Just when you think you know how the world works, God goes and turns it all upside down.
We all have an instinct for self-preservation. That instinct leads to fear. We fear many things, but above all we fear dying. And our instinct is fight or flight. If we can't run away from what we fear, we become angry. And our fear of violence turns violent. Violence erupts from insecurity, from anxiety, from fear. And then it turns and becomes evil. People start to enjoy the power that they get from putting the fear onto someone else with violence. And so the cycle continues, violence begetting violence.
We are told that God hates violence. Right near the beginning of the world, there was violence on the earth, and God decided to wipe the earth clean of violence with a flood. Didn't work very well, did it?
How could God stop this never ending cycle of violence? This endless round of fear and self-protection and lashing out, this grasping for power over others to ensure one's own safety, this blood lust and cruelty?
God met it head on, in person. God in Jesus gave himself over to the darkness.
God’s love is so strong that Jesus is willing to submit to violence in order that his followers might see once and for all that violence is not the answer. For in the face of violence Jesus refuses to employ violence but instead insists that God forgives us. We remember today Christ’s willingness to sacrifice himself so that no more blood would be spilt and no more bodies destroyed for the sake of sin.
Jesus confronted the fear and evil that constrains us from being the loving creatures that we were created to be. And this gives us courage to also confront the demons that lurk within. It gives us hope that we do not have to be captive to fear, captive to violence, captive to sin. We are confident of Christ’s promise that God is gracious and violence will not win.
Dog eat dog is the way of the world, the way of our instincts. But Jesus' kingdom is not of this world. Jesus transcends instinct and shows us a better way. Jesus empties himself, and becomes obedient to death, even death on the cross. Jesus shows us the way of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Because when we are faced with fear, when anger grabs hold of us, when our sufferings seem too much for us, when despair overtakes us – Jesus has been there. Jesus knows what we are going through – even to death. And there we find that love is stronger than death. Thanks be to God. Amen.
We all have an instinct for self-preservation. That instinct leads to fear. We fear many things, but above all we fear dying. And our instinct is fight or flight. If we can't run away from what we fear, we become angry. And our fear of violence turns violent. Violence erupts from insecurity, from anxiety, from fear. And then it turns and becomes evil. People start to enjoy the power that they get from putting the fear onto someone else with violence. And so the cycle continues, violence begetting violence.
We are told that God hates violence. Right near the beginning of the world, there was violence on the earth, and God decided to wipe the earth clean of violence with a flood. Didn't work very well, did it?
How could God stop this never ending cycle of violence? This endless round of fear and self-protection and lashing out, this grasping for power over others to ensure one's own safety, this blood lust and cruelty?
God met it head on, in person. God in Jesus gave himself over to the darkness.
God’s love is so strong that Jesus is willing to submit to violence in order that his followers might see once and for all that violence is not the answer. For in the face of violence Jesus refuses to employ violence but instead insists that God forgives us. We remember today Christ’s willingness to sacrifice himself so that no more blood would be spilt and no more bodies destroyed for the sake of sin.
Jesus confronted the fear and evil that constrains us from being the loving creatures that we were created to be. And this gives us courage to also confront the demons that lurk within. It gives us hope that we do not have to be captive to fear, captive to violence, captive to sin. We are confident of Christ’s promise that God is gracious and violence will not win.
Dog eat dog is the way of the world, the way of our instincts. But Jesus' kingdom is not of this world. Jesus transcends instinct and shows us a better way. Jesus empties himself, and becomes obedient to death, even death on the cross. Jesus shows us the way of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Because when we are faced with fear, when anger grabs hold of us, when our sufferings seem too much for us, when despair overtakes us – Jesus has been there. Jesus knows what we are going through – even to death. And there we find that love is stronger than death. Thanks be to God. Amen.
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