SEVENTH EPIPHANY

SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY


IMAGINE IF YOU WILL
THAT YOU ARE JESUS
STANDING ON TOP OF A HIGH MOUNTAIN
ON THE NORTH SIDE
OF THE SEA OF GALILEE..
YOU ARE LOOKING DOWN
AT THE SEA OF GALILEE.
THE MOUNTAIN IS IN GALILEE.

LOOKING SOUTH
YOU SEE THE KINGDOM OF JUDEA
AND THE CAPITAL
JERUSALEM.

LOOKING EAST YOU SEE PEREA.
LOOKING WEST YOU SEE SAMARIA.
AND YOU ARE SAD
BECAUSE THERE IS MUCH HATRED
IN THE LAND.

THE PROMISED LAND
HAS BEEN CONQUERED BY ROME
AND DIVIDED INTO THE FOUR PARTS
OF GALILEE, JUDEA, SAMARIA AND PEREA.

THE JEWS HATE THE ROMANS
WHO ARE EVERYWHERE
ACTING AS POLICEMEN.

THE JEWS HATE THE SAMARITANS
AND THE PEREANS
BECAUSE THEY WORSHIP GOD
IN A NON JEWISH MANNER.




WE HAVE IN THIS SEASON OF EPIPHANY
FOLLOWED JESUS
AS HE BEGINS HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY.
JESUS LOOKS DOWN AT THE LAKE
AND AS HE DOES
HE LOOKS BACK IN TIME
AND REMEMBERS THE EVENTS
THAT WE REMEMBERED
AS THE SUNDAYS OF EPIPHANY
CAME AND WENT

THE READINGS FOR THE YEAR 2001
EPIPHANY SEASON
COME MOSTLY FROM LUKE.
THE SEQUENCE OF READINGS THIS YEAR
HAVE VISITED THESE SCENES
FROM THE LIFE OF JESUS.

FIRST WE VISITED EPIPHANY,
THE VISIT OF THE THREE WISE MEN.
THEN THE BAPTISM OF JESUS
WHERE GOD THE FATHER
DECLARED THAT JESUS WAS HIS SON.
THEN THE WEDDING AT CANA
WHERE HE CHANGED WATER INTO WINE.
THEN HIS FIRST SERMON AT NAZARETH
AND HIS REJECTION BY HIS NEIGHBORS.
THEN WE HAD THE MIRACLE OF THE FISHES
WHERE THE APOSTLES CAUGHT SO MANY
THE BOAT BEGAN TO SINK.
AND LAST WEEK
JESUS CAME DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN
AND PREACHED THE SERMON ON THE PLAIN
ALSO CALLED THE BEATITUDES.






LAST WEEK JESUS LOOKED DOWN
AT THE DIVIDED KINGDOM
AND WAS SADDENED.
THIS WAS NOT HIS FATHER’S DREAM
FOR THIS LAND
THIS PROMISED LAND
AND ITS PEOPLE.

RELIGION HAD BECOME
AN OBSERVANCE OF LAWS AND RITUALS.
THE PRIESTS ARGUED
OVER SUCH THINGS AS
CAN A MAN WITH A WOODEN LEG
WALK ON THE SABBATH
BECAUSE THE WOODEN LEG
WAS A BURDEN
AND ONE COULD NOT
CARRY A BURDEN
ON THE SABBATH
BECAUSE CARRYING A BURDEN
WAS WORK.

THE PERFORMANCE OF RITUAL
IN THE TEMPLE WAS SUCH
THAT
ON ANY PASSOVER
OVER 250,000 LAMBS WERE SOLD
AND SLAIN IN ONE DAY
MAKING GOD’S HOUSE
MORE A SLAUGHTER FACTORY
THAN A HOUSE OF GOD.

THIS IS WHAT HIS FATHER’S RELIGION
HAD BECOME
AND HE IS SADDENED.
SO LAST WEEK
HE SLOWLY COMEDOWN THE MOUNTAIN
AND PREACHED THE BEATITUDES.


LUKE HAS A SENTENCE
AT THE BEGINNING
OF THE BEATITUDES
THAT SAYS
THERE WERE PEOPLE
FROM SIDON AND TYRE
IN THE CROWD.
HE DID THIS DELIBERATELY
BECAUSE THE JEWS ALSO HATED
THOSE FROM SIDON AND TYRE

SO JESUS LOOKED AT THE CROWD
THAT HAD SO MUCH HATE
AND PREACHED A SERMON ON FORGIVENESS.
A SERMON, WHICH SAYS
IF ANYONE HITS YOU,
TURN THE OTHER CHEEK.
EASY TO SAY DIFFICULT TO DO.

