The Real Jesus

Good morning, everyone, and delighted to share in Johnny's welcome to you this morning as

we journey with Jesus.

We've been doing that for a number of weeks now, going through Luke's Gospel.

Two purposes in journeying with Jesus.

One is to learn about Jesus, who he is, why he came, what he did, and the other is to

learn from Jesus, both from his example and from his teaching.

So if you've got a Bible, you might like to turn to Luke chapter 11, no, chapter 7, sorry,

Luke 11 · chapter mention

and we're going to read verses 11 to 35.

It will also appear on the screen in front of me, Luke chapter 7.

Luke 7 · chapter mention

Verse 11 says,

Soon afterwards Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him.

As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out, the only son of his mother,

and she was a widow, and a large crowd from the town was with her.

When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her, and he said,

Don't cry.

Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still.

He said, Young man, I say to you, get up.

The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

They were all filled with awe and praised God.

A great prophet has appeared among us, they said.

God has come to help his people.

The news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

John's disciples told him about all these things.

Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask,

Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?

When the men came to Jesus, they said,

John the Baptist sent us to you to ask,

Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?

At that very time, Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses, and evil spirits,

and gave sight to many who were blind.

So he replied to the messengers,

Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard.

The blind receive sight, the lame walk.

Those who have leprosy are cured, the dead hear,

The dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.

After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John.

What did you go out into the desert to see?

A reed swayed by the wind?

If not, what did you go out to see?

A man dressed in fine clothes?

No, those who wear expensive clothes and endowed in luxury are in palaces.

But what did you go out to see?

A prophet.

Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.

This is the one about whom it is written,

I will send my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way before you.

I tell you,

among those born of women,

there is no one greater than John.

Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

All the people, even the tax collectors,

when they heard Jesus' words,

acknowledged that God's way was right,

because they had been baptized by John.

But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves,

because they had not been baptized by John.

To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation?

What are they like?

They're like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other.

We played the flute for you, and you did not dance.

We sang a dirge, and you did not cry.

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine,

and you say, he has a demon.

The Son of Man came eating and drinking,

and you say, he is a glutton and a drinker,

a friend of tax collectors and sinners.

But wisdom is proved right by all her children.

Thank God I'm sure we'll bless his word as we consider it together.

Let's take time just to pray now.

Open our eyes, Lord.

We want to see Jesus.

To reach out and touch him and say that we love him.

Open our ears, Lord, and help us to listen.

Open our eyes, Lord.

We want to see Jesus.

Amen.

Amen.

As I've been preparing for this morning,

there is one question that has been going through my mind time and time again.

I just couldn't get away from it as I was thinking about this passage.

And that question is,

is my perception of Jesus based on my personality and my perspective?

Or put it a bit more simply in a way I can pronounce,

do I want Jesus to be like me?

Now you look at that and you immediately think that's the wrong way around.

It's not that I want Jesus to be like me,

I want to be like Jesus.

But isn't it much easier to think that we can be like Jesus

if we start by thinking Jesus is a bit like me,

only without all my flaws?

Jesus has the same kind of view on life that I do.

He has the same preferences.

He has the same priorities in his life.

And perhaps even he has the same what people would call my prejudices.

If Jesus was here today, he would share the kind of lifestyle that I have.

He would probably have the same political views that I do.

And it's very easy for us to build a picture of Jesus

that is essentially an image of ourselves,

but made perfect because we know Jesus was sinless.

And I think in this passage,

what Jesus is addressing is the kind of attitude that is like that.

He has people who want Jesus to be like them.

So we've got John the Baptist,

who wants Jesus to come with a message of judgment

and actually to institute that judgment in the land.

We've got the scribes and the Pharisees,

teachers of the law,

who want Jesus to be like them

and to keep well away from anyone who is sinful

or isn't in the same way of thinking as they are.

And so the challenge this morning, I think,

for me, and there'll be lots more as we go through,

but the key challenge for me this morning has been,

how much do I try to make Jesus in my image?

And how much am I willing to come to the Gospels

and to read the account of Jesus

and to understand from them what he is like,

what his priorities were,

how I should be in my life?

