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Lent
Sermons from Commons Church. Intellectually honest. Spiritually passionate. Jesus at the centre. Since 2014.
Welcome to the commons cast. We're glad to have you here. We hope you find something meaningful in our teaching this week. Head to commons.church for more information. Welcome today.
Speaker 1:I am called Jeremy, I'm part of the team here. And I have actually been over in Inglewood for the past few weeks teaching, and I had an amazing time over there. It is really cool to see that community start to form and gel and develop its own identity here as part of Commons, but also as part of that particular parish neighborhood on the other side of the city. I think one of the best parts of the Inglewood Parish right now in my experience over the last few weeks is that it feels like commons. There are just some patterns and liturgies and language that have really become part of our identity here, And all of that seems to have translated really well to that neighborhood, and yet at the same time, it really does feel unique.
Speaker 1:Space is different. The neighborhood is different, and you really get a sense of that as the community is forming, which is great. So it's neat to see that this idea of commons that we have been building together is beginning to find its voice in new ways, and we are becoming less and less dependent on particular personalities as we do that. Anyway, it was great to be there. We are only six weeks in, but it's pretty exciting for all of us to be part of that even from this side of the city here in Kensington.
Speaker 1:However, today, both here in Kensington and over in Inglewood, we begin a new series. And if you were able to join us this past Wednesday for Ash Wednesday, then you already know that we have officially entered into Lent. Now Wednesday was both Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day, and so I joked on social media this week that it was a great opportunity to bring your loved one to church and remember that you're both going to die one day. It's possible that you had slightly more romantic plans for the evening. That's fine.
Speaker 1:Okay? But here on Ash Wednesday, we gathered, we sang, and we marked ourselves with the sign of a cross. And this is a small cross made of ashes on our foreheads as a symbol of both repentance and mortality. You see in ancient cultures, covering yourself in ash and sackcloth was a symbol of mourning. And you see that phrase all through the Hebrew scriptures.
Speaker 1:But then, you'll also read passages that talk about our hard headedness. Those who refuse to change their ways or repent. And so in Isaiah 48, you actually read about those with a forehead of brass who fuse to acknowledge their sins. And so when we put ashes on our forehead, we are saying that one, we're sorry and repentant and we wish we could have made better choices at times. But also that we are soft enough and frail enough and that we are human enough to admit when we are wrong and when we want to do better.
Speaker 1:And if, like me, a forehead of brass is an apt description of you at times, then maybe something like Ash Wednesday is a good practice to have in your year. Now the second piece of Ash Wednesday is mortality. This is because ashes are also a sign of death. They remind us that from dust we came and to dust we will one day return. And of course, none of us likes to be confronted with our own mortality particularly on Valentine's Day.
Speaker 1:But the truth is death is part of life. And recognizing that, making peace with that, understanding the holiness of that and embracing the fact that our Lord went before us into that. This is actually an essential part of preparing ourselves to experience the resurrection story over Easter. Because the season of Lent that we have entered is one of those inventions of the church that is designed to help us experience the story well. And so as we prepare ourselves for Easter, and yes, I know it is still cold and snowy and blowy outside particularly today, but trust me, spring is coming.
Speaker 1:But as we prepare for that return to life, first we remember the gap. And the lack and the dark and the cold and the waiting, and that doesn't mean it's all dreary for the next six weeks. In fact, there is some really beautiful stuff in Lent as we approach Easter, and as we see our city emerge into the spring. But this is a season where we intentionally begin to journey with Jesus toward resurrection. And so for the next five weeks, we are going to start a series we've called one last thing.
Speaker 1:And this series, we're going to walk our way through one of Jesus' last addresses, one of his last conversations with his closest friends. You see, in the gospel according to John, on the night of Jesus' betrayal, he sits for a meal with his friends. And this is, of course, the meal that we emulate in the Eucharist. And all of the gospels record this pivotal moment, but what's interesting is that Matthew dedicates 13 verses to tell the story. Mark 14, Luke a whopping 32, but John John actually dedicates five whole chapters, towering 155 verses to record everything that Jesus had to say to his friends over their final meal together.
