Not Being Able to Worship in Our Church Building on Easter Day - A Reflection

I’ve deliberately not thought about it until now.  I’ve concentrated on preparing worship to post on Church Facebook pages and email out to digitally connected members.  I’ve started recording services accessible through YouTube with links to suggested hymn videos.  I’ve phoned members to check they are ok, as I’m keeping myself and my household isolated due to various medical conditions within our family.

What I haven’t done is thought about how it feels not to be gathering in church with my sisters and brothers in Christ to lead worship.  In this Holy Week, when

I would normally be taking, or taking part in, some form of service with others I haven’t allowed myself to dwell on how that actually feels.  As we approach Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Day I’m trying to avoid thinking about not physically being with others in corporate worship to share those very special Holy days.

I know, I know the church isn’t the building, it’s the people who gather there.  I know.  And yet, deep down I want to gather again with my congregations in our church buildings, to stand behind the lecterns and join in live  corporate singing to the tune of a well played organ (or, occasionally, Singing the Faith CDs).

On Good Friday I will miss the fish and chips we always share after the service at one of the churches I have pastoral charge of.

On Easter Day I will miss getting up at 5:30am to join others in our local park for our ecumenical sunrise service (Ok, I might enjoy the extra couple of hours in bed).  I will miss the Holy Communion breakfast and then the decorating of the Easter cross with daffodils for our main service.  I will miss singing the glorious Easter hymns with other people and, perhaps most of all, sharing in Holy Communion.

True we are finding new ways of being church.  I’ve mentioned some of them above.  And I like the suggestion that the church isn’t closed, it has been deployed; in the sense that we are all praying and living as disciples in our local community: but there is definitely something about gathering corporately for worship and fellowship that is an indispensable part of our spiritual DNA.

Christianity is focussed on God incarnate in man, the divine becoming enfleshed; the Word living amongst us full of grace and truth.  There is something about physical presence, about meeting together as sisters and brothers in Christ which I find myself increasingly missing and which I wiill grieve for until we are able to gather again.

I deliberately used the phrase “until we are able to gather again” rather than “until things get back to normal” because the latter phrase implies that when the Coronavirus crisis has passed things will be the same as they were before, in society and in our churches and they just won’t be.

I can’t predict what those changes will be, none of us can.  Our society and world could look very different in just a few months time.

So too could our churches.

Sadly there may be congregations that must face their end because the finances they need to keep going have been exhausted and they will have to find new churches with which to worship.

But even those who gather together with familiar people in familiar buildings will be different, because we will all have been changed by our experiences of the next few weeks, perhaps months.  Some will have experienced new forms of worship, new music and songs, new ways of praying and will not want to go back to the way we did things before.  Others will be clinging through these weeks and months to the traditions they miss so much and will welcome the chance to take up familiar routines on a Sinday morning, yet even they may be open to doing something different , something new because they too may well have experienced new ways of worshipping they have enjoyed.

Sadly, may not return at all, having discovered they haven’t missed corporate church worship at all.

Church, when we return, will be different and should be different because we will not be the same people as we were in the middle or March.  God is ever with us and is leading us as disciples through these turbulent times and God will go on leading us as things settle down into what might be called a new normal.

I miss us physically gathering together for worship and fellowship and I miss the opportunities for mission and service.  I’m looking forward to starting to worship together in church again, but hopefully in a new transformed way: transformed because we have been changed by our experience of the changes in our society, transformed because we are following the lead of God’s Holy Spirit in worship, fellowship, mission and service.

Right now some of us are mourning what we have lost, albeit temporarily, but we can also be looking forward to all that is to be under the care, guidance and leading of our God who is infinite love.

Holy Wednesday Home Worship 2020

Holy Wednesday Worship

 2020

Introduction

For our Holy Wednesday worship we look at the anointing of Jesus with expensive perfume.

Prayer

Holy God,
to you alone belong glory, honour and praise.
We join with the hosts of heaven as we worship.
To you, loving God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be all glory, honour and praise,
now and forever.
Amen.

  

ScriptureJohn 12: 1-8

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.  Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honour. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about half a litre of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,  ‘Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.’  He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

‘Leave her alone,’ Jesus replied. ‘It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. ⁸ You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.’

Reflection

Our Scripture for today begins with a meal.  Social occasions were always an important part of Jesus’ ministry.  His first miracle was the turning of water into wine at a wedding in Cana and several times in the gospels we read of Jesus sharing a meal with others.  There is something very special about sitting down to enjoy a meal with friends.

During the meal a very startling thing happens.  Mary takes a jar of wildly expensive perfume and pours it all over Jesus’ feet.  Then she wipes his feet with her hair!  This does not seem startling to us, but it really was.  In first century Judea women did not let down their hair in public!  Only their husbands were allowed to see their hair loose.  In first century Judea women did not touch men they were not married to; yet Mary wiped Jesus feet with her hair.

This was literally scandalous behaviour, and yet Mary is praised by Jesus for doing it.  When Judas criticised Mary for her actions, Jesus said, “Leave her alone!  Let her keep what she has done for the day of my burial.”

This was an act of pure love and devotion by Mary; and in it we see what our love and devotion to Jesus should be like.

First of all, our love for Jesus should be an extravagant love.  Mary took what was probably one of the most valuable things she owned, the jar of perfume, and poured it on Jesus’ feet.  She didn’t just pour a dribble either, she gave Jesus the lot with even thinking about it.  True love doesn’t worry about the cost of something but gives freely and wholeheartedly.

The jar of perfume was very expensive, but to Mary it was worthless in comparison to her love for Jesus and so she fely gave him the lot.  Real love cannot think of any other way to give but to do so extravagantly.

As well as love’s extravagance we also see in Mary love’s humility.  To anoint a person’s head was a great honour in the first century, but Mary didn’t anoint Jesus’ head, she anointed his feet! 

Mary loved Jesus, she was devoted to Jesus and yet that love was a humble love that put things in their proper perspective; she knew Jesus was her Lord and that her proper place was at his feet.

One thing that I think we twenty first century Christians need is a good dollop of humility in our relationship with Jesus.  Yes, Jesus is our friend, yes we are adopted daughters and sons of God, co-heirs with Christ:  but Jesus is also our Lord; one of the three persons of the Godhead and we must, in all humility, show him the proper respect and reverence that he deserves and that is his right!

Love is extravagant, love is humble and love is unselfconscious.

To us reserved British people, who like to keep our emotions private and keep a stiff upper lip, this is also shocking behaviour.  Culturally we British don’t like public displays of emotion and devotion: everything in moderation could almost be a British mission statement.

As Christian people we need to overcome our British reserve and become unselfconscious in our love for Jesus.  When we are worshipping in church we need to be able to let go of our formal stiffness, to clap along to worship songs if we want to, to raise our hands in praise of God, even to dance in the aisles if we feel so moved by the Holy Spirit as we worship: and we should be able to do all this without anybody else giving us a filthy look or telling us “that’s not what we do in this church.”

People who worship in this unselfconscious way:

·      Attend worship frequently and consistently.

·      Honour God by regularly receiving Holy Communion.

·      Enter worship with hearts and minds prepared.

·      Let the music into their souls.

·      Offer their gifts to enhance the worship experience for themselves and others.

·      Carry their daily lives with them into prayer and worship and carry prayer and worship with them into their daily lives.

     This is passionate worship, this is unselfconscious love that put Jesus first and honours him without thought or concern about what others may think.  It is the worship that every Christian should offer.

    

      Do we, like Mary, love Jesus extravagantly, humbly and unselfconsciously? 

G.   God created us with free will.  It is up to us to make the choice to serve him and to love him extravagantly, humbly and unselfconsciously.  What will be your choice here, today, right now?

Blessing

The love of the Father enfold us,

the wisdom of the Son enlighten us,

the fire of the Spirit enflame us:

And the blessing of God, the Three in One,

be upon us and remain with us forever more.

Amen.

Home Worship for Palm Sunday 2020

Into the city I’d follow

the children’s band.

Waving the branch of a palm tree

high in my hand.

One of his heralds,

yes, I would sing,

Loudest Hosannas,

Jesus is king.

Introduction

Today is Palm Sunday, also known as the Second Sunday of the Passion.  It is also the first day of Holy Week; the day we remember Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey with crowds surrounding him, waving palm branches and shouting Hosanna!

Hosanna to the Son of David!

Hosanna in the highest!

Blessèd is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest! 

Sisters and brothers in Christ, during Lent we have been preparing for the celebration of our Lord’s death and resurrection. Today we begin this solemn celebration in union with Christians throughout the world. Our Lord Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem in triumph to complete his work as our Saviour; to be rejected, to suffer and die, and to be raised from the dead.

Let us go with him in faith and love, so that, united with him in his sufferings, we may share his risen life.

Hymn: Singing the Faith 264

    1  Make way, make way, for Christ the King

        in splendour arrives;

        fling wide the gates and welcome him

        into your lives.

            Make way (Make way), make way (make way),

            for the King of kings (for the King of kings);

            make way (make way), make way (make way),

            and let his Kingdom in.

   2   He comes the broken hearts to heal,

        the prisoners to free;

        the deaf shall hear, the lame shall dance,

        the blind shall see.

   3   And those who mourn with heavy hearts,

        who weep and sigh,

        with laughter, joy and royal crown

        he’ll beautify.

   4   We call you now to worship him

        as Lord of all,

        to have no gods before him,

        their thrones must fall!

Graham Kendrick (b. 1950)

Reproduced from Singing the Faith Electronic Words Edition, number 264

Words and Music: © 1986, Thankyou Music.  Administered by worshiptogether.com Songs, excluding UK & Europe, administered by Kingswaysongs, a division of David C Cook <tym@kingsway.co.uk>  Used by permission.

Prayers

God our Saviour,

whose Son entered Jerusalem as Messiah to suffer and die:

may these palms be for us a sign of his victory;

may we who carry them ever hail him as king

and follow him in the way that leads to eternal life.

With all the faithful, 

may we enter the new Jerusalem in triumph; 

through Jesus Christ our Lord, 

who is alive and reigns with you, 

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Loving God,

We have sinned against you

in what we have thought, said and done.

We have not loved you with our whole heart;

we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.

We are truly sorry

and turn away from what is wrong.

Forgive us for the sake of your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

The Lord’s Prayer

Hymn: Singing the Faith 262

1      All glory, laud, and honour

        to thee, Redeemer, King,

        to whom the lips of children

        made sweet hosannas ring!

        Thou art the King of Israel,

        thou David’s royal Son,

        who in the Lord’s name comest,

        the King and Blessèd One.

   2   The company of angels

        are praising thee on high,

        and mortal men and all things

        created make reply.

        The people of the Hebrews

        with palms before thee went;

        our praise and prayer and anthems

        before thee we present.

   3   To thee before thy Passion

        they sang their hymns of praise;

        to thee now high exalted

        our melody we raise.

        Thou didst accept their praises;

        accept the prayers we bring,

        who in all good delightest,

        thou good and gracious King.

   4   All glory, laud, and honour

        to thee, Redeemer, King,

        to whom the lips of children

        made sweet hosannas ring!

St Theodulph of Orleans (d. 821)

translated by John Mason Neale (1811–1866)

Reproduced from Singing the Faith Electronic Words Edition, number 262

Scripture

Matthew 21: 1-11

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.  If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

“Say to Daughter Zion,

    ‘See, your king comes to you,

gentle and riding on a donkey,

    and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.  A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

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

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Hymn: Hymns & Psalms 163

Children of Jerusalem

sang the praise of Jesus’ name;

children, too, of modern days,

join to sing the Saviour’s praise:

Hark! Hark! Hark!

