Today at church we were pondering Psalm Sunday. After I had given a talk at youth group last Sunday about how Jesus turned his friends and followers heads regarding the Passover at the Last Supper he shared with his friends. I ended it by saying how we have to be careful not to get caught in just going through the motions with our services. So I thought I ought to be listening today for a new revelation.
Firstly, as we know as Jesus came in through one gate into Jerusalem Pontius Pilate and the might of the Roman army came in through the other. The Romans were expecting trouble. They knew about Jesus. They knew something was going on. They would have heard the followers cheering and shouting because the city wasn’t as big as our cities. It was probably the size of a small town. But also as we realise at Jesus’s trial, there had only just been an insurrection led by Barabbas where people had been killed. Probably Romans! So Pilate was prepared. I wonder too if he was miffed because Jesus had attracted the crowd he was expecting?
Roman had come in to take charge. But Jesus had other plans. He was going to let go of there needing to anyone in charge.
One of the questions our preacher this morning asked was “how does one see governments?” and people shouted out the negatives – warmongers, greedy, untrustworthy. But I think we also like government. I think we like the order it brings, how in the good time it brings stability, rules, security, as well as, in Europe schools, hospitals, Police, fire services, etc. We know what to expect from our govenments on the whole, and most of the time here in the Western world we can march [as with the American #nokings marches] and mainly get away without coming to harm.
But what does Jesus bring? Well he brings freedom but with freedom comes choice and choice leaves space for disagreement, for disorder, for chaos, for uncertainty.
To have to forgive each other and ourselves, and God and circumstances, is hard work. It is easier to blame, to pity, to take control. It is why we like our churches to have leaders, to have wardens, to have regular ordered services, to know what to expect and what is going to happen. I don’t think Jesus is like that. As with the Passover supper he goes and does the unexpected – from saying that a specific piece of bread is his body to washing his disciples feet, something a rabbi would never do – he turns things upside down.
Also unconditional love, as well as giving security and confidence to those who grasp it, also leaves the door open to do the unexpected, to give things a shake because we know God loves us even if we make a mistake.
The whole Jesus, unconditional love, forgiveness, I think, can make people feel unsure, confused, and in need of some order they can recognise. I also think that’s why there is so much talk of doing rather than being in Christian circles. It is much easier to search for the right job/ministry/place to live/person to live with etc than it is to step out into the world not knowing where we are going and what we are doing, Yet we can do this when we know we are fully forgiven again and again and again because we are love unconditionally by the Creator of the Whole Universe. It was this Creator who became human to show us how much we are loved and forgiven and to reunite us with these truths of what we were created for; to love and be loved, to forgive and be forgiven.
So let’s start living as free, forgiven, loved people and stop trying to “get it right”.
Aspirational Adventures 