A Message for March 14, 2021 -- No Matter What

 

          This week, we have another scripture lesson from the Gospel of John.  Oddly, our lectionary reading for the day starts in the middle of a conversation Jesus was having with the Pharisee Nicodemus.

          You may recall the setting of the encounter.  Nicodemus was a well-known Pharisee – Pharisees were scholars and teachers of the Jewish law and scripture.  Nicodemus was also a member of the Jewish ruling council.  So, he was a well-respected scholar, teacher, and leader of the Jewish people.

          Nicodemus was curious about Jesus.  But, he was a recognizable public official.  So, instead of having a conversation with Jesus during the day out in the open, Nicodemus came and spoke to Jesus in the middle of the night.  Nicodemus did not want everyone to know he was curious about Jesus and his message. 

          Nicodemus had lots of questions for Jesus.  We are not going to cover the entire conversation today, but I recommend that everyone take a look at the third chapter of John this week and read Nicodemus’ questions and how Jesus answered him.  Listen now to a portion of their encounter as it is written about in John, chapter 3, verses 14 through 21: 

Scripture Reading      John 3:14-21

Jesus said:

14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 

18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 

19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 

20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 

21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Prayer for Understanding

God of light and truth, send your Holy Spirit to move in us and among us this day. Speak to us through the scriptures, read and interpreted, so that they lead us to encounter your Living Word, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 

Message                                No Matter What                  

          Nicodemus wanted to know how Jesus fit into the Jewish faith.  Who was Jesus?  Was he sent by God? Was he the messiah? Was he divine?

          Nicodemus visited Jesus under the cloak of darkness. He needed to have his answers, but he also didn’t want anyone to know about his curiosity.  He was interested, but couldn’t be public about his seeking out Jesus.

          We also struggle with some of the same questions Nicodemus struggled with.  Even though many of us have been raised hearing that Jesus was the messiah and the living part of God, hearing it and understanding it are two different things -- we still work to put it all together.  It is difficult for us to reconcile that Jesus came to the world as the messiah but that didn’t protect him from his tragic death.  It is often difficult for us to conceptualize that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine.  And, we wonder, if Jesus was the human part of God, why didn’t the divine part of God rescue him during his time of trial?

          Our reading this morning contains a portion of scripture that is considered the  most famous and best known verse from the New Testament: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16…We see sports figures painting this scripture on their eye blacks, and fans holding up this sign in the stands at stadiums, and people have it tattooed on their bodies.  But, what does it mean and why is it important?

            This one sentence, this one statement of Jesus, summarizes God’s relationship with humanity and also communicates how we are delivered from our sins.  God’s love for humanity is so great God allowed Jesus to die on the cross.  Jesus was too controversial to remain alive in the first century – he threatened the Romans.  He broke convention. His message scared people and disrupted the shaky order that prevailed in Israel. Jesus came with the message that God loves us and forgives our sins.  And, through our belief in God, we receive eternal life.  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.    

            This statement is about God’s grace.  Grace is more than a female given name, like Grace Kelly or Grace Jones.  Grace is more than the prayer we say before a meal.  Grace is more than the ability to move beautifully like a figure skater or a ballerina.  Grace is when we love someone even when they don’t deserve it.  God’s grace is the fact that God continues to love us, care for us, and forgive us even though we don’t deserve it.  Grace is unmerited --- we haven’t done anything to deserve it.  Grace means God forgives us and frees us from our sin.  God loves us so much God allowed Jesus to live on earth and die so that we would know, know deep in our bones, that God loves us.

            Jesus talked to Nicodemus under the cover of darkness.   But, in the end of their conversation, Jesus talks about light.  Though Jesus, light has come into the world – the lightbulb moment has occurred – the truth is exposed – Jesus came to enlighten people about the nature of God – God is loving, supportive, and life-giving – God forgives us when we mess up, even though that forgiveness is unmerited.  God sees us plainly – we can’t hide our actions, and thoughts, and feelings from God.  Yet, God loves and forgives us. 

