March 18, 2018 - Fifth Sunday in Lent - Rhythms, Routines and Rituals

Today Tiffany substituted for Matt in playing piano for the service. This took the service out of Creator's normal Sunday routine. Once out of the routine there is the tendency to become self conscious and things deviate further from the routine. I didn't lead a couple of the songs correctly. Pastor Ray began reading next week's Gospel. The worship "felt" ragged.

Today's Gospel starts:

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.

There is worship at the festival where there is spontaneous shouting of "Hosanna!" and "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." and palm branches.

The spontaneity of the festival and the order in worship are brought together in the Gospel. Some Greeks become part of the worshipping body, obviously breaking the routine when they say to Phillip "Sir, we wish to see Jesus" since he has to go to Andrew and then they both go to Jesus.

We don't find out if they see Jesus who responds, without answering them, by saying "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified." There is worship and festival in his answer. This made me think of how we constrain ourselves in Sunday worship proper. We act and judge in the spirit of replication and perfection. Anything that deviates from that goal we deem to be a mistake. This includes an irritation of not playing music at a certain tempo and might ultimately apply to a missed part of the service. Perhaps even an unintended cough.

When spontaneity does come in there is a delight, we laugh even as we are guard against it in what we do. We are only human.

Continuing with the Gospel Pastor Ray read what Jesus said:

Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

As this was read I thought of Martin Luther writing:

One Christian who has been tried does more good than a hundred who have not been tried. For in trials the blessing grows, so that with its counsels it can teach, comfort, and help many in physical and spiritual matters. Thus in the world you are cursed, but at the same time you are filled with a heavenly blessing.

Luther is not writing how most of us want to think about a Christian life. We naturally want to be protected and yet Jesus teaches us another way. This is the way that flies in the face of the truths we live our lives by. We want our all-powerful authorities to keep us safe and alive as well as providing meaning to our lives.

We struggle for a cohesive whole that can predict our path, provide us meaning and help us live our lives.