Psalm 69

For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.

¹ Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
² I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.
³ I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched.
My eyes fail, looking for my God.
⁴ Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore what I did not steal.

⁵ You, God, know my folly; my guilt is not hidden from you.

⁶ Lord, the Lord Almighty, may those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel, may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me.
⁷ For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face.
⁸ I am a foreigner to my own family, a stranger to my own mother’s children;
⁹ for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
¹⁰ When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn;
¹¹ when I put on sackcloth, people make sport of me.
¹² Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards.

¹³ But I pray to you, Lord, in the time of your favor;
in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.
¹⁴ Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,  from the deep waters.
¹⁵ Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.

John 19:1-11  Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. ² The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe ³ and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.

⁴ Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” ⁵ When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

⁶ As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”

⁷ The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”

⁸ When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, ⁹ and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

Where is God in all of this?

Our world was a different place when we began our Lenten journey. We began with a celebration of the sacrament of communion. We greeted one another each week by shaking hands; there were even exchanges of hugs by many. We shared the ‘Peace of Christ’ in person, and after each of our first services we gathered together for coffee, tea, juice and a variety of delicious food offerings. We sat close together, and there were times when we could not hear part of a conversation, so we leaned in towards the group we were in conversation with and listened.

Today, we will stay home and receive our sermons by email or home delivery. We will not shake hands with our neighbours, and if we forget and do shake hands, we will pull a disinfectant wipe from our purse and quickly wash our hand. The ‘Peace of Christ’ will be shared through air waves or from across the street as people go for a walk to break away from the effects of cabin fever. Coffee hour is now a trip through the drive-thru, where your beverage will be delivered by the gloved hand of someone who is likely grateful to still be working, but also concerned about having contact with their fellow workers.

When we began our Lenten Journey, we were following Jesus and His disciples from the upper room, where they celebrated communion together, along their walk to the garden of Gethsemane. As we travelled this journey with Jesus we saw our Lord betrayed and arrested. Out of fear, the disciples deserted their friend and teacher, and one disciple, Simon Peter, denies even knowing Him. Jesus is falsely accused by the religious authorities who fail to recognize Him as the long-awaited Messiah, and today we see Jesus standing before a court of the empire. This court official finds no guilt in Jesus, yet is unable to release Him due to public pressure.

Things have quickly changed in each of our day to day lives, just as things changed quickly for Jesus and His followers as we have followed along our Lenten journey on the Passion of Christ.

Our world right now is pretty messed up, and it changes every hour. There is a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety. The long-range picture is clouded with ‘what ifs’ and we are not really sure what to do. What can we do? (we will come back to this)

As we take all this in and absorb the uncertainty, we might wonder (and people will certainly be asking us in the near future), where is God in all of this! This is a good question, because it is beneficial for each of us to realize God’s presence in our lives, not just when life is moving along nicely, but also when uncertainty, fear, anxiety and struggles surround us.

Where is God while the death toll around the world rises. Where is God as Covid-19 spreads across the land, causing world leaders to struggle to find solutions to stop its deadly spread. Where is God as people are being laid off and markets are showing a dismal outlook for our financial future. Where is God as a handful of people hoard the basic essentials that could help their neighbour get through these troubled times. In the empty shelves, the empty streets, the empty malls, and the closed churches people are wondering, “where is God?,” and they will be looking to us for an answer.

So where was God when Jesus came face to face with Judas as He was being arrested? Where was God when the disciples all ran for the hills, leaving Jesus alone? Where was God when the religious leaders turned against His beloved son, and where was God when Pilate was trying to free Jesus. As the soldiers spun a crown of thorns, pressing it down upon the flesh of Jesus, mocking and beating His innocent body, adding humiliation with a royal purple robe upon His bruised and bloody body, where was God?

It can be hard to see God in scenes such as these, but Scripture reminds us that God is with us through all of these times. Friends may turn on us for the right price, and others may run for cover and leave us on our own. We may face situations that are not fair – suffer things we do not deserve, but God will never leave our side. God suffers with us. It is important to remember, it pains God for His creation to suffer.

Where was God throughout the betrayal, loneliness, mockery and suffering of Christ’s Passion? The apostle Paul tells us:

  2 Corinthians 5:19 NKJV

                        ¹⁹ … God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

God was in Christ. That tells us that God suffered with Christ, and that despite being physically deserted and betrayed by friends, Christ was never truly alone. God was with Jesus.

Last week we read from Isaiah 43, where we were reminded that God created and formed us, that He calls us, and most importantly, He never leaves us. Whatever waters of uncertainty we must cross, He is at our side. When the flames of anger, fear, doubt and helplessness begin to spread, God will give us comfort and shelter from the flames. “Fear not, for I am with you.” Isaiah 43:5, the LORD tells us. These are words we need to hear and words we need to share.

There is no promise in Scripture that God will make this world free of betrayal, desertion, injustice, pain and death. Jesus actually taught us to be prepared for troubling times:

John 16:33 NIV        

³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

 What God does promise is that He will walk with us through any situation the world hands us. We can have peace in knowing we are never alone. We also have God’s promise to bring us to the place being prepared for us, as place where:

⁴ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”   Rev 21:4 NIV

What God also gave us is Jesus to teach us how to get through just such times, so when people want to know where God is in this situation, they will see God through the actions of those who follow Christ.

When we have confidence that God is with us, we live with peace through whatever situations come our way. Surrounded in the Peace of Christ we seek to live by the examples Christ taught us. That means we continue to find ways to be the Church, even when the buildings we worship in are closed.

Jesus has given us the teachings and examples on how to love God with all our being and how to love our neighbours as ourselves, and I encourage you to take time during this period of self-isolation to read one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John), paying close attention to how Jesus handles difficult situations and how He reaches out to others.

I also encourage you to talk with God. Where is God? He is a breath away – your breath saying, “dear God, thank you for being with me. Please show me what You would have me do. Thank you Lord, I love You. AMEN”

If you have a phone, call people and connect. If you love surfing the web, contact people, post encouraging words of Scripture on your web pages and Facebook, Zoom into a Bible Study group and explore God’s presence with friends. If you love to bake or cook, perhaps you can share some of your delicious meals and sweets with neighbours – just give them a call, let them know you are on your way to deliver a meal, put the items into a bag or box, with a wave and a ‘God bless you’ leave your gift at the door. Feeling stir crazy, offer to pick up and deliver items for people. Feeling nostalgic, grab a pen and paper and write letters and cards and send them to people – what a nice surprise to get in the mail during this time of isolation. There are a variety of ways we can be Christ’s hands and feet during this trying time, and I encourage each of us to do so.

Where is God in all this? God is in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, and God is in those who are in Christ, continuing to share God’s love, mercy and grace with the world.

Friends, God is in you, with you and for you. All praise and glory be to God. AMEN.