Yes, I want to be like Jesus,

but to be like Jesus,

I need to really understand what Jesus is like himself

and not just transfer onto him

everything that I think is important in life.

So let's take that challenge,

take it away with us

and think about what is my perception of Jesus?

Is it based on my personality

and my perspectives in life?

Or is it actually based on what I learn about him

from the Bible?

So in this passage,

we've got really four sections

and it's a bit of a preacher's dream

because without any difficulty,

I've managed both alliteration and rhyming

in my headings for this morning.

So it should be relatively easy to remember.

The first is slightly separate from the following three

and I've called that compassion.

So this is the incident

of the raising of the son of the widow of Nain.

The first time in the Gospels

that we read of this greatest of all miracles

of Jesus bringing back to life

someone who had died.

Now, if we look at the flow of the chapter in Luke,

it's always good to see things in context.

It's fairly easy to see how this follows on

from what we were looking at last week.

Last week was largely about authority.

It was about the authority the centurion had

and how he could see from that

the insight he got into the authority of Jesus

and particularly the authority of Jesus over illness

that he was able to cure the servant from a distance.

This passage in some ways takes that concept further

because it says Jesus not only has authority over illness,

he also has authority over death.

And the thought of authority comes out again in the passage

because it's the first time in Luke's Gospel

that he refers to Jesus as the Lord

rather than saying Jesus.

He talks about him as the Lord representing his authority.

So from that point of view,

it's easy to see where it fits in.

But as we look at this incident,

there's a key phrase which I think explains it much better.

And the phrase in the NIV says that

Jesus' heart went out to her,

that is the son's mother.

In other versions it says Jesus had compassion on her.

This miracle is unusual for another way,

not just because Jesus raised someone from the dead,

it's also unusual because most of the miracles Jesus performed,

certainly the miracles of healing,

he did because someone came to him and asked for it.

So again, a good example in last week's account

of the centurion who sent these people to Jesus

to ask him to heal his servant.

And that happens regularly through the Gospels

and quite often Jesus will say,

your faith has saved you.

In other words, because you took the initiative

and trusted in me,

that is why I performed this great miracle.

There's nothing of that here.

It is entirely Jesus taking the initiative.

No sign that anyone asked Jesus

to raise this man from the dead.

Indeed, probably most people would think

it would be impossible

if he was beyond any help.

But it was Jesus who takes the initiative.

And he takes the initiative

because he had compassion on the widow

because his heart went out to her.

Let's take a minute to try and get the scene in our minds.

So Jesus has been going around,

he's been doing these marvellous miracles

and the healing of his centurion servant

was probably the most dramatic so far in his ministry.

And he's got a great crowd of people

who are following him.

And there's a real buzz about it.

There's a real excitement about the fact

that Jesus is doing things which are different,

that he's standing up to what they see

as the establishment that oppresses them.

We can see it to some extent kind of mirrored

in some of the things that have been happening

in the political world

over the last months and years

in terms of people like Donald Trump

and what's happened with him in the States.

Some of the things that have happened in the UK

in the Labour Party, for instance,

with Jeremy Corbyn.

And people saying,

here's someone who is on the side of the common people

and who's not afraid to stand up to the establishment.

And even though the people didn't see beyond that,

some of them probably didn't

in terms of Jesus at that point,

that was the kind of impression people had.

Here is someone who's different,

who's on our side,

and who's not afraid of the religious leaders

who've been putting us down.

And so around Jesus,

there's a real buzz,

there's a real excitement.

And then they come towards this town of Nain

and coming in the opposite direction,

there's a funeral procession.

And with all the sadness and the grief

in that, a particularly powerful one,

it's a widow who's there.

She's lost her husband.

Now she's lost her only son.

And her situation is absolutely desperate.

And in those days,

the burial,

or still today in the Middle East,

indeed the burial would have been on the same day

that the young man had died.

His body would be on,

it says a coffin in the NIV.

It was more like a plank,

I think, a bire,

some people call it.

It would be exposed.

You would literally be looking death in the face

as you looked at that scene.

And Jesus, looking at that,

his heart goes out to the woman.

He has compassion on her.

And he does three things.

