LOVE!!! Holy Thursday 2nd April 2026

 2026  04  02  Maundy/ Holy Thursday

 

Tonight is part one of the epic story in three parts.  Coincidentally – and there is no such thing as a coincidence – this epic story is also a most Holy time for the Jewish people as they are celebrating Pesach…. Or Passover.   The fact that Jesus’ story reaches it climax at this time is completely on purpose, as his life and sacrifice was prophetically foretold through the events that happened to the Israelite people as they passed over from death to life, as they made their exodus out of slavery in Egypt to freedom with the promise of the promised land.  At that time God sent various plagues to the Egyptians to show his glory and to convince Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go.  Pharaoh kept changing his mind and finally the Angel of death was sent to take every firstborn.  The Israelites were saved by sacrificing a perfect lamb and painting the blood over their doorway.

 

It was such a significant event that Exodus 12 records God commanding; “This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you.”  That month is called Nisan and this year it began on the evening of March the 18^th.  On the 14^th day of that month the Pesach is observed, commemorating Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt.  The day begins when the sun goes down so this year the Passover began in the evening of April the 1^st. –(Last night).

 

What does this mean for us?  Firstly, there are no coincidences.  Jesus chose this time deliberately so that we would understand that his sacrifice is as that lamb of God of the Exodus story.  Jesus is the lamb of God that saves us from separation from God - spiritual death.  Through his sacrifice and us being baptised in his name we are redeemed – brought back to God and Passover from spiritual death to spiritual life.  Tonight we commemorate that last supper of our Lord and how, in him, our spiritual life was on the brink of a life about to begin.  A bit like a mother about to give birth – and the first labour pain begins.

 

Of course we have already lived this story for many years, and we are already alive through Christ, but tonight, just as we remember and celebrate our physical birthday, we realize again that our spiritual life, on that fateful night, hung in the balance.   Would Jesus go through with it?  And then, knowing what he was about to face, what would be the teaching that night?

 

Here is our God, our servant King – He calls us now to follow him.  Jesus washed their feet.  Does it make you feel a bit uncomfortable?  It makes me feel a little uncomfortable.  Peter felt uncomfortable.  Jesus was the great Rabbi, and here he was doing a servant’s job.  Exactly! he was making a point, and he spells it out by saying that he was their teacher, but if he, as their teacher could serve them, they should also serve one another.  Along with it is this message; “V 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.”  This master became as a servant.  In doing so we know that in God’s eyes there is no job without dignity, because the in the most humble and even derogatory job is the greatest way to show love.  Our reading ends with a new commandment to love one another.  Jesus washed their feet.  He gave an example of how to “love”. .. serve.

 

We may forget or fail to realise that many of the apostles argued at times.   That doesn’t mean they didn’t love one another.  Families argue.  That doesn’t mean that they don’t love one another.  It is an awesome thing when friends can reach a point in their relationship where they can love even though they disagree and even annoy each other at times.

 

Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray him.  Jesus still chose him to be a disciple and gave him a position of honour and authority.  Earlier in Jesus’ ministry, Judas was sent out with the others to proclaim the Kingdom of God and lay their hands on people, healing them and casting out demons.  Judas was central and pivotal in all that they did.  The whole time, Judas still had free will and I can imagine that Jesus gave him every opportunity to make good choices.  Jesus knew his time was near and he knew that Judas was about to betray him, so what did Jesus do?  He washed Judas’ feet.  More than this, Jesus gave him communion.  Jesus gave him the bread and wine, stating it was his body and blood.  Jesus included Judas in this most important aspect of salvation.  Jesus continued to offer Judas eternal life.

 

I’ve been part of organisations where there have been difficult personalities.  One of the most difficult, made an interesting comment.  She said, “If only we could get rid of the difficult people”!   I bet she is not the only one who thinks this way.   BUT, here is the kicker- none of us is perfect!  We live in a world that seems to be increasingly demanding that we be perfect and points the finger at anyone with faults.  Those people become banned from this and that.  They are taken to court sometimes for the thoughts in the head – as was the case of the lady in the UK who was prosecuted for silently praying outside an abortion clinic.  So, there is all this finger pointing and judging going on when, in reality, we all fall short of the glory of God…. A long way short. 

