March 20, 2013 Wednesday Lent servicde

March 20, 2013  - 6th Wednesday Lent service
Sermon Text - John 19:25-27, with Mark 15:33-47
by Pastor Paul G. Eckert
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    The theme for this, the last of our six Wednesday Lenten services,
is JESUS, REFUGE OF THE WEARY.  That makes it easy to see
why the two hymns sung so far in this service were chosen.  The first
one’s title was “Come Unto Me, Ye Weary,” and the second was
“Jesus, Refuge Of The Weary.”  It isn’t always that easy for us
pastors to choose hymns. 
    I’m going to start out by focusing on the word “refuge” and think
of some examples.  There is the saying “Any refuge in a storm.”  The
first example I think of is the storm of the universal flood.  Water
covered the whole earth.  But there was a refuge for Noah and his
family.  It was an ark.  That refuge, however, lasted only a little over a
year.  They had to go back to the struggles of daily life again.
    My second example has to do with Elijah.  In our reading from the
lectern do you remember hearing about him?  When Jesus said “Eloi,
Eloi, lama sabachthani?” (Eloi means my God) they mockingly said
He was calling on Elijah.  That makes me think of a time when Elijah
had to flee from wicked King Ahab and eventually found refuge in a
cave.  But then he had to go back to daily living too, like Noah.
    One more example - I take this from the March 10 Journal Sentinel
newspaper.  Maybe some of you will remember it.  The heading for
the article was: “Dozens of Pakistani Christian homes torched.”  
Here is the first paragraph: “Hundreds of people in eastern Pakistan
rampaged through a Christian neighborhood Saturday, torching
dozens of homes after hearing reports that a Christian man had
committed blasphemy against Islam’s prophet [Mohammed].”  The
Christians fled the area looking for refuge.  But that refuge was not
the solution.  Eventually they came back to find the destruction of
their homes.
    In the examples I have mentioned there was no real permanent
refuge.  Is there such a thing, a real permanent refuge?  Let’s hear our
theme again:
JESUS, REFUGE OF THE WEARY. 
I    JESUS HAD NO REFUGE.
    1. He had some support. (Mark 15:40-41)
Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were
Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of
Joses, and Salome.  In Galilee these women had followed him and
cared for his needs.  Many other women who had come up with
him to Jerusalem were also there.
        a) we have many faithful women in our congregation too,
serving Jesus in various ways, many mothers serving Him in their
homes with their examples and teaching
        b) Jesus had that support in His day too
    2. He had some acknowledgment. (Mark 15:38-39)
The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard
his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the
Son of God!”
        a) Pilate had insisted that Jesus was innocent of charges
        b) but this man had come to see much more
    3. But nature turned away, gave no refuge.  (15:33)
At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the
ninth hour. 
        a) there was no bright sunshiny smile from the heavens
        b) darkness and gloom took away any type of refuge
    4. And did God Himself turn away?  (15:34)
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi,
lama sabachthani?” - which means, “My God, my God, why have
you forsaken me?”
        a) Jesus still said, “My God, my God.”    
        b) but could it be true that His God had actually forsaken Him?
        c) the answer is “Yes” - He was forsaken - no refuge - His
heavenly Father would have nothing to do with Him - and we know
why, but we’ll talk more about that later.  First let us see how
II    JESUS SHOWED REFUGE FOR TWO.  (25-27)
    1. Jesus wasn’t thinking only of Himself.
        a) put yourself  into this spot: the background of the torture of
His trials, the weakness that made Him need help to carry His cross to
Calvary, that cross stretched on the ground while nails were driven in,
the cross lifted into the air and the pressure and pain that put on His
hands and feet, hanging there mocked and ridiculed and hurting
terribly
        b) I think I would have passed out or would be thinking about
myself, certainly not about others who seemed to be doing fine
    2. But in His agony Jesus thought of others.  (25-27)
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister,
Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus saw
his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing
nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,”
and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.”  From that time on,
this disciple took her into his home.
        a) His mother and His closest friend among the disciples
        b) He wanted to be sure their situation would be taken care of
    3. Jesus thinks of all of us too.
        a) He proved that in the many healing miracles He performed
        b) And to us too, whatever our troubles, His invitation always
goes out: “Come to me, all you who are weary ad burdened, and I
will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you; and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for
your souls.” - (Matthew 11:28)
    4. It’s because He loves all of us too.
        a) we all are weary and burdened with sin
        b) we all need a refuge from that damning fact
        c) what Jesus accomplished on the cross was for us and for all
III  AND JESUS IS OUR ETERNAL REFUGE.
    1. What was finished? (15:37)
With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
        a) that loud cry was, “It is finished!”
        b) it was Jesus’ mission to be the sacrificial Lamb of God who
had come  to take away the sins of the world
    2. Listen to that purpose. (2 Cor. 5:21)
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we
might become the righteousness of God.
        a) Jesus had no sin of His own, but He took and had all of ours
        b) having paid the wages of our sin for us, He covers us with His
righteousness
    3. Daily take refuge in His forgiveness.
        a) we daily sin much, and don’t try to deny that
        b) but daily we can find refuge in Jesus, in His victory, in His
love, in His forgiveness
    4. Eternally we will take refuge in glory.
        a) Jesus made sure that His mother and His disciple John had
arrangements to take care of their remaining time on earth
        b) He has done much more for them and for all of us
        c) He said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms - I am
going there to prepare a place for you - I will come back and take
you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

    Do you know why we can be sure of this?  It’s because after Jesus
said “It is finished” and after He died and after His body was given
refuge in a tomb, that tomb was not His final refuge.  He came out
alive and victorious.  He is our forgiveness, our resurrection and life.
    Yes, Jesus is the refuge of us the weary in this life.  And after our
lives on this earth come to an end, our tombs won’t be our final refuge
either.  Heaven is our home!  Jesus is our present and eternal refuge!