First thing he does is he says to her,

don't cry.

So he goes and he comforts her

and reassures her.

He then touches the coffin or the plank.

Now that would,

in the sight of the Jews,

make him richly unclean.

So this was a departure from convention

that Jesus was doing that.

And then he tells the young man to get up

and he talks with him.

Jesus goes into the situation.

He sees something happening.

He's not filled with embarrassment

that his people are all happy

and these people are mourning.

He sees something there.

He has compassion on the widow

and he acts upon it.

And if we're wanting to be like Jesus,

if we want to understand

what Jesus is like,

then understanding the compassion of Jesus

and having that ourselves

is really, really important.

There are lots of reasons

why as Christians we serve

and maybe serve well.

Some people serve

because they have a real zeal for the Lord

and that's good.

They want to serve the Lord.

They want to win others for him.

They want to do whatever they can

for the one who died for them.

Entirely commendable.

Some people are more motivated by duty.

They recognize Jesus as Lord

and they want to do whatever is needed

to serve him

and to serve others in his name.

And that is good as well.

Both of these are good reasons

for serving Jesus.

But alongside them,

we need to have a real compassion for others.

When we see someone who's got a need

and their circumstances are hard,

perhaps desperate,

our hearts should go out to them

and we should think,

what can I do to help in that situation

to show something of the kind of love

the Lord Jesus has?

Very easy when we come into church on a Sunday

to think everything's great here.

The music's wonderful.

There's good chat and company.

The preaching is generally very good.

And it's a good place to be.

But you don't have to look far in our church

or any other church

to find people who are really suffering.

Someone who is desperately ill

and who needs people to go with her,

to go to her and to pray with her.

Someone who's been housebound for many years

and needs people just to visit him

and to tell him what's going on in the church

and to make him still feel part of things here.

People who are suffering from poor mental health,

who need to believe that people understand

how things are for them

and are able to support and help them.

As we dig beneath the surface in our church,

there are many, many people

who need our compassion

and who need our help

as they seek to struggle

with the things in their lives.

I think the challenge to me

and I have to challenge to you as well

is not enough to be motivated just by zeal

or just by a sense of duty.

Ultimately, Jesus' business with us

is a people business

and it is seeing others in need

and doing what we can to meet that need.

We need to have the compassion that Jesus had.

So that's the first part of the passage.

The next bit I've called confirmation.

So this is the beginning of the bit about John the Baptist.

John the Baptist is in prison.

John has said just a little bit too much.

That was very uncomfortable for Herod and his family

and he's been thrown into prison for it

and he is facing the prospect

that almost certainly he will lose his life

for what he said.

We're seeing things that were perfectly true

and needed to be said

but he's probably in his final stretch of his life.

And John is in prison

and he's looking out

and he's saying,

I hear about Jesus.

I hear about the buzz there is around him.

I hear about the things he's doing.

But I'm no longer sure that he is the promised Messiah.

And maybe that's partly just John's situation.

He's lonely.

He's cut off.

He's imprisoned.

And it becomes very difficult for him.

But I think very much it's because John looks

and he looks at Jesus and he says,

this isn't what I expected.

Jesus isn't acting the way that I thought he would.

John's message initially was very much one of judgment.

That God was going to come

and to judge his people through the Messiah.

That he would take the axe to the tree

is the metaphor that John uses

as he preaches beside the Jordan.

And he looked at Jesus

and he thought,

here is the man who's going to do it.

Who's going to free the country

from the oppression of the Romans.

Who's going to make sure that her and his family

get the judgment that's coming to them.

Who's going to expose the hypocrisy

of the religious leaders

and make sure that they're deposed

from the kind of position they've had.

And to bring to our land,

to our nation,

the freedom,

the justice,

and the true knowledge of God

that it should have.

That is what John expected Jesus to do.

And he looks out and he sees Jesus doing great things,

doing great miracles,

very popular with the people.

And he's thinking,

have I got this wrong?

I thought he was the Messiah.

I thought he was the one

who's going to come and liberate Israel.

But there's no sign that he's doing that.

And so John sends his disciples to Jesus.

And Jesus doesn't immediately reply to them.

But he shows them what he's about.

He shows them the miracles that he does.

The curing of diseases, illnesses,

evil spirits, and so on.

And then he says to them,

look at what you've seen.

Go back and tell John.

Now Luke doesn't explicitly say it,

but as the disciples went back

and told John what Jesus said,

John would immediately be reminded

of what was said,

particularly in the prophet Isaiah,

but certainly in the Old Testament

about the Messiah who was coming.

He would be someone

who would have particular concern

for the ill,

and particularly for the poor,

as it is said at the end,

good news is proclaimed to the poor.

So in other words,

Jesus is saying to John,

don't doubt.

I'm not coming to do exactly

what you expected at this stage.

There will be a day

when Jesus will come as judge.

I'm not doing exactly

what you expected at this stage,

but I am the Messiah.

I am the promised one.

I can give you that confirmation.

Yes, some of us at times have doubts.

Maybe all of us have times have doubts.

Our faith is weak,

and we look at things

and perhaps not as we would hope

or not as we would like,

and we begin to doubt our faith,

perhaps even begin to doubt

the basis for our faith

through the Lord Jesus.

And the way to address that,

I think quite clearly,

is to do what Jesus did,

is to say,

I want to look

and see what Jesus really is like.

Jesus said to John's disciples,

you observe me,

now go back and tell John

what I'm doing.

And it's the same for us.

We need,

if we've got doubts,

if we're not sure about things,

to get back

and to read about Jesus

and to do it with an open mind,

looking for God to guide us

as we do

and to reveal the truths to us.

In the vestibule at the front,

there are lots of copies

of Luke's Gospel.

If you're having any doubt

or if you're struggling

in any way with your faith,

can I suggest you take one of them

and just read through it

and see Jesus in it.

See what Jesus is like,

what he does,

what he says,

how he died for us

and rose again.

And with an open heart,

ask God to reveal to you

the truths of his word.

We confirm our faith

when we look at Jesus

and when we see

what he is all about.

Confirmation to John.

John's disciples then go away

and Jesus gives a commendation

for John.

Interesting,

he got the disciples to go away.

I'm not quite sure

where that was,

but he certainly wanted

the people who were around him

to understand John

and particularly, I think,

to understand

that this wasn't what John

was, someone really backsliding

and they shouldn't really

have bothered with him at all.

And so Jesus

then commends John to them.

And he said,

well, why did you go out

into the desert?

Why did you go to the place

where John was?

Was it to see a reed swing

in the wind?

Not interpreting exactly

what Jesus means by this.

Is it,

you wouldn't go to the desert

just to see the reed swing

in the wind, would you?

You can see them anywhere.

You weren't going

on a sightseeing tour.

Or perhaps it was

giving them the reassurance

that John wasn't someone

who was easily swayed,

that he was firm in his views,

that he was strong

in what he said.

So they shouldn't worry

about the fact

he'd asked these questions.

Then he says,

were you going to look

for someone dressed

in fine clothes?

No, they were going to someone

who was dressed in camel's hair

and probably looks

rather strange.

They went to find someone

who they believed

and rightly believed

was a prophet.

Someone who came

to bring them God's word,

to help them

to understand it

and to challenge them

from it.

And John,

Jesus said,

that's exactly what

you got with John.

Indeed,

you got a very special prophet.

You got a prophet

who had been prophesied

about himself

in the Old Testament.

The one who fulfilled

the Old Testament prophecy

of a messenger

who had come

before Jesus.

I think it's in that sense

that Jesus says

that John is the greatest

that has been born

of women.

There were many great prophets

in the Old Testament.

We could think of people

like Elijah,

the Elisha.

We could think of the prophets

who wrote many of the books

towards the end

of the Old Testament.

Great men.

But what was different

with John

was John was the immediate

forerunner

of the Lord Jesus.

He himself had been prophesied about.

He was the one

who introduced Jesus

to the world

as Jesus came,

particularly when he came

to be baptized

and also in the instance

we read about

in John chapter 1.

John 1 · chapter mention

So Jesus said,

John,

there's no one born of women

who is greater than John.

And then he says

something very surprising.