 

Jesus was raising up a leader.  Do you recall who that was? Peter!  Jesus knew that Peter was going to deny knowing him – not once, not twice, but three times.  Jesus still loved and encouraged Peter, knowing Peter’s failure was imminent.  Jesus washed his feet.  Peter even tried to prevent it, but Jesus insisted – He was showing Peter how to love, but more importantly, he showed Peter that Jesus really and truly loved him – even knowing what Peter would do.  Jesus told Peter that he would deny him, but Jesus washed his feet because he loved him and wanted Peter to understand, remember and KNOW that he was loved by Jesus.

 

What do we do to show others that we love them?  Most importantly, what do we do to show those who let us down that we love them?  Love is only word.  If we are obeying the second great command of God, which is to love others… prove it. 

 

We naturally are hurt when people betray and deny us etc… but we, as Christians, are filled with God’s spirit, and God’s spirit loves unconditionally – therefore, so do we.   An Important note – this does not mean that we submit to continue being hurt by another – we wisely should put boundaries between those who will cause us harm, but I believe that, even in this, God will show us how to love while maintaining healthy boundaries.

 

Each one of us is flawed.  Scripture tells us that all have fallen short of the glory of God.  Jesus didn’t say to the disciples, “wait until Peter repents and then show him love.”  We know that Jesus didn’t wait.  This is teaching is a whole lot easier to say than to do.  To love one another is tough.

 

We all need a reality check.  When we can accept that we are all broken and in need of saving…. No, let me re-phrase – When I can accept that I am broken and in need of saving, then I realize that I realize that what Jesus is commanding is vital – and Good News.  This is the way of life.

 

Christians are to live differently.  We bring life into our world by bringing the true love of God through our own love.  We KNOW that we are all broken and needing Jesus.   When Jesus was arrested ALL his followers deserted him and fled.  They all let him down.  Not a single one was worthy of the sacrifice that he would make…. And neither are we.  We cannot even love our neighbour, how can it be that Christ died for me?

“And can it be that I should gain - An int'rest in the Savior's blood?

Died He for me, who caused His pain? For me, who Him to death pursued?

Amazing love! how can it be- That Thou, my God, should die for me?”

 

Tonight we remember that our spiritual life hung in the balance as Jesus was about to make the ultimate sacrifice out of love for us.  On the brink of his death and our life, knowing that we would let him down, betray and deny him, he gave us an example.  We bring life to our community and each other when we love - and the practical way to love is to serve.   No one is greater…. No one is lesser…  All are broken, but all are loved and saved by Jesus.  We need Jesus, not just to save us, but to empower us with his Holy Spirit, because that is the only way that we can keep his command to love.  We need him living in us and flowing through us.  It is the only way.

 

 

HYMNS – Come as you are; The name of God; The Servant King; Eat this bread;

 

Stay with me - taize

Lent 4A 22nd March 2026 The powerful breath

2026  03  22  Fifth Sunday in Lent

Ezekiel 37:1-14     Psalm 130     Romans 8:6-11     John 11:1-45

 

The scripture readings for today are totally mind-blowing!  In our first reading the prophet Ezekiel has a vision in which God takes him to a valley of dry bones.  What does it tell you about the bones if they are “dry”….  Very dead!  The valley of dry bones inspired the song, “Dem Bones - Ezekiel connected dem dry bones..”  We also have the New Testament reading which tells us of Jesus raising Lazurus from the dead.  A dramatic story which ultimately proves that Jesus Christ has power over the grave.   I don’t know if you caught it, but this story is the fulfillment of the prophecy recorded in our first reading.  It says; “…you shall know that I am the LORD when I open your graves and bring you up from your graves,..”

 

These are both stories of death and life.  They are stories with a powerful message, that when all human efforts and striving are spent and all hope is dead and gone – not just dead and gone, but bone-dry, dead and gone, God does what we cannot - God brings hope & life.

 

To anyone who has experienced, or is in the midst of loss and grief, it certainly doesn’t feel there is hope.  Someone once explained that we are on the underside of an elaborate tapestry… we see the knots and mess, but God sees clearly that there is brilliant masterpiece, visible from his point of view.  For sure, however, suffering and death was not part of God’s original plan for us.  Because of God’s own grief about our situation, Jesus, the Messiah was sent to make a way for us to be back in communion with God – for us to be reconciled to God – and to receive his eternal life.  God is deeply grieved over death. 