            Jesus came to the world to save the people of the world.  And, it is our responsibility to not be like Nicodemus was when he came to talk to Jesus.  We are not supposed to be secret Christians.  We are called by God to be open about who we are and the faith we proclaim.  The message of the gospel is too important to keep under wraps: God loves us, God forgives us, God gives us salvation, and God wants us to live lives where we spread love, forgiveness and compassion to all other people.  This is not something to keep quiet about, but we are to show our faith in our actions and share our faith with our words.  God loves us so much God shared Jesus with us.  And, in response, we are invited to share the message with everyone we meet.

May it be so. Amen.

Weekly Email to the Trinity Family -- March 12, 2021

  

Greetings Trinity Family,

I pray that you are well as we prepare for this, the second weekend in March.  The sun is shining and the snow is melting…thanks be to God!

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME THIS SUNDAY!

Don’t forget we spring ahead this Sunday. 

REOPENING NEWS! – from Nan Burch, our Re-opening Committee Chair

Upon recommendation by the Re-opening Committee and with Consistory's approval, we have decided to again re-open our Church to in-person services beginning on Palm Sunday (March 28) at 10:15AM in the Sanctuary.

The same restrictions will be in place as when we held services in the Education Building. These include: distancing, wearing masks, taking temperatures, sanitizing when necessary, etc. As before, we will be limited to an attendance of 25, and you must reserve your place in advance of each service. To do this, email or call Pastor Amelie or our Administrative Assistant Deb Clewell. (610-584-4054)

Please note that we strongly discourage gathering in groups before or after the service, and remember that distancing must be observed at all times. We also encourage those older or compromised persons who have not yet been vaccinated to keep viewing services via Facebook or Zoom. We are thrilled that we may again gather together in person, but your safety is our greatest concern!

LENT 2021

This Sunday is the fourth Sunday in Lent.  Most years, we join with our Skippack Christians neighbors for Lenten services at each other’s churches.  The churches of our Skippack Ministerium are all doing church differently in the time of Covid and most are not hosing in-person worship services. 

Instead of meeting in-person, each week a Lenten message from one of our pastors will be emailed to you and posted on our Trinity Christian UCC Skippack facebook page.  Attached to this is our forth Lenten message that comes to from your very own pastor, yours truly.  Stay tuned for our next message that I will post and email to you on Wednesday.

Here is Pastor Amelie’s  message:  https://youtu.be/KCtNAeuP79M

HOLY WEEK AT TRINITY

Palm Sunday is the start of Holy Week.  This year, it is on March 28.  We will have worship in our sanctuary limited to 25 people.  Please RSVP to me (Pastor Amelie).We will also have bunches of Palms available for you to pick up.  They will be in vases outside of the sanctuary doors at also at the start of our center walk way in our cemetery.

We are having a prayer walk/stations of the cross set up in our cemetery.  We will have 14 stations: each will have a painting and a prayer.  This year, our paintings are focused on the Pandemic Hope and we will have paintings by the artist Mary Button.  https://www.marybutton.com/#/pandemic-hope/  .  You are invited to take a prayer walk in our cemetery at any point during Holy Week. 

Holy Week has a 5^th Wednesday Special Hymn Sing – tune into the church’s facebook page at 7 pm to sing Easter Hymns on March 31.

Our Maundy Thursday worship service will be held on Facebook at 7 pm on April 1.

We will have two Good Friday Worship services.  At 12 pm on Facebook and on 7 pm on Zoom.  We may also have a hymn sing on Good Friday.

On Easter Sunday, we will have a 7:30 am Sunrise service at the cross in the cemetery.  We will invite people to respect social distance and stay home if they are not feeling well.

We will also have a 10:15 service.  It will be live-streamed on facebook and will also have worship in our sanctuary limited to 25 people.  Please RSVP to Pastor Amelie if you are planning on being in-person at the service.  We will also have an 11 am worship service on ZOOM.  The 10:15 and 11 am services will include Holy Communion.

WORSHIP SERVICES

On Sunday mornings, please join us on Facebook or Zoom:

Join us for our Sunday morning hymn sing at 9:45 am livestreamed from the Trinity Christian UCC Skippack facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/TrinityUCCSkippack

10:15 Facebook livestream Worship.  You can find us at our "Trinity Christian UCC Skippack" facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/TrinityUCCSkippack

11 am ZOOM worship.  You can login at this link:

Amelie Sell is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

 

Topic: Trinity Worship Services

Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/75566827269

 

Meeting ID: 755 6682 7269

One tap mobile

+13017158592,,75566827269# US (Washington D.C)

+13126266799,,75566827269# US (Chicago)

 

Dial by your location

        +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)

        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

        +1 646 876 9923 US (New York)

        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

        +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)

Meeting ID: 755 6682 7269

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kih56ueDN

BIBLE STUDY

We also have a Sunday morning Bible Study on ZOOM at 8:45 am.  Here is the link to log in:

Amelie Sell is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Trinity's Wired Word Discussion Group
Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/76933813590?pwd=Nzc0MkthZFBkdmVNTGYycjVtRXkwUT09

Meeting ID: 769 3381 3590
Password: 7qLSWw

MUSIC MINISTRY

Here is information about Trinity’s Music Ministry: 

Wednesday music schedule:

Adult Choir - 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month on Zoom

Mission Music - 2nd Wednesday of each month on Zoom

Leo - 4th Wednesday of each month on Facebook

Special Surprise - when there is a 5th Wednesday of the month

 

Each of our Wednesday activities will be at 7 pm.   Here is the ZOOM link for our music ministry Wednesday evening activities:

 

Amelie Sell is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

 

Topic: Trinity's Music Ministry

Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87363505182

 

Meeting ID: 873 6350 5182

One tap mobile

+13017158592,,87363505182# US (Germantown)

+13126266799,,87363505182# US (Chicago)

 

Dial by your location

        +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

        +1 646 876 9923 US (New York)

        +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)

        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

Meeting ID: 873 6350 5182

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbetKNjam4

DAILY BREAD COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY

We continue to collect food and toiletry items for the Daily Bread Food Pantry.  They can be left at the doors of the church.

The Daily Bread's Current needs change every few weeks. This is their latest list of needs:

Personal Care: Laundry Detergent, Cleaning Supplies *

Food: Jelly, Jam, Peanut Butter, Mayonnaise, Ketchup, Rice, Skillet Helpers or Rice a Roni, Cookies, Chips, Juice, Shelf Stable Milk, Stuffing, Pie Crust Mix, Pie Crust Fillings in cans,

Pet Care: Dry Cat food*

And any other items you wish to donate would greatly be appreciated!

*These items can’t be purchased with Food Stamps. 

HYMNALS

If you would like to borrow a hymnal from the church, please let me know and I will arrange for you to receive one. 

TRINITY BLOG

Trinity now has a blog where I am posting notes to the congregation and the text of my sermons.  If you would like to read these notes and messages, you can find them at: www.trinityskippack.blogspot.com

I will “see” you in worship on Sunday!

Many blessings!!

Pastor Amelie

 

Midweek Lenten Message

https://youtu.be/KCtNAeuP79M

Greetings to You!  I am Pastor Amelie Sell. I serve Trinity Christian United Church of Christ in beautiful Skippack, Pennsylvania.  Our church has been part of the Skippack Pike Area Ministerium for many years and our members are looking forward to meeting together with our faithful neighbors when Covid-19 is a thing of the past.  

            This year, our theme for Lent is “Into the Wilderness Together.” I have been struck by the word “together.” Often, we recall stories of people like John the Baptist or the Early Desert Fathers who spent time in the wildness isolated and separate from other people.   The 40 days we spend in Lent are based on the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and being tempted…Jesus’ wilderness time was a solo journey. 

