3-25-18 Mime of the Crucifixion

MIME OF THE CRUCIFIXION

By Jeff Cooper

Music Interlude

                              Enter Back Left:    Motion for disciples to “follow me”.

                                        Don’t worry about what you eat or drink.

                                        Don’t worry about what to wear / Solomon / Lilies of the field

                              Walk UR isle and back DC isle.

                                        God parted the seas. Heal people.

                              Walk half way UC cross to L and back DL.

                                        Pour water into basin, sit on edge of stage L and wash/dry feet.

                                        Stand, cross R, sit and serve the bread and the cup.

                              Stand and Cross R inviting the 11 to follow – then the 3 to come into the

garden with you and to stay and pray while you go L to pray.

Narration: Though you are you…

                              Lift cup for God to take it.

                                        Cross R to sleeping disciples – wake them. Back L to pray again.

                                        Cross R to sleeping disciples – wake them. Back L to pray again.

                                        Cross R to sleeping disciples – wake them. Show them the guards are

Coming – Kiss Judas – keep disciples from fighting.

Tied and taken away out L

[Change to robe #2, black R eye L cheek, dirt on arms and legs, hair messed up]

Muisc-Narration-Slides

Narration: (SLIDE  Jesus & 3 in garden / Jesus praying in garden / Jesus in prayer in garden / Olive Trees) Can you be brave enough my other self…

MUSIC CHANGE

                              Enter R cross C on box hands tied to post above head. 39 lashes

                              Taken down exit R.

[crown of thorns, blood, circles on hands and feet, lashes on back]

Muisc-Narration-Slides

Narration: (SLIDE  Jesus being whipped / Jesus carrying cross / Nailed to cross (Screen up)

MUSIC CHANGE – Song “A Nail” Blue follow spot to red.

                              Enter back C Carrying Cross, fall at front, get up and thank Simon. Look at

people cross L then up on stage cross R then L between tables then R

to C under cross. Respond to song.

End flashing light from behind and red spot fade out.

After narration – black out.

         

Much of the following was taken from Everyone’s Way of the Cross by Clarence Enzler

Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before me like a tender shoot and like a root through the parched ground. He has no stately formal majesty that we should look upon him nor appearance that we should be attracted to him. He was despised and forsaken with men. A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and like ….men hide their face./ He was despised and we did not esteem him. Surely our grace even saw more and our sorrows he carried. Yet we ourselves  .. and stricken smitten of God and afflicted but he was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities.   .. for our wellbeing fell upon him. And by his strife, we are healed. All of us like sheep who have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way, but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted yet he did not open his mouth. Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent for their shearers, he did not open his mouth. Though you are you and I am I, yet we are truly one, one Christ and therefore my way to the cross 2000 years ago and your way now are also one. But no distance, my life was incomplete until I found it by my death. Your steps will only be complete when you … by your life. This cross, this chunk of tree is what my father chose for me. The crosses you must bare are largely products of your daily life. And yet my father chose them too for you. Receive them from his hands. Take heart my other self, I will not let your burdens grow one ounce too heavy for your strength. The God who made the universe and holds it in existence by his will alone becomes as man to you to bare a piece of …. Weight. How human in his weakness is the son of man. My Father willed it to us. My strength is gone. I can no longer bare the cross alone. And so the Roman garrison makes silent.   The silence is like you my other self. Give me your strength. Can you be brave enough my other self to wipe my bloody face? Where is my face you ask. At home whenever I spill tears, at work when tensions rise, on playgrounds, in the slums, the courts, the hospitals, the jails; wherever suffering exists. My face is there and there I look for you to wipe away my blood and tears.

One, two, three, four, five, six, Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted; blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied, blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy; blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God; blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God; blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven; blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you, and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake, rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in Heaven.

Completely drained of strength, I lie collapsed upon the cobblestones, my body could not move. No gloves, no kiss can rouse it up. Yet my will is mine and so is yours. Know this my other self, your body can be broken but no force on earth and none in hell can take away your will. Your will is yours. Behold my other self the poorest king whoever lived before my creatures I stand straight. The Cross, my deathbed, even this is not my own. Yet who hasn’t… possessing nothing, I own all. My Father’s love. Can you imagine what a crucifixion is? My executioners stretch out my arms, they hold my hand and wrist against the wood and press the nail until it stabs my flesh, then with one heavy hammer smash they drive it through and pain bursts like a ball of fire through my brain. They seek the other arm and agony again explodes and then raising up my knees so that my feet are flat against the wood, they hammer them fast too. The cross becomes a pole now to speak I must raise myself by pressing against my wrist and and feet and every move engulfs me in new waves of agony and then when I have born enough and emptied my humanity, I let my mortal life depart. So ends my mortal life, but now another life begins. My work as man is done. My work within and through my church must now commence. I look to you my other self, day in day out from this time forward, be my disciples, make others disciples too. 

3-18-18 What Prints in the Sand?

Scripture:  Matthew 16:21-27

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND

One night I dreamed a dream as I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings. when you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you."

Life’s journey is not always that sweet. We have bad things happen, we do bad things, we sometimes walk by faith and other times walk in our own strength…

BUTTPRINTS IN THE SAND

One night I had a wonderous dream, one set of foot prints there was seen;

The footsteps of my precious Lord, but mine were not along the shore.

But then some stranger prints appeared, and I ask the Lord, “What have we here?”

Those prints are large and round and neat, “but Lord, they are too big for feet.”

“My child,” he said in somber tones, “for miles I carried you alone.

I challenged you to walk in faith, but you refused and made me wait.”

“You disobeyed, you would not grow, the walk of faith you would not know.

So, I got tired, I got fed up, and there I dropped you on your butt.”

“Because in life there comes a time, when must fight and one must climb;

When one must rise and take a stand, or leave their butt prints in the sand.”

JESUS’ JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM

Jerusalem was occupied by Rome. For the Jews, Rome was the New Egypt. (Jesus had been to Egypt and knew the stories and knew what it meant to the Jews) When the Jews lived in Egypt, they flourished but eventually were under an oppressive government that used them as slaves. The Romans were more crafty to give the illusion of freedom but were just as oppressive to the Jews. In Egypt, God came through Moses to make all things new – to set his people free and take them into the promised land, of which Jerusalem was at the heart. When Rome became so strong, the Jews now, instead of being beholden to a government in a foreign land were beholden to a foreign government in their own land. It would require a new Moses to lead them out of Roman oppression in to the promised land of God.

Jerusalem was the place where the presence of Rome was most notable with Roman soldiers present everywhere. Religiously, all male Jews 13 and older were to come to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, the feast of Weeks, and the feast of tabernacles. The families in the area would have done this. Those who lived farther would come for only one – most to Passover and those who were poor or lived even farther may only come once in a lifetime to the holy city of Jerusalem.

It was unlike anything most people had ever seen. It would be like if you lived your life in Oak Harbor or a Genoa and never traveled outside that area and had no internet or tv and at age 13 went to New York city. That may have been Jesus’ experience at age 12. People traveled in caravans for safety in numbers with people from their own towns. They would have camped all over outside the city with its massive glorious buildings, complexes and walls. Herod had built the city into a place of glory and splendor, the centerpiece of which was the Temple. On the same day every family would have gone to the temple to sacrifice a lamb (one they brought with them or one they bought there) and have it slaughtered for their Passover meal to remind them that God had freed their people in Egypt when they put the blood of the lamb on the doorpost of their houses so the angel of death would Passover them and destroy their oppressors, the Egyptians.

With Rome being such a strong overlord, they would have been very much in mind as the Jews participated in Passover – looking for God to free them from their oppressors once again. Camped outside the city you could gaze on the magnificent temple but once near the city, the walls would block your view. The sounds of people speaking many languages would only be drowned out by those selling everything from food to trinkets, maps, furniture, bedding and clothing. The sights and sounds could frighten anyone coming from a small city – even I was frightened on my first visit to Jerusalem. (Christ Prison Souvenirs – owner: Hassan El-Ansari The address is Via Dolorosa 40).

          This journey to Jerusalem was not just a journey for Jesus, rather a journey for the disciples – a journey for you and me.

Our text for today is a perfect example of how we can go form having  footprints in the sand to having butt prints in the sand. RETELL: “Who do you say that I am?...”  That was the footprints T H E N we come to the buttprints…

Matthew 16:21-27

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed (betrayed by a friend, arrested, falsely tried & convicted, sentenced to death, stripped, flogged, spat upon, beaten, ridiculed, brow crushed with thorns, carried cross beam through streets, mocked, hands and feet pierced with nails, hung on a cross, publicly humiliated, crucified to death, spear thrust in side, placed in a borrowed tomb),  and on the third day be raised to life.  ///  Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." (Buttprints)

          24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

THE WAY

The way to Jerusalem looks suspiciously like Interstate 75,

and the pilgrims look suspiciously like you and me.

I expected the road to Jerusalem to be crowded with holy people …

Pastors and saints … people who have kindness wrinkled in their faces and comfort lingering in their voices’.

But this is more like rush hour … Horns blowing, people pushing, voices cursing … This is not what I envisioned!

