April 6, 2023 – Maundy Thursday

“Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.” After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them.  If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him.  If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 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.” John 13:1-17, 31-35

Jesus has not just given his own disciples a new commandment – he has given all of his disciples a commandment – those with him then – those throughout time. Jesus commands us to love everyone. Now, this kind of love is hard. I know this is not news to you. In Jesus’ time, love was understood in a contextually different way.

The Hebrew word for love is “Ahava”. Hebrew words generally have a three-consonant root word that contains the essence of the word’s meaning. The root word of ahava is “ahav.” The term ahav in Hebrew means, “to give.”  True ahava, true love, then is more concerned about what we give, than what we receive. For the Hebrew understanding of love, being the center of someone’s attention isn’t love. And love isn’t about getting some feeling or fix.Ahava is about giving devotion and time. Giving is the vehicle of love. As the text from John 3:16 tells us, YHWH so loved the world that He GAVE His only Son. Meaningful relationships have mutual giving. Love may focus on receiving, but ahava is all about giving. There is a difference.  Consider that the Hebrew word “ahava” is not an emotion but an action.It is not something that happens “to you” but a condition that you create when you give.  You don’t “fall” in love – you give love!

Jesus has given us a new commandment to love one another – and to love as Jesus commands is to serve others, to be with others, to put others first out of love for them. So let’s be prodigal with our love – giving it away again and again in a wastefully, extravagant manner.

Let us pray: Dear G-d, loving everyone is hard – even loving the people in my family and friends group is often hard. With your Son as my guide, give me the patience and the strength to learn to love as you command. Amen.

Pastor Dave

April 5, 2023 – Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross originated in pilgrimages to Jerusalem. There was a desire to reproduce the “Way” of Jesus in the last week of his life, especially in and around Jerusalem. So, by the 4th century, there were attempts by certain people, like Constantine’s mother, to give people an opportunity to visit important sites from the life of Jesus – from his birth, to the crucifixion, to his resurrection.

At the monastery of Santo Stefano at Bologna a group of connected chapels was constructed as early as the 5th century, by St. Petronius, Bishop of Bologna, which was intended to represent the more important shrines of Jerusalem. As such this monastery became familiarly known as “Santa Gerusalemme”. This may be regarded as the genesis for the idea of the Stations of the Cross, at least outside of Jerusalem developed. It is certain that nothing that we have before about the 15th century can strictly be called a Way of the Cross in the modern sense. And so, we carry on this tradition of traveling the “Way of the Cross” that developed more than 500 years ago by having a service called “The Stations of the Cross.” It is a proper and fitting way to begin the services of Holy Week.

There are two ways that the stations can be conducted. One is to have “stations” along a route outside the church, or a smaller route inside the church. From the first station, people then travel to any number of stations where a lesson from the passion story is read followed by a prayer. After a brief time of silence and reflection, the group travels to the next “station”.

A second way to honor the “stations of the Cross” is to sit in the nave of the church and read the lessons and prayers and either project images or include images in a booklet. This is the way that my congregation honors the stations – and adding a few places to walk to as we read the texts and contemplate on the works of Jesus. What is most important about the Stations of the Cross is the opportunity we offer to people in the community to again hear and meditate upon the passion of Jesus.

Pastor Dave