Passion
Sunday
Passion Sunday is the fifth
Sunday in Lent, and the first Sunday in Passiontide, the last two weeks of
Lent, beginning on Passion Sunday and ending on Holy Saturday (the Saturday
before Easter).
All crosses, pictures, images are
covered with opaque purple veils and Gloria Patri is omitted during this
period. Passion Sunday is so-called because in the gospel for that day (John 8:
46-59) Jesus begins his sufferings by being stoned out of the temple. Under the old calendar, Passion Sunday
was also known as Judica Sunday,
after that day's Introit: "Judica me, Deus" ("Judge me, O
Lord") from Psalm 42 (43), and was called Black Sunday in Germany. This alternate name originates from the
fact that after Passion Sunday, the Judica Psalm was not said again until
Easter; the German title comes from the old practice of veiling the crosses and
statues in the church on that day.
The Roman Catholic Church has
completely suppressed Passiontide and eliminated Palm Sunday during the course
of abandoning much of the Christian history and doctrine. They now refer to Palm Sunday as “Passion
Sunday.” Traditional catholics[1]
still observe Passiontide as well as its rites and ceremonies. Passiontide is observed in the Anglican
Communion.
Propers
The Propers for today are found
on Page 132-133, with the Collect first:
The Fifth Sunday in Lent, commonly called
Passion Sunday.
The
Collect.
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E beseech
thee, Almighty God, mercifully to look upon thy people; that by thy great
goodness they may be governed and preserved evermore, both in body and soul;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
And due to the rubric, the Collect for the Day is
followed by the Collect for Ash Wednesday, which is found on Page 124:
The first day of Lent, commonly called
Ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday.
The
Collect.
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LMIGHTY and
everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the
sins of all those who are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite
hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our
wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and
forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
¶ This Collect is to be said every day in Lent, after the
Collect appointed for the day, until Palm Sunday.
Ryan Hopkins read the Epistle for today, which came from Paul’s
letter to the Hebrews, starting at the Eleventh Verse of the Ninth Chapter. Paul summarizes both the symbolism and
the substance of the Lord’s sacrifice on our behalf. Paul opens the secret of the One Perfect Sacrifice, One
Time, for All Time and All Mankind.
Paul is clearly appealing to the sense of the Jews when he asks them if
the blood of goats will set aside or atone for sin, how much more can be done
by the Perfect Sacrifice made on our behalf?
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HRIST being come an high priest of good things to
come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to
say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his
own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an
heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: how
much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered
himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the
living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by
means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the
first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal
inheritance.
Deacon Striker Jack Arnold read this morning’s Gospel
which comes from the Gospel of Saint John, starting at the Forty-Sixth Verse of
the Eighth Chapter and tells the story of Jesus’ confrontation with the
Pharisees in the temple. Like much
of John it is filled with deep explanation of Jesus and His purpose here.
Knowing them looking to find the worst in Him, Jesus
asked, “Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye
not believe me?” In a point
central to Christianity, he went on, “He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye
therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” When we hear the term Jews here, we should hear the world in
general, for He spoke to all who would not hear. When they would not hear, He pointed out He sought not glory
or praise from them, but only from the Father whom in reality they knew
not. Here He offers the singular
benefit of Christianity, “If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.” This concept being foreign to them,
they asked if He thought He was greater than Abraham. That brought the crowning touch, “Your father Abraham
rejoiced to see my day.” Knowing
He was only in his early 30s, they could not grasp how he could have seen Abraham.
In a demonstration of the non-linearity of God’s
time, He said, “Before Abraham was, I am.[2]” As might be expected, this offended the
Keepers of The Law.
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ESUS said, Which of you
convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that
is of God heareth God’s words: ye
therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. Then answered the Jews, and
said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?
Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour
me. And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see
death. Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham
is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall
never taste of death. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead?
and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? Jesus answered, If I
honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom
ye say, that he is your God: yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if
I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you; but I know him,
and keep his saying. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it,
and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old,
and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but
Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.
Sermon – Time
and Action
Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and
Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.
Consider these words from the Collect:
… thy people; … by thy great
goodness they may be governed and preserved evermore, both in body and soul …
In the Collect, we ask God to let us allow us to look
to Him for leadership and direction that we might be saved, both our physical
bodies and souls. For, if we do
not look to God for our guidance and direction we are surely lost like a man in
the wilderness without a compass.
If we look to Him for guidance, we then look to Him
for safety. Pretty clearly the
Mosaic law with its 613 rules did not really work to save mankind. The constant sacrifice of animals could
not make us accounted for perfect in God’s eye. We were always destined to fail. We could not make the grade on our own.
Our only means of being accounted as perfect when we
come before God is to rely on the sacrifice and intermediary priesthood of His
Son, our Savior Jesus Christ to account us as perfect before God on that final
day. While if we follow His Word,
we will be better than we will if we do not, we will not be perfect. Thus, without the sacrifice of His Son,
we will not make the cut. We will
end up in the pit. We need that
one sacrifice, at one time, for all mankind, for all time
In the Gospel, Jesus reminds us that if we believe in
Him and keep His Word, then we shall make our seamless journey from the
Shadowlands to His Home. The
Pharisees, for the most part, could not conceive, or would not conceive, that
God would send His Son to this world for us. Yet, He came and He made that one sacrifice, at one time,
for all mankind, for all time. For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life[3].
Who is Jesus?
Our Savior? Indeed. But, more He has been since before the
beginning of the world, for He is one with I Am.
Through His Actions, we are saved.
Do ye likewise:
ACT
It is by our actions we are known.
Bishop Ogles’ Sermon
Bishop Jerry is back from his
South Pacific odyssey and on line.
We are oft fortunate to get copies of Bishop Jerry’s sermon notes. Today is one of those Sundays. Today we get a brilliant and inspiring
sermon based on the parable of the vineyard with perhaps a twist:
Sermon Notes
for PASSION SUNDAY
25 March 2012
Anno Domini
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E beseech
thee, Almighty God, mercifully to look upon thy people; that by thy great
goodness they may be governed and preserved evermore, both in body and soul;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
9 Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to
husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. 10 And at the season he sent a servant to the
husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the
husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. 11 And again he sent another servant: and they beat
him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. 12 And again he sent a third: and they wounded him
also, and cast him out. 13 Then said the lord of the
vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will
reverence him when they see him. 14 But
when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is
the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. 15 So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed
him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? 16 He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and
shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. 17 And he beheld them, and said, What is
this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is
become the head of the corner? 18 Whosoever
shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it
will grind him to powder.
19 And the chief priests and the scribes
the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they
perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. (Luke 20:9-19)
The Lord
often refers to His people as a Vineyard, or a Garden.
The Song of
Solomon is full of illustrations of the relationship of Christ to His Bride,
the Church: A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up,
a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with
pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, (Song 4:12-13)
God has made
a fence around His people to keep the world from coming into it. Our behaviors
and associations are hedged about so that we do not grow wild as the tares and
briars of the field.
The parable
today comes after Christ has vanquished the Sanhedrin in their attempt to
undermine Him in the Temple when they demanded to know by what authority Jesus
spoke these things. Jesus exposed their treachery and ignorance publicly.
Now He speaks
to the people, but subtly to priest present as well.
He makes
reference to a certain man… the Lord of Hosts.
9 Then began he to speak to the people
this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to
husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.
a
certain man planted a vineyard;
the people of the Jews are identified by the vineyard; the "certain man" is the Lord of hosts; the planting of it is His bringing and settling the people
Israel in the land of Canaan.
Matthew,
in the same account, adds: There was a certain householder, which planted a
vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a
tower, and let it out to husbandmen (Matt 21:33)
He hedged it
about to keep the world out (as in SS 4:12-13).
He digged a
winepress in it – perhaps an allusion to His sacrifice in blood of purchasing His
people out of their sins and bondage.
Built a Tower
– set watchers over the people to warn them of thieves and unsavory types who
would attempt to invade the garden.,and let it forth to husbandmen;
the husbandmen here referred to are those rulers of Israel whose duty it was to
preach and to teach, to counsel and to warn.
and went into a far country
for a long time;
the time from the giving of the Law until Christ.
10 And at the season he
sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the
vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. 11 And again he sent another
servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him
away empty. 12 And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and
cast him out.
God sent His
prophets unto them. Their treatment of the prophets was a gradually escalating
trend of cruelty and ill-treatment. Jeremiah was imprisoned, Isaiah was sawn
asunder. Abel was murdered by his own brother, Cain. They laughed at Hosea and
Noah.
13 Then said the lord of the vineyard, What
shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him
when they see him.
Finally, God
determines it is time to send His Only Begotten Son. He did so wittingly,
knowing that they would treat Him with harshness and even murder Him.
14 But when the husbandmen saw him, they
reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him,
that the inheritance may be ours. 15 So
they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him
This exposes
the greed and jealousy of the Jewish leaders in wanting to destroy Christ. They
knew full well that He was the Heir of the Father, yet they wanted no
interference with their own power.
They had
Christ beaten, taken outside the gates of the City – Via Dolorsa – and finally
murdered Him.
What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?
If you were a
powerful King who sent His Son to claim the fruits of His own Garden, and the
keepers murdered Him, what would YOU do?
16 He shall come and
destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others
Christ would
take the Kingdom from the Jews and give it to a nation bearing the fruits
thereof. Remember His rebuke to the Jewish leaders? 42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the
builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the
Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 43 Therefore say I unto you,
The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the
fruits thereof. (Matt
21:42-43)
And
when they heard it, they said, God forbid It is abundantly clear by their response that they knew Christ spoke
of them (the Jewish leaders).
17 And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the
builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? 18 Whosoever shall fall upon
that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him
to powder.
The very
cornerstone of the Great Pyramid at Giza lay half buried at its base and kept
getting in the way of the workers. They often cursed the stone until, nearly
completed with the pyramid, they discovered that this was the capstone. By that
time, it was too late to erect it to the top of the structure. So the Great
Pyramid remains unfinished without its capstone. Without Christ as the Chief
Cornerstone of our Church, we are unfinished. In that day shall there be
an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the
border thereof to the LORD. 20 And
it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of
Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall
send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them. (Isaiah 19:19-20)
The Dollar
Bill depicts that Chief Cornerstone above the pyramid on the National Seal.
19 And the chief priests and the
scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people:
for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them
There is an
old adage that says: If the shoe fits, wear it! The shoe did fit the Jewish
leaders and they were incensed to the point of desiring to murder Christ on the
spot – but they feared the people – they were political creatures and must
consider how they would be viewed by the people. They would, rather, allow Rome
to do their dirty deed of murder.
We are that
Vineyard to which Christ refers. He has planted us, purchased us, and set
watchers on the towers above us to keep us from error.
He has made a
winepress, flowing with His own blood and sacrifice, in the midst of the
Vineyard.
He has hedged
us about to keep us separated from the world and its weeds of sin.
Have you
heeded the watchman's warning of the world of sin and filth?
Have you
remained within the limits of behavior that God has set for you?
Have you
drunk from the winepress of His Blood shed for you?
Are you eager
for the return of the Owner and Heir of the Vineyard, or do you tremble to know
that He is Coming to receive His own and to judge those who have not been
faithful?
Decide today
upon which side of the Line of Decision you shall stand at His coming.
Bishop
Dennis Campbell’s Sunday Sermon
As
is oft the case, we are honored to present Bishop Dennis’ Sunday sermon
presented to his parish. Dennis
has an excellent command of scripture and is able to present it in a manner
which is completely understandable to the rest of us. This year’s sermons are being drawn from the book of
Psalms, or, as it is known by Anglicans, "The Psalter" which begins on page 343 of the Book of Common
Prayer. Today he discussed the
psalm for this Sunday, Psalm 51.
We think you will really enjoy it!
The God Who Suffers for Us
Psalm 51, Hebrews 9:11-15, John 8:46-59
Passion Sunday
25 March 2012
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RANT, O Lord, that
by thy holy Word read and preached in this place, and by thy Holy Spirit
grafting it inwardly in the heart, the hearers thereof may both perceive and
know what things they ought to do, and may have power and strength to fulfill
the same.
Psalm 51. Miserere
mei, Deus.
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AVE mercy upon me, O God, after thy great good- ness;
* according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences.
2
Washmethroughlyfrommywickedness,*andcleanse me from my sin.
3
For I acknowledge my faults, * and my sin is ever be- fore me.
4
Against thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight; * that thou
mightest be justified in thy saying, and clear when thou shalt judge.
5
Behold, I was shapen in wickedness, * and in sin hath my mother conceived me.
6
But lo, thou requirest truth in the inward parts, * and shalt make me to
understand wisdom secretly.
7
Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; * thou shalt wash me,
and I shall be whiter than snow.
8
Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness, * that the bones which thou hast
broken may rejoice.
9
Turn thy face from my sins, * and put out all my mis- deeds.
10
Make me a clean heart, O God, * and renew a right spirit within me.
11
Cast me not away from thy presence, * and take not thy holy Spirit from me.
12
O give me the comfort of thy help again, * and stab- lish me with thy free
Spirit.
13
Then shall I teach thy ways unto the wicked, * and sinners shall be converted
unto thee.
14
Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou that art the God of my health; *
and my tongue shall sing of thy righteousness.
15
Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord, * and my mouth shall show thy praise.
16
For thou desirest no sacrifice, else would I give it thee; * but thou
delightest not in burnt-offerings.
17
The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit: * a broken and contrite heart, O
God, shalt thou not despise.
18
O be favourable and gracious unto Sion; * build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19
Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, with the
burnt-offerings and oblations; * then shall they offer young bullocks upon
thine altar.
Most people would define "passion" as
strong feelings or intense desires. But in earlier times, such as the
time the King James Version was translated, passion was understood in more
accordance with its Greek roots. For, like so many of our English words,
passion came into English from the Greek language, and the Greek word means to
suffer, to experience intense and painful suffering. It is the word used
in Acts 1:3, which says Jesus "shewed Himself alive after His passion by
many infallible proofs.
Today, Passion Sunday, we recall the suffering of
Christ through the phony trial, the crown of thorns, the beating, the
rejection, the death on the cross, and, worst of all, bearing the wrath of God
for our sins. The Collect asks God to govern and preserve His people,
meaning those who are forgiven and cleansed by the Passion of Christ.
Hebrews 9 reminds us that Christ suffered voluntarily, offering up
Himself as the only offering that can effectively cover our sin. John 8
recalls the Jewish leaders rejecting Christ, which led to their turning Christ
over to the Romans to suffer crucifixion. Psalm 51 applies the Passion of
Christ to the very personal needs each of us has before God. It is about
the reason why Christ had to offer Himself up as our sacrifice. It is
about our need for Christ's Passion.
The Psalm was written by David shortly after his sin
with Bathsheba. We all know that David desired Bathsheba, and that he arranged
for her husband to be placed on the front line of a fierce battle where he
would almost certainly be killed. David did this to try to cover up his
sin of adultery with Bathsheba, which had resulted in her pregnancy. It
didn't work. His sin was found out, and many were forced to reap its
bitter fruits. Psalm 51 is a song of great sorrow and penance.
Finally, probably as he waited and prayed that the very sickly baby born of his
sin, would live, David began to realise the depth and wickedness of his sin,
the lives he had ruined and the lives he had cost. He finally began to
realise the odiousness of his sin in the eyes of God. The first four
verse of the Psalm express David's broken-hearted and shame-filled confession
of his sin. "I acknowledge my faults," my transgressions, the
many times I have intentionally broken the holy Law of God. "My
sin," my rebellion, my evil, "is ever before me." David
says, I can't stop thinking about it. I can't get it out of my mind. It
haunts me like the gates of hell chasing after me day and night.
Our sins may be different from David's, but every
honest person can see himself in Psalm 51. We recognise that we have done
things that have affected the lives of many other people. We have caused
unnecessary pain, worry, and sorrow as we manipulated circumstances and used,
or ignored, people to get what we want instead of loving God with all our
heart, soul, and mind, and loving our neighbor (mother, father, daughter, son,
fellow Christian) as our selves according to the pure and righteous Law of
God. Maybe you have never physically committed adultery, but you have
committed it in your heart. Maybe you never physically killed another
person, but you have acted hatefully and wickedly toward people. You have
assassinated people's character, or you have made their lives a living death by
your failure to live out your God-given responsibilities. And you know the
words of Romans 3:23 express the truth about you when they say, "all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God."
One of the verses we often read in Lent is Joel 2:13,
"Rend your heart and not your garments." In Biblical times
people expressed intense sorrow or repentance by tearing the bodice of their
robes. As you can imagine, some people tore their robes without really
feeling the sorrow and without repenting. The forms have changed, but the
practice continues today, for many church people continue in their old, sinful
habits and patterns of life while outwardly preserving the appearance of a
Godly, Christian life. In so doing they are rending their
"garments" while their hearts decay within them. It is so easy
to go through the outward forms of worship and prayer and say the right words
of confession and repentance and faith in Christ, yet never really mean them,
never really do what we say with our lips. That is rending the garment
instead of the heart. It is an outward show of repentance that is not
meant in the heart. God detests such shows. God tells us to rend
our hearts. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. God wants
hearts that are broken over sin. God wants hearts that ache over the evil
that is in us. God wants hearts that are ready to be made new, whose
deepest and most intense prayers are not, Lord, give me more of the toys of
earth, but, Lord create in me a clean heart.
I truly hope this day, your heart is broken over your
own sin. I hope it weighs you down like an elephant standing on your
soul. Because when it weighs you down like that, then you are ready to
let God do something about it. Then you are willing to let, even, beg God
to create in you a clean heart.
I'm not just talking about forgiveness. Most
people only want forgiveness from God. They only want to be released from
the penalty of sin; they don't want to become new creatures. They don't
want to "live a godly, righteous and sober life." They have no
intention of giving up themselves to God's service or living before Him in
holiness and righteousness all their days. But again, that is rending
their garments instead of their hearts.
The good news is, God is the God of all grace and the
Father of all mercies. He is more than willing to forgive the sins of all
who are penitent. Christ "came into the world to save
sinners." "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." His
very dying words were, "Father, forgive them." That's why He
went to the cross. He suffered the wrath of God for you, in your place.
Instead of justly punishing your for your sins, He bore His wrath in Himself on
the cross. He became your sacrificial Lamb, and He forgives the sins of
all who call upon Him in Biblical faith.
But He does not merely forgive our sins and leave us
to follow the same old self-destructive habits and patterns. He changes
us. This is one of the most important teachings in all of the
Bible. God changes us. We don't have to repeat the same old
sins. We can be different. Life can be different. God intends
it to be. David prays in verse 10, "Make me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me. This same concept is taught
throughout the Bible, and one of its clearest expressions is found in 2
Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if any man be in Christ," meaning to
trust in Christ to forgive your sins in Biblical faith, "he is a new
creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new." God is about making new creatures out of us, changing our
values, our hope, our desires, our thoughts, and our actions. He is about
changing our entire view of life. He is about making us new in the
likeness of the love and peace and joy of Christ.
--
+Dennis
Campbell
Bishop,
Anglican Orthodox Church Diocese of Virginia
Rector,
Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
Powhatan,
Virginia
What is Holy Week?
Some kind of Roman thing?
Not Roman at all, Christian. In fact, the Romans have abandoned or
ignored much of the week. The term
covers Palm Sunday through Easter.
The Sunday next before Easter is
commonly referred to as Palm Sunday.
The period between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday is often referred to as
Holy Week. Most churchgoing people
go to church on Palm Sunday, then to church on Easter Sunday. It’s a fairly
uplifting time with not a lot of thinking. On Palm Sunday Jesus makes his
triumphant entry into Jerusalem. On Easter Sunday there’s the joyous
resurrection. What’s not to like about that?
The thing is, there is a
tremendous amount that goes on between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, not all
of it joyous, in fact most of it is pretty scary or sad. The beginning of the week was
wonderful; in the end the week was even more wonderful. In between was a series of ups and
downs the ups a little high and the downs very very deep. It is important to
remember as you go through Holy Week that Jesus was in control of all the
events of the week. The week
starts with the Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem and ends with the death
of the Savior on the Cross and the burial of his body in the tomb. It is a week of ups and downs without
parallel, the ups a little high and the downs very, very deep, deep as Hell you
might say, and precedes the most joyous day of the year, the Day of the
Resurrection or Easter Sunday.
Jesus has a triumphant entry into
the city on the First Day of the Week (Sunday); on Thursday night he celebrates
the Passover with his disciples in the Upper Room, he prays and agonizes over
what he knows is coming in the garden of Gethsemane; Judas betrays him early
Friday morning, his most trusted disciple denies him, not once but three times
before the cock crew; the Jews condemn him to Pilate who in turn orders him to
be beaten and humiliated; that does not satisfy the Jews and at their request,
Pilate condemns a man he knows to be innocent to a horrible death to pacify the
crowd of Jews assembled by the priests; Jesus is crucified, asks John to take
care of his mother and gives up the ghost; his body is taken down and buried;
the disciples are dispersed and discouraged; they have listened to their Lord,
but not understood.
Think of this week from the
disciples’ perspective, on the first day they enter with their leader into
Jerusalem in triumph; mid-week they celebrate the joyous feast of the Passover,
then their leader is betrayed, defends himself not and is killed. At the time they surely could not think
of this as a Holy Week and certainly not a Good Friday. Yet on the first day of the week that
follows, our Lord is Risen, Risen indeed and delivers the promise of salvation
in person.
It is important to remember as
you go through Holy Week that Jesus was in control of all the events of the
week.
What a week!
Palm Sunday
The name Palm Sunday comes from
the palm leaves, along with clothing and other honors strewn along Jesus’ path
as He came in to Jerusalem the first day of the week before His
crucifixion. Of interest, only
Jesus knew of the upcoming crucifixion, every one else, including Jews, Romans
and the Christians, thought he was making a triumphant entrance in to the city
to take control of things and kick the Roman occupation force out. The moon was
almost full, this was the year of the Messiah according to Daniel. Jesus chose the route into the city,
through the King’s Gate. The people
saw Him coming and met him at the Mount of Olives. They expected Him to come in and proclaim His rule. And that He did, but not in the way the
people were looking for. Those who thought of Him as Lord looked
for a Kingdom of this World to be established. Sunday was a day of triumph and
fulfilled the anticipation of the Jews of a day for which they had waited four
centuries. The Messiah had finally
come, at the time predicted by scripture.
They were certain that He would free them from the burdensome and cruel
yoke of Roman rule. The Jews would
finally be on top of the power pyramid.
They would rule the world under Him! Yet, that was not to be. The day in the temple!
Holy Cow! Here their savior
was throwing people out of the temple, not throwing the Romans out of
Jerusalem. They were sad to learn
He came not to rule this world, for that time was not yet come; He came to give
them the key to eternal salvation.
He came to take them from this veil of tears to a state of perfect
freedom. They wanted someone to
throw the Romans out and all God sent them was the key to eternal life. What a disappointment!
Monday
On Monday, Jesus preached in the
Temple and further distanced Himself from the people’s vision and demonstrated
God’s vision. He went in to the
temple and through out the vendors selling “sacrificial” birds and animals at
exorbitant cost, as well as the moneychangers, changing Roman money for Temple
money dishonestly. Far from
announcing Himself head of the temple, He announced they had made His Father’s
house a den of thieves. Rather
than working within the Jewish establishment, He over turned it!
Tuesday
Jesus and the Pharisees dispute
in the Temple. He left for the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives.
There he delivers the “Mount of Olives Discourse”. Judas agrees to betray him
to the Jewish priests for 30 pieces of silver.
Wednesday
The Sanhedrin was gathered
together and decided to kill Jesus, even before Pesach if possible. In the
meantime, Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper. Here he was
anointed on his head by Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, with very
expensive ointment of spikenard. Some of the disciples, particularly Judas,
keeper of the purse, were indignant about this; the oil could have been sold to
support the poor. Jesus reminded
them of the importance of first things first and the futility of giving, rather
than helping, when He said in Matthew 26.11 “For ye have the poor always with
you; but me ye have not always.” Judas
went to the Sanhedrin and offered them his support in exchange for silver. From
this moment on Judas was looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus. Judas
spied on Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane where he came on his plan.
Maundy Thursday
At the Passover Feast, Jesus and
his disciples share the “Last Supper” and He washes their feet. Jesus blesses
his bread and wine as his flesh and blood and shares it with his disciples, the
institution of the Sacrament of Holy Communion. He informs them that one of
them will betray him. They go back to the garden of Gethsemane.
Good Friday
In the early hours before sunup,
Jesus is betrayed by the “Judas Kiss” and arrested. At sunrise, he is disowned
by Peter thrice before the cock croweth. When brought before Caiaphas, the
Jewish High Priest, and his Council, he is condemned. He says that he will rise
from death after three days.
They hand him over to the Roman
authority, Pontius Pilate, who sends him to Herod (Antipas, the son of Herod
the Great). Then Pilate asks the crowd who he is to pardon: a murderer, or
Jesus? The crowd chooses Barabas and Jesus is sentenced to death.
Jesus is brought to Calvary,
where on the “third hour” (9 am) he is crucified. He is mocked as he hangs
between the Bad Thief and the Good Thief, whom he blesses. On the “sixth hour”
(noon), darkness covers the land. Jesus cries out “My God, My God, hast Thou
forsaken Me? ”
After drinking wine, he commits
his spirit to his Father and dies. Matthew reports an earthquake that destroys
the Temple. Many understand now that Jesus was the Son of God. His body is
taken down and anointed. He is buried in a cave. This is the first day of
death.
Holy Saturday
The Jewish Council remembers his
vow to return and has the tomb guarded and sealed with a heavy stone. His
followers stay in the “Easter Vigil”. Second day of death.
Easter Sunday
On the third day of death, Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary find the tomb empty, but for an angel who tells
them Jesus is already resurrected and is on His way to Galilee. On their way to
tell the others, Jesus appears to them.
Death is conquered, the Promise delivered. Our lives from this day forward are eternal!
Think about the Week that was!
The reason Jesus came to
Jerusalem at the Passover was to take the place of the yearly sacrifice by one
perfect sacrifice, one time, for all time and for all mankind. His was the blood
marking our door that the destroyer might pass over. The week started on a triumphant note and ended up trying to
do between there were windows into the future, glimpses of the past, moments of
despair, moments of terror, moments of confusion; but in the end joy and the
ultimate triumph.
Thou,
Thee or Me - Archaic or just Proper English?
At the risk of repeating things
you all may already know, I should like to share a little of what I say to
folks who are not familiar with the pronoun forms ¨thou, thee, ye and you¨.
First of all, these forms are not
¨Old English¨. They are Modern English. Old English is technically Anglo-Saxon,
which sounds a lot like German, is highly inflected, and which in turn
developed into Middle English, the language spoken by Chaucer and his
contemporaries and which contains a good deal of French. Middle English also
sounds strange to our ears but it in turn developed into Modern English, which
is already what we call the language spoken by Shakespeare and Cranmer in the 16th
century.
¨Thou and thee¨ do come to us
from Old English or Anglo-Saxon, but they are the modern form of that
derivation. For example, here is the first line of the Lord´s Prayer in
Anglo-Saxon ... Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum ... the word ¨Ã¾u¨ or ¨thu¨
being just an early form of the word ¨thou¨ ... The phrase literally is ...
Father our thou that art in heaven ...
¨Thou¨ is simply the nominative
singular form of the second person personal pronoun ¨you¨ ... That is ... it is
the form used to say ¨you¨ when the ¨you¨ is the subject of the sentence. The
form ¨thee¨ is simply the accusative singular of the same pronoun. That is, it
is the form used when the ¨you¨ is the object of a verb or a preposition. The
same pattern holds with ¨ye¨ and ¨you¨. The ¨ye¨ is the nominative plural form
and the ¨you¨ the accusative plural form.
Thus, we would say ... ¨thou art
good¨ ... but ¨I love thee¨.
Or, ¨ye are good¨ ... but ¨I love you¨.
The distinction is easily seen in
this prayer from the BCP ... ¨Ye that do truly and earnestly repent you of your
sins¨ ... where ¨ye¨ is nominative and ¨you¨ accusative ... ¨ye¨ the subject of
the sentence... and ¨you¨ the object of the verb repent ... which is in this
case a reflexive verb.
The preservation of these distinctions
in the Authorized Version and in our BCP is quite useful. It preserves distinctions inherent in
the original languages of the Bible and which are important to our
understanding of God´s Word. Likewise, these sorts of distinctions are used in
many other modern languages and are easily learned by the smallest child. As
well, we still retain similar forms even in Modern English, the distinctions
between ¨I¨ and ¨me¨ or ¨he¨ and ¨him¨, for example, which are just
distinctions between nominative and accusative forms.
In addition, the use of ¨thou¨
and ¨thee¨ is really to be more personal and informal and direct than to use
¨you¨ as we do exclusively in the present day version of Modern English as used
here in North America. I recall reading letters written by Henry VIII to Anne
Boleyn ... he refers to her as ¨thou.¨
When she replies to him, there is no use of ¨thou¨ but rather ¨ye¨ and
¨you.¨ In the same way in Spanish
people often refer to a respected elder as ¨vosotros¨ ... which is the plural
of ¨tu¨ or ¨you¨. The idea is that the respected person should not be refered
to in a way that is too informal or familiar. The plural form shows respect.
Interestingly in Spanish, the informal ¨tu¨ is always used to refer to God.
So, in Modern English, ¨thou¨ and
¨thee¨, besides being more accurate, are actually more personal, informal, and
intimate than the one general, boring, over-used pronoun that we are accustomed
to use. Thus, ¨Thou shall not steal¨ has a very personal and direct
application. Or, when we refer to God as ¨Thou¨ ... we are referring as
children to our loving heavenly Father, not some distant and impersonally
divine ¨you¨.
Thus, praying that some of this
might be useful, and thanking you all for your patience, I bid you most
heartily well to fare ...
In Christ,
+ Garth
Garth R. Neel, Missionary Bishop
Anglican Orthodox Church
Kendal, Saskatchewan, Canada
[1]
In this case the word
catholic catholic (derived via Late Latin catholicus, from the Greek adjective
καθολικός (katholikos), means "universal") comes from the Greek
phrase καθόλου (kath'holou), meaning "on the whole," "according
to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek
words κατά meaning "about" and όλος meaning "whole". The word in English means
"including a wide variety of things; all-embracing" in particular as
"relating to the historic doctrine and practice of the Western
Church." It was first
used to describe the Christian Church in the early 2nd century to emphasize its
universal scope. In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich
history and several usages. The
term has been incorporated into the name of the Roman Catholic Church, arguably
not actually a Christian church, though with many Christian members, under the
Bishop of Rome. Other Christians
use the term "catholic" (normally with a lower-case letter
"c") to refer not to the Roman Catholic Church but the Christian
Church and all believers in Jesus Christ across the world and across the ages,
regardless of denominational affiliation.
[2]
This response was
similar to God’s answer to Moses’ question, “Who do I tell them sent me?”
[3]
If the text of this
sentence seems familiar, it is John 3.16, probably the most widely quoted text
of the Bible.
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