But, our scripture also has stories of faithful people spending time in the wilderness together.  The Hebrew people who escaped from slavery in Egypt spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness together – sometimes more “together’ than they wanted.

            I find it stressful to go on car trips with the car full of family or youth group members.  I am a little alarmed by cruises and being on a floating ship crammed full of people.  I can’t imagine the stresses inherent in a 40 year journey in the wilderness with hundreds of people….the heat…the limited food options…the smell of unbathed people…the uncomfortable accommodations….a 40 year wilderness journey is not my cup of tea.

            In an account found in Numbers 12, the leaders of the desert wanderers fell into the trap of “trashing” each other.  The Hebrew slaves had escaped slavery by departing Egypt and crossing the Red Sea.  They were led by Moses into the desert.  Despite the miracles and blessings that were constantly showered on the people, they griped and complained.  Even family squabbles ensued.  Listen to the account of a doozy of a squabble between Moses, his sister Miriam and his brother Aaron as it is recalled in Numbers 12:

Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite.

2 “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard this.

3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)

4 At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them went out.

5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward,

6 he said, “Listen to my words:

“When there is a prophet among you,

I, the Lord, reveal myself to them in visions,

I speak to them in dreams.

7 But this is not true of my servant Moses;

he is faithful in all my house.

8 With him I speak face to face,

clearly and not in riddles;

he sees the form of the Lord.

Why then were you not afraid

to speak against my servant Moses?”

9 The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them.

10 When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous---it became as white as snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease,

11 and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed.

12 Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.”

13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, “Please, God, heal her!”

14 The Lord replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back.”

15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.

16 After that, the people left Hazeroth and encamped in the Desert of Paran.

Here ends this reading of the Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.

The leaders of the hundreds of people wandering the wilderness were Moses, his brother Aaron, and his sister Miriam.  They had a very stressful calling: thousands of people depended on them and looked to them for guidance as they journeyed through the wilderness together.  And, as that stress weighed the siblings down, instead of supporting each other and commiserating together, they started to pick on each other.  They said mean and hurtful things to their brother, one of the people they loved the most.

            I don’t know how thing are going for your family during this time of Covid…this long wilderness journey.  But, if you live with roommates, or spouses, or family members, or children, I suspect things haven’t gone completely smoothly during the year we have spent in this pandemic.  I suspect we have all said things we regret. I suspect we had all done things we regret.

            The stress of being together yet in the wilderness of a pandemic weighs heavily upon us.  Our nerves are frayed. Our blood pressure is high.  We say things that are hurtful to the people we love. We are easily triggered. We are stressed. 

            But, like the Hebrew people in the wilderness, we must remember God is with us.  Despite the anger God had at Aaron and Miriam in the story, God forgives us when we mess up.  Miriam was healed. God continued to lead the people through the wilderness, feeding them with manna and making sure they had clean water to drink.  God forgives us when we succumb to the human sins of jealousy, pride, and judgment.  God forgives us when we are stressed out and jerky to one another. And, God is always with us.

            St. Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, succinctly reminds us:

The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

            Let us remember God goes with us on these wilderness journeys. God gives us peace and forgives us when we fall short.

            Thanks be to God. Amen.

 

Let us now pray this prayer that comes to us from the eloquent words of the former Evangelical and Reformed Church:

 

O God of love, who hast given a new commandment through thine only begotten Son, that we should love one another, even as thou didst love us, the unworthy and the wandering, and gavest thy beloved Son for our life and salvation; we pray thee, Lord, give to us thy servants, in all time of our life on the earth, a mind forgetful of past ill will, a pure conscience and sincere thoughts, and a heart to love our brethren; for the sake of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

 

As we continue our wilderness journey though Lent, I pray you remember that we are not on this journey alone – we are together – our fellow Christians are with us – Jesus is with us – The Holy Spirit of God is with us – God is with us.

I hope to be with you all soon.

