St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Owings Mills MD
March 17, 2024
Year B: The Fifth Sunday in Lent
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 51:1-13
Hebrews 5:5-10
John 12:20-33
“We Wish To See Jesus”
Back in Jersey City, I used to participate in Lenten services sponsored by the Liturgical Churches Union – an organization of predominately Black churches, mostly representing different branches of the Methodist tradition.
Not being Black, and also not being Methodist, I did sometimes feel a little like the “odd man out” but it’s valuable and instructive for those of us who are usually in the majority to be perhaps a little uncomfortable, to get a taste of what it’s like to be in the minority.
That said, the other clergy and their church members were always very welcoming, always glad that my parishioners and I were there.
The Lenten services were one night a week, held at different participating churches.
Each week, one of us ministers would preach, always accompanied by our choir.
So my parishioners and I got to hear different preaching styles and we got to enjoy some really excellent choirs.
And the pastors and people from the other churches got to hear our wonderful choir – and they got to hear me preach.
Now, I’ve been at this long enough to have settled on my preaching style.
You’ve probably noticed.
So, at these Lenten services, I didn’t pretend to be someone I’m not – but I did have to lengthen my sermons, a bit.
If you’ve timed me, you know that I tend to preach around twelve minutes.
Well, at the twelve-minute mark, my fellow pastors would really just be getting started!
Anyway, it really was great to hear the preaching and the various choirs.
And it was a blessing to make friends among the Black clergy in town.
And it was also fascinating to get inside all of these different churches, to see the architecture and art, to preach from unfamiliar pulpits.
One of the churches was the Metropolitan AME Zion Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. spoke, about a week before he was assassinated.
There’s a sign in Metropolitan’s pulpit, visible only to the preacher. It must have been visible to Dr. King.
The sign reads: “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
“We wish to see Jesus.”
What a powerful reminder to every preacher that the people before us have not gathered to hear how clever or funny or intelligent or fiery or brief or long-winded we are.
No, all of us, people and pastors, all of us come here, week after week, because we wish to see Jesus.
In today’s gospel lesson, we briefly encounter a group of people – we’re told they are Greeks – who wish to see Jesus.
The setting is Jerusalem, near the time of the Passover.
We’ll mark Palm Sunday next week but in this passage, Jesus has already arrived in the capital city, has already paraded on a donkey through the streets as people lay palms and cloaks along his way.
So, it’s no surprise that a group of out of town visitors would want to see Jesus.
They had probably already heard of him and they surely were aware of the palm parade.
We’re not told if these Greeks ever did get to see Jesus, they are not mentioned again.
But, in his words that follow, Jesus shows himself - reveals himself and his mission for all to see.
Jesus will be glorified not by the Palm Parade, not by taking his seat on a throne in a palace.
No, Jesus will be glorified by giving away his life on the cross.
Jesus will be the seed that dies so new life can take root – so new life can take root for him and for us all.
And when we see Jesus, Jesus always calls us to follow him – to follow him by giving away our lives in loving service, by striving to love everyone, especially the people we don’t like or trust, the people we find so hard to love.
“We wish to see Jesus.”
One of the ironies of being a priest is that I spend a good bit of time encouraging people to stay in the moment, to look for how God might be at work, right here and right now.
Unfortunately, the nature of my job makes this particularly difficult for me.
So, I’m trying – I’m really trying – to be right here and right now with you on the Fifth Sunday in Lent. But not very far in the back of my mind, I’m thinking about Palm Sunday – will the palms arrive in time – will the weather allow us to have our little palm parade?
I’m thinking about Holy Week – will all those bulletins get edited and printed – will the copier fail us in our moment of greatest need - and will I find the right words in all those sermons – sermons that will hopefully help people to see Jesus.
And, of course, I’m thinking about Easter Day – the biggest day of the church year.
Hopefully, on Easter morning we will welcome lots of people, many of whom haven’t been here since Christmas, or maybe last Easter, or perhaps even longer than that.
Now it might be tempting to make wisecracks – “Don’t forget we’re here every Sunday!” or “Hey stranger, how’ve you been?”
We won’t do that, of course.
We should and will be thankful and joyful to see everybody, all of these people who will be here for all kinds of reasons.
For some, it’s simply tradition.
It’s Easter and we go to church.
For others, they may want to see and hear beauty – the gorgeous flowers, the glorious music, the stylish hats and outfits.
For some, maybe it’s a way to keep mom or grandma happy.
“All right, I’ll go to church.”
But, I think, deep down inside, these people will be here for the same ultimate reason that we come here all the time.
In a world that seems to be obsessed with hate and violence and division, in a time when so many are tempted to follow the way of death, in a place where our lives are often consumed by work and family responsibilities and holding on to what we’ve got and fears about the future, in a time and place such as this, people may not even know it, or won’t even admit it, but they wish to see Jesus.
We wish to see Jesus.
And so, on Easter and all the time, our job – our privilege – is to show them – to show one another - Jesus.
May they see Jesus in this community of people from different places and with lots of different viewpoints, who transcend our differences with love and service.
May they see Jesus in this servant church, where we give not just from what’s left over after our needs are met but we give in ways that really cost us – really take some of our valuable time, talent, and treasure.
May they see Jesus in God’s Word and most of all in the in the Bread and the Wine.
And, God willing, may they even see Jesus in the sermon, in twelve minutes or less.
The people – the people out there – the people wish to see Jesus – they need to see Jesus.
So, with God’s help, on Easter and always, let’s show them Jesus.
Amen.
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