He said,

yet the one who is least

in the kingdom of God

is greater than he.

So that if we believe

in the Lord Jesus,

that is you and me,

Jesus is saying

in some sense

that we are greater

than John.

Now it's not that

we are more zealous

for God

than John.

It's not that our message

and the way it produces

is more powerful

than John's.

I think the privilege

we have

is we have the full

understanding

of the Lord Jesus

as we do

if we read about him

in the scripture.

And we have

the relationship

with God

as our father

if we're trusting

in Jesus

in a way that

saints in the Old Testament

even the finest

of them

didn't have.

So it's a question

of privilege

that makes us

greater than John,

not our personality

or our character.

Jesus says,

I commend to you,

John,

he's a great man.

And some people say,

yes,

we identify with that,

we went out,

we were baptized

by John,

we confessed our sins,

we can see the greatness

of John.

And some people

hadn't got involved

in all that stuff.

They said,

no,

we don't believe in John,

we're rightly in prison,

he's a man who should

be locked away

and they would have

nothing to do with him.

And so Jesus then

turns his attention

particularly

to those in this

latter category.

And we get this

little parable.

I was quite struck

by one book I was reading

which called it

The Parable of the Brats.

I quite like that,

The Parable of the Brats.

So you've got these children

that are sitting around

and they're kind of

thinking about playing.

And some of the children

say,

we want to play funerals,

let's play sad tunes

and we'll pretend

we're in a funeral procession,

some of us will be

professional mourners.

Other people say,

no,

we really want to play weddings

and let's play nice

cheerful tunes

and the flute

and we'll dance along

with one another.

And neither group

is willing to compromise

or to go along

with whatever the game is.

If things are not

being done in their way

and how they think

it should be,

then they're not going

to get involved in it.

And Jesus says,

that's exactly

what the religious leaders

of his day were like.

Unless people

were exactly like them

and followed exactly

the way that they felt

things should be done,

they weren't going

to get involved,

they were going

to condemn them

and they were going

to do whatever they could

to get rid of them.

So John the Baptist

came with this great

message of judgment.

He lived a very ascetic

life out in the wilderness.

He ate locusts and honey.

He had this camel hair cloak.

He was very different.

He didn't get involved

in the normal

social things of life.

And they said,

well, he's mad.

He must have a demon

or something.

Jesus comes and takes

exactly the opposite

position in some ways

to John.

He gets involved

in the social life.

He even goes

and associates

with those

who would be regarded

as sinners.

As those whom

the religious people,

the people who thought

they mattered

would really look down on

and say,

we can have nothing

to do with them

because they're not

following the law of God

as we see it.

And they could have

John on the one hand

because he was too

austere

and too stern.

And Jesus on the other hand

because he was too

relaxed,

because he came with

too much

willingness

to associate

with other

people.

And they would

never be happy

unless

Jesus

and John

were exactly

as they were.

Again, it's this thing

I started with.

Do I want

Jesus to be

like

me?

And perhaps

we need to

sometimes examine

ourselves and say,

well, do we have

something of the attitude

of these religious

leaders and Pharisees

in the way we look

at things,

in the way we look

at the work

that is done

for the Lord Jesus?

It's not quite the way

we want it to be done

and we don't think

it's appropriate

or are we willing

to see God at work

and to rejoice in it

even though it may

come in very different

ways from different

people at

different times.

Sometimes God

would condemn us

for our attitudes

towards his work

and by inference

towards the Lord Jesus.

Let's just finish

with three phrases

from the passage.

Hopefully we'll bring

home some of what

we've been talking

about.

So the first one

is in verse 17

and the crowd

say as they witness

Jesus' miracle

God has come

to help

his people.

Literally it says

God has visited

his people.

And this is about

recognizing Jesus

as the one

who came from God,

who came with

God's word,

who came with

God's power,

who came with

God's compassion.

salvation.

And particularly

in our day

as the one

who came with

the compassion

of God

for our sins

and our

helplessness.

The raising of

the widow of

Nain's son

is very much

in many ways

a kind of

acted out version

of what

salvation through

Jesus is all

about.

Someone who is

dead,

completely oblivious

to things,

no hope because

it was gone for

them.

