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- "The quality of mercy is not strained. "It falleth on the earth, as gentle rain." Shakespeare's words memorized by generations of school children speak to the power of mercy to completely change the giver, the receiver, and the relationship. But while God's mercy is pure and abundant, it is our human tendency to find ourselves very constrained about asking for God's mercy. Many of us spend far more time believing we deserve more than life is giving us. We are loath to truly believe, as our scripture and faith teaches, that we are all sinners, and as such, all deserve death. Self examination, and repentance, is hard, intentional, focused work. Life is already too demanding, too busy, we are afraid to take the time to be quiet, prayerful and open to asking for God's mercy, because it might mean asking and hearing, that we must change. To ask for God's mercy is to ask for something far more shattering, far more devastating, far more transforming than a perfunctory absolution, as if forgiveness is a get out of jail free card. We are like young child, hysterical about be put into time out for misbehavior. We dread a season of being asked by God to consider what much change in order for us to come into a closer relationship with the one who loves us enough to die for us. And like that same child furious at the parent, our tears give away sooner or later to a far more powerful desire to be held, to be embraced, to be told that, "Child of mine, I love you. "I will never abandon you, I will always seek you, "and always welcome you back." Lent invites us through quiet, through self examination, through confession, to reach for the forgiving, loving arms that are extended across time, across sin, even from a cross of wood, to receive us into his saving embrace. (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (piano music) (choir singing) (choir singing) (piano music (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (piano music) (piano music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (choir music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) 

- On that fateful day, that Friday, Pilot asked him, "Are you king?" Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own "or did others tell you about me?" "My kingdom, is not from this world. "My kingdom, is not from here." Each Sunday I try to preach the gospel in a chapel in the middle of a great university. My home is within the domain of higher education, in a college, a large university. Preaching the gospel of Jesus with in an academic setting, in the middle of the world's intelligence, yeah, that's a great challenge. There is something about the gospel, there's something within the message of Jesus, which makes it well, uneasily in a setting like this one, that uneasiness is for me, symbolized by a wood carving the alter at Duke chapel. Here in Duke chapel, high over the alter, carved in lime wood, the central scene, is Good Friday's gospel. Jesus, before pilot. How do you account for this weird, iconography. I don't know of any other church in the entire Christian world that has these particular scenes over its alter. Why, of the scenes from the story of Jesus, this one, and here, center stage, at a university chapel? If you look carefully, you can see them there, Jesus at the center, quite, erect, serene, a sadness carriage of justice swirling around him. See Pilot, on his judgment seat, he looks hesitant, trembling, despite his soldiers backing him up. The (in foreign language), Roman wolf, sign of Pilot's power emblazend upon his throne. See the soldiers, backing up Pilot's power with their swords and their big shields. Now, why? Of all the scenes from the story of Jesus, why this one here, focal point at a university chapel? I think I know. I think you know. "Are you king of the Jews," Pilot asked, he asked with a certain condescending sneer, I think, big, powerful, Pilot, with the legions of Rome, and all it's classical western civilization backing him up. Powerful, Pilot, before this whipped, bleeding, bedraggled, Jew, Jesus. Pilot asked, "Are you king?" Some of the soldiers surly snickered. Jesus replys, "Are you asking this on your own, "or did one of your bosses in Rome, "write out the question for you?" Pilot, like any good bureaucrat, knows not how to think for himself, Jesus implies. Little todies, can't speak without checking it out with their superiors up at city hall. "Well how should I know who you are, I'm not a Jew am I?" sneers Pilot, and Pilot, despite himself, has answered truthfully by his sarcastic question. Pilot doesn't know, can't know. He is a Roman, a Gentile, oh he knows power, the power of the sword, Roman law, Roman legions, all he knows is that kingdom. That kingdom propped up by the sword, the Roman occupation forces in Judea, violence, the clenched fist, the Roman Bar Association. "Well my kingdom is not of this world," Jesus tells him. Jesus domain is not the kingdom of Pilot, it's not Rome, it's not the power, the Pentagon, the UN USA GM IBM and all our assorted contemporary imperial powers. "My kingdom, is not from here," says Jesus. And one of the most gorgeous understatements in the whole gospel of John. "My kingdom, is not from here." And as if to close the case, Jesus says, "I have come into the world to testify to the truth." In a last ditch effort to salvage the conversation, Pilot resorts says people around here at the university, so often do when faced with something so threatening as Jesus, Pilot resorts to philosophy. "Now what is truth?" He asks. And the confrontation between Jesus and Pilot, Jesus and Rome, Jesus and Western Civilization 101, is resolved in the conventional gentile fashion, Pilot orders that Jesus be beaten half to death. "My Kingdom is not from here." Jesus says. As the soldiers, just following orders, lead him away. "My Kingdom is not form here." It really isn't you know. You walk out of our gothic Duke chapel into bright sun, and you see the kingdoms here. Divinity, and the dozen verses proceeding this encounter with Pilot, you'll find Jesus encounter with professional theologians. Philosophy, what is truth? ROTC, just following orders. Law, the Judge's name was Pilot. Even our beautiful, chapel, the preacher's name was Caiaphas. Here are kingdoms, here is our power, backed up by government grants, propped up by the economic status quo, here we sit and ponder truth. Here we do the research that leads to the weapons of mass destruction, here is where the best and the brightest of our young come to access the path to power as this kingdom defines power. Here they come to receive our ticket to success, as this kingdom defines success, here. That is why some inspired artisan, placed this particular scene from John's gospel, above our alter. Jesus, judge by everything you and I hold dear. Everything for which we work here. Everything to which we sacrifice our children, everything here, to be assaulted by searing words of Jesus, judgment. "My kingdom is not from here." Our kingdoms, the realms we so murderously defend, are named Bosnia, Northern Ireland, United States. We would do almost anything for our kingdoms, and we have done almost anything in this century, in their defense. More people have been killed in this century, by their own government, than have even been killed in war. The scene of Jesus before pilot, the prophet of truth before the principalities and powers of the modern state, has been reenacted dozens of times in dozens of places, and yet he testifies to the court, "My kingdom is not from here." Having thus judged us, and our empires, standing before us over the alter of our chapel, he invites us to break free, to cut loose, to join him on his way toward a new world, a different kingdom, God's kingdom, a kingdom where the truth can be told. And the innocent need not suffer, and the crucifixion of the righteous ends. A kingdom, thank God, not of this world. 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- Now certain man was ill. Lazarus of Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the lord with perfume, and wiped her feet with her hair. Her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sister sent a message to Jesus. Jesus however had been speaking about his death, but they thought he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, Lazarus is dead. For your sake, I'm glad I was not there, so you may believe, but let us go to him. Thomas, who was called the twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go that we may die with him." When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Mary and Martha to consol them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went at met him. While Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here "my brother would not have died, but even now "I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again "in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her, "On the resurrection and the like, "those who believe in me, even though they die, "will live, and everyone who lives, and believes in me, "will never die, do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes lord, I believe that you are "the Messiah, the Son of God, "the one coming into the world." When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, "The teacher is here "and is calling for you." And when she herd it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her, saw Mary get up and quickly go out, they followed her, because they though that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feed and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not of died." He was greatly disturbed in sprit and deeply moved. He said, "Where have you layed him?" They said unto him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus began to weep, so the Jews said, "See how he loved him." But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes "of the blind man kept this man from dying?" And Jesus again, greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man said to him, "Lord, already there's stench because "he's been dead for four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you, that if you believe, "you would see the glory of God." So they took away the stone, and Jesus looked upward and said, "Father I thank you for having, heard me, "I know that you always here, but I've said this, "for the sake of the crowd standing here, "so that they may believe that you sent me." When he said this he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him and let him go." (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing)