The plea is for Jesus to remember us when he comes into his kingdom. Surely this isn’t the kingdom that he had in mind. Earthquakes in Italy, pirates in Somalia, life and death choices for terminally ill infants in Toronto, a missing girl in Woodstock, the closing of the Veltri plant … what is the world coming to? This is not his kingdom. It’s not even one that we’d create for ourselves. But it’s the one we find ourselves in. And it seems that our only recourse is to pray that Jesus remembers us.
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The stories and experiences of the people in the Good Friday gospel are the stories and experiences that we live ourselves. To know doubt and dissent, the dissatisfaction of compromise, the loss of unshakeable truths, we know what is like to be fearful of the unknown that lies ahead. We know what it is like when government systems shuffle cases and issues back and forth, passing responsibility off to another office. We know that people suffer and are ridiculed, even harmed for taking a stand and living their cause with conviction.
Such is the kingdom of today. This is not Jesus’ kingdom. His is a life without fear of being who we actually are and not who we think we should be. Until we find that place where we live fully and wholly has a just and loving worldwide community of peace and graciousness, we find ourselves on the road to the cross.
So we remember that the Via Dolorosa, the way of suffering, is an actual place that still exists. Yet it is so easy to get caught up in our lives, in our own problems, in our own issues that we lose sight of our connection to one another in this community, in this world. Were it not for high holy days such as Christmas and Easter, our society would forget about the faith that has sustained it for so long.
Already it seems we have forgotten much about our leaders and teachers of faith, those who walked this earth and taught us the value of belief in a greater purpose, trust in a greater good and solace in a greater presence. Whether it is Christ or Mohammad or Buddha, or even great-grandparents who have built our churches, their stories become obscured by time.
Jesus remember us, when you come into your kingdom. I pray we might do the same, that we remember him, as we travel the ways of our earthly empires. To give voice to our spiritual needs, to stand accountable for our faith, and through trials and suffering find dignity and inner resolve. If this is the way of the cross, we at least travel together. We do not go alone, and we follow someone who has gone before us. It is his life, and death, that we remember.
Let us go forth into a hurting world, aware of loss, betrayal, suffering and tragedy.
Keenly aware of darkness and death, let us resolve to resist the powers of evil, apathy and empire.
So we go, knowing the terror of crucifixion and injustice of popular opinion.
We go, uncertain and unsure, knowing only that Easter and good news will follow somehow.
In the meantime, with the heavy burdens our own spirits carry, we bear a cross of discipleship and discernment.
We go into God’s good Friday. Amen.
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