The Mainline Minister

It’s been wet and raw today in the Upper Valley. The thermometer reported a temperature of 36 degrees. Some cars have sported snow on their hoods. A gray day makes it hard to believe that Easter is tomorrow. The idea of new life, of a spiritual spring must have seemed similarly distant to the friends, disciples, and family of Jesus the day after his crucifixion. True, new relationships were already being formed: Mary and the Beloved Disciple would be there to support each other as Jesus has encouraged from the cross. But the reality that everything would be changed beyond recognition, that death had not had the last word, was still not evident. It’s hard to put ourselves in the proverbial shoes of those first followers of Jesus but it’s worth trying. In doing so, we can open ourselves to the full power of what we will celebrate tomorrow. So, try to be fully present in this day of reflecting on what Jesus has meant in your life, of mourning the crucifixion

The Seven Last Words The First Word: Father, forgive them Luke 23.32-34 32 Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus * there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. ( 34 Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’) * And they cast lots to divide his clothing. The Second Word: With me in paradise Luke 23.39-43 39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding * him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? * Save yourself and us!’ 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ 42 Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into * your kingdom.’ 43 He replied, ‘Truly I tell you

Luke 23.1-25 Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate. They began to accuse him, saying, ‘We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.’ Then Pilate asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ He answered, ‘You say so.’ Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, ‘I find no basis for an accusation against this man.’ But they were insistent and said, ‘He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.’ When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him off to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform some sign. He questioned him at some length, but Jesus g

Luke 22.54-71 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance. When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. Then a servant-girl, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, ‘This man also was with him.’ But he denied it, saying, ‘Woman, I do not know him.’ A little later someone else, on seeing him, said, ‘You also are one of them.’ But Peter said, ‘Man, I am not!’ Then about an hour later yet another kept insisting, ‘Surely this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.’ But Peter said, ‘Man, I do not know what you are talking about!’ At that moment, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly. Now the men who were holding Jesus bega

A Prayer for Compline Before the ending of the day, Creator of the world, we pray That you, with steadfast love, would keep Your watch around us while we sleep. From evil dreams defend our sight, From fears and terrors of the night; Tread underfoot our deadly foe That we no sinful thought may know. O Father, that we ask be done Through Jesus Christ, your only Son; And Holy Spirit, by whose breath Our souls are raised to life from death. Reflection Compline, the nighttime office of the church, provides a moment of reflection and contemplation at the end of the day. On this Tuesday of Holy Week, after the excitement of Palm Sunday, and before the tumultuous events that we’ll recount beginning on Maundy Thursday, it seems right to take a moment to catch our breath, pause, and prepare ourselves for what is to come. May God, who sanctified rest by creating the Sabbath, watch over you and yours this evening.

Luke 22.1-23 Now the festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve; he went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to them. They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him money. So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present. Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and prepare the Passover meal for us that we may eat it.’ They asked him, ‘Where do you want us to make preparations for it?’ ‘Listen,’ he said to them, ‘when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him into the house he enters and say to the owner of

Matthew 21.33-46 ‘Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.’ Jesus sai

John 12.36b-end While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.’ After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them. Although he had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him. This was to fulfil the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah: ‘Lord, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’ And so they could not believe, because Isaiah also said, ‘He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they might not look with their eyes, and understand with their heart and turn— and I would heal them.’ Isaiah said this because he saw his glory and spoke about him. Nevertheless many, even of the authorities, believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human glory more than the glory that comes from God. Then Jesus cried aloud: ‘Whoever believes in me believ

John 12.20-36a Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour. ‘Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—“Father, save me from this hour”? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’ The crowd standin

John 12.12-19 The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord— the King of Israel!’ Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: ‘Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!’ His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him. The Pharisees then said to one another, ‘You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!’ Reflection And so it begins. Not just th

John 12.1-11 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’ When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus

John 11.45-end Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what he had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, ‘What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation.’ But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know nothing at all! You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.’ He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God. So from that day on they planned to put him to death. Jesus therefore no longer walked about openly among

Psalm 121 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer your foot to stumble; he who watches over you will not sleep. 4 Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord himself watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand, 6 So that the sun shall not strike you by day, neither the moon by night. 7 The Lord shall keep you from all evil; it is he who shall keep your soul. 8 The Lord shall keep watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth for evermore. Reflection Reflection. Introspection. Self-examination. Prayer. Contemplation. Discipline. These are some of the things we do during Lent. They’re not always easy. At times, they can be downright hard. Those are the moments when we can use some encouragement, the kind that is found in Psalm 121. Wherever we are, wh

