SIGNS

SIGNS

IN THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
WE HEAR THE PHARISEES
TELL JESUS
THAT HEROD THE RULER
WANTED TO KILL HIM

THEY DID THIS FOR TWO REASONS.
FIRST JESUS WAS PREACHING IN GALILEE
WHERE HEROD WAS RULER
AND HE WAS ATTRACTING CROWDS
WITH HIS TEACHINGS.

AND HIS TEACHINGS
WERE THREATENING
THE PRIVILEGED POSITION
OF THE PHARISEES
SO THEY WOULD LIKE HIM
TO GO ELSEWHERE
TO GO ANYWHERE AND PREACH
BUT LEAVE THEM ALONE.

SECOND THEY HOPED
THAT JESUS WOULD GO TO JERUSALEM
AND GET CAUGHT UP
IN THE POLITICAL INTRIGUE
THAT WAS RAMPANT IN THE CITY
AND AS A RESULT
THE ROMANS WOULD KILL HIM.

THE HEROD
THE PHARISEES WERE TALKING ABOUT
WAS THE SAME HEROD
THAT HAD PUT
JOHN THE BAPTIST TO DEATH.

SO THE THREAT OF DEATH WAS VERY REAL.

BUT JESUS ANSWERS
TELL THAT FOX
THAT I WILL CAST OUT DEMONS
AND WILL HEAL PEOPLE
TODAY,
TOMORROW
AND ON THE THIRD DAY.

WHICH IS THE HEBREW WAY
OF SAYING
I WILL STAY HERE
UNTIL I ACCOMPLISH MY PURPOSE.

IT IS ALMOST AN ECHO
OF LUTHER
SAYING HERE I STAND
I CANNOT BE ELSEWHERE.

WHAT JESUS
IS SAYING TO HEROD
AND TO ALL THE HERODS
OF THE WORLD
HERE I STAND
TO BRING SALVATION.
YOU CANNOT CHASE ME AWAY.
HERE I STAND
LIKE A SIGN.
POINTING THE WAY

LET ME TELL YOU A STORY ABOUT SIGNS

A WOMAN DRIVES HER CAR
ALONG THE HIGHWAY.
SHE SEES THE MANY SIGNS
THAT EDGE OUR ROADS,
SCHOOL AHEAD
GO SLOW,
THE NEXT CITY - WEST OSSIPEE
THE MILEAGE, 12 MILES
LITTLE CAESAR'S PIZZA-PIZZA.

SHE SEES WASH
HANGING ON THE LINE,
SHE SEES OTHER CARS IN FRONT
OR IN THE CAR MIRROR.
OCCASIONALLY
WHEN THE LIGHT IS RIGHT

SHE SEES
HER OWN FACE
REFLECTED IN THE MIRROR.

SHE IS DRIVING BY A CLIFF,
SET BACK FROM THE ROAD.
IT IS A STEEP CLIFF.
SO STEEP
THAT WHEN SHE SEES THE SIGN,
SHE WONDERS
HOW ANYONE COULD CLIMB
THE CLIFF'S FACE
AND PUT IT THERE.

THE SIGN SAYS
JESUS SAVES
WRITTEN IN LARGE CLUMSY LETTERS
WITH WHITE PAINT,
THAT TRICKLES DOWN
FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE LETTERS
AS IF THE LETTERS
WERE FALLING APART
OR MELTING
OR MAYBE CRYING.

THE SIGN SAYS
JESUS SAVES
THAT'S ALL.
ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER SIGNS
OF THE HIGHWAY,
LIKE RIGHT TURN ONLY,
TOLL BOOTH AHEAD,
THE SPEED LIMIT
AND DESTINATIONS,
ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER SIGNS
WAS THIS SIGN "JESUS SAVES".

AND THE WOMAN
LIKE MOST OF US
FELT AWKWARD WITH THE SIGN,
FELT AN INTERNAL SQUIRM
AT THE MESSAGE.
EVEN THOUGH
LIKE MOST OF US
SHE KNEW IT TO BE TRUE,
SHE FELT UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE SIGN
AND ITS' PUBLIC MESSAGE.
LIKE SAYING GRACE IN PUBLIC

GOD ONLY KNOWS
WHAT KIND OF PERSON
MUST HAVE CLIMBED UP THERE,
WITH A BUCKET
AND A BRUSH
TO SPLASH THE MESSAGE ON THE CLIFF:
MAYBE MAN
MAYBE WOMAN,
MAYBE YOUNG OR OLD,
DRUNK OR SOBER,
IN DAYLIGHT OR IN THE DARK.

GOD ONLY KNOWS
WHAT DROVE THE PAINTER
TO PAINT THIS SIGN;
SIN OR REDEMPTION,
JOY OR REMORSE,
POSSIBLY A DARE,
POSSIBLY A PRAYER.

WHAT EVER THE REASON,
IN OUR STRANGE TIMES,
AMONG PEOPLE LIKE US
AMONG PEOPLE JUST LIKE US,
AMONG US,
THE EFFECT
0F THE MESSAGE ON THE HILLSIDE
THAT "JESUS SAVES"
MAKES US UNCOMFORTABLE.
AND I THINK
WE ARE UNCOMFORTABLE
BECAUSE WE ARE EMBARRASSED.

AND WE ARE EMBARRASSED
FOR MANY REASONS.

EMBARRASSED
PERHAPS
BECAUSE THE WORDS
REMIND US OF OLD TIME RELIGION,
OF SHOUT AND HOLLER,
OF PULPIT POUNDING,
OF GOD'S GONNA GET YOU,
.
WE SQUIRM
BECAUSE THERE IS SOMETHING
IN THE NAME JESUS ITSELF
THAT EMBARRASSES US
WHEN IT STANDS NAKED
AND ALONE.

JUST JESUS
BY ITSELF
WITHOUT A TITLE
LIKE A FRIEND'S NAME.
IT MAKES US UNCOMFORTABLE.

WE WOULD ACCEPT "
CHRIST SAVES"-
THAT'S HIS JOB.
BUT JESUS SAVES
AS IN JESUS SAVES FRANK
OR BARBARA OR ALICE
OR JOE OR FRED OR WADE
OR WHATEVER YOUR NAME IS,
IS LIKE A LOVER
CARVING HIS AND HIS LOVED ONE'S NAME
ON A TREE.
IT HAS AN AIR ABOUT IT
LIKE A LOVE SONG.

MAYBE "JESUS SAVES"
WRITTEN ON THE CLIFF
IS EMBARRASSING
BECAUSE RELIGION
IN SOME WAYS
HAS BECOME EMBARRASSING.
MAYBE OUR WINCING
IS A WAY
TO HIDE OUR EYES
TO STOP UP OUR EARS,
BECAUSE WE SOMEHOW KNOW
THAT IF THE MESSAGE GOT THROUGH,
IT WOULD SAY DIRECTLY,
CLEARLY,
UNMISTAKABLY
FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE
THAT WE,
YOU AND I,
NEED TO BE SAVED.
RICH MAN, POOR MAN,
YOUNG WOMAN, OLD WOMAN,
EDUCATED,
UNLETTERED,
RELIGIOUS, UNRELIGIOUS,



ALL OF US,
YOU AND I,
ALL OF US,
NEED TO BE SAVED.

AND THAT
IS OFFENSIVE. TO US.
FOR WHAT IT SAYS
IS
YOU HAVE NO PEACE
WITHIN YOUR SKIN-
YOU ARE NOT HAPPY,
YOU ARE NOT WHOLE
YOU ARE NOT SELF SUFFICIENT
IN YOUR LIFE

OUR HUMANITY
REACTS AGAINST THE THOUGHT,
THAT OUR SELF SUFFICIENT HUMANITY
WHICH CONTINUALLY
WANTS THE APPLE
MORE THAN IT WANTS THE GARDEN,
REACTS
AGAINST THE THOUGHT
THAT WE ARE INSUFFICIENT
BY OURSELVES.

