2009/07/19 Sunday

We went to our church's sanctuary service and had communion there. Both of us were ready to get back to our old routines after weeks of experimenting with other services. We enjoyed them all and learned a lot about other places but we do have a home base and we needed that this week. Then in Sunday School it was announced that Ben Witherington III was speaking at Providence Methodist at 11. Don and I decided right away and at the same time that we needed to head there ASAP from Sunday School. We left about 5 minutes early and were early to the 11 a.m. service at Providence. Their sanctuary was full enough but Don and I had a whole pew to ourselves and no one had trouble finding a seat. Ben came down the center aisle singing with great enthusiasm and joy the opening hymn. (His mother is a musical person and must have trained him well.) I wasn't familiar with the hymn so I was making a joyful noise but softly.

Providence is doing a summer series on the Psalms and this Sunday, the Psalm chosen was Psalm 22. This is a sad psalm and Jesus quotes it while he is on the cross dying. Ben's sermon says that the Psalm ends on a more positive note than the rest of the psalm, but overall it was sad to hear. Here are my notes on the sermon and I hope I caught most of what Ben was saying.

The NT reading that Ben did was Matthew 27: 46-51 which is about Jesus last moments alive on the cross. The only words Jesus says from the cross in Matthew or Mark are "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me." This is a Psalm 22 quote. In Mark, Jesus was offered something to drink before he died but in Matthew, he dies right away after these words. The sky turned black before this moment. Darkness is the anti-symbol of light and it symbolizes the absence of God's presence - which is what Hell is - the absence of God's presence. Was Jesus abandoned by God when he was on the cross? In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asks to let the cup pass from Him but then says "Thy will be done." Jesus always calls God, Father except in his final words on the cross. There he calls Him only God.

By asking to avoid the cup, Jesus wants not to meet a certain kind of death. That kind of death is to hang on a tree because in ancient times, people said "Cursed be he who hangs on a tree. He is cursed by God." This is Galatians 3:13. Ancients believed that how you died revealed how you had lived - it was a judgment on your character. Crucifixion was the most shameful way to die. If they saw all of us wearing crosses on jewelry around our necks, etc. the ancient people would be puzzled. It would be like today wearing a little electric chair around our necks. So Jesus, in asking that the cup pass from him, is asking not to die a shameful crucifixion death. But the cup of God's wrath was on sin. It is difficult to think that the one person for whom Jesus did not need to die was Jesus himself because he was blameless. But He took on our sin and He felt abandoned by God in the end. Jesus was God, forsaken for our sakes, God forsaken for Goodness' sake. God is Holy Love, not just Holy and not just Love but Holy Love. Sin is judged on the cross but the sinner is redeemed. We need never again experience God's forsaking us because Jesus promised to be with us always. We can take great hope in that promise.

They were holding a reception after the service but Don and I got down the aisle pretty quickly and were able to shake Ben's hand and speak a few words to him. He seemed genuinely glad to see us. We were pretty hungry by then as we normally eat breakfast right after Sunday School so we went to get some breakfast. Later we came back by the church and I picked up a brochure about their Disciple schedule and was excited to see a minister I know is teaching an 8 week class on Introduction to the New Testament in January. I might take it if our church doesn't offer something on a good day of the week for me to take another class. But Don and I decided I should wait and see as it is a little better I think to take these classes at my own church - but then again I do know this minister and he is a good one. So I am waiting and seeing but chomping at the bit a little too. I love taking these classes especially ones taught by a minister (who knows what he is talking about) and one that is only 8 weeks long. I can handle that. But knowing myself, there will likely be something else that comes up that I will be equally excited about and so waiting and seeing is probably a great idea.