place them at the foot of the cross.  (If you want to get to just the message, you can fast-forward to 30:25.

Notre Dame and Dofasco

Normally, on Good Friday, I write about the crucifixion.  And make no mistake: the fact that Jesus died is an important fact on which to meditate, and for which to give thanks in worship today.  (You can do so at St. Paul’s Church, Nobleton, at 10:00 a.m. if you are able!)

But a big event from last Monday prompts me to go in a different direction.

Last Monday, a serious fire occurred within Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France.

The outpouring of emotion on social media was palpable.  To be sure, it is profoundly sad that this icon of religious architecture would be nearly destroyed by fire.  It appears that the structure may be saved, and French leaders, with large donations from wealthy people, are vowing to rebuild what has been lost.  (That in itself has caused no small amount of controversy.)

What I’m left wanting to ponder with you, though, is the reality that though a building may be destroyed, the church is not.

The church is not a building: the church is people.

Every time I say or hear that, I am reminded of a very old radio ad I used to hear as a child for Dofasco, a steel fabrication company in Hamilton, Ontario. I couldn’t tell you a thing about the commercial itself, but the tagline has stuck with me for well more than forty years:  “Our product is steel.  Our strength is people.”

The company knew that while they would be known for producing steel products (among those with which I’m best acquainted are the side frames for Canadian-built locomotives), they could not produce those steel products without the employees who make it happen – everyone from the people who heat the molten material to the people who sweep the floors to the people who keep the books in the office.

The same is true of the church – almost.

When we think of the church as bricks-and-mortar, we have only an imagined product.  A church building in and of itself is only a tool.  The building does not preach the gospel.  The building does not care for the sick.  The building does not feed the hungry.  The building does not advocate for justice.

It’s the people who do that.  We are the church.

So yes, be sad for the significant damage done to a magnificent church building which has stood for almost nine centuries as a testament to the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  But be resolved to be  the church.  Some of the most effective gatherings of God’s people in the world do not worship in an architectural masterpiece; some of them don’t even have a building to call their own.  And while people may be inspired by the incredible architecture of great church buildings (and there are many), let your inspiration be channeled into a deep and abiding faith in Jesus, who died and rose again for us, that we would be his hands and feet in the world – preaching the good news, caring for the sick, feeding the hungry, and advocating for justice.

When the church loses these characteristics, we ought indeed to mourn.

But you and I aren’t going to let that happen, right?  It doesn’t matter if we have a building or not:  we are  the church.

Jesus said, “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them” (Matthew 18.20, NLT).

It Is Finished

The crucifixion of Jesus, according to John, demonstrates some important aspects of our Saviour that we do well to understand.  Watch or listen below to this message based on John 19.16b-42.

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What language shall I borrow?

For this Good Friday, simply allow the words of St. Bernard of Clairvaux to wash over you.  Respond with gratitude, and a rededicated life to the One who gave his life for you.

 

O sacred head, now wounded,
With grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded
With thorns, Thine only crown;
O sacred head, what glory!
What bliss, till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory,
I joy to call Thee mine.

O noblest brow, and dearest!
In other days the world
All feared, when Thou appeared’st,
What shame on Thee is hurled!
How art Thou pale with anguish,
With sore abuse and scorn;
How does that visage anguish,
When once was bright as morn.

The blushes late residing
Upon that holy cheek,
The roses once abiding
Upon those lips so meek,
Alas! they have departed;
Wan Death has rifled all!
For weak and broken hearted,
I see Thy body fall.

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered,
Was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression,
But Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor,
Vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

Receive me, my Redeemer,
My Shepherd, make me Thine;
Of every good the fountain,
Thou art the spring of mine.
Thy lips with love distilling,
And milk of truth sincere,
With Heaven’s bliss are filling
The soul that trembles here.

Beside Thee, Lord, I’ve taken
My place—forbid me not!
Hence will I ne’er be shaken,
Though Thou to death be brought,
If pain’s last paleness hold Thee,
In agony oppressed,
Then, then will I enfold Thee
Within this arm and breast!

The joy can ne’er be spoken,
Above all joys beside;
When in Thy body broken
I thus with safety hide.
My Lord of life, desiring
Thy glory now to see,
Beside the cross expiring,
I’d breathe my soul to Thee.

What language shall I borrow,
To thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this, Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
Oh! make me Thine forever,
And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
Outlive my love to Thee.

And when I am departing,
Oh! part not Thou from me;
When mortal pangs are darting,
Come, Lord, and set me free;
And when my heart must languish
Amidst the final throe,
Release me from mine anguish,
By Thine own pain and woe!

Be near me when I am dying,
Oh! show Thy cross to me;
And for my succor flying,
Come, Lord, and set me free!
These eyes new faith receiving,
From Jesus shall not move,
For he who dies believing,
Dies safely through Thy love.

SONGS OF L(AM)ENT: Watch With Him

On this Good Friday, we wrapped up our series on the songs of the season of Lent with a look at the time of prayer Jesus had just prior to his betrayal.  We sang, “Go to dark Gethsemane”, and practised visio divina with this image, a painting by the 15th-century Italian artist Andrea Mantegna called “The Agony in the Garden”.

