Passion Sunday
The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, “What
do you see?” And I said, “I see a
boiling pot, tilted away from the north.”
-- Jeremiah 1:13.
The pot is boiling.
Again.
The whole world seems to be bubbling over.
Hatred. Anger. Fear.
Violence.
The world churns with them.
The world feeds on them.
The vitriol of presidential politics. Shootings in schools and theaters and
churches and on city streets. The crushing
reality of racism. The out-of-control
fear of those who speak differently, or believe differently or think
differently or look differently. The never
ending specter of terrorism. Wars and
rumors of war.
People wonder, “Where is God in all this?” People declare, “There can be no God in all
of this!”
Three times, as Jesus walked with his disciples from Galilee
to Jerusalem, he told his disciples he was going to Jerusalem to die. Three times.
Jesus did not turn away from the boiling pot, he walked right into
it. Jesus did not turn away from the
hatred, anger, fear and violence of his own day, he opened his arms to it. Jesus did not turn away from the death and
destruction wrought by the brokenness of humanity, he overcame it.
And that’s where God still is today. Right in the middle of
the churning world. Right in the middle
of the boiling pot. Right there standing
with the victims of the hatred, anger, fear and violence. Right there standing with the suffering and
the dying and the dispossessed. Just as
God always has been. Just as God always
will be.
On Sunday, Christians enter into the most important week of
our whole year. During this holy week,
we will retell the story of Jesus’ final days on his journey to the cross and celebrate
his victory over hatred, anger, fear, violence and death. In this story, we are reminded of God’s
passion for God’s world. We are reminded
that the power of love, God’s love, is stronger than all those things that can
and do tear our world apart. We are
reminded that, even as the pot boils, Jesus walks with us, and invites us to
walk with him.
Peace,
Bishop Mike
I invite you to join us next week as, once again, we tell
the story of God’s passionate love for us and for the whole world (no
exceptions) in Jesus Christ.
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