WHAT FOOL
WOULD CLIMB THAT CLIFF
TO WRITE A MESSAGE
THAT OFFENDS ME.
WHAT FOOL DARES
TO GIVE ME SUCH ADVICE.
WHAT FOOL DARES
TO QUESTION
MY SELF-SUFFICIENCY.

IF YOU HAD SAID
GOD SAVES,
I COULD ARGUE WITH GOD.
BUT YOU SAID
JESUS
AS IF TO SAY
FRIEND.
AND I SEE THAT FRIEND
FOR WHAT THE WORLD
HAS MADE HIM,
A FOOL.
DESPISED AND REJECTED,
A LAUGHING STOCK AMONG THE NATIONS,
WITH HIS RIDICULOUS SLOGAN "
LOVE ONE ANOTHER".
AND I AM
EMBARRASSED BY HIM
AND THE SIGN ON THE CLIFF.

THE BAD THIEF,
THE ONE ON THE LEFT
SAID IN A TAUNT, "
IF YOU ARE THE CHRIST
SAVE YOURSELF
AND SAVE US."
HOW LIKE HIM WE ARE,
WHEN OUR LIFE'S ACTIONS
HANG US ON THE LEFT CROSS,
WE CRY "
SAVE YOURSELF
AND SAVE US.
NOT BECAUSE WE ARE SORRY FOR YOUR PAIN.
AFTER ALL
WE DO NOT ALWAYS NEED YOU,
ONLY WHEN ALL THE APPLES,
WE HAVE EATEN FROM THE TREE
MAKE US SICK
THEN WE NEED YOU.
THEN WE CRY
SAVE US, SAVE US
ME
MORE THAN YOU,
SAVE US.

BUT THE GOOD THIEF,
THE ONE ON THE RIGHT,
REBUKED THE BAD THIEF
FOR HIS ARROGANCE,
THEN SPOKE
WITH ALMOST THE SAME ARROGANCE,
WHEN HE SAID "
JESUS, REMEMBER ME
WHEN YOU COME IN TO YOUR KINGDOM".

TWO ARROGANT PETITIONS
BUT FROM DIFFERENT HEARTS,
ONE SPOKEN IN ANGER,
ONE SPOKEN IN TRUST
AND HOPE.

AND TO THE TRUSTING,
HOPEFUL HEART
HE SAID, "
TRULY,
TODAY
YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE."

I WONDER
WHAT THE GUARDS THOUGHT
WHEN THEY HEARD THIS CONVERSATION.
DID IT INTERRUPT THEIR DICE GAME,
WERE THEY PERHAPS EMBARRASSED
BY THE GOODNESS
OF THE MAN THEY WERE KILLING
OR DID THEY THINK
THAT THE PAIN
OF THEIR TORTURE
HAD ROBBED HIS MIND OF REASON.
HOW COULD THAT ONE
SAVE ANYONE,
NAILED TO THE TREE
WITH GOOD STOUT NAILS.
WITH THE SIGN ABOVE HIS HEAD
WHICH MOCKED HIM AS KING.
THEY'D BEEN WITH HIM,
WHEN THEY'D WHIPPED
AND CROWNED HIM,
AND THEY HAD HEARD
NEITHER CURSE NOR WHIMPER.
NO KING HE,
A LAMB MAYBE,
QUIET IN HIS SLAUGHTER,
BUT NO KING-

HOW RIDICULOUS A DEATH,
DYING ON A HILLSIDE
LIKE A NAME
PAINTED ON A CLIFF-

HOW RIDICULOUS A DEATH,
DYING ON A HILLSIDE
LIKE A NAME
CARVED ON A TREE BY LOVERS,
AND IN THIS NAME
THE NAME OF JESUS
WE ARE EMBARRASSED.
WHY?

