John 13: 31b-35     

Maundy Thursday/Good Friday         

March 28, 2024

Rev. Dr. Galen E. Russell III

“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.”

Prayer: May we keep following you, O Lord. Amen.

This Lenten season we’ve been exploring what it means to follow Jesus ever since Ash Wednesday. Here’s a brief recap of where we’ve been on this journey. On Ash Wednesday, we first followed Jesus into our secret rooms. Then the first Sunday in Lent, we followed him out into the wilderness. And next we followed him by carrying our cross.

Then we followed Jesus by cleaning our spiritual houses, and by seeing that darkness and light both are of God. Two Sundays ago, we examined following Jesus into humble servanthood, and last Sunday, we learned that following Jesus means preparing to receive him and his life.

Whew! It’s been quite Lenten journey filled with learning about following Jesus. By the way, all those sermons are online for your further spiritual growth and reflection.

And tonight we come to the last part of this worship series. And some of you might be going “Yay!” Or, “Got that out of the way.” I had a friend once who said that whenever he really didn’t want to do something, but had to do it. Like when his wife told him they were going to see his niece and nephew’s concert. When the concert was over, he was like, “Well, got that out of the way.”

We’ve focused on following Jesus all during Lent. Do we say, OK, got that out of the way? Been there. Done that?

I think that for a lot of people Lent has become something like that. Something to get done and over with. Some say “Lent is something that I challenge myself with. To see if I can give up candy, or cursing, or eating unhealthy, or whatever for six weeks. It almost is like a game. I just want to see if I can be disciplined enough to fight off temptation.”

And you may have done well for the most part, if you challenged yourself during Lent, but now, it’s like “I just want Lent over with.” Because as soon as Lent is over, it’s like, “I did it! I’m free! Free to go back to eating chocolate! Free to go back to old habits.”

Honestly, if that’s what Lent means, then I want little to nothing to do with it. Because there are a million things in our lives that we can rise to the challenge to for six weeks. And if those things don’t change us, then our time would have been better spent on something more useful. At least more fun anyway.

So, here’s the thing. I assume that we all follow Jesus to a degree, even before Lent started. Even though it sounds a bit trite, every one of us follows Jesus. We’re Christians after all.

But applying the idea of Following Jesus more deeply in our lives can help us deepen our faith in God. Enrich our spiritual journeys. Start a process of inner change that leads to a more meaningful life for each and every day.

And it doesn’t stop after tonight. Or after Good Friday. Or, after Easter Sunday. There is no ‘been there. Done that.’

Which beg the questions: So then, now what? What is the next step? Where do we go from here? What does following Jesus look like after Easter?

My friends, my loved ones, I think the answers are connected to “identifying with Jesus.” Something I’ve been thinking about. We’ve said we’re following Jesus, but I feel like that means he is ahead of us, and we are behind him. A degree of separation. Which has some theological truth to it, don’t get me wrong.

But identifying with Jesus I think means that he is with us where we are. And we are with him. His life is in us. We are his body and each of us is a part of it.

So, can we identify with what he was about? In the same way he identified his life with God, can we identify our life with his? His life with God showed up how he went about doing good just to please God. How he shared God’s love because God is love. How he responded to unfairness and injustice and religious hypocrisy. So I think when he said “Love one another, as I have loved you,” that was an invitation for us to identify with his life and love in the same way he shared God’s love with others.

So, when’s the last time you did something simply for the sheer fact that you knew it would please God? Like if you see someone walking along the road. What if you asked if that person could use a ride, not because you’re a good person, which you are, but just because you love God and you want to please God by sharing the love that’s in your heart? And so, you circle back to that person?

Or, what if you know someone who could really use a kind word, or a show of support, or a quick “pick-me-up?”. And you send that person an email or pop a card in the mail just because you identify with Jesus’ love? Just because you can please God by sharing God’s love. That’s identifying with Christ’s love.

To me, one of the most revealing things about Jesus is that, in his most desperate hour, under tremendous pressure, knowing that his arrest was imminent, and his death was coming shortly after that, Jesus does the opposite of what you would expect. Instead of getting ready to defend himself, he teaches that if we identify with him in his life and in his love, everyone will know that we are his disciples. If we have love for one another. That’s the tell-tale, revealing sign.

Like one of my favorite songs I love to sing is “They’ll Know We are Christians by our Love,’ by our love, yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” As followers of Jesus, we continue his legacy of love. And others see him in us.

As followers of Jesus we continue his legacy of sharing in the last supper he shared with his disciples. We identify with his practice of breaking and eating bread, pouring and drinking from the cup, like he did. In so doing, we become a part of what he was about. Bringing God’s saving grace to the world, for every individual.

I love that scene from the 1996 movie “Phenomenon” when John Travolta, who plays George Malley, tells the two kids in his life about what it means to eat an apple. George says that if you set the apple down, and sits for a few days, it would spoil and soon be gone. But if you eat the apple, [he takes a bite] it becomes part of you, and you take the apple with you forever. And both kids share the apple with George.

That’s what I’m talking about. When we identify with Jesus in his last supper with his disciples, when we eat the bread and drink the cup, we symbolically take part in Jesus’ life. And he becomes a part of us, and we have him with us in our spiritual lives forever.

Lastly, as followers of Jesus, we can continue his legacy of new life, but that means we can identify with him in his death first. I know that might sound super weird and paradoxical, but here’s how I see it. It’s not a physical death. Thank God we don’t have to go through the insane torture, abuse, and physical trauma that took place for Jesus during his passion. That part is finished.

I think that when we identify with Jesus in his death, when we truly follow Jesus, it means that our old selves of bad habits, of unhealthy physical, emotional, spiritual practices, of being consumed by self-interest, by greed, by vices, etc.—all those can die off.

And what is born, what emerges is our new self, our new life, our new perspectives of following Jesus. A new life of living out forgiveness and grace. Of genuine care for fellow human beings. A new life in Christ that frees us.

We are free to go on from here. Because we’re free in Christ. Free from the shackles of guilt and shame. Unburdened from the weight of impossible societal standards.

Yeah, we may backtrack,. Yeah, we may like our old selves too much. Yeah, we may rekindle bad habits. Yeah, we may guilt-trip ourselves for not letting the life of Jesus influence us.

But, the next step in following Jesus is to identify with him in his love, in his life, and in his death, so that the Holy Spirit can keep renewing us. And God will keep forgiving us. And keep empowering us to love one another. Because following Jesus means we ARE renewed in spirit. We are alive. And not just us. Christ Jesus is alive in us.

Which leads us, my loved ones in Christ, to another sermon you’ll likely hear a few days from now.

But for now and always, keep following Jesus. Amen.