First Sunday of Lent
March 1, 2009
 
 
  Fourth Sunday of Lent
March 22, 2009
 

Fifth Sunday of Lent
March 29, 2009
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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March 29, 2009--Fifth Sunday of Lent

Lectionary Texts: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 51:1-12 or Psalm 119:9-16; Hebrews 5:5-10; John 12:20-33

Sermon Text: John 12:20-33

The Point of No Return

I’m sure you have all experienced it at some point or another, the phenomenon described as the point of no return. It may have been during a hike or bike ride or road trip or project or conversation or relationship. It is that point at which it is too late to turn around and go back to the beginning. You are officially in too deep and you must follow through to the finish.

I, like many of you, have experienced passing the point of no return and needing to draw deep in order to persevere to the finish. Whether it was on the half-a-thon with my 68-year-old father and uncle, or the time I wore new shoes on a 18 mile day hike on a portion of the Appalachian trail in Virginia, or the impossibly difficult Greek exegesis class that I did not drop in time, I am well acquainted with that moment of realizing that turning back now is no longer an option.

The point of no return often coincides with the moment that we are considering giving up. It is the thigh-burning switchback or the lung-piercing mile, or the impossible amount of overtime, or ridiculous mileage to the next rest area. Usually the knowledge that we cannot turn back originates in the desire to turn back.

This morning’s scripture in the Gospel of John 12 is a moment where Christ openly discusses His passing through the point of no return. It is where Jesus--fully God and fully man--acknowledges that He is troubled.

He goes on to declare that He would follow through on the task that He came to earth to do: to save the world through His suffering, death, and resurrection. But Christ admits that He is aware of the difficulty of the task that He is about to accomplish; it is not easy.

The conversation depicted in John 12 comes after the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem which was the beginning of the arduous path to the Cross. Jesus is found hanging out in Jerusalem when the disciples came to Him with word of some admirers that wanted to meet Him.

Instead of doing what seems like the natural thing and acknowledging the admirers, Jesus begins to tell the disciples of how He is supposed to die. Jesus is famous for His seemingly strange timing. Although it may seem off, His timing is always perfect.

He began to share with the disciples what it means to be a servant of His and what it will take for those who want to participate in His life. He spoke of how a single seed will remain only a small, impotent seed, unless it dies. But if it dies, it will produce many seeds. He continued with the teaching by telling them that if they love their life they will lose it, but only if a man hates his life in this world will he have it for eternity. And then, if the idea of death to self and hating one’s life was not dramatic enough, He declared that the true servant of His will be found in Him--will follow Him and be where He is. And a few days later He walked intentionally to the cross.

Feel the burn.

For this was not only the point of no return for Christ, but it is also the point of no return for discipleship. It is the point of no return for the followers of Christ. For the disciples and for others throughout history, including us, sitting in our comfortable seats in a heated church in 2009, this is the point of no return.

For if we take Christ up on this offer, we will either lose everything or gain everything. This kind of a challenge does not come with conservative, middle of the road options. It is an all or nothing, let go or hold on to your measly weak life forever, remain in darkness or live in the Light, kind of decision.

Being truly found in Christ--not just saying you are a Christian, not just putting a Jesus fish on your car, not just showing up at a church on Sunday mornings--being a follower of Jesus will require that we go where He goes. It will require that we are willing to die to ourselves so that we might live in Him. It will require that we take a good, hard look at our lives and start cutting things that come between us and our ability to serve God and serve others. It will mean that we will not get to stand up for ourselves, but instead rely on God.

What God sent Christ to do was not an easy or simple thing to do; what God calls us to do will not be easy or simple either. If Jesus Christ was “troubled” by the magnitude of the sacrifice required of Him, we too will need to push through fear and trepidation to do what is required of us to follow Him.

Thankfully, Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection is sufficient for all time, we will not have to save the world or save ourselves. Only Jesus could do that for us; He did and it is a amazing. But following Him into Life will require that we persevere through the difficult stretches.

There is no courage in not admitting fear, there is courage in acknowledging fear and moving forward anyway. For directly after we see Christ acknowledge His troubled heart, we see His resolve to do what He has been sent to do. Jesus declares, “Father glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and I will glorify it again!”

The text says that the voice was for the benefit of the followers of Christ who were gathered together. It was a reminder that what Jesus said and what He was about to do was sanctioned and blessed by the Father. It was an endorsement from heaven for Jesus. The followers of Christ were about to experience a very difficult time and they needed to be reminded who Jesus is and that this difficult time will bring glory to God.

If we are able to cut through the fear that is keeping us from giving our whole lives over to God, we will be able to see the glory of God in new and amazing ways. This Lent you can take the time to purposely let go so that you can start to follow Him. Let go so that you can begin to explore through prayer and repentance what it might mean for you to die to self so that you might give new life to whatever circumstance you find yourself in. Let go so that you can learn to value nothing higher than eternal life in God.

Although at first glance it seems strange that Jesus goes from hearing about people who wanted to meet Him to talking about His death, I do not think that the timing was an accident. For just as His disciples came to Him with the news of more who wanted to meet Him, Jesus began to explain the way in which all people--throughout history--regardless of age or race or country of origin would come to know Him.

These Greeks wanted to have their picture taken with Jesus, but instead Christ accomplished what it would take to save them from death. Jesus not only made it possible for those Greeks to meet Him by the power of His sacrifice and resurrection, He made sure that every Greek person every born would have the same chance to meet Him. Jesus walked to the cross so that you and I and our children’s children could all equally receive Him.

For notice the last verses of this passage: He states that He will be driven out and despised but then He claims the inheritance of the children of God. Jesus says, “when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself.” He did this so that all could know life that is truly life and be set free from the bondage of sin and death.

This morning you are faced with passing through the point of no return with Jesus. You can go where He goes, do what He does, be led by the Holy Spirit and motivated by the power of His love. You have a choice, you may sit in your pews and continue with business as usual or you can enter into new places of intimacy with God.

You can continue to be slaves to the same old insecurities and frustrations or you can choose to focus on service to others and the love that Christ died to share with us. You can use this time of Lent as an exercise in letting go, or you can just plan an Easter egg hunt for your kids. The choice is yours--no turning back. Amen.