This Sunday is Palm Sunday when we remember Jesus' triumphant march into Jerusalem.... and, to speak frankly, I don't like it one bit because every year, I want Jesus to stop and not enter the holy city. It is rather like giving last rites
to a dying parishioner; even when I know that person is about to be rewarded with the joys of heaven, I just do not want to lose a friend. Before I get to my feelings, let's start with tradition. A prophetic Scripture in the Old Testament talked about the Messiah who would ride a donkey/colt into Jerusalem. From the prophet Zechariah, "Everyone in Jerusalem, celebrate and shout! Your king has won a victory, and he is coming to you. He is humble and rides on a donkey; he comes on the colt of a donkey." (Zec 9:9) The people would shout, according to Psalm 118, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord." Our Palm Sunday tradition in the western Church is to reenact Jesus' march. We read a passage from Scripture about Jesus entering into Jerusalem and then process into the church waving palms. In more recent history we then read from the Gospel about the crucifixion of Jesus. So we start with joy and leave with tears. But that's not why I don't like Palm Sunday. I don't want Jesus to march in. I want him to stay out of Jerusalem and stay alive. I don't want him to endure pain and suffering and then death. I want Jesus to stay in Samaria, hang out in Jericho, stay in Cana of Galilee and turn water into wine, travel to the sea of Tiberius and preach from a boat some more. Why couldn't Jesus just stay under the shade of an olive tree and preach about the Kingdom of God? I want him to spend more time in leper colonies and do more healing. Every year on Palm Sunday I yearn for Jesus to stay at Lazarus' house and to eat, relax, and enjoy life. Why doesn't Jesus stay out in the golden fields of grain and talk more about the Shepherd who goes after the one lost sheep. Why doesn't he spare his mother, Mary, the pain of witnessing her son deformed by beatings and then hanging dead on a tree. I don't want Mary to become inconsolable with pain and grief. Every year I want God to spare the sword that will pierce her soul. And every year it happens without my consent. This year, when I began to write this Reflection, Jesus spoke to me through Scripture and music. He told me that my role in the Kingdom is not to hold him back. That is not how our relationship works. He told me that my role is hold on tightly and not let go of His love because his role is to extend his hand to save those who are holding on. (Psalm 37:23-24 and Hebrews 10:23) Despite my desire that Jesus be spared the pain of the cross, I am called to keep the eyes of my heart fixed on him and the resurrection of new life. While I might struggle with the notion of the crucified God, Jesus is calling me to take his hand and walk with him through the days of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday so that we can celebrate his resurrection. My role is also to invite others to hold on tightly to Jesus' hand and to invite those in times of grief to think about his mother and to know that God healed and blessed her. Perhaps, those of us in the Church should be doing all of these things too. May you receive strength from the Holy Spirit to hold on tightly to Jesus' hand and walk with him through the days of Holy Week, - Fr. Marshall Letters of the Kingdom
About a month ago, I asked for 10 volunteers to write 20 simple letters to our neighbors. They were to be hand written on special Saint John’s Church and School letterhead, created by a 3rd grader. The message to neighbors: we would like to pray for you if you will let us know what you would like prayed for. Simple letter, simple message. The point was to build the Kingdom of God, one letter at a time. It was not to increase our church membership or to solicit donations but to let our closest neighbors know that we’re thinking of them. 20 volunteers, instead of the ten I asked and hoped for, signed up. Wendy, our church assistant, put together twenty packets with ten addresses each, letterhead and stamps. Some letters were written the first day, many the next week, and a few others will be mailed out this week. Responses have been rolling in and I want share a few of them with you. Some information is private, surprisingly private. Maybe it’s easier to tell a complete stranger personal details than a friend or member of your family. Or maybe a letter reached someone at just the right time for them to share with us. Obviously, I need to honor our neighbors’ privacy but, at the same time, I’m excited about this project and want to tell you about it. Here is a collage of four stories with details obscured for privacy but I trust the strength of their story will still shine through. First, a story I’ve shared already. We received a letter from a neighbor who is a great-grandmother. She was so uplifted by our letter that she made copies