JESUS SAYS
FORGIVE YOUR ENEMIES,
DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO HURT YOU.
WHEN EVERY PART OF YOUR BEING
SAYS MAKE A FIST
AND HURT YOUR ENEMY
JESUS SAYS LOVE THEM.
JESUS HAS GOT TO BE KIDDING HERE
RIGHT

BUT ULTIMATELY
JESUS IS RIGHT.
FOR WITHOUT FORGIVENESS
NATIONS WILL FIGHT
LONG PAST REMEMBERING
WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING,






NEIGHBORS WILL FIGHT
LONG PAST REMEMBERING
WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING,

FAMILIES WILL FIGHT
LONG PAST REMEMBERING
WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING

HUSBAND AND WIVES
WILL FIGHT
LONG PAST REMEMBERING
WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING,

BROTHERS AND SISTERS
YOUNG OR GROWN OLD
TILL NEAR DEATH
WILL FIGHT
LONG PAST REMEMBERING
WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING.

WHEN WILL IT END.
AS THE SONG SAYS
LET THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH
AND LET IT BEGIN WITH ME.

WHAT I WOULD LIKE YOU TO DO
RIGHT NOW
AS A REACTION TO JESUS' SERMON
IS WRITE DOWN WITH YOUR FINGER
ON THE PALM OF YOUR HAND
THE NAME OF THAT PERSON
YOU FIND IT HARD TO FORGIVE.

THEN RUB YOUR HANDS TOGETHER
AND ERASE THEIR NAME.
THINKING AS YOU DO IT
THEY ARE FORGIVEN.
TRY IT



LET GO THOSE CHUNKS OF ICE
WHICH WE ALL CARRY
THOSE CHUNKS OF ICE OF HATRED
WHICH WE ALL CARRY
LONG PAST REMEMBERING
WHY WE ARE CARRYING THEM

HARD YOU SAY.
TOO HARD.
AND I AGREE.
BUT IT IS JESUS
NOT ME
WHOM IS SPEAKING
WHEN HE SAYS
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES,
DO GOOD TO THEM,
LEND ACCORDING TO THEIR NEED
EXPECTING NOTHING BACK.
BE MERCIFUL
AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS MERCIFUL.
STILL TOO HARD.

LET ME PAINT YOU A PICTURE.
THERE IS A MAN WHO IS DYING.
CONDEMNED TO DEATH
FOR A CRIME
HE DIDN’T COMMIT.

CONDEMNED TO DEATH
OUT OF JEALOUSY
AND FEAR OF LOSING POWER.

ALL HIS FRIENDS
HAVE DESERTED HIM
OUT OF FEAR.






ONE OF HIS FRIENDS
HAS SOLD HIM FOR A PRICE.
ONE OF HIS FRIENDS DENIED
HE EVER KNEW HIM.

HIS HEART
WHICH IS STRUGGLING
TO STAY ALIVE
IS STILL FILLED WITH LOVE
FOR ALL MANKIND.

AND HE IS GIVING THINGS AWAY.
HE WILL DIE POOR.

HIS CLOTHES ARE GONE.
HE HAS GIVEN HIS MOTHER
TO THE CARE OF HIS FRIEND JOHN.

NOW HE GIVES AWAY HIS ANGER.
STRUGGLING UPRIGHT ON THE NAILS
HE CRIES OUT
FATHER FORGIVE THEM
THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO.

FORGIVE THE RULERS
OF TEMPLE AND STATE,
FORGIVE THE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE CRUEL TO ME,
FORGIVE THE CROWD
GATHERED LIKE VULTURES
TO SEE ME DIE,
FORGIVE THE THIEF WHO CURSED ME
FORGIVE ALL
WHO HAVE DESERTED ME,
LIED ABOUT ME,
SOLD ME FOR A PRICE






JESUS
LOOKING DOWN FROM HIS HIGH PLACE
ON THE CROSS
LOOKING DOWN THE YEARS
FORGIVING ALL WHO HAD EVER LIVED,
WHO WERE LIVING THEN
WHO WOULD LIVE IN THE FUTURE.

LOOKING DOWN FROM HIS HIGH PLACE
HE COMES TO THIS ROOM
AND CRIES OUT
FATHER FORGIVE FRANK
AND BARBARA,
JOE AND TOM,
ALICE AND JAN,
FATHER FORGIVE ALL
FROM EMANUEL IN WARWICK,
FATHER FORGIVE ALL
FROM FIRST LUTHERAN
IN BROCKTON,
FATHER FORGIVE ALL
FROM ST JOHN’S
IN PEABODY,

AND WE CRY IN RESPONSE
FATHER FORGIVE US
AND FORGIVE THE ONE
WE FIND IT HARD
TO FORGIVE
WE
AND THEY
KNOW NOT WHAT WE DO.



IN THE LIGHT OF OUR FORGIVENESS
CAN WE NOT TAKE
THE NAME OF THAT ONE PERSON
WE FIND IT HARD TO FORGIVE.
WRITE IT ON THE PALM OF OUR HAND.
RUB OUR HANDS TOGETHER
TO MAKE IT DISAPPEAR.

AND SAY TO THAT PERSON
THAT CHUNK OF ICE
THAT I HAVE CARRIED
WITH YOUR NAME ON IT
IS MELTED.
I FORGIVE YOU

AND JESUS SAYS
WELL DONE MY BROTHERS
AND SISTERS
WELL DONE

IN YOU
I AM WELL PLEASED.
MAY IT BE SO AMEN



Frank A Vollmer