And Jesus

comes into that

situation and

he brings hope

and he brings

life.

And through his

death on the

cross,

God has come to

help his people

through Jesus

as he took on

himself the

punishment that

was due to us.

So if we simply

trust in him,

we can have

eternal life,

we can have

hope,

we can have a

real future.

God has come

to help his

people.

Have we all

taken advantage

of that help

that's offered,

that salvation

through the Lord

Jesus, the new

life that Christ

can give us.

Second key

phrase is at

the end of

the encounter

with John's

disciples.

Verse 23,

Jesus says,

blessed is anyone

who does not

stumble on

account of me.

Some versions

say blessed is

anyone who is

not offended

by me.

I saw a

bit of a

paraphrase,

blessed is the

one who doesn't

feel let down

by me.

And maybe

there's a sense

that John felt

let down.

And this was

very much

addressed to

John and

his disciples.

Relevant to

us as well.

Because what

this says is

it is possible

to be offended

by Jesus.

It is possible

to stumble

as we look

at him.

We could be

like these

Pharisees and

these religious

leaders and

come to Jesus

with our

perception of

what he should

be like.

And if he's

not like that,

then we reject

him and say,

no, I don't

want anything

to do with

that.

A lot of

people around

about in

our world

would say

I don't

want anything

to do with

Christianity

because.

And it's

very often

to do with

what they

would see

as prejudice

or can

be to do

with why

doesn't God

do more

about his

pain in

the world

and so on.

And Jesus

doesn't

necessarily do

everything as

we expect.

And that

can be a

stumbling block.

But Jesus

says we need

to look beyond

the superficial

and look

beyond our

prejudices,

our perspectives

in life

and to get

God's view

of the world

and to see

Jesus through

that lens

and not stumble,

not be offended

because of him.

Jesus,

particularly at the

end of the

passage,

in some ways

he always went

out of his way

to offend

the Pharisees,

certainly to bring

them to a head

and to help

them to understand

just how different

they are from

him.

And sometimes

Jesus will

challenge us in

that kind of

way and we

need to be

honest with

ourselves and

say,

well,

is that a

challenge I

need to

address and

to do

something about

or am I

just going to

be put off

Jesus by

it?

And then

right at the

end,

Jesus says

wisdom is

proved right

by all her

children.

The equivalent

of the

passage in

Matthew says

wisdom is

proved right

by her

deeds and I

think that

gets the

same sense

across.

Jesus is

saying the

wise person

is the one

who trusts me

and who

follows me.

who doesn't

get put off

by all the

things that

go on

round about

him,

but particularly

by their

own views

and their

own attitudes.

Who recognizes

that true

wisdom is

found in

the Son of

God who

came into

this world

to be the

saviour of

the world.

And how

is that

proved to be

right?

How is it

proved to be

true wisdom?

It is

proved to be

true wisdom

by the

effect it

has on

those who

follow Jesus.

By the

effect that

comes from

knowing him,

from loving

him,

by sharing

his priorities,

by having the

kind of

compassion that

he talked

about and

showed earlier

on.

Wisdom is

proved right

by all her

children.

I guess the

challenge from

that for those

of us who are

following Jesus

and who want

to serve him

is can people

look at us

and say yes I

can see that

there is something

different about

them, it is

something that is

good because

they have a

real care and

compassion for

others and

they love the

Lord Jesus and

want to serve

him and then

they are attracted

to the Lord

because they see

that there is

truth in what

is said because

it makes that

real difference

in our lives.

The three things

take away.

God has come

to help his

people.

Blessed is

anyone who

does not

stumble on

account of

me.

Wisdom

has proved

right by

all her

children.

Let's examine

our hearts

today.

Let's think

about how

much are

my attitudes

towards Jesus

based on my

feelings and

my comfort,

what feels

right to me.

How much is

it based on

what I learned

from Jesus

in the Bible

and from

sincerely wanting

to know and

to follow him.

And if we

need to, let's

make the

appropriate changes

by trusting in

him or by

rededicating

ourselves to

him or by

showing more

of his love

to those

round about

us.

Let's pray