of it and is writing to her great-grandchildren on our letterhead! Our handwritten letter reminded her of the past when people would sit down and write letters to one another. She told us the letter from Saint John’s made her want to share that gift with the youngest members of her family and start a new tradition with them. She asked that we pray for peace in the world so that her great-grandchildren can grow up in a world better than it is now. I see the Kingdom of God being built within her family by starting this new/old tradition Another neighbor used to attend church at a nearby house of worship but stopped going after a family tragedy. Our letter, and follow up communication, has prompted him to return to his church after many years of being away. My conclusion? The Holy Spirit spoke to him through our parishioner. He asked that we pray for our country and the safety of our military which, of course, we are very happy to do. Another letter received this week was from a distraught neighbor who has been down, really down, lately. Her circle of friends has diminished and her family is distant. But then, she received our letter and the letterhead reminded her of her childhood and made her smile. The main impact was what our parishioner wrote. She needed to hear that someone is thinking of and praying for her. Our letter writer is now writing a reply. She asked that we pray for love in the world. Incidentally, she sent cash in her return envelope for our mission and ministry. There is a letter on my desk we received yesterday. It’s written on personal stationary smaller than the size of a bank check. I was nearly moved to tears when I read it. The second line of the handwritten thank you note is this, verbatim, “Pray for the children in orphanages.” Our neighbor did not know that eleven years ago Christi and I started praying for children in orphanages and that those prayers dramatically changed our lives (and the lives of our daughters Galina and Victoria). Yesterday, I personally needed that reminder. It seems building the Kingdom of God is a two way street. That letter I will answer myself and thank the author for reminding me of God’s Kingdom and the blessings God gives us through prayer. In the words of our neighbors, may God’s Kingdom be known through peace in the world, in the protection and safety of our men and women in uniform and may we learn to love one another, and, finally, may the peace of the Kingdom be with all children inorphanages - Fr. Marshall My brother and parents are involved in various ways with internet-based commerce and marketing and some of that website information has rubbed off on me.
I have learned there are two ways to create a website. The first is to find a template that works for your organization. When you’ve posted 100% of the organization’s vital information and more than 2/3rds of the total info, it’s time to go live. Going live with a mostly ready website allows invited folks to make comments and corrections. The website thus evolves over afew weeks until it’s 95% complete; no good website is ever 100% finished. The other way is to work and work and work on a site until you think it’s 100% completed and then go live all at once. Either way, there will be mistakes and someone will criticize your work. The first method depends upon input from others. It’s flexible and changes quickly to reflect the community it is meant to reach. But some designers prefer to work tirelessly to create a perfect product. I’ve found that the second way, the attempt at perfection from the get go, tends to burn out its designers. And I have also observed that the people who try to create a perfect website without advice tend to treat it like their own child and take criticism personally. How would Jesus assemble a website? When would Jesus go live? Jesus sent his newly formed group of 72 disciples out two-by-two. He said, “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Go, and remember that I am sending you out as lamb among wolves.” (Mt 10:16, Luke 10:2-3) Any process analyst or corporate strategist would say that his marketing team was not ready. They didn’t bring a book of corporate by-laws or standard operating procedures; they didn’t even have any canon laws! How in the world would this group man age? Jesus went live when his group was mostly ready but not perfect, by any means. So, I think the Church was founded on that first website development model. When the groups returned from their field exercises, they reported back to Jesus. In their excitement, they exclaimed, “Even the demons listened to us when we used your name!” He replied, “Look, I’ve given you authority over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will injure you. But don’t be excited because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because you are a part of the Kingdom of God.” (Lk 10:18-20) I think that building the Kingdom of God is like going live with a new website. It’s