Good bye!

Beautiful Law -- A message for March 7, 2021

 

This morning we take a dive into the Gospel of John.  John’s focus was on showing signs that Jesus was the messiah.  In this morning’s reading, we visit a story that was one of the most significant events of Jesus’ lifetime: Jesus cleansed the Temple of Money Changers and Animal Sellers. After this event, Jesus essentially was put on the “hit list” of the Romans and some of the Temple Authorities.  Listen to how John described the event as we read John, Chapter 2, verses thirteen through twenty-two:

Scripture Reading                                   John 2:13-22

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 

In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 

So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 

To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 

His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 

But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 

After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.

But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

Here ends this reading of the word of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God. Amen. 

Prayer for Understanding

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.  Amen.

Message                                         Beautiful Law      

            When Jesus walked the earth, it was common for religious people to sacrifice animals to their gods.  The Old Testament is full of instructions about how to sacrifice animals, which animals to sacrifice, and the value of each animal. The scripture also describes the occasions upon which an animal is to be sacrificed.  When families celebrated special life events – the birth of a child, a wedding, a child becoming an “official” adult – each event would have a specific animal sacrifice made in honor of the event.  Although this sounds odd, after the animals were sacrificed, the priests and their families would eat the meat – so in some ways, part of their salaries came in the form of food.   The priest conducted the ceremony in honor of the event, the animal was sacrificed, and then the priest received the meat as part of their compensation for doing the service.

The Old Testament also has rules that tell the Jewish people not to make the sacrifices their neighbors made to their gods.  Sadly, in the days when much of the Old Testament was written, many ancient people sacrificed their children to their gods.  For 21^st century people, this is the stuff of horror movies, but for the Hebrew people of the 2^nd and 1^st centuries BC, this was reality.

            The people of our world have moved on.  Jewish people stopped making animal sacrifices when the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Jewish families still eat lamb meat for Passover, but the animals are usually killed by butchers, not priests.  Jewish rabbis and Christian ministers are not usually paid salaries in food or goods, but it wasn’t long ago that ministers in farming communities received produce and meat when the harvest came in – I suspect Trinity’s early ministers received quite a few bushels of corn and potatoes when the crops were harvested.

            Over the next few weeks, we will focus on stories from Jesus’ life that took him down the path to Good Friday.  Jesus was the Messiah, the savior of the world.  When he came to earth, though, the people who were waiting for a messiah had some inaccurate preconceived notions of what the messiah would be like.  They also had incorrect preconceived notions of how the messiah would behave. 

            The people expected a strong, beautiful, powerful king.  Instead, the messiah came as a peasant from an inconsequential small town – he did not appear to be sophisticated or mighty.  Jesus was a master storyteller, a teacher, a healer, and a reformer.  Jesus didn’t come to lead the people into a glorious battle against their Roman oppressors.  Instead, he came to embrace and love all people, even the Roman oppressors.  He came to teach us, love us, and to guide us.

Jesus was a threat to the powers that ruled Israel.  He was a threat to the Romans – they couldn’t have people going around saying they were the God appointed king, not their Caesar.  The Romans were an occupying power with a lot of unhappy residents. Their goal was to keep order and control the populations of their colonies.  They stamped down any rebellion, and Messiah who was not their king was a major threat to their power.

Jesus was a threat to 1^st century Jewish religious authorities – they believed they were following God “correctly” with their rules, laws, and procedures.  Jesus’ message was different than their message.  Jesus preached that sometimes the rules should be broken for a higher purpose.  Jesus preached that everyone, not just Jewish people, were loved and saved by our God and invited to follow God.  If Jesus was the messiah, the Temple system, with its priests, and obligations, and offerings was no longer needed.  It was hard for the religious authorities to accept a message that made them obsolete.

One of the action Jesus did was particularly shocking to the Temple authorities.  In our scripture reading this morning, we read of the occasion when Jesus went to the Temple in Jerusalem and drove out the people who were exchanging money and selling animals in the Temple courts.  Jesus’ reason for taking this bold step were two-fold.