Speaker 1:And so as we enter into this Lenten season together and we begin to prepare ourselves for Easter, we wanna gather together to hear one last thing from Jesus. So let's pray. And then today, it's John chapter 13. And in this series, we are gonna work our way through to the end of chapter 18. Lord of our waiting, as we begin this Lenten season, preparing our hearts and our stories, readying ourselves for the journey ahead.
Speaker 1:Would you be with us as we walk? Reminding us of the spaces of lack. The gaps and the shortcomings of the things that we are waiting yet to be fulfilled. Remind us of the trust that we have in you and in your story, but also the hurt and the pain that we live near to in this moment. Might this season of journey bring us awareness and compassion and hope and trust that one day all things might be made right.
Speaker 1:If we struggle for breath today, might your spirit breathe in us. And if we struggle to stand today, might your son stand beside us. Perhaps most of all, if we are unable to see your promise at work in the world this day, Might you father welcome and embrace and hold and comfort us as we move inexorably toward resurrection. Come once again this Lenten season, Christ who we await. In the strong name of the risen Christ we pray.
Speaker 1:Amen. Okay. Today we want to talk about what's in his hands, dirty feet, power structures, and finding ourselves anew. But let's start at the start because this is John chapter 13 verse one where we read that it was just before the Passover festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the father.
Speaker 1:Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. Now before we move on, this is just an introduction to what is about to come. And the writer of John likes to do this when the scene shifts in the story. He likes to craft these little poetic moments that set the stage, and this really is quite beautiful, isn't it? Jesus knew the hour had come, but having loved his friends, he loved them to the end.
Speaker 1:But there's some really neat stuff in here. You see whoever wrote the gospel of John wrote in Greek the same way all the other gospel writers did, but this writer uses Greek in a very different way. The others are generally pretty utilitarian, pretty straightforward. Mark in particular tells the story about as efficiently as he possibly can. John, on the other hand, is packed full of all kinds of puns and double meanings and delusions, and this quick introduction here is no different.
Speaker 1:And so he writes, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. Now the word end is the word telos here. And in Greek, telos is the word for end, but it's also the word for perfection or completion. So in Greek, the idea is that perfection is to reach your end. It's to fulfill your goal.
Speaker 1:It's to find your purpose for being in the world. And so when the writer says he loved them to the end, this refers to the fact that Jesus loved them until the very end of his life. After all, he's just said that his time for leaving had come, but it also means that Jesus has loved fully and completely, perfectly all at the same time. Now I don't know how you would get both of those ideas across in English. It doesn't work.
Speaker 1:But as a Greek reader, you would definitely pick up on what the author is doing here. And that might seem like just a neat little Easter egg that the writer has buried for theology nerds here until you realize that the very next verse says that the evening meal was in progress and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot to betray Jesus. So here's where this dual meaning really comes alive. Because what the writer is doing is contrasting the love of Jesus with the duplicity of Judas. Jesus loves to the end completely even when he's about to be double crossed.
Speaker 1:Now, I want to create some space here to acknowledge that I don't think the point here is that you should love someone the same way regardless of how they treat you. I meet with couples from time to time particularly for things like pre marriage and one of the things that I'll often do is have couples fill out this enormous quiz that helps them identify perhaps areas where they still have some work to do. But one of the questions I love is a statement that says, there is nothing my partner could do that would change my love for them. And then they are asked to respond on a scale of strongly agree to strongly disagree. And every couple almost invariably always answers strongly agree.
Speaker 1:There is nothing my partner could ever do that would change my love for them. That's beautiful, isn't it? I mean if you're getting married you want to feel like nothing could ever change your love. Fact, if you were eager in that moment to delineate all the ways your partner could lose your love, that might be a problem as well. But at the same time, it is a great chance for me to jump in and ruin the moment and slam the brakes on the love train and remind everyone that, yes, of course, there are things that could happen that would change your love for your partner.
Speaker 1:In fact, that's why it's really important that we pay close attention to the choices we make in our relationships. That we don't take our partners for granted because if we do we can lose them. And so I'm not suggesting that perfect love ignores betrayal, but I do think that John is reminding us that perfect love transcends the moments where we are let down. Even when we are let down very, very deeply. You see Jesus knows what's coming and he loves anyway right to the bitter end.
