“Leaning” on Jesus… allowing Him to clean me, make me whole, to love me and accept me. Emotional stuff but so real.
The sermon text follows the sermon video.
Click here: https://zionepiscopal.com/Sermon%20Videos/maundy-thursday-4-6-2023-neale.html
Sermon preached at Zion Episcopal, Washington NC
Maundy Thursday – April 6th 2023
The Reverend Alan Neale
“Leaning on Jesus”
Don’t you just love Simon Peter? He never fails to disappoint, he never fails to evoke the comment, “Well, isn’t that just like Peter?”.
Listen to Peter in Mark 9:5-6 “Peter interrupted, “Rabbi, this is a great moment! Let’s build three memorials—one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah.” He blurted this out without thinking, stunned as they all were by what they were seeing.”
Listen to Peter in Mark 14:27-31 “Jesus told them, “You’re all going to feel that your world is falling apart and that it’s my fault. There’s a Scripture that says, I will strike the shepherd; The sheep will scatter.
“But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you, leading the way to Galilee.”
29 Peter blurted out, “Even if everyone else is ashamed of you when things fall to pieces, I won’t be.”
30 Jesus said, “Don’t be so sure. Today, this very night in fact, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
31 He blustered in protest, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you.” All the others said the same thing.
And now listen to Peter in today’s Gospel John 13:3-9 “Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything, that he came from God and was on his way back to God. So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron. When he got to Simon Peter, Peter said, “Master, you wash my feet?”
7 Jesus answered, “You don’t understand now what I’m doing, but it will be clear enough to you later.”
8 Peter persisted, “You’re not going to wash my feet—ever!”
Jesus said, “If I don’t wash you, you can’t be part of what I’m doing.”
9 “Master!” said Peter. “Not only my feet, then. Wash my hands! Wash my head!”
Dear, dear Peter! Truly a man who suffered from an unnerving disease; in Latin ‘Pedobuccality” and in Greek “Podostomiasis’ – “foot in mouth disease! Ummmm… who cannot identify with Peter?
These past couple of days I have wondered why it was that Peter offered such a defiant, definitive, disobedient “NO!”
You must have thoughts in your minds for, like me, you have heard this story so many times. Let me suggest three reasons, and later tell me your own responses.
First, perhaps Peter was embarrassed. He doubtless saw himself as the strong leader of the mismatched and motley crew of the disciples; we’ve seen this often as we have watched the Chosen together in Lent.
He was doubtless rather proud of his nickname The Rock, even though soon he would prove himself to be more constituted of sand rather than rock. How could he let Jesus serve him, the picture was all wrong – he was embarrassed.
Second, perhaps Peter was confused. Like his fellow disciples, he was still struggling with the identity, the mission of Jesus. If the Messiah was to come in triumph and victoriously rout the enemies of Israel, how could he also be the one who “humbles himself… to serve, to die on a Cross”. We follow a Servant Lord!
And third, perhaps Peter was ashamed. He knew his own unworthiness and was ashamed to allow his Lord, his Jesus to wash him and make him clean. Remember Peter’s words in Luke 5:8-10“Simon Peter, when he saw the great catch of fish, fell to his knees before Jesus. “Master, leave. I’m a sinner and can’t handle this holiness. Leave me to myself.” “Master, leave. I am a sinner and I cannot handle this holiness”. Perhaps like me – you’ve been there, done that and secretly wear the T-shirt?
I finish with a strange little parable (which you will also read in tomorrow’s mailing).
And now, as they say, for something completely different. Over recent years I have battled with our chiming clock. I think we bought it years ago when I was serving in South Dakota and, for most of the years since its purchase it has not worked, though we have carried it carefully from home to home and though we have had gifted watch-repairers do their best. About a week ago, I carried it into the kitchen and sprayed the innards with oil – and it started to work and to chime. But, when I carried it back into the dining room – it stopped. And then I discovered that if I turned the clock around, so the back faced the room, it started to work; was this a shy clock? No, Wendy and I determined that if it was raised at the front, it worked. In other words, when it was leaning… it worked and chimed properly.
Now, the message for me in this little odd story is this… when I lean on the Lord, then I can work and live properly; when I am self-sufficient, try to stand alone and independent then generally stress and chaos follows.
It is when I lean on Jesus to be cleansed, made whole, embraced and loved that I am fully alive.
I recall the old Gospel hymn that runs: “What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms; What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms. Leaning, leaning,
Safe and secure from all alarms; leaning, leaning, Leaning on the everlasting arms”.
Friends, I ask you and myself to re-commit to leaning on Jesus – for forgiveness, acceptance, grace and hope.
Hear as Jesus speaks this often heard phrase: “My Name is Jesus, and I will serve you tonight, tomorrow, all your life and beyond even the grave.”
Thank you, Jesus.
Amen