 

The shortest verse in the bible is found in this Gospel passage where it says; “Jesus wept”.   Jesus knew that Lazarus would be raised from the dead.  Yet Jesus’ weeping was so intense and authentic that the onlookers commented about how much he loved him.  I suspect that Jesus was feeling the pain that we all feel when we lose someone, but also, he was feeling all our pain.  He feels our pain.  Why?  Because he loves us.  Don’t ever think that God doesn’t care when you are hurting.  Just as we hurt when our precious children are in pain, God feels that for us.

 

Martha is the one who, in an earlier story, was concerned about doing all the proper things and cranky that her sister was not helping her.  This time Martha is the one to step outside conventional norms.  In the Jewish grieving process, the mourners are supposed to sit barefoot in their house for a week – not going anywhere.  On the third day people would bring food and sit with them.  This was the fourth day, but still within that first week.  Martha hears that Jesus is there and leaves the house to see him – breaking social convention.  She says the most amazing thing which shows us her faith in Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him."

 

Martha knows the power of God is in Jesus.  Jesus responds to her with something we might also miss; “I am the resurrection and the life.”  The bit that we miss in our English translation, is that Jesus said, “I AM… the resurrection..”  That “I AM”  is reiterating the statement that God made to Moses when Moses asked him his name.  God responded, “I Am who I am”.  When Jesus was saying “I Am the resurrection”, to Martha, He was stating that He is the resurrection today, yesterday and tomorrow, and most importantly, He was also declaring his deity – Jesus is God.  He and the father are one.  This is the mystery that we see all the way through the Gospel of John – which begins with; “In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was God… and the Word became flesh”

 

Jesus is the resurrection and the LIFE – He came to bring us eternal life.  He brought Lazurus back to life.  Jesus is called the Word of God.  Hold that thought while we explore some of the passage from Ezekiel.  In a vision, Ezekiel was brought to the valley of dry bones.  This was like that horrible valley in Psalm 23 – the valley of the shadow of death!  The bones being exposed implies disgrace, shame and desecration.  After some conversation God tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones.  In other words, he was told to speak the Word of God to the bones. Remember – Jesus is the WORD of God.

 

As Ezekiel speaks the word of God, life comes back to the bones.  There is so much to explore in this, but I’ll start with a quote from an influential English preacher, Charles Spurgeon who said; “If we want revivals, we must revive our reverence for the Word of God…, for the only power which will bless men lies in that.” (Spurgeon).

 

Ezekiel was a prophet who lived through the time when Israel was taken into exile.  It seemed that the nation of Israel was completely doomed.  They were scattered, their homeland was destroyed and the temple had been destroyed.  Who they were as the chosen people of God was not much more than a memory.

 

Ezekiel declared the word of God out loud, and it brought life to the dry bones.  It was done as obedience to God.  It was the word of God proclaimed out loud, at God’s prompting.  We could put it this way; God the father commanded it and the WORD – or God the Son, actioned it.  But there is another element yet needed. Did you notice in the passage that although the bones came together and grew flesh at the Word of God, there was yet no breath – the breath -The Holy Spirit. The Hebrew word for breath and Spirit is the same.  It is a word that means “air in motion”.  And our first reading ends by making it clear that God would put his spirit in his people; “I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act," says the LORD.”

 

Humans need breath to live.  In our readings that breath is synonymous with God’s Holy Spirit.  Humans, made in the image of God, need God’s Holy Spirit in order to live as God knows is best.  Without the Holy Spirit we are incomplete.  The scriptures explain that God originally made mankind as a “Living” being – in other words, he made us with his eternal Spirit sustaining us, but through sin, that eternal spirit was taken away.  However, there was always a plan to have us be able to come back into fullness of the life which God intended.  The bad news is that there would be a price to pay… Jesus paid that price on the cross.

 

Our story of redemption is completed by the cross.  “It is FINISHED” is what Christ declared.  By the cross, the debt of sin is complete, and by Jesus’ resurrection he proves his authority over the grave, but if you check out how the disciples lived after the resurrection of Jesus and before the day of Pentecost, you will note that they lived pretty much like us now; in faith and trust in God…. Yet they were hidden away, keeping to themselves - something in them came to life on the day of Pentecost.