Speaker 1:And if we don't have people in our lives who we love even though we know what's coming from them, then maybe that's a problem. You see there is a need for boundaries, of course there is. And like we talked about in the lonely series, there is a need to be discerning with who we open ourselves up to. But love is also meant to push us towards the less than lovable. And I think it can be really easy at times to fall into the habit of believing that our emotions are shaped exclusively by the way that someone treats us.
Speaker 1:And that's part of it. Of course it is. I'm not being naive. But love is also about choosing how we will respond even when we are hurt, even when we are hurt deeply. Now you're not Jesus, neither am I.
Speaker 1:And so maybe we shouldn't start with the person who's trying to get us killed. But maybe for you, it's about grace for that father-in-law who's a little too into political conspiracy theories, or that coworker who is a bit too protective of their sphere of influence? Or maybe that person who just rubs you the wrong way and deep inside you know it's only because they remind you of you. Love is hard and that's okay because God loves you to the very end of your being. Now we haven't even got to the meat of our story today and that's an odd metaphor for a vegetarian to use.
Speaker 1:However in verse three it says that Jesus knew that the father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and that he was returning to God. So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing and wrapped a towel around his waist. And let's pause here again because if we're paying attention this is kind of a weird sentence. Jesus has all things under his power. He's come from God.
Speaker 1:He's returning to God. Therefore he gets up, puts a towel on and starts to wash some feet. I think it's okay to acknowledge that's a strange train of thought and the NIV is maybe a little heavy handed here. In the Greek this sentence is framed with participles. So more literally it reads something like Jesus knowing that the father had put all things in his hands prepares to wash his disciples feet.
Speaker 1:So there's a connection between these two statements. It's just a little more subtle. Being powerful doesn't therefore automatically result in humility and service. And I think we should know that just by looking around our world. But there is something in Jesus knowing.
Speaker 1:In his person, and in the way he carries himself in the world that leads him to service, and I really like that. But what's even more fascinating here is the poetry that the writer employs again. You see the NIV has gone with the father had put all things under his power, but literally what it says is that the father had put all things in his hands. Now, all means the same thing, so it's not really a big deal. Except that this translation is missing the poetry in the moment.
Speaker 1:God has put all things in Jesus' hands, and so Jesus immediately bends down and sets it aside to pick up his friend's feet in his hands. Now in pure theological terms nothing really changes here. But symbols have meaning don't they? Shane Claiborne is a pastor that lives in Philadelphia. And with all of the gun violence that we read about regularly now, and in particular, another mass shooting at a school in The United States this week, I was thinking about him.
Speaker 1:Because his community started a project about a decade ago where they take weapons, assault rifles, and they literally melt them down and pound them into shovels. And then they take those shovels and they donate them for use in the city community gardens and its image pulled from the prophet Isaiah in chapter two where God says that God will judge between the nations and settle their disputes. And they will beat their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks. For nation will no longer take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. And as a side note here, whenever you think of God's judgment, I hope it's these type of images that come to mind.
Speaker 1:Images of mediation and peace and reconciliation. Because if not, if your imagination of God's judgment looks more like vengeance than it sounds like peace, that's a problem. But here, here's the question. What does melting down one a R 15 and pounding it into a shovel do in the face of 18 school shootings so far this year in America? Well, maybe nothing.
Speaker 1:And yet sometimes, everything at the same time. Will that symbol stop violence? No. Of course not. But will that symbol remind us that more guns and more weapons and more hatred and more fear will never make us safer either?
Speaker 1:Maybe. Because symbols hold very deep meaning for us. Just here in Calgary we had a rally, justice for Colton Boshi who was killed on a farm in Saskatchewan in 2016. And I understand that there are a lot of complexities and opinions being bandied about in this case. It's hard and emotions are high.
Speaker 1:But I happen to know there were people at that rally who felt conflicted about the verdict, but recognize the power of standing with a community that was in pain and mourning their loss in that moment. And the significance of standing against systemic injustice indigenous peoples have suffered under four centuries. Because symbols are important. That's why I'm wearing this purple stole right now. Does it change my sermon?
Speaker 1:No. Does it make me any more eloquent? Not really. Does it grant me any more authority in this room? Not unless you're really into scarves.
Speaker 1:But it reminds us that we are moving towards something, and that we are preparing ourselves for something. That resurrection is coming, that life is not static, and things do get better. And here, in his first steps on his path to the cross, God puts all things in Jesus' hands, and the first thing he does is set that aside to bend down and pick up his friend's feet in his hand. This is a symbol of what God's power in the world was meant for. And maybe today all that you need to know right now is that God's hands aren't too full to stoop down and pick you up.
Speaker 1:Then again, because that's part of what we struggle with as well. See after that Jesus poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. But when he came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, Lord, are you gonna wash my feet? And Jesus replied, you don't realize what I'm doing right now, but later you will. And Peter said, no, you will never wash my feet.
Speaker 1:Let's be honest here, I love Peter. Because if Paul sort of tries to shame me into being a better Christian, Peter is always there to say, dude, don't worry about it. Trust me, whatever you have done, I have got a story that will make you feel a little better about yourself. Why don't I tell you about the time that I tried to get Jesus to give me a bath? Don't worry.
Speaker 1:We'll get there in a moment. Peter is like the personification of a soothing massage after Paul has beat you up a little bit. And here, Peter does Peter. And I really don't want to pick on him because he's my brother and I love him and the truth is I actually get it. You see in the ancient world, the idea of washing your feet as you came into a house, this was not at all uncommon.
Speaker 1:I mean, you walked around all day in open toed sandals and it was dusty and your feet got dirty, this was only good etiquette. Now, if you came to my house and you immediately pulled off your shoes and your socks and you started washing your feet by the door, I might be a little thrown off. I know there are people who have real issues with feet. And if that's you, I'll try to get through this section as quickly as possible. However, that is not my son.
Speaker 1:Because for some reason, this four year old is obsessed with taking off his socks at the first opportunity he gets wherever he is. And That's a problem because we also have a golden retriever who lives in our house who is also obsessed with socks, although in a slightly different more chewy way and that causes issues. However, point is this is a normative cultural thing in Jesus' time. It's sort of the opposite of Americans who sometimes just wear their shoes in the house like Philistines. What is that about?
Speaker 1:I don't get it. It's weird. The thing is the washing your feet was not uncommon. The only person that would wash someone else's feet was the household slave. And if you were wealthy and you had guests coming over then you would have your slave greet people at the door and wash their feet for them as they came in.
Speaker 1:And so when Jesus does this, this is not just Jesus humbling himself to bow before his friends and serve them. It's that he's taking the place of the marginalized in his society. And that's uncomfortable. Because, yes, this is an image of service and, yes, it's an image of humility, but it's also an image designed to remind his friends that whatever they think of him has to impact how they think about the least among them. To see the person that you admire more than anyone else playing the role of the people that you ignore or discard or despise, that should be uncomfortable for us.
Speaker 1:Because the truth is that's not what we want in our leaders, is it? We want them to be strong and powerful. And sure we want them to show some heart from time to time but the truth is what we often want from a leader is for them to act like a bully on our behalf. And so when Jesus takes the role of a slave, Peter immediately says, no way. Not my boss.
Speaker 1:I mean, not the person I chose to follow. See, I'm here for a winner, not this nonsense. And look, Jesus, it's a nice gesture. I get it. But let's be serious here.
Speaker 1:This isn't you. Except that it is, isn't it? In fact, that's the whole point of Jesus. That he comes not to fulfill our expectations for a messiah, but that he comes to undermine them. He comes to show us that strength doesn't act like a bully.
Speaker 1:And leadership isn't always out in front and that judgment never actually did look like condemnation. In fact in Matthew 25 Jesus says, truly I tell you whatever you do for the least of these you do for me. And that's important. Especially considering the way that Jesus ends that story. He basically says, if you don't get this, then you're not coming with me.
Speaker 1:So this moment right here, this is exactly who Jesus is. The one who leads from the bottom up. But then there's another side to this, isn't there? Because sometimes serving the least is actually a lot easier for us than being served by the least. Do you know what I'm talking about here?