While children’s voices sing.

Hark! Hark! Hark!

While children’s voices sing.

Loud hosannas, loud hosannas,

loud hosannas to our King.

We are taught to love the Lord.

We are taught to read his word.

We are taught the way to heaven;

praise for all to God be given:

Parents, teachers, old and young,

all unite to swell the song;

higher and yet higher rise,

till hosannas reach the skies:

John Henley (1800-1842)

Sermon

The time, the early thirties AD.  The place, Jerusalem; the Western gate to the city.  A man is riding towards Jerusalem, seated on a horse, wearing ceremonial armour.  Accompanying him is a Roman Legion, marching behind him in perfect formation.  The man is Pontius Pilate and this is a display of power, the power of the conqueror, the power of the Roman Empire that rules Judea; power invested in Pilate, the Roman governor.

The time, the early thirties AD.  The place, Jerusalem; the Eastern gate to the city.  Another man is riding towards Jerusalem at the same time, seated on a young donkey and wearing a simple tunic and prayer shawl.  He is followed by a small motley group of peasants who are cheering him.  Soon others join in, laying their cloaks or palm leaves on the road as he approaches.  Soon there is a large and noisy crowd surrounding him cheering and shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David.”  The man is Jesus of Nazareth and he has come to make his claim as Messiah, the Son of God who is the true ruler, not only of Israel but of the whole world.

The contrast could not be greater and many people on that day would assume that real power lay with Pilate.  They would be wrong!

It is obvious when we read any of the gospel accounts of the first Palm Sunday that this was a deliberate act by Jesus, one he had been planning for weeks if not months.  All the clues are there.

First Jesus sends his disciples into the village to collect the ass and its foal.  If they are challenged, they are to use the words, “the Lord needs them” and they will be able to take them.  Those words are obviously a pre-arranged password.

There is planning in the use of two animals.  Jesus is deliberately fulfilling the words of the prophet Zechariah:

                        “See, your King comes to you,

                        gentle and riding on a donkey,

                        on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Jesus did not, of course, somehow straddle and ride both animals.  He rode the foal.  The other donkey was its mother and was brought along to keep the foal calm because it had never been ridden before.

The fact that the foal had never been ridden before is also part of Jesus planning.  It made the animal especially suitable for this sacred purpose; Jesus public proclamation of himself as Messiah.

Some Christians don’t like planning things; whether it is worship, writing sermons, leading prayer meetings or other events some Christians think that planning things stifles creativity and the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit.  Planning and meetings are essential for all sorts of Christian activities, its meetings without direction or purpose I don’t like.

As Christians Jesus is our Lord and Saviour and as his disciples, we are called to be like him.  If Jesus, the Son of God, needed to make plans and think about things in advance then surely, we do too.

But why did Jesus do this?  Why did he plan to enter Jerusalem deliberately in a particular way?

I’m sure that we’ve all heard the phrase “actions speak louder than words” and this is exactly the reason why Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.

Jesus entry into Jerusalem was a dramatic act to send a very strong message.  The message that he was the Messiah, the Son of God.

Jesus entry into Jerusalem was inspired by the prophet Zechariah, but not only by Zechariah.  In 2 Kings 9:13 we read that when the supporters of Jehu proclaimed him King “they all took their cloaks and spread them for him on the bare steps and they blew the trumpet.”  Jesus’ supporters, when they spread their cloaks on the ground, would have had this verse in mind. 

Jesus may well have had another incident in Jewish history in mind too.  One of the worst disasters of Jewish history was the capture of Jerusalem by Antiochus Epiphanes in about 175 BC.  He deliberately defiled the Temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar, making offerings to the Greek god Zeus and turning the Temple chambers into public brothels.  It was then that the Maccabees rose against him and threw him out of Judea.  When the Temple was restored and purified Judas Maccabeus rode into Jerusalem and the people waved palm branches and cheered him on.

