23. Good Friday in August

We are revisiting the five special services that were created last April for holy week. Perhaps hearing the passion story outside Easter week, in the midst of a lazy summer morning, or in the quiet evening as the rain falls, you will hear it differently. I am hoping so. 

And just to put it in context, we have the current situation in the NBA as the players take a strong stand against racial injustice. And other sports teams follow their lead.

Now, anyone who knows me will know I am hopelessly ill-informed when it comes to professional sports of any kind. But even I know, without knowing much, that professional sports players have a lot of clout these day, and when they make a collective statement about anything, everyone listens. 

And they have made an unprecedented move that everyone is talking about because it is about an issue that should be front and centre of all our thinking these days and that is the depth and extent of our collective and individual racial prejudices. You can read more about this, and our on going response around ‘black lives matter’ on our website in the from the minister section. 

But I want to note it here, because we think that what happened 2000 years ago does not matter now. 

That is incorrect. 

We can learn from the stories of our faith about what happened then, so we can better negotiate what to do now. 

So, in the re-listening of our foundational story, I want you to listen for three things: three things you might consider and watch for in the story. Jesus’ steadiness. The crowd’s seeming power. And our required stand against the power of empire.

There is none like God. . .

Who rides through the heavens to your help,

And in his majesty through the skies.

The eternal God is your dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms.

— Deuteronomy 33: 26, 27 RSV