John 12.20-33 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour. ‘Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—“Father, save me from this hour”? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’ The crowd standing

Hebrews 11:1-16 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and ‘he was not found, because God had taken him.’ For it was attested before he was taken away that ‘he had pleased God.’ And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and be

Psalm 102 A prayer of one afflicted, when faint and pleading before the Lord. 1 Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to you. 2 Do not hide your face from me on the day of my distress. Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily on the day when I call. 3 For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace. 4 My heart is stricken and withered like grass; I am too wasted to eat my bread. 5 Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my skin. 6 I am like an owl of the wilderness, like a little owl of the waste places. 7 I lie awake; I am like a lonely bird on the housetop. 8 All day long my enemies taunt me; those who deride me use my name for a curse. 9 For I eat ashes like bread, and mingle tears with my drink, 10 because of your indignation and anger; for you have lifted me up and thrown me aside. 11 My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass. 12 But you, O Lord, are enthroned for ever; your name en

Psalm 53 1 The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ Corrupt are they, and abominable in their wickedness; there is no one that does good. 2 God has looked down from heaven upon the children of earth, to see if there is anyone who is wise and seeks after God. 3 They are all gone out of the way; all alike have become corrupt; there is no one that does good, no not one. 4 Have they no knowledge, those evildoers, who eat up my people as if they ate bread, and do not call upon God? 5 There shall they be in great fear, such fear as never was; for God will scatter the bones of the ungodly. 6 They will be put to shame, because God has rejected them. 7 O that Israel’s salvation would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people then will Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad. Reflection This psalm reads like it could have been written today. Books arguing that there is no God are on the best sellers list. Our economic and political systems are being gamed, enriching and

Today’s reflection comes at a late hour. I headed down to Cambridge this morning for the memorial service of Peter Gomes, my preaching professor. I studied other subjects with Peter while I was at Harvard Divinity School, but as it was his seminar on extemporaneous preaching that has had the greatest practical impact on my ministry I think of him as my preaching professor. That said, he was many other things, too. It was noted more than once today that Peter Gomes was a Republican in Cambridge, a gay man in a straight society, a black Pilgrim, a son of Plymouth who spoke like one of the Queen’s subjects. In addition he was a traditionalist in all the best ways, a collector of art and antiques (and interesting people and friendships), an accomplished minister and professor, and a devoted son of Harvard. But to this list I would also add that he was a disciple of Jesus Christ and an apostle of the Gospel. Peter took the Good News seriously. His teaching, his pre

John 10.1-10 ‘Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’ Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, a

Psalm 70 1 O God, make speed to save me; O Lord, make haste to help me. 2 Let those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion; let them be turned back and disgraced who wish me evil. 3 Let those who mock and deride me turn back because of their shame. 4 But let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; let those who love your salvation say always, ‘Great is the Lord!’ 5 As for me, I am poor and needy; come to me quickly, O God. 6 You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay. Reflection So often in today’s world the message to the poor and needy is that they’re not worth helping, that nobody cares. Yet this Psalm reminds us otherwise. God, Creator of the Universe, can be called upon. God, Creator of the Universe, can be relied upon. God can be relied upon. Thank heaven! For as we reflect on this good news, it’s important for us to remember that “poor and needy” includes not only those who are without food or shelter, but those who mourn; those who worry; those who

Isaiah 43.1-7 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my sight, and honoured, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, ‘Give them up’, and to the south, ‘Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made

Prayer of Thanksgiving Blessed are you, God of compassion and mercy, to you be praise and glory for ever. In the darkness of our sin, your light breaks forth like the dawn and your healing springs up for deliverance. As we rejoice in the gift of your saving help, sustain us with your bountiful Spirit and open our lips to sing your praise. Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Blessed be God for ever. Reflection This prayer of thanksgiving is found at the beginning of today’s breviary. Giving thanks to God for God’s healing, saving, sustaining action in us and among us is a powerful way to prepare ourselves for the day ahead, for the discipline of Lenten introspection, and for confronting the challenges of life. By doing so, we remind ourselves that it is God, not ourselves, who makes new life possible. This recognition of our dependence isn’t limiting but freeing – it enables us to remember that we are not alone, that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is a

John 8.48-end The Jews answered him, ‘Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?’ Jesus answered, ‘I do not have a demon; but I honour my Father, and you dishonour me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the judge. Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.’ The Jews said to him, ‘Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, “Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.” Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, “He is our God”, though you do not know him. But I know him; if I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word. Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.’ Then the Jews said to him, ‘