Jesus was proclaiming himself King by a prophetic act that would have been instantly obvious to the people.  He was also proclaiming exactly what kind of King he was: he was a peaceful King.  When a king entered a city riding on a horse it was a sign of war.  When a king entered a city riding on a donkey it was a sign that he came in peace.  By riding the donkey Jesus was indeed claiming to be King of the Jews, but he came as a peaceful king.  As William Barclay writes, “He showed them that he came not to destroy, but to love; not to condemn, but to help; not in the might of arms but in the strength of love.”

Jesus’ timing was perfect.  It has been estimated that the number of Jews in Jerusalem for the Passover festival would have been around two and a half million.  They came not only from Judea and Galilee but from all over the Roman world.  Jesus chose the tine and place of the greatest gathering of the Jewish people in the ancient world to make his claim as their Messiah.

By riding into Jerusalem on that donkey Jesus was making a very public appeal to his own people to embrace him as their messiah, to open their hearts and minds to his teaching; the follow him in a revolution, not of violence and might, but a revolution of peace and forgiveness and love.

Jesus calls us too to a revolution of peace, forgiveness an love.  Will we follow that call?

Hymn: Singing the Faith 265

   1   Ride on, ride on in majesty!

        Hark, all the tribes ‘Hosanna!’ cry;

        your humble beast pursues its road

        with palms and scattered garments strowed.

   2   Ride on, ride on in majesty!

        In lowly pomp ride on to die:

        O Christ, your triumphs now begin

        o’er captive death and conquered sin.

   3   Ride on, ride on in majesty!

        The wingèd squadrons of the sky

        look down with sad and wondering eyes

        to see the approaching sacrifice.

   4   Ride on, ride on in majesty!

        Your last and fiercest strife is nigh;

        the Father, on his sapphire throne,

        expects his own anointed Son.

   5   Ride on, ride on in majesty!

        In lowly pomp ride on to die;

        bow your meek head to mortal pain,

        then take, O God, your power, and reign.

Henry Hart Milman (1791–1868)

Reproduced from Singing the Faith Electronic Words Edition, number 265

Blessing

The Lord give strength to his people.

The Lord bless his people with peace.

Amen.

Devotion for W/C 29th March 2020

A new commandment I give unto you,
That you love one another as I have loved you.
That you love one another as I have loved you.
By this the world shall know that you are my disciples,
If you have love, one for another.
By this the world shall know that you are my disciples,
If you have love, one for another.
Anonymous


These are familiar words in one of or late 20th century worship songs; words first spoken by Jesus as he met with his disciples for their final meal together before his betrayal, crucifixion and resurrection.  Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Elsewhere Jesus said, “Love your neighbour as you love yourself.”

These words are prominent in Lent especially, not because they are any more important but because they are part of our Lent Holy Communion Liturgy in the Methodist Church.  We had been saying them until the decision to suspend corporate worship in church for the foreseeable future.

When thinking about love, we also remember Paul’s eloquent treatise on love in 1 Corinthians: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.   Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.   It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.”

Love is at the very heart of our Christian faith.  It was out of love that God came to us in Jesus.  It was out of love that Jesus went to the cross.  It was out of love that Jesus spoke those wonderful
words, “Father, forgive them.  They don’t know what they are doing.”  It was out of love that Jesus was resurrected from death.

Jesus lived a life of self-giving love.  That same love should be the mark of every Christian disciple.

So what does love look like at the moment when we are, basically, confined to our homes?

Love is staying at home so that we don’t help spread the Covid-19 Coronavirus.  Love is only going out for exercise and keeping the appropriate distance from others: or only going out for essential supplies, and that as little as possible.  Love is phoning vulnerable neighbours and members of our churches to make sure they are OK and have everything they need.  Love is sending emails to people or chatting with them over the internet, either through video or text.

Love is the church continuing to serve in the community its located in.

How are we showing this Christian love in the present circumstances?  What are we doing to continue to express the love of Christ in our world?