First, in the First Century, the Temple was divided into two main places for worship.  One part of the Temple was for Jewish people who had been born into the religion.  The other part of the Temple were for people who had converted to Judaism.  Jesus was upset the Temple.  All people who believe in God should have access to God…not just people born to the right parents, not just people who pay the right amount of money, not just people who are rich enough to buy elaborate sacrifices…..all people. 

The second problem for Jesus was that in the place where the Gentile converts were allowed to worship, in the little space they had for worship, merchants set up their stalls.  Some of the merchants were selling animals that were used for sacrifices.  The other merchants were exchanging money. 

The people lived in a world ruled by the Romans.  Their currency was Roman coinage.  But, the Temple authorities decided that sacrificial animals could not be purchased with Roman coins. They had to be purchased with Temple coins.  And, when you came to exchange your Roman coins for Temple coins, they would take a commission, a percentage, off the top.  So, the Temple authorities and money changers were making a profit by forcing the people to pay a fee when their exchanged their money for the only money they could use to buy the special, expensive animals they were allowed to use to make sacrifices.

 The animals were also more expensive than their secular counterparts – the Temple authorities were\ making a profit off of the animals bought for sacrifice.  The priests who made the sacrifice and ritually slaughtered the animals got to keep the meat and eat it.  So, the Temple authorities’ profit was threefold—profit from the fee for exchanging money, profit from the selling of the extra-expensive animals to be sacrificed, and then the meat they received after the animals were slaughtered.

Jesus was upset by this unjust system.  We all would be upset if we were living under this unjust system.  The people were led to believe the only way they could “correctly” worship God was to participate in a system that took advantage of them financially.  So, when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for Passover, he went to the Temple and protested the injustice he found there.  He made a whip and drove out the people who were selling and exchanging.  He yelled at the stall keepers.  He chased them away.

Jesus’ message and his actions that day were very threatening to the Temple authorities.  The writers of our Gospels proposed that this event was the catalyst that caused the Temple authorities to look for ways to get rid of Jesus.  And, Jesus’ ministry and sheer existence made him a threat to the Romans. During Holy Week, we will recall the events that transpired that allowed the Temple authorities and Romans to achieve their goal of “eliminating” their mutual “problem” – Jesus.

But, the thing is, people are not as powerful as we think we are.  People are not as powerful as we want to be.  And, Jesus was not just a mere man.  He was not just someone they could easily “dispose of” – Jesus was the son of God. And, despite the efforts that were taken to sabotage Jesus and his message, God’s will is stronger than the will of man. Jesus overcame death on Easter.

And, Jesus’ message – that God loves us, forgives us, redeems us, and guides us – is still here, going strong, over 200o years later.  Jesus’ message outlasted the Temple and the Temple authorities – the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD.  Jesus’ message outlasted the Roman Empire – The Western Roman Empire was officially ended in 476 AD when Emperor Romulus Augustulus was disposed by the Germanic King Odoacer.  Jesus’ message outlives empires and kings, dictators and social movements.

Jesus’ message lives on.  Like Jesus, when we see injustice happening, we are to stand up against it.  When people are being taken advantage of to sustain greedy individuals, we must stand against it.  When people are suffering because they were not born into the “right” kind of families, we must stand against it.  When people are suffering because they are outsiders, or elderly, or poor, or an ethnic minority, or disabled, or LGBT, or a religious minority, we must stand against their suffering.  We are called upon to be brave like Jesus was brave when he went the Temple that Passover week.  Brave even if it is unpopular. Brave even it makes people uncomfortable. Brave even if it may get us killed. 

We are called to be brave like Jesus. May we do so knowing God blesses us, loves us, forgives us and redeems us. Amen.

** This painting is from the Vanderbilt Divinity Library website. It was painted by Pieter Aertsen in the 17th century and is titled "Cleansing of the Temple." **