a community-oriented event. Jesus sent folks out in pairs before they were entirely ready. He sought feedback from his disciples and even from his detractors. Jesus used the phrase “What do you think” five times in theGospel record. Even though his 11 closest disciples saw him die and then ascend, some still doubted; they were not, in other words, entirely ready. Butdespite their doubts and readiness, Jesus said to “Go, and make disciples.” (Mt28:16-20) Jesus went live with a partially completed set of disciples. That means that even if we don’t feel 100% ready to be Christ’s ambassadors, each of us is still called to be one. Jesus invites us to go live into the world to build his Kingdom, even when we are not 100% ready. The nice thing is that just like the disciples, each time we follow his directions, and respond to feedback, we become a little bit better at Kingdom building. May God bless us in our unpreparedness to carry forth his love and grace. - Fr. Marshall Friendship
A phrase is being used in our society today that I am starting to question. The phrase is, "I'm not here to make friends." This past week on the television showAmazing Race, one aggressive team talked about their schemes. The team didn't mind cutting in front of others or backstabbing another team to win. Their reason was simple, "We're not here to make friends." In another show, Dance Moms, the girls (and their mothers) seem to compete with each other for more attention from the lead choreographer/owner of the dance studio. In a blatant attempt to schmooze with the owner, while putting her daughter in front of all the other dancers, the mother replied, "I'm not here to make friends." This phrase transcends reality television. In the football playoffs this year, several players were taking rude potshots at each other in the media. Their basis for such comments was driven by this phrase, "I'm here to win, not make friends." An acquaintance of mine was recently called for jury duty. There was a limited number of comfortable chairs. He stepped out of line so that he could secure one of those chairs for himself. Why? Because he's not at jury duty to make friends. I've witnessed this behavior in coffee shops, movie theaters, at the four way stop on J Street before the railroad track, in the 10 item and under line at the grocery store, and sadly at our local publiclibrary. My concern about this phrase is that it seems to play down the value of friendship. Although it is simply a catch phrase, I'm concerned that repeated use of it will diminish friendship in favor of getting something before anyone else. In other words, saying "I'm not here to make friends" seems to make it okay for one to live at the expense of finding and making friends or even display rudebehavior. Jesus values friendship. He values relationships with God and with one another. I believe this because of what we call the Great Commandment. (Say it with me if you like) Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. (Mt 22:36-40, Mark 12:30-31, Luke 10:27) Jesus values relationships. When we put our relationships with our neighbors on par with our relationship with God we live out Jesus' belief about how we are to treat one another. Besides valuing relationships, Jesus teaches us about friendship in the way he lived his life. Jesus told his disciples, "I no longer call you servants; instead, I call you friends." (John 15:15) He said that right after saying, "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for his friends." (15:13) The night he said these things he was arrested. The next day he was crucified. Jesus came here to make friends. He even befriended a thief hanging on a cross next to him. His first act after baptism was to make friends. Jesus made friends everywhere he went. Whether it was a late night visit from a religious authority, or a woman caught in adultery, or a tax collector sitting at his booth, or a person who had suffered with a deformity, or someone with a contagious skin disease, Jesus made them his friends. He did so while preaching from a boat, or sitting under an olive tree talking about the Kingdom of God, or on a road to Emmaus or Damascus. If Jesus values relationships, and was willing to lay his life down for his friends, how should that affect the way we live? I doubt that my aggressive driving friend would ever make friends with the person he cut off, but then again, one never knows. A couple of months ago, a friend of mine cut off another car to get into a parking space during a rainy evening before Christmas. Shortly after the cut-off, she ran into the other driver in the store. It was our Bishop. Maybe we are called to make friends with jury members, other drivers at a 4-way stop, moms in a competitive event, at work, and even at sporting events. Since it was good enough for Jesus to live that way, it is probably a good way for us to live too My friend, may God richly bless you this da - Fr. Marshall |