PERHAPS IT IS BECAUSE
WE THINK
THAT WE ARE UNLOVABLE.
WE DO NOT DOUBT
THAT GOD CAN SAVE US,
BUT WE DO DOUBT
THAT SOMEONE COULD LOVE US
SO MUCH
SO MUCH
AS TO DIE FOR US-
TO DIE FOR US
NOT FOOLISHLY,
BUT FULLY KNOWING
OUR UNWORTHINESS
AND STILL WANTING TO SAVE US.

I SUSPECT
THAT THE REAL REASON
WHY THE NAME "
JESUS'
MAY EMBARRASS US
WHEN IT STANDS NAKED BY ITSELF,
IS THAT IT PUTS US
ON A FIRST NAME BASIS.
IT REMINDS US
OF OUR OWN NEED FOR SALVATION,
OF OUR OWN NAKEDNESS,
OF OUR OWN NAMES
BY WHICH JESUS CALLS US.

FOR JESUS HAS COME
TO SAVE D-GUY,
SAVE JJ AND PAULA,
SAVE THERESA,
SAVE MARY,
SAVE KAREN AND PETER,
SAVE MARCIA,
SAVE ALL OF US-

NOT FOR OUR JOBS,
NOT FOR OUR TITLES,
NOT FOR OUR TITHING,
NOT BECAUSE WE ARE RETIRED
OR WORKING,
MARRIED,
SINGLE OR DIVORCED.
NOT FOR ANY REASON
EXCEPT HE LOVES US.
HE MADE US.
WE ARE THE WORK OF HIS HANDS
AND GOD DOESN'T MAKE JUNK.



HE LOVES US.
END OF SENTENCE.
HE LOVES
US.

THE MESSAGE ON THE CLIFFSIDE
CALLS US BY NAME,
­­­­­­­­­­­­­­CALLS ALL OF US, BY NAME.
IT SAYS "
UNCOVER YOUR EYES,
OPEN YOUR EARS,


I BRING TRUTH AND HOPE
FOR ALL THE NEEDING-TO-BE FILLED
PLACES IN YOUR LIVES.
BE LIKE THE GOOD THIEF
AND KNOW THE PAIN OF SURRENDER,
THE PAIN OF KNOWING
THE HELPLESSNESS
OF TRYING TO HELP YOURSELF.
CALL ON ME,
CALL ON ME,
LIKE THE GOOD THIEF
CALL ON ME
SAYING
JESUS, REMEMBER ME,
WHEN YOU COME INTO YOUR KINGDOM".
REMEMBER ME,
REMEMBER ME,
REMEMBER ME.
EVEN THOUGH I DON'T ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU'

JESUS SAYS, "I WILL".
AND WHETHER IT SEEMS PREPOSTEROUS
IN OUR JUDGMENT
OR EMBARRASSING,
THE SAME GOD
THAT SAVED THIEVES
HANGING JUSTLY ON THE CROSS,
ALSO SAVES CLOWNS LIKE YOU
AND ME,
NOT FOR ANY OTHER REASON,
THAN THAT HE LOVES US.



SO WHEN
THE PHARISEES SAY TO HIM
LEAVE NOW
BEFORE THEY KILL YOU
HE REPLIES
I WILL STAY FAITHFUL
TO MY TASK
TODAY
TOMORROW
AND THE DAY AFTER
WHICH MEANS
ALWAYS.

FURTHER
JESUS SAYS
COME TO MY SHOP
WHERE THERE IS A SIGN
THAT SAYS
JESUS
CARPENTER
MAKER OF EASY YOKES.
WE MAKE YOUR BURDEN LIGHT.
COME IN
NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY
LET ME PROVE IT.

AND AS WE ENTER
HIS SHOP.
WE CATCH OUR IMAGE
IN THE WINDOW OF THE DOOR

AND WE ALSO SEE
THE REFLECTION OF THE CLIFF
BEHIND US
WITH THE SIGN "
JESUS SAVES".
AND WE KNOW THE MESSAGE
IS PERSONAL AND FOR US.

AMEN