O God, I’ve only begun and already I feel I’ve lost my way.

Surely this is not the road and surely these are not the ones to travel with me.

This Lenten journey calls for Holy retreat, for reflection and repentance.

Instead of holiness the highway is crammed with the cacophony of chaos.

Is there no back road to Jerusalem?

No quiet path where angels tend to weary travelers?

No sanctuary from the noise of the world?

Just this? Can this hectic highway be the highway to heaven?                           …by Ann Weems

         

Indeed, the way to heaven is by daily picking up our cross and following in the foot steps of Jesus – occasionally we will mis-step and to set us right he will have to drop us on our butt and other times we will be too weary to walk and he will carry us – beside him, sitting in the sand or being carried by him one thing is true – Jesus is with us always, to the very end of the age.

3-11-18 The greatest miracle is a 5-letter word

Scripture:  John 14:6-12

Acts 2:22     Peter: “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.”

What Jesus accomplished through his death and resurrection are unquestionably the most important thing he did. Leading up to that he spent 3 years with the disciples and others. What was the most important thing Jesus did during those 3 years? His miracles? His friendships? Developing disciples? Pointing people to God? Teaching? Or all the above – well I think all the above is good but everything he did was to lead people into a new relationship with God by having them put their faith in him as the son of God.

          Jesus didn’t feed people because they were hungry – he fed them so he could keep teaching them and bringing them closer to faith. Jesus didn’t do miracles to become a celebrity, he did it to create faith in people.

          We are moving toward Easter and seeing how God is making all things new. A few weeks ago, we looked at Jesus baptism and temptation. Last week we looked at the calling of the disciples – putting his band together. Today I want us to look at his teaching through his miracles. Jesus miracles fall into two categories: Healing and Nature Miracles. There are 4 times as many healing miracles as there are nature miracles. Let’s look at the list:

HEALING MIRACLES

MIRACLE                                                   WHERE                         SCRIPTURE

Healing of nobleman’s son                            Cana                                John 4:46-54

Restoring sight of a blind man                       Bethsaida                         Mark 8:22-26

Restoring sight of man born blind                 Jerusalem                         John 9:1-41

Raising of Lazarus                                         Bethany                           John 11:1-45

Healing demon-possessed man                      (east shore                      Matt. 8:28-34

                                                                      of Sea of Galilee)             Mark 5:1-20

                                                                                                              Luke 8:26-39

Raising of Jairus’s daughter                          Capernaum                      Matt. 9:18-26

                                                                                                              Mark 5:22-24, 35-43

                                                                                                              Luke 8:41-42, 49-56

Healing of lame man                                     Bethesda                          John 5:1-18

Healing woman 12-years of bleeding            Capernaum                      Matt. 9:20-22

                                                                                                              Mark 5:25-34

                                                                                                              Luke 8:43-48

Restoring of paralytic at Capernaum              Capernaum                      Matt. 9:1-8

                                                                                                              Mark 2:1-12

                                                                                                              Luke 5:17-26

Curing of leper near Gennesaret                    Galilean city                    Matt. 8:1-4

                                                                                                              Mark 1:40-45

                                                                                                              Luke 4:38-39

Healing of Peter’s mother-in-law                   Capernaum                      Matt. 8:14-17

                                                                                                              Mark 1:29-31

                                                                                                              Luke 4:38-39

Restoring of withered hand                            Synagogue in Galilee          Matt. 12:9-14

                                                                                                              Mark 3:1-6

                                                                                                              Luke 6:6-11

Healing of child with demon                         Area of Mt. Tabor            Matt. 17:14-20

                                                                                                              Mark 9:14-29

                                                                                                              Luke 9:37-43

Restoring blind and mute demoniac               Galilee                             Matt. 12:22

                                                                                                              Luke 11:14

Giving sight to two blind men                       Capernaum                      Matt. 9:27-31

Healing of mute demoniac                             Capernaum                      Matt. 9:32-34

Healing of deaf-mute                                     Region of Decapolis          Mark 7:31-37

Restoring sight to blind Bartimaeus               Jericho                             Matt. 20:29-34

                                                                                                              Mark 10:46-52

                                                                                                              Luke 18:35-43

Healing Syrophoenician girl                          District of Tyre                Matt. 15-21-28

                                                                                                              Mark 7:24-30

Healing centurion’s servant                           Capernaum                      Matt. 8:5-14

                                                                                                              Luke 7:1-10

Restoring demon-possessed in synagogue     Capernaum                      Mark 1:23-27

                                                                                                              Luke 4:33-36

Raising son of a widow                                 Nain                                 Luke 7:11-16

