The Sermon I Wish I'd Given
I gave the sermon as teaching parish's part in an eccumenical service on the Last Seven Words of Christ. Below is a version of the sermon I gave. I did not give all of the examples listed, because I had to cut for time. And stuff I wanted to say, but didn't feel comfortable saying from somebody else's pulpit.
John 19:28-29 -- After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth.
There is a man who has been nailed to a cross. His whole life has led to this moment. He left his family and friends and journeyed all across his country. He tried to teach people there is a different way, a better way. He taught people to take care of one another. As he traveled, he healed many people. But he threatened the powers that be. Now they are taking care of him. They know he will never be a threat to them again. But he knows there is a power that is greater than their’s. He knows that power is coming in a new way. But it is coming at a very high cost. His life. But he knows while his life may soon be over; his story is not finished. The man on the cross prays for it to be over, “I am thirsty.”
There is a single mother in the inner city, raising three children. She doesn’t let them go outside to play because there have been drive by shootings. People deal drugs from an abandoned house down the street, and rival gangs are trying to claim this neighborhood at their turf. Last week, she pulled her oldest son out of the neighborhood park because one of gang members was trying to recruit him. Whenever they hear car tires screeching, everyone lays down on the floor, just in case the person shooting isn’t a good shot. This woman prays for peace, “I am thirsty.”
There is a man who has been thrown into jail. He has not done anything wrong, other than being the wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time. The police tell him things will go easy for him if he cooperates, but he doesn’t know what to cooperate about. He was arrested because he “fit the profile.” The person who identified him thought he sort of looked like the person who did it. They weren’t positive, but they were pretty sure. The man now has to prove he wasn’t there, wherever there is, when it happened. This man prays for justice, “I am thirsty.”
There is a man who is struggling to feed his family. He has worked hard all of his life, and he did good work. But some people wearing expensive suits decided his job, and everyone else’s at the plant could be done almost as good overseas, and done a lot cheaper. His last day of work was spent unbolting machinery and putting it into storage crates to be shipped to another country. He wants to work. He needs to work. He has to provide for his wife and two kids. The proud, self-sufficient man has applied for work everywhere. Now his unemployment benefits have run out. Yesterday, he went downtown to apply for welfare. He came home, and after the kids went to sleep, he cried in his wife’s arms out of shame. This man prays for a chance, “I am thirsty.”
There is a woman who just wants it to stop. He can be so loving sometimes. He can make her feel so special. But he can make her feel so bad. Sometimes she doesn’t do what he wants. But other times, she doesn’t know what she did that was wrong. If she did anything at all. She is so scared. She doesn’t want to be alone. But she knows this isn’t good for her little boy. She needs to leave, but is afraid to go. This woman prays for mercy, “I am thirsty.”
There is a father who is trying to get his life back together. He has been battling demons for so long. He didn’t realize it at first, but so many days were a blur. There were so many lows, that he needed those highs. But he was so focused on himself, so worried about hanging on to the good feelings, he didn’t realize his family was slipping from his fingers. He did not really miss them when they left. But being alone was the shot of reality he needed. He struggled and fought. Now he’s clean and sober, at least for the past 35 days. But they won’t take his calls. His little princess told him she doesn’t love him anymore. What can he do to convince them he is a different man now? This man prays for forgiveness, “I am thirsty.”
There is a girl who just can’t fit in. The other girls in her class point at her and giggle. Her clothes aren’t the brands the other girls wear. She can’t get her hair styled the way the other girls do. She’s awkward and stumbles and, well, she hasn’t developed the way the other girls have. Her mom tells her about sticks and stones, and the duckling that became a swan, and she can only say, “Mom!” Because Mom doesn’t realize how much it hurts. While mom tells her it will get better, she doesn’t see how, and she just wants the hurting to stop. This girl prays for acceptance, “I am thirsty.”
There is a special young man. He can do the stuff all of the other kids can; it just takes him a little longer. Not everything works for him the same way it does for the other kids. His mom told him what the doctor’s said his condition was, but the young man just can’t pronounce those words. He thought he made a new friend at school, but when the older kids started picking on his new friend, well, his new friend stopped hanging around. His mom said that he’ll make friends, but it may take a little longer. He wonders, “Why are things always slow for me?” The special young man prays for tolerance, “I am thirsty.”
There is a pretty young lady. She does well in school, and is involved in a lot of activities. She helps around church and goes to the grocery store for the lady down the street who doesn’t get around so well any more. But she feels alone. Her parents always seem too busy to talk to her. She really likes her boyfriend and he likes her. But he tells her she needs to show him that she really loves him. She thinks she loves him, but she doesn’t think she’s ready to do what he wants. He’s the only one who makes her feel special. Her parents don’t care; they’re too wrapped up in their own lives. The young lady prays for love, “I am thirsty.”
There is a man who is troubled. He tries to do what is right. He reads the Bible every day. He comes to church every Sunday, and usually makes the mid week Lent services. He prays when he gets out of bed, and before he gets into bed. He prays all through the day. But he feels guilty. He does some things he thinks he shouldn’t, he swears when he gets angry. He watched a movie he knows he shouldn’t watch. He took some office supplies from work because they wouldn’t miss them. He tries so hard to do what’s right, but he fails. He loves God, but because he sins, he’s not sure if God loves him back. The troubled man prays for salvation, “I am thirsty.”
There is a woman who remembers what it was like to be a little girl. She had a good childhood, and had lots of fun. Until he took an interest in her. She used to love him and respect him, but then he started to touch her. He took a lot of her innocence, most of her trust, and a little bit of her. She goes weeks, sometimes months without thinking about him. Then she wakes up in the middle of the night, remembering. He’s affected every relationship she has ever had. She has tried to move on, but just can’t. The woman prays for a reason, “I am thirsty.”
We are all thirsty. We are thirsty for hope, love, forgiveness, inclusion and a million other things. But we are thirsty because we are in need; we are incomplete. Jesus Christ will not solve all of our problems. But He can provide us with the strength to deal with those problems. We can lean on him and he will support us when we are weak. He will support us when we are weak.
There is the Messiah talking to a woman whose brother has died, “I am the resurrection and the life. 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?” He came to earth to atone for our transgressions, to be sacrificed for our sins.
There is the Son of God talking to a woman at the well, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink”, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water. … Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ The man nailed to the cross is the resurrection and the life, the living water, the Word and the Answer. Come and drink and never be thirsty again.
I did not use the paragraphs about the gang violence, the abuse of the young girl nor the girl with the boyfriend. Based on the feedback I got from the other pastors and the people in attendance, I wish I had more guts.
John 19:28-29 -- After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth.
There is a man who has been nailed to a cross. His whole life has led to this moment. He left his family and friends and journeyed all across his country. He tried to teach people there is a different way, a better way. He taught people to take care of one another. As he traveled, he healed many people. But he threatened the powers that be. Now they are taking care of him. They know he will never be a threat to them again. But he knows there is a power that is greater than their’s. He knows that power is coming in a new way. But it is coming at a very high cost. His life. But he knows while his life may soon be over; his story is not finished. The man on the cross prays for it to be over, “I am thirsty.”
There is a single mother in the inner city, raising three children. She doesn’t let them go outside to play because there have been drive by shootings. People deal drugs from an abandoned house down the street, and rival gangs are trying to claim this neighborhood at their turf. Last week, she pulled her oldest son out of the neighborhood park because one of gang members was trying to recruit him. Whenever they hear car tires screeching, everyone lays down on the floor, just in case the person shooting isn’t a good shot. This woman prays for peace, “I am thirsty.”
There is a man who has been thrown into jail. He has not done anything wrong, other than being the wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time. The police tell him things will go easy for him if he cooperates, but he doesn’t know what to cooperate about. He was arrested because he “fit the profile.” The person who identified him thought he sort of looked like the person who did it. They weren’t positive, but they were pretty sure. The man now has to prove he wasn’t there, wherever there is, when it happened. This man prays for justice, “I am thirsty.”
There is a man who is struggling to feed his family. He has worked hard all of his life, and he did good work. But some people wearing expensive suits decided his job, and everyone else’s at the plant could be done almost as good overseas, and done a lot cheaper. His last day of work was spent unbolting machinery and putting it into storage crates to be shipped to another country. He wants to work. He needs to work. He has to provide for his wife and two kids. The proud, self-sufficient man has applied for work everywhere. Now his unemployment benefits have run out. Yesterday, he went downtown to apply for welfare. He came home, and after the kids went to sleep, he cried in his wife’s arms out of shame. This man prays for a chance, “I am thirsty.”
There is a woman who just wants it to stop. He can be so loving sometimes. He can make her feel so special. But he can make her feel so bad. Sometimes she doesn’t do what he wants. But other times, she doesn’t know what she did that was wrong. If she did anything at all. She is so scared. She doesn’t want to be alone. But she knows this isn’t good for her little boy. She needs to leave, but is afraid to go. This woman prays for mercy, “I am thirsty.”
There is a father who is trying to get his life back together. He has been battling demons for so long. He didn’t realize it at first, but so many days were a blur. There were so many lows, that he needed those highs. But he was so focused on himself, so worried about hanging on to the good feelings, he didn’t realize his family was slipping from his fingers. He did not really miss them when they left. But being alone was the shot of reality he needed. He struggled and fought. Now he’s clean and sober, at least for the past 35 days. But they won’t take his calls. His little princess told him she doesn’t love him anymore. What can he do to convince them he is a different man now? This man prays for forgiveness, “I am thirsty.”
There is a girl who just can’t fit in. The other girls in her class point at her and giggle. Her clothes aren’t the brands the other girls wear. She can’t get her hair styled the way the other girls do. She’s awkward and stumbles and, well, she hasn’t developed the way the other girls have. Her mom tells her about sticks and stones, and the duckling that became a swan, and she can only say, “Mom!” Because Mom doesn’t realize how much it hurts. While mom tells her it will get better, she doesn’t see how, and she just wants the hurting to stop. This girl prays for acceptance, “I am thirsty.”
There is a special young man. He can do the stuff all of the other kids can; it just takes him a little longer. Not everything works for him the same way it does for the other kids. His mom told him what the doctor’s said his condition was, but the young man just can’t pronounce those words. He thought he made a new friend at school, but when the older kids started picking on his new friend, well, his new friend stopped hanging around. His mom said that he’ll make friends, but it may take a little longer. He wonders, “Why are things always slow for me?” The special young man prays for tolerance, “I am thirsty.”
There is a pretty young lady. She does well in school, and is involved in a lot of activities. She helps around church and goes to the grocery store for the lady down the street who doesn’t get around so well any more. But she feels alone. Her parents always seem too busy to talk to her. She really likes her boyfriend and he likes her. But he tells her she needs to show him that she really loves him. She thinks she loves him, but she doesn’t think she’s ready to do what he wants. He’s the only one who makes her feel special. Her parents don’t care; they’re too wrapped up in their own lives. The young lady prays for love, “I am thirsty.”
There is a man who is troubled. He tries to do what is right. He reads the Bible every day. He comes to church every Sunday, and usually makes the mid week Lent services. He prays when he gets out of bed, and before he gets into bed. He prays all through the day. But he feels guilty. He does some things he thinks he shouldn’t, he swears when he gets angry. He watched a movie he knows he shouldn’t watch. He took some office supplies from work because they wouldn’t miss them. He tries so hard to do what’s right, but he fails. He loves God, but because he sins, he’s not sure if God loves him back. The troubled man prays for salvation, “I am thirsty.”
There is a woman who remembers what it was like to be a little girl. She had a good childhood, and had lots of fun. Until he took an interest in her. She used to love him and respect him, but then he started to touch her. He took a lot of her innocence, most of her trust, and a little bit of her. She goes weeks, sometimes months without thinking about him. Then she wakes up in the middle of the night, remembering. He’s affected every relationship she has ever had. She has tried to move on, but just can’t. The woman prays for a reason, “I am thirsty.”
We are all thirsty. We are thirsty for hope, love, forgiveness, inclusion and a million other things. But we are thirsty because we are in need; we are incomplete. Jesus Christ will not solve all of our problems. But He can provide us with the strength to deal with those problems. We can lean on him and he will support us when we are weak. He will support us when we are weak.
There is the Messiah talking to a woman whose brother has died, “I am the resurrection and the life. 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?” He came to earth to atone for our transgressions, to be sacrificed for our sins.
There is the Son of God talking to a woman at the well, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink”, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water. … Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ The man nailed to the cross is the resurrection and the life, the living water, the Word and the Answer. Come and drink and never be thirsty again.
I did not use the paragraphs about the gang violence, the abuse of the young girl nor the girl with the boyfriend. Based on the feedback I got from the other pastors and the people in attendance, I wish I had more guts.
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