Prayer

Lord as we ponder your words open our hearts that we may understand and know you. Amen 

Sermon    

We often have this view of Jesus all even tempered and virtuous strolling around the holy land in his nice white robes.  Have you ever tried to keep white , white? True our Lord was inspirational, but he has his moments the same as we have ours.  We see this in the gospel this week. Jesus just rounds on Peter.     Jesus  is telling the disciples this is the path that I need to take to achieve what is required of me. 

And Peter not meaning to be offence, out of love tells him that Jerusalem and this plan is not a good one. And  there you have it. Jesus turns and takes a strip off Peter.      You could almost here the conversation starting with one big “No”. Get thee behind me Satin.    Really this is a big reaction to what Peter said. We see one of those wonderful un sterilized moments of Jesus. A moment of true emotion. 

 We can ask ourselves Why did Jesus respond so forceful?   Really Peter’s statement is not all that offensive. Could it be here once again Jesus is  being tempted. No! enough is enough kind of response.    Could there have been an underlying note of fear in this strong response.  Fear of what the future will bring. Anger is often used to mask fear.

Although the text does not include the word “no” It could have been used.  A forceful No Get thee behind me.     

  No, what a simple word. Why, even I can spell it but what a powerful word.  German Nein and Russian Neyt. Greek is fun, No is O ch vs Opah which is what you proclaim when they light the cheese on fire.   In French Non, Itlaian. No, Spanish no.   For such a simple word its inflections a varied.   Surprise:   “No? You did this all for me.”  Anger/disgust  “No…I won’t do that.”  Directional “No! we need to look at this seriously.” Boredom “Noooo, another long windy sermon.  “Then there is the polite “no”  Oh no thank you”   No can take on a depth of meaning when coupled with explicit and other adjectives which I won’t go into but use your imagination.

I suspect that after Mommy, no is one of the first words children learn. 

Surprisingly   people have a lot of trouble using this word.   We are Christians, we are suppose to nice. Nice people say  “yes”  even when they want to say “no”. No becomes a bearer and stumbling block.   

We are now in lent. We know the path we must take and we know what it is to be Christian. We know the great commandment that we are to love on another as God has loved us. We know we are to forgive and we have been forgiven.  We know all this. But unlike Christ there is a tempter a devil a satin waiting around every corner just waiting to distract us. 

And the devil comes in many forms. For example, Spring is coming  so rumour has it, it has been started by sadistic weather people. Already the sun is higher in the sky. No snow, above freezing temps The tree are tapped, There are rumours of Robins.   Spring is coming that means garden centres.  Can we talk temptation? 

You go in for something as simple as just a flower pot and soil but you get going up and down the aisles and what should have been 5.00 in and out turns into 50.00 and an hour and half later.  Will knew what he wanted Will at his age should and knows how to handle his finance. Will fails Will Bad Bad Will Bad.

No not really bad just distracted.  Is that not a part of temptation. Distraction.  I am sorely tempted

Like that BBQ Chips that distracted me (among other things) this past week from the path of wellness I so longingly want to travel.

We see where we should go and the truth is that we become side tracked. We fail to embrace the “No”  We have and do and will again stumble from the ideal which Christ sets for us. 

    So what do we do? We easily tempted and distracted creatures that we are.

We strive to embrace the “No” 

“No” can signal change. “No” is a track switch it takes us in new directions.    No, I won’t accept this.  No we will not give up no we will not be silent or quiet or go peacefully into the night. 

Yogi Berra said. "If you come to a fork in the road, take it."  Today’s Gospel is a kind of theological fork in the road.   This passage is theologically the center point at which the ministry of Jesus takes a decisive turn toward the cross. Jesus seems to know

Mark Twain said: Many people are bothered by those passages in Scripture which they cannot understand; but as for me, I always noticed that the passages in Scripture which trouble me most are those which I do understand."
 

Jesus speaks very plainly here. 

We once again stand, stand at the fork of the road. We must make choices. The choices we make carry consequences.  Will we follow Christ will we take up the cross and follow will we allow ourselves to see the vision which Christ has set and will we move towards it.