Restoring of woman crippled for 18 years     Jerusalem or Galilee         Luke 13:10-17

Healing of man with dropsy                          Jerusalem or Perea           Luke 14:1-6

Healing of 10 men with leprosy                     Samaria or Galilee           Luke 17:11-19

Restoring of Malchus’s ear                            Garden of Gethsemane    Luke 22:49-51

                                                                                                              John 18:10-11

NATURE MIRACLES

MIRACLE                                                   WHERE                         SCRIPTURE

Turning water into wine                              Cana                                John 2:1-11

First catch of fish                                         Sea of Galilee                  Luke 5:1-11

Second catch of fish                                     Sea of Tiberias                 John 21:1-14

Feeding of five thousand                             Sea of Galilee                  Matt. 14:15-21

                                                                      (near Bethsaida)               Mark 6:35-44

                                                                                                              Luke 9:12-17

                                                                                                              John 6:5-15

Feeding of four thousand                            Near Bethsaida                 Matt. 15:32-39

                                                                                                              Mark 8:1-9

Stilling the storm                                         Sea of Galilee                  Matt. 8:23-27

                                                                      (between Capernaum          Mark 4:35-41

                                                                      and Gadara)                     Luke 8:22-25

Walking on the sea                                      Seal of Galilee                 Matt. 14:22-33

                                                                      (between Bethsaida          Mark 6:45-52

                                                                       and Capernaum               John 6:16-21

Providing tax money in fish’s mouth          Capernaum                      Matt. 17:24-27

Withering of fig tree                                    Jerusalem                         Matt. 21:17-22

                                                                                                              Mark 11:12-24, 20-25

JESUS’ NATURE MIRACLES ARE DESIGNED TO CREATE FAITH

Turning water into wine                              Cana                                John 2:1-11

6 jars 25 gallons a piece turned water into wine – great wine. Why did Jesus do this? Because his mother asked him too? No. John 2:11 tells us why:  This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

First catch of fish                                         Sea of Galilee                  Luke 5:1-11

Put out in to the deep – caught a lot – they were amazed – taught them that he is the son of God – told Peter he would now catch men…lead others to faith.

Second catch of fish                                     Sea of Tiberias/Galilee     John 21:1-14

Cast net on the right side. – caught a lot – recognized it is Jesus – “Peter do you love me?” YES “Feed my sheep”…lead others to faith.

Feeding of five thousand                             Sea of Galilee                  Matt. 14:15-21

Why did Jesus feed them? So, he could teach them to put their faith in him.

Feeding of four thousand                            Near Bethsaida                 Matt. 15:32-39

After this feeding they crossed the sea in a boat and Jesus warned them about the yeast (rising corrupted teaching) of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They thought he was talking bread to eat and said, (Mt 16:8) “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread?”

Stilling the storm                                         Sea of Galilee                  Matt. 8:23-27

Faith for the disciples

Mt 8:25-26   “Lord! Save us! We’re going to drown!” Jesus replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”       

                                                 

Walking on the sea                                      Seal of Galilee                 Matt. 14:22-33

Faith for the disciples, especially Peter

Mt 14:30-31   “Beginning to sink, Peter cried out, Lord save me!”  Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. You of little faith, Jesus said, why did you doubt?”

                                                 

Providing tax money in fish’s mouth          Capernaum                      Matt. 17:24-27

Faith for Peter

2 drachma tax. “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax? Yes he does.   Peter, who pays tax – sons or others? Others!         So we do not offend go catch a fish and pay for you and me with the 4 drachma coin you find.”

Withering of fig tree                                    Jerusalem                         Matt. 21:17-22

Faith for all disciples

Matt 21:18-22   Early in the morning at Bethany, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked. Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

**********************************************

          The purpose of the miracles Jesus performed were to create faith in him and trust that God is who He claims to be according to the scriptures.

John 14:11 “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.”

The greatest miracle is a 5-letter word

John 14:6-12

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. (Jesus does not point the way to God – HE is the way! Jesus does not reveal the truth about God – HE is Truth!  Jesus does not point the way to life – HE is life!) No one comes to the Father except through me. (If you are looking for clarity on which to base your faith – there it is. Jesus is not one way among many – He is it – there is no other!) If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." 8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." (People just want God to show himself – the premise is wrong – God has shown himself already – fully – completely – IN JESUS)   Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? (This is not a unity like other Father/Son relationships. Jesus is not “like” God. Jesus IS God! When you see Jesus [in our case-by Faith] then you have seen the Father – you have seen God in the flesh.)   The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; /// or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.”

Vs 12 I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.