 

The bones, to which Ezekiel declared the Word of God, grew flesh -They looked alive, but they were not truly alive - there was no breath in them.  In 1946 a Preacher by the name of Major Ian Thomas, said that many churches are like this.  He explained, they have lots of church activity and use up a lot of energy doing things that make them appear to be alive, but they are merely zombies, because they do not have the Holy Spirit empowering them. (like headless chooks I think he said)  I think he was probably a bit harsh, but sometimes it is good to hear someone be harsh so that we can remember the importance of the Holy Spirit in all that we do.  

 

The Holy Spirit also comes through the proclamation of the Word of God.  Jesus is the word of God made flesh and so many times he spoke to his followers about the Holy Spirit, even breathing on them himself and saying, “receive the Holy Spirit”.  We are triune beings; flesh, soul and spirit, but through sin the spirit that brings spiritual life died.  In baptism we acknowledge our fallen human condition and our need for spiritual life.  We are baptised in the name of the father, the son and the Holy Spirit.  We identify with Christ and accept his redemption.  We use the symbol of water because it is a sign of new birth – spiritual birth.  Christians are born of God, spiritually alive through the Spirit of God and our eternal life begins that moment.

 

Because we forget so many things, we continue to meet together and tell the story of our salvation.  And each year we remember the most holy and important days…. Which is why have THIS Lenten season.  This year, I challenge us all to remember that the story doesn’t end with Easter.  Resurrection Sunday is certainly a highlight, but God’s plan was not complete until that life that Jesus achieved could be passed on to us.  Life is never complete until we have breath - the breath of God - the Holy Spirit.  This year let’s consider the biggest celebration the one where Jesus sends his Holy Spirit – Pentecost.  God’s spirit is within us…. We bring God’s goodness and love to our world only when we rely on His Holy Spirit to BREATHE in us and then we truly live!

Filled with the Spirit to be a blessing Lent 3A 08 March 2026

Third Sunday in Lent

• Exodus 17:1-7   Psalm 95    Romans 5:1-11     John 4:5-42

 

As an ex-school teacher, let me paint you a picture; It is in the heat of summer and you’ve just been teaching dancing in the hall – no air-conditioning.  You need to get the class back to their teacher, but they all want to have a drink of water and there is only one bubbler.  I would try to have them go in small groups to have a quick drink, but inevitably there would be some students who would stay for ages having more than just a sip or two.

 

It is a bit hard to imagine what it must have been like for Moses with what is estimated to be 2 to 3 million thirsty Israelites, grumbling that they wanted water.  It is no wonder that this great miracle is recorded.   Not only did water come from the rock, but it was no tiny trickle.  It was enough to quench the thirst of all those people.  Fast forward over 1000 years to our New Testament reading and we are still talking about water and being thirsty. 

 

Who is she?   She is said to have baptised the daughter of Nero.  She is said to have spat in Nero’s face after he tortured her and her sons and then told her to renounce her faith in Jesus.  She is known in Russia as Saint Svetlana.  In Greek she is Photinia…. Or something close to that.  She is said to be the first apostle to the Gentiles…. There I was thinking that it was saint Paul, but this lady was spreading the Good News about Jesus being the Messiah way before Paul came along.  For us, she is the unnamed woman at the well. 

 

Jesus had been with his disciples who were baptising people, in the land of Judah, but he withdrew from there as word had gotten out to the Pharisees that he was doing more baptising than John.  After travelling, Jesus is thirsty and tired.  He sits by a well and asks this lady for a drink.  Jesus breaks protocols.  Don’t you just love it?  Jesus was a Jew and they don’t share things with the Samaritans… usually… but this is not any concern for Jesus.

 

Now, just to clarify, the Samaritans are actually related to the Jews.  Back when there was a untied nation of Israel, there was King David, then Solomon…. Then the nation of Israel split and a couple of tribes stayed true to the line of David and the kings of Judah, where as the other ten tribes were known as the nation of Israel.  Over time, all were taken into exile and then semi-freed… It is a long and complicated story, but long story short, the Samaritans were interbred Israelites and non-Israelites.  Those who belonged to Israel worshiped God, loosely.  The Jews worshiped God in Jerusalem where the temple had been built.  The Jews looked down on the Samaritans as they saw them as a people who compromised in their worship of God.