The message was based on Matthew 26.36-46 and can be listened to here:

Facebook video, watchable by anyone, is available here:

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Jesus, Remember Me

On Good Friday, we ponder what the crucifixion means to us.  Grace upon grace!  Listen to this message based on Luke 23.26-43.

Good Friday

It’s Good Friday, the day the church marks the crucifixion of Jesus.  Among people, there are various reactions to this reality.

Some turn their faces away because they can’t face the gory nature of death by crucifixion.  It was the most heinous way to kill someone in the first century, because the person who hung on the cross was dying not from blood loss, but from asphyxiation.  Often, it took a long time for someone to die that way, and the suffering was unspeakable.

Others run away because they can’t wrap their heads around the idea that a loving God would sentence his own Son to die so gruesomely through no fault of his own.  Some have this notion that Jesus’ death was a form of “divine child abuse”.  Since they can’t fit that into their theology, they stay home.

Still others stand and mourn because this is a memorial service for a good man who got caught in a political revolution.  Yet if Jesus were merely a ‘good man’, his death was in vain, because only a perfect sacrifice would atone for human sin.  There would be no sense building a movement around a good man who died.

Still others, again, stand and behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, words John the Baptist proclaimed when he announced the coming of Jesus early in the gospels.  Yet we stand at the foot of the cross not as those unable to look, not as those who can’t fit death into our theology, not as those who remember a good man.  We stand at the foot of the cross as those who live in hope, because we know that on the third day, Jesus conquered death by rising from the grave.

Good Friday should be a sombre day, but it should be a day of anticipation, too, for we know how the story ends.

Still, the resurrection cannot be truly appreciated unless we have walked with Jesus through the valley of the shadow of death.  Make sure you go to worship today so you can appreciate the joy of Sunday!

“Listen, we’re going up to Jerusalem, where all the predictions of the prophets concerning the Son of Man will come true.  He will be handed over to the Romans, and he will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon.  They will flog him with a whip and kill him, but on the third day he will rise again” (Luke 18.31-33, NLT).

Three Questions

One of the people who gets little attention anytime in the church, except perhaps on Good Friday, is Barabbas.  Who was Barabbas?  Why did he matter to the story?

In this Good Friday message, based on Mark 15.1-15, we answer three questions:

Why Barabbas?

Why Jesus?

Why me?

Listen here:

Today…with me…Paradise…

On this Good Friday, I thought I’d share some encouragement from a few years back. Take a look…

If you are a listener to sermons, it may help you to know that even preachers don’t always remember preaching entirely or exactly.  I have one vivid memory, however, of a sermon I heard one Sunday before Easter as a teenager, around the time I gave my life to Jesus.  I’ve never forgotten its basic message.

There’s so much of the Scripture that we hear on Good Friday and Easter Day that is rich and deserves deeper attention; I hope you’ll meditate on a passage such as Luke 22, 23 and 24 this weekend.  But I want to focus on just a few words from Jesus, uttered from the cross, to a criminal who was hanging on a similar cross on one side of him.  This criminal had a different stance than the other.  One of them insulted Jesus and, thinking of himself, tried to get Jesus to use his power as the Christ (which he willingly acknowledged!) to rescue the three of them from the death they were about to face.  The other criminal rebuked him and said, “‘Don’t you fear God,…, since you are under the same sentence?…Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’  Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise’” (Luke 23.40-43, NIV).

This was the text of the sermon I remember so well.  It was a word of hope, a word of grace, a word of love.  Jesus could have chosen to feel sorry for himself as he hung on the cross, naked, bleeding, gasping for air, dying.  Instead, he chose to reach out to a sinner who recognized him and who repented.

Both criminals knew Jesus for who he was; even the insulting criminal averred, “Aren’t you the Christ?” (Luke 23.39b, NIV).  This man was willing to acknowledge that Jesus was who he claimed to be.  But he was not interested in what Jesus stood for, unless it was going to get him out of his immediate situation.

The other criminal, looking around Jesus, rebuked his partner in crime, saying that while they were getting what they deserved, Jesus had done nothing wrong.  Then he asked Jesus to remember him in his eternal kingdom.  And at that moment, when any normal human being might have ignored him, Jesus reached out.  His loving arms nailed to a cruel cross, all Jesus had with which to reach out were his words:  “Today, you will be with me in paradise.”

Can you imagine being that criminal?  Can you imagine having that assurance, right from the lips of the Saviour himself?  “Today!”  No delay.  “When you breathe your last, you’ll be with me,” is what Jesus said, in effect.

Of course, if the cross were the end, Jesus couldn’t have said what he did.  His death would pay the price for sin, but only when he broke the bonds of death on the third day would he open the gates for believers to receive eternal life.  And because that happened on that first Easter weekend, all who follow Jesus, everywhere, ever since, have had the promise of freedom from sin and new and everlasting life.

Think you’re not good enough?  Of course you’re not.  None of us is.  But it’s not our goodness that wins our salvation.  It’s faith.  That’s why a career criminal was the first to taste eternal life – at the invitation of the Saviour.

God’s best for your weekend – in sorrow at the cross, and in victory at the empty tomb!

NOT CRIMINALLY RESPONSIBLE

In this Good Friday message, we learn that because of Jesus’ death on the cross, we are rendered not criminally responsible for our sins.  Based on Isaiah 52.13-53.12, you can listen to the message by clicking here.