Speaker 1:That sense that somehow needing help from someone that you have for some reason categorized as lower down the social cast from you is somehow embarrassing. And I mean I get where it comes from. We all tend to link our sense of personal value to how we stack up to those who are around us, but it is a little strange, isn't it? That we would rather run up our credit card than ask a friend for help. Or we might overlook the wisdom of someone who wasn't as successful as us.
Speaker 1:Or that we might not want to take the advice of someone who just works for us even though we hired that person presumably because they had something to contribute to us. There are all kinds of different ways that we resist being served unless the power structure is imbalanced. Because we think we need to know who we're above. I want my leaders above me and I want the marginalized below me and that's how I make sense of my place in the world. And yet here, it's like Jesus brings all of those insecurities out in the open.
Speaker 1:He is both at the same time their leader showing them what it means to serve, but he's also their stand in for the marginalized showing them what it means to have dignity from below. And the subtlety of this moment is profoundly earth shaking if we allow it to be. Because this moment is designed to destabilize all of the subtle power structures we derive our sense of value through. And that is disorienting. And because of that, probably most of them in the room are pretty uncomfortable in this moment.
Speaker 1:I mean, I would be. And not just because of my sweaty feet, I'd be uncomfortable because this is Jesus who I love, who holds all things and now he's taking his my feet in his hands. And yet as everyone looks on in awkward silence, it's only Peter that has the courage to say something here. And This is why I can't help but love the guy. Because I really do think this is courageous.
Speaker 1:I mean Peter takes the brunt of our critical eye looking back a lot of the time, but my goodness, this guy is just fearless to say whatever pops into his mind. And honestly, sometimes I wish I had a little bit more of that, especially when I'm alone with God. You ever find yourself praying and saying what you're supposed to instead of what you really want to? A little bit Peter might be as well at times. But here Peter names the elephant in the room.
Speaker 1:Jesus this is weird and I don't like it, and it's making us uncomfortable. Can I just sit this one out? But, of course, Jesus answered, unless I wash you, you have no part with me. And so Peter replies, well then, Lord, not just my feet, but my hands and my head as well. I mean, if we're gonna do this, let's do it.
Speaker 1:Am I right? I'll get the soap. You run the bath. Let's make this happen. And, of course, this is how Peter responds.
Speaker 1:Was there really ever any other option? And so Jesus has to talk him down. Peter, it's a symbol. Chill. Those who've had a bath need only to wash their feet.
Speaker 1:Their whole body is already clean. And you, Peter, are clean. And this is part of what is so infinitely remarkable about Jesus. That he has this way of continually pushing us and prodding us and finding symbols and moments through which he can open us up just a little bit more to the reality of his kingdom and yet there is always this remarkable grace to end. You see, I imagine Jesus in this moment looking his friend in the eye and thinking to himself, Peter, you just don't get it, do you?
Speaker 1:But one day you will. And when you do, I wanna make sure that when you think back you remember my words right here. Peter, you are clean. See, this is the thing about the Christian story. And this season of Lent that we are entering into.
Speaker 1:Faith is not a test. That means you don't need to get all of it right now. Sometimes you don't and sometimes you won't for years. And yet Jesus is there in this moment right now with you saying, it's okay, you're clean. Because faith is simply about who you choose to trust.
Speaker 1:And so my prayer for you as we begin this Lenten season together is that even when Jesus seems inscrutable and you can't make sense of what he's saying, you might hear his welcome and find the trust to follow him forward anyway knowing that you are clean. Let's pray. God, as we begin this Lenten journey together, would you help us to do the journey well, To prepare ourselves, our hearts, our minds, our stories. To experience your passion and your suffering, and ultimately your resurrection and your life. God as we begin this journey with you, would you remind us of all the ways that you are here to destabilize the structures that we place ourselves into.
Speaker 1:The hierarchies and the rankings that we use to make sense of our place in the world. Might we recognize that the leaders who are worth following are not above us. That those we serve are not below us. That instead we are welcomed each of us into your kingdom on level ground. Might you shake our structures and destabilize the sense of self we have.
Speaker 1:Remind us that we are valued and welcomed in your presence regardless. In the strong name of the risen Christ we pray. Amen.