 

Last week we read about the call of Abraham.  He was called to leave his country and family.  In this call to up and leave, was the understanding that his country and family were living in the place where worship to idols was “king”.  Abraham’s home-town was a place that worshiped many gods and was THE central worship town of the Moon God.  Abraham made a choice to worship the LORD God almighty only.  The call of God came with a promise to make Abraham a great nation.  He was to be blessed by God and through him every nation on earth would be blessed.  This is always important to remember, because it means that God is always concerned with reaching everyone.  Yes, Israel was the chosen nation, and the Jews were the chosen people who stayed true to the law of God, but sometimes they forgot the reason that God called them…. So that every family on earth could be blessed.  Ultimately, Jesus would be born from that line of Judah.  Jesus is the ultimate reason that all families on earth are blessed.

 

Something that is important to understand for our story that we read today, is that in traditional Biblical culture, water is synonymous with blessing.  Rain, is seen as a great spiritual blessing.  The phrase, “Living Water” is used to describe rivers, springs and rain.  It is water that is connected to a natural, flowing source.  The sacred baths, known as Mikveh’s, in the Jewish faith require that they be filled with “Living Water”. 

 

When Jesus asks for the water from the well and then starts speaking about living water, there is a difference in the two types of water.  The water from a well is not “Living water”.   "Living Water" (Mayim Chayim) represents active, life-giving blessings.  What it was that had happened in this woman’s life to have had her in a position that she had five husbands, we can only guess, and much has been made about her being at the well at noon when other women were not there.  For certain, she was a woman aware that she was in need of life-giving blessings.  I’m not sure what was in the woman’s mind when she asked Jesus about this living water, but the discourse drew out her own thirsty condition – her emotional and spiritual thirst.

 

In the desert when Moses struck the rock and water gushed out, that water was living water.  The incident in the desert is a prophetic picture of Jesus.  The rock was struck – Jesus was struck (crucified).  You might recall that when Jesus died a spear was thrust into his side and water flowed from the wound.  The spiritual reality is that from Jesus being struck, living waters gush out…. The blessings flow.  We are saved from sin and blessed with eternal life through the gift that Jesus gives.  The blessings that Jesus gives us are not a simple trickle.  The blessings gush.  The living water is also a way of describing the Holy Spirit that Jesus sends.

 

Our letter to the Romans tries to explain the gushing blessings that we receive when it says; ‘much more surely, having been reconciled (to God), will we be saved by his life.”  The blessings are so, so abundant.  They are not something we earn or deserve.  We learnt this from our readings last week when we learnt about the faith of Abraham and how, God declared him righteous simply because he believed God and chose God.

 

From Jesus comes living, life-giving, life-bringing water.  The blessing of that living water is saturating, permeating and permanently life-altering.  Those who were saved by the water from the rock in the desert didn’t deserve it – they were blessed anyway.  The woman at the well had a past and she was not from the chosen line – she was blessed anyway – and so were the people of her town as they asked Jesus to stay with them and do you recall their conclusion?  “They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world."”

This conclusion was made long before Jesus was crucified and had risen from the dead.  These people who were pretty much outsiders, “got it”. 

 

Do we “get it”?  The outsiders, those considered undeserving, the thirsty and the desperate – they “got it”.  They sensed the enormity of the gift that Jesus offered.  Anyone who turns to Jesus, he offers them the living water.   Jesus says, “The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life."

 

Jesus brings the living water blessing that gushes up to eternal life.  When he gives us this, it then gushes up in us.  Eternal life is in us when we tap into Jesus.  His Holy Spirit bubbles up in us and over-flows.  Here is a thought; if that living water is an abundant flowing blessing, it ought to be easy and natural for us to answer God’s call to bring His blessing to all the earth.   

 

Today this talk of water reminds us of our baptism.  Baptism uses the image of water and traditionally baptism was to be fully immersed in water….  To show that we are completely immersed in Jesus… his blessings he soaks us in and fills us with.  Today, may we know that our lives are soaked and filled, and with the knowledge of the abundance of His blessing, may we be a blessing to our world.