Festival of the Holy Trinity

May 31 - June 6

Book of Ecclesiastes, Gospel of John

“Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heeded more than a rant among fools.” Solomon recognized that the truth spoken by wise people often goes unnoticed, while “folly is set in many high places.”

In John’s Gospel account, Jesus illustrates what that folly looks like by warning us about the hired hands who neglect his flock and leave it to be scattered or devoured. After Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, the real-life hirelings worry that his popularity will rob them of their position, or worse, their nation. They are so fixated on being in this world’s high places that they assume the Son of God would ascend to a similar position. But this reduces him to a paper Messiah, a mere man whose kingdom collapses with his death, leaving little more than a sad affirmation of Solomon’s lament that all men, great or small, face the same fate.

What the unbelievers do not see is what Jesus does before the resurrection of Lazarus: a simple prayer of thanks to the Father that reveals his true purpose. He wants us to listen, to see and believe, to run from the folly of the self-interested in high places and follow him.

And when we do, we learn that the true Messiah’s power over death is actually the beginning of an immeasurably better kingdom. It is a greater flock from all parts of the world. Moved and sustained by his Spirit, we imitate his humility and obedience to the Father and strive to make our whole lives a prayer of thanksgiving to him, that all might believe in the one he has sent. The honor and glory are his forever!

Pentecost 2

June 7 - 13

Book of Proverbs, Gospel of John

To say that the dinner was a grand occasion would be an understatement. Lazarus’ entire family and all of his friends were gathering to celebrate his escape from death. And word had gotten around quickly. Crowds had begun to gather, hoping for just a glimpse of the living man. The chief priests had learned about it, too, and simmered in resentment of Lazarus’ powerful testimony.

Despite all the attention, Lazarus was not the one being honored. The sweet fragrance of pure ointment turned everyone’s attention to Jesus. The woman who had once sat at his feet to hear him teach was kneeling again to anoint him and prepare him for burial. The one with power over death would soon submit to it and overcome the world.

This umatched sacrifice makes Lazaruses out of you and me. At the font, our flesh died, and Jesus has raised us into disciples who cannot help but testify about our escape from eternal death and offer our living praise to him.

Of course, this doesn’t sit well with those around us. Much of it is content to gather around Jesus and speculate about who he is – a novelty, a source of wealth, a threat to power, a rebel against the establishment – but they are far less willing to believe in the king who has defeated death. That would nullify their self-decreed authority to put the Savior of the world into a category that serves the darkened heart. They cannot part with their earthly power, so they resent the risen. They are driven to the grim conclusion that Jesus and his disciples must be destroyed.

Like Mary, however, we know better. Death has been conquered by our king. While we live, there is no earthly treasure to spare in honoring him, no time wasted in learning his Word, no vigor misspent in praise, no glory squandered in washing one another’s feet. And when the time comes, we will follow our king into death, where his great miracle will be repeated yet again, and we will rise to the kingdom he has prepared for us.