Good Friday Goes by Again
A good reminder, every year that every day, we crucify Jesus. His followers take his name in vain and turn on a dime after loving him so hard. Knowing we will deny him again and again, he asks us, “but do you love me?” And when we fall short of the obvious answer, he asks us not to hang ourselves but to get back to the work.
“Do you love me?”
Yes, I love Jesus. I love everything he is and what he represents in hope and love. I miss celebrating him in large groups and singing about him every week. And for a fleeting moment, as I watched out the window from my Unitarian church, the baptists waving palm leaves on the sidewalk, I missed the pageantry. But that’s all it is, isn’t it?
Was Palm Sunday a celebration for the savior or was it a protest, mocking the leaders of the day? When Peter swears his loyalty even though Jesus knows, in a few hours time, the same man will succumb to fear and turn away, three times.
Every year, this day rolls around and I am angry. The ones who raised me in the Baptist faith and the ones who ignited my passion for Jesus are the same ones who turned me away. And every year I am reminded that the loving God I have given my life to, would easily be crucified by those same people again… and again.
The ones who fawned over Jesus the God and not Jesus the Teacher. Surely if they had listened to his words and not those of any other in the Bible, they would know they are the Pharisees in this real life story.
While the gospel church across the street is screaming praises and I’m dancing in the parking lot, the Unitarians are quiet observers of a vigil. Many other mainline churches also mourn Jesus’ death even though we know, in three days time, he will rise again. But of course, we are not at that part yet. Today is to remember the pain and take accountability for allowing this to happen…. Again and again.
I have found, in my short time here at All Souls, that while we only mention Jesus around his death and his birth - it is all the time in between that we are actively living his word.
Jesus will be with us tomorrow on the side of the street, protesting injustice. He will be standing with the marginalized and pointing out the hypocrisy of his “biggest fans”. And although they continue to crucify him, he will wait for them to return to his word until death reunites us with him and he can show them plainly how to do better next time.
Today I worship Jesus’ teachings. I don’t praise him in church or glorify my savior. We weren’t supposed to do that anyway. Jesus never said “worship me”, he said “follow me”.
I have followed Jesus. All the way to a church community that rarely utters his name. Whose actions scream praise to his word and whose endless table, he would have happily sat at.
Mark 2:43-44 (NIV)
Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: “See that you don’t tell this to anyone, but go show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses committed for your cleansing as a testimony to them.”
