March 18th,
2018 “Reflections on the Holy Land”
Rev. Heather Jepsen
John 12:20-33
I’m
happy to be back with you leading worship, but imagining that I would somehow
have a sermon to preach today wasn’t my best idea. As many of you know I spent the last two
weeks in the Holy Land of Israel and Palestine and I just returned late Friday
night. My mind is overwhelmed with
information and ideas and my body is trapped in that strange in between space
of jet lag. I can’t wait to show you all
my pictures and the treasures I collected along the way. And I have wonderful sermon ideas for the next
few weeks, but with this morning’s scripture reading I feel I am coming up
short. So, I apologize in advance for
this haphazard collection of thoughts I cobbled together during a 6 hour layover
in New York City.
Our
text finds us in the Gospel of John and the time is Passover. The crowds have gathered in the city and our
author tells us that some Greeks were among those gathered at the
Passover. Seeing the many levels of culture
in the ancient city of Jerusalem this doesn’t surprise me at all. Even today the city is full of people of
varying religious and ethnic backgrounds.
From the people who live within the Old City’s walls to the busloads of
tourists from around the globe, the city of Jerusalem is still full of people
who have the same request as these folks in our scripture reading, “Sir, we wish
to see Jesus.”
Philip
and Andrew tell Jesus about these folks who wish to see him, and Jesus begins
to explain that he might not be what they were looking for. The hour is coming for the Son of Man to be
glorified and it will be nothing like what the people expect. In the convoluted language of the gospel of
John, Jesus begins to speak about his impending suffering and death. It is through this path of self denial that the
Son of Man will be lifted up and glorified.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus doesn’t pray for the cup of suffering to
pass from him. Rather, he lays down his
life in full control and glory.
These
past two weeks, I found the Holy Land to be a place where people come to search
for God. And they have been searching
there for centuries. Every town that has
any mention at all in our scriptures is full of churches and shrines. In important cities like Nazareth, Bethlehem,
and Jerusalem churches are built literally on top of each other. Some folks in my travel group were annoyed at
their inability to get to or see the “real” place where something holy
happened. I instead saw the way people
have been reaching out and grasping for God through the ages. We are always trying to get closer to the
divine, and if that means building a church within a church upon a church than
we will do it.
Of
course, the Holy Land is full of tourists, and modern pilgrims reaching for the
divine in their own way. From organized
catholic tour groups, to busloads of Ethiopians, to our rag tag bunch of
pastors, the Holy Land is big business.
Like the Greeks in the gospel of John, these folks are all saying “Sir,
we wish to see Jesus.” And I’ll tell you
what; it can be hard to find Jesus in the crowds of hundreds of people waiting
to touch a special rock in a shrine full of icons and incense.
Throughout
my time in the Holy Land I was struck by the thought of what an ordinary simple
place it really is beneath all the pageantry.
Jesus wasn’t born there because it was a special place. Jesus was born in a normal place, just like
you and me, and it is the church throughout the ages that has tried to lift it
up and make it special. The Holy Land is
not really holy. It is just an everyday
land that has been populated by regular people throughout the ages. Jesus was born there because that is where
his mom was born. Simple as that. Throughout his lifetime Jesus would have
collected a small group of followers, but the truth is that most folks wouldn’t
have heard of him. He certainly wasn’t
followed by the busloads of tourists like he is now.
At
the end of our scripture reading for today, Jesus says that when he is lifted
up from the earth, then he will draw all people to himself. This seems abundantly clear to me today. It is only in his death and resurrection that
the church is born. And it is through
the church that the story of Jesus’ is spread.
When Jesus leaves Israel, in his death, is when the crowds really begin
to be drawn to him. When he is lifted up
in glory, is when he draws all people to himself. The story of Jesus of Nazareth is a local
story, but in his death and resurrection as he becomes Jesus the Christ. His becomes a story for all people for all
time.
I
have so much to share with you about my trip.
I have toured the Sea of Galilee, and worshiped with Palestinian
Christians in Bethlehem. I have seen
spectacular Roman ruins, and totally overdone Christian shrines. I have heard the Muslim calls to prayer and
witnessed discrimination at Israeli check points. I have visited a Palestinian refugee camp and
heard the stories of Jews, Christians, and Muslims in the area. I have swum in the Dead Sea and renewed my
Baptism in the Jordan River. I have seen
the view from Masada and shared bread on the steps of the Church of the Holy
Seplecure. I have walked the streets of
Jerusalem and seen the inside of the Dome of the Rock. I have heard many stories and made new
friends. I have lots of new ideas about
the Biblical Texts and lots more questions about the Israeli Palestinian
conflict than ever before.
I
will work with you to plan a time to share my photos and treasures and in the
months to come I am sure that stories from my visit will play a role in the
sermons from this pulpit. But for this
morning I simply want to say “thank you”.
This has been a tremendous experience for me and it will continue to
inform me as a person and as a pastor.
Thank you for sending me to the ordinary holy land, to gather with those
people who ask “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment