pÅ svenska Reflections / Sermons
A couple of sermons, held in swedish at the Swedish Church:
First Sunday of Epiphany
Good Friday
Palm Sunday
Third Easter Sunday
Sermons
Third Easter Sunday
Gospel
22 Then came the Feast of Dedication [ b ] at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. 24 The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, [ c ] tell us plainly." 25 Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all [ d ] ; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one."
Sermon
There are some abrupt changes in the images of Jesus during Eastertide. Two weeks ago the image of Jesus was that of the Passover “lamb without defect or flaw” which was sacrificed for our sake. Therefore every Sunday we sing “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world – have mercy upon us”. But now, suddenly, Jesus is depicted as a shepherd instead – the good shepherd, he who knows his sheep and who does everything to guide them to safety.
Both pictures – Jesus as the sacrificial lamb and as the good shepherd have lived side by side since the first days of the Early Church.
I have an idea that already last year I told you how one of the very earliest images of Jesus that was found scrawled on a wall in the catacombs in Rome is just such a picture – a shepherd with a sheep over his shoulders.
It is a beautiful and idyllic picture. A picture that goes with the Psalm that we sang just now: the one about the Lord being my Shepherd, leading me to green pastures and to quiet pools of fresh water. It is a really idyllic depiction of our life with God, of the simple life of the lambs with their shepherd – but it is a false idyll. Leading a flock of lambs is no simple task – neither for the shepherd nor for the Shepherd Jesus. Both a flock of lambs and a flock of people are stubborn creatures who go their own way, who get themselves entangled in thickets and thorns, lose their way, go off to stonier and steeper areas than they can manage; in short, it is not easy to lead a group of brainless sheep. Being wilful, intractable and not always aware of what is good for them – that much, at least, people have in common with sheep.
But let’s not spend too much time on the sheep. This Sunday has historically been called Shepherd’s Sunday, not Sheep Sunday, so it is the Shepherd who is the focus, it is the shepherd’s mission which is central, and that mission is to lead the sheep forward; to ensure that the sheep get to the right place, to the quiet pools of fresh water, where they can find rest.
All of us probably long for rest and peace. Perhaps that is why the 23 rd Psalm is so well loved, because it expresses our common longing for a good life – a life where God’s grace and plenty is clearly seen.
This inner longing for peace and a good life is a driving-force that makes people follow those roads which appear to lead to rest. For many people, especially the young, life is a chase after peace and happiness. They try various routes, listen to various shepherds and hope that in the end they will end up in the right place – one where they will find rest. It is perhaps a bit commonplace to say that there are many kinds of shepherds, whose loud calls many of the sheep want to follow. One of those shepherds may be called Consumerism, another shepherd might be named Prosperity, a third Celebrity, and a fourth … well, there are many shepherds and voices attracting attention.
In other places in the Bible there are warnings against false shepherds. Those are shepherds who do not care about the sheep, shepherds who are only doing their job because they get paid – because of personal gain. But the good shepherd calls and leads his sheep because he loves them – it is as simple as that; he is their shepherd because he wants the best for them; without reservations or hidden agendas.
The so-called shepherds whom I mentioned before: prosperity, consumerism, success, wealth and other things which attract us and call out to us, very rarely give us rest. They might be classified as false shepherds, in the fullest sense. I am supported in this statement by Staffan Burenstam Linder. He was Professor of Economics in the ‘60s and Minister of Trade in Sweden in the ‘70s. Burenstam Linder wrote a book 40 years ago which has now appeared in reprint, entitled Den rastlösa välfärdsmänniskan (The Restlessness of Prosperous Man). He discovered, as early as 40 years ago, that increased material prosperity, increased consumption, increased success did not lead to rest and peace, but rather the opposite; to greater stress – to a restless life. He is of the opinion that all our striving for material prosperity and success brings us to the point where time is the greatest lack and the most precious good. We therefore try to fill our time to the maximum, to cram as much as possible into our precious time, with the result that we experience even greater stress and even greater restlessness. Burenstam Linder was a prophet! He wrote all this before the mobile phones, e-mail and personal computers. His 40 year old book is more timely than ever. Today those shepherds whom the sheep follow are named “prosperity”, “success”, or “celebrity”, more often than “Jesus”. And we who are here today, we who have clearly come to listen to the Shepherd Jesus – we too are seduced by the calls of the false shepherds. It is impossible to escape the loud and enticing calls. The voice of Jesus is more low-key, when he calls us. That is why his calls may be harder to perceive.
In baptism, we are called to follow the Shepherd, Jesus. We have millions of credible witnesses to the fact that if we follow him, we will be led to stillness and rest. Jesus says in today’s Gospel: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never die. No one can snatch them away from me.”
“My sheep listen to my voice”, he says. But where do we hear his voice if it is so low-key? We hear it in all the love that meets us; we hear it in all that sincere caring for us which we encounter. And in very concrete terms, the Church has placed the voice of the Shepherd, his appeal to us, at the centre of every service. We always rise to listen to the Gospel – Jesus’ own words, the Shepherd’s voice. The Gospel is always a narrative of the life of Jesus, where his own voice can be heard. When the Gospel is read, we stand and listen to our Shepherd. After that, you may as well sit down again, because you have heard the most important part, and then there is only a sermon. The custom of standing during the Prayer of Consecration has to do with the same thought: there, in the middle of celebration, the most important words of Jesus are encapsulated in a prayer. For Jesus, our Shepherd has said: “take; this is my Body..." and “this is my Blood of the covenant which is poured out for many" (Mark 14:22ff). In these words our Shepherd speaks to us and tells us about some of the secrets which lead us to “fields of green grass, to quiet pools of fresh water”. That is the place where we often long to be, we long for a life in overflowing joy and love, and we can trust the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, to guide us there. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Palm Sunday
Gospel – Matthew 21:2-11
1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away." 4 This took place to fulfill what w as spoken through the prophet: 5 "Say to the Daughter of Zion, ' See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' " [a]
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna [ b ] to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" [ c ] "Hosanna [ d ] in the highest!"
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" 11 The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."
Sermon: A man enters Jerusalem on a donkey – you will have to look hard to find anything more commonplace in those times. If you did not walk on foot, you most probably rode a donkey. There was nothing special about that.
If Jesus had not been a well-known figure whose life had been commented upon in the past year, his entrance into Jerusalem would not have drawn any attention whatsoever.
Now, however, he was being scrutinized very carefully. His enemies observed him very closely to detect the slightest mistake in observing the law in word or deed in order to arrest him.
His followers observed him just as closely. These followers hoped that Jesus would finally reveal himself and come forward as the long-awaited saviour, the Messiah, who would cast the Romans into the sea.
Therefore every step he took was being followed by all.
As Jesus came riding, surrounded by the crowd, his friends gasped with relief. Finally! Now the prophecy by Sachariah was being fulfilled (Sach. 2: 10-13} He came riding a donkey, in spite of being a king. Finally Jesus would reveal his messianic splendor fully and the uprising would begin, the followers thought, and rejoiced with shouts of Hossianna {Hebrew: Hoschan-na = save, give happiness)
Not everybody rejoiced, however. I strongly believe that some of the disciples had understood more than most members of the admiring and enthusiastic crowd. Some followers had seen Jesus weep for the city, they had heard him explain that he must go to Jerusalem to suffer and die. They had been together with him during the previous night when he was anointed and had let the followers understand that this was done in preparation for his funeral rites. Perhaps they did not understand him fully, but they had been close enough to Jesus to comprehend that they were not going to walk towards an earthly triumph but towards the natural conclusion of life, namely death.
Some of the disciples had told him reassuringly, as one quite often does:
“Oh no Jesus, you will not die, you will make it.”
Yet Jesus and a few with insight knew – it all ends here or rather, this is the beginning.
The life of Jesus was certainly unique and the road to the Cross unique as well and yet we may recognize certain aspects in the lives of others.
I think of all those that I have met and who themselves have known that their lives have come to an end and that death is at hand. They themselves have known and accepted the inevitable but family and friends have not been able to or have not wanted to do realize this. No one has been willing to look death in the eye.
When it is so, it becomes extremely difficult and painful to approach the end of life. You need company on that journey.
That was the case with Jesus too. On Holy Thursday we will read about how Jesus asked a few of his disciples to keep vigil and pray with him during the last night of his life. He needed company but his disciples were unable to offer him any solace, they even fell asleep.
Today, on Palm Sunday, his difficult journey towards the cross and death is partly concealed by the fact that the crowd greeted him as their king.
Songs of jubilation dominate. The atmosphere is full of hope, since all the signs of the Messiah are present. The people now know that Jesus is the one they had hoped for so Jerusalem is full of joy and happiness. This is very human. We human beings tend to focus on signs of optimism, clutch to straws of hope, and keep our anxiety and doubts aside, if there is the slightest chance of doing so.
The Jewish people saw a sign of hope in Jesus. Until now they had not seen any signs of hope, oppressed as they were by those who occupied their land and they had ceased to believe in a better and brighter future. Then Jesus came along. People realized that he was their only hope, so they followed him and supported him. Hosanna, the son of David!
Many remarkable individuals followed him as he entered the city, but only a few reached the cross! If we imagine the procession with all the admirers, including ourselves, we find many odd characters. We encounter Peter, who will soon deny him, Judas who will betray him, Joseph of Arimateia who was a secret admirer and who will offer his own tomb to Jesus, the sign of hope! We are all in good company!
As we sing the songs of praise today, we know what will follow after death, but those present in Jerusalem did not know. Often we imagine that those that were so close to Jesus and saw him and could touch him had a great advantage compared to us. We tend to think that if only we had been there ourselves and had seen Jesus, it would have been easy to believe in him but that is not true. Perhaps it is even the opposite. The disciples that were closest to Jesus did not seem to have understood the deep meaning of it all. Not even after the resurrection did they understand who Jesus was. We may even have an advantage over them, because we have the testimony of thousands of Christians as a support.
Be that as it may. Today we do what millions of Christians do all over the world. We give him thanks and praise because he is the King, the sign of hope that god the Father allowed to conquer death and to rise in glory.
The fact that he was not the kind of earthly king that many of those that sang his praise had hoped for, should not be of any importance to us. His kingship and his kingdom are of a different kind.
Palm Sunday is a day when we so to say celebrate victory in advance. Later this week we will encounter suffering and death in its full and naked brutality. Yet, today we will sing songs of jubilation with the children and be glad that the road towards the cross, the way towards suffering and death we all must walk is not the end but the road towards resurrection and everlasting life.
Amen
Good Friday
Gospel (Matthew 27): As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!" In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' " In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah." Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him." And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son[e] of God!". Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.
Sermon: Let us pray: God, grant me the eyes of faith, so that I may see more than that which is evident and superficial! We thank you for all those who have seen and thereby help us to see more clearly.
Today we focus on the suffering and dying Jesus. We are encouraged to see his suffering and death (and in Latin this invitation translates into: Ecce Homo! – ‘See the man or the human creature’).
Music and art lovers recognize this phrase as the title of a great variety of works of art and music, and modern Swedes may think of a controversial art exhibition that was shown about 10 years ago. Ecce homo! ‘See man’ seems to be a timeless invitation to see and meditate upon the suffering of mankind.
Pontius Pilate was the first man to show the tortured Jesus to the people. His was an attempt to save the life of Jesus. He presented the badly mistreated Jesus to them and said: ‘Ecce homo’:- ‘See the man’.
The rabble was not moved, however. So they answered: ‘Crucify, crucify’!
We often have to face suffering people. We meet them in our friends’ personal stories; we see them in TV and radio programs, in daily newspapers, and in literature. At times we seem to be so saturated with human suffering that we are hardly touched or affected at all. That is a horrible thought; that we may lose our humane or compassionate nature to the extent that in the end we find ourselves in the midst of those who crave for more suffering and violence, and shout ‘crucify, crucify’!
See the man! Man in his disgrace, abandonment, and anguish. Meet the suffering person with a look of compassion. Sometimes that is all we can do - meet the suffering with a look of compassion. But that is at least something, if it is done with love. For the suffering person the experience of being seen by a fellow human being may make a huge difference.
See the belongings left behind! What exactly is left behind when you die? It is surely not our belongings or a big bank account?
Jesus, however, only left a heap of clothes. Superficially, he had led such a poor life. He only left a heap of clothes behind, and even the clothes were defiled, since the soldiers threw dice to find out who would get them. Is it possible to demonstrate more clearly that whatever a human being accomplishes in his or her life cannot be equated with his or her earthly belongings? Jesus who has left us the most fantastic inheritance, the most fantastic legacy, left no earthly possessions whatsoever when he met his death on the cross.
When we mourn our dead and discuss what they have left behind, what do we see? It is surely not money and property first and foremost. Most certainly we perceive what family and friends have received from their dead loved ones in the form of love and care.
I often hear that it is the memory of the dead that lives on. Yes, memory but also something else! We leave our deeds behind and all that which we have been, and that which we have done for others. Perhaps we also see that which the deceased person wanted to leave behind but never managed to. Perhaps he or she wanted to correct wrongdoings, leave a good legacy, and yet it all failed.
What Jesus left, on the one hand, was reduced to a bundle of clothes! On the other hand no treasure chest in the whole wide world can hold the treasure of life and eternity which he has left us.
See the depth of what a human being leaves behind when it is time to leave this world – see what remains beneath the surface, beyond ‘the bundle of clothes’, and realize that life offers oceans of treasures.
See the notice! Yes, we read in the text about the notice which read –‘This is Jesus, the king of the Jews’.
The authorities had put up this placard to infuriate the Jews – since this was precisely what they accused Jesus of claiming. This was their accusation; this is why they had managed to sentence him to death because He was guilty of high treason! Now they wanted to scorn the Jews and wrote: ‘See your king, Ecce Rex Vestor!’
It was all meant to be mockery, and yet it proved to be the truth. He who only looked at the surface saw only a broken human being without a trace of dignity, a tormented and suffering wreck. But with the help of our faith we may see a king: our King, God Himself!
When we meet the suffering and tormented of this world, when we encounter the humiliated face-to-face or through the media, we ought to be able to put up the notice erected above the cross, put it up above their crosses and with the eyes of Faith perceive ‘our King’.
Every person is crowned with royal dignity. Every person is extremely valuable in the eyes of God. Christ is the one who lives with us, suffers with us, and dies and rises with us. He is totally present in the lives of the suffering. We may see Him, our King and Saviour in all the suffering people that we meet and in the suffering of Jesus we may see all human suffering. See humankind in Christ on the Cross!
See the abandonment and the longing for union with God: ‘My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?’
We tend to find this cry very strange. Jesus, who is also God, cries out for God. It is an utterly human to cry out for that Power to which we understand intuitively we belong to. ‘God, help!’ A last desperate cry!
Jesus shared everything with us – even the feeling of being abandoned by all and by everything. I believe that that pain is far more difficult to bear than a broken body. When Jesus called out, the Romans did not understand what it meant. They did not know that Jesus commenced that Psalm which deals with the pain of being forsaken by God; but all the Jews knew!
Jesus as well as all other Jews knew the 22 nd Psalm by heart. They knew that the Psalm commences in utter darkness – in the experience of being deserted, abandoned, and totally in the clutches of evil.
Yet they also knew what followed. They knew that the one who cries out in despair at the beginning of the Psalm finally leaves himself in the hands of God. The trust in God finally triumphs.
Let us pray that we, like Jesus, our fellow Brother in all things, will be granted the grace to give up our spirit when our end is near.
In the name of Jesus! Amen
First Sunday of Epiphany
Old Testament reading - Isaiah 43:1-4
1 But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
Sermon
Once upon a time…, that is a stock phrase used since long in storytelling. Today I am going to tell a story, or you could say a fairytale. Sometimes you need a fairytale to tell something important. The Brothers Grimm, H C Andersen and Astrid Lindgren knew that and have through fairytales spoken about ethics, politics and religion. So let’s tell a story.
Once upon a time..., a 9 year old boy named Olle lived closed to a creek. He had just learned how to make small boats from the bark of the pine trees (Swedish pines have very thick bark, perfect to use for that). He had made a beautiful boat with sails and a helm. Olle were so excited about what he had done and wanted to see if it could sail on the creek. Down at the water he found out that the boat worked perfectly. He really loved his boat and was looking forward to hours of play and fun. Suddenly the strong stream in the middle of the creek brought the boat away. Faster and faster the boat went and Olle had to run along the shore to not lose it. The stream was strong and the boat went out of sight. Olle cried and run. He knew it must be further down the stream so he did not give up. His cheeks were soaking wet of tears now. Coming around a corner he suddenly saw his beloved boat again. But now it was in the hands of an older boy that usually teased and chased Olle. Olle shouted out – It is mine. “No”, the big boy said. ”Now it is mine. I found it!”. ”But you can buy it from me for..., lets say 25 dollar”. 25 dollar was an awful lot of money for Olle. He had saved money for a year now, and maybe he got it at home in his piggy bank. He ran home and found that 25 dollar was exactly the amount he got – he had to give the boy every single penny of his savings but he did not hesitate. When he had given the big boy all his money he got his boat. Then he sat down, took his small pen knife and cut the name Olle in to the bark. Then he said, whispering to the boat, “ I have created you, I have formed you, Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” "... and they all lived happily ever after"
That is how the story ends, at the same way as the prophecy of Isaiah started; “ I have created you, I have formed you, Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” "... and they all lived happily ever after"
So the fairytale is the story about how God has redeemed us, bought us free, and given us the promise to always be close to us. Isaiah continues with a promise to us: “ I will be with you;and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. you are precious and honored in my sight, I love you”.
It is also a story about what the baptism means to us, for Philippe and for all of us – a sign of this promise and of the love of God.
But this day is not primarily about our baptism. The headline says “The baptism of Jesus”. Why were Jesus then baptized, that is not easy to understand. It is said that at his baptism a voice came from heaven saying; "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." The words ”I am well pleased” could also be translated ”I choose you” or ” you are my choosen”. Those words descending from heaven could be slightly recogniced as almost the same words given by Isaiah; you are precious and honored in my sight, I love you.
What we hear in the baptism of Jesus is a declaration of love and an appointment. From now on Jesus starts his mission. He teaches and he gathers disciples. The mission will lead him up to Jerusalem and the death of Golgotha. But that is what he has come for, and the mission starts with his baptism.
We all know the importance of having a starting point for a new mission. The popularity of the New Years promises shows that. Lets start a new life, from now on I will… This year I will…. We need a point when we start. We also all need a time when we can declare, pronounce our love for others or recieve that declaration from others. Weddings are such occasions, birthday parties are other such occasions. We need a time and place where we can express our love. It is very human.
You are my beloved – you are my choosen. A declaration of love and a starting point for the mission. that was the reality at the baptism of Jesus, and that is the reality of our baptism. The baptism is the time for God to declare his love for us and the starting point for a mission.
Our mission as humans are many folded. But it could be said to be “to become more human”. To live according to the will of God and day by day grow in faith, hope and love. Of course that is a mission that will never be fully completed in time. In eternity, yes, but not in time. To grow in faith, hope and love, not for the sake of ourselves but for the sake of others – that is our mission.
Jesus had another mission. By using the fairytale again, the one about Olle and his boat, we can say tht the mission of Christ was like the mission that Olle had – his mission was to save us by sacrificing all he had – his life – and then put the sign of reedemtion, his name and the cross, upon us. Here by the baptism font God says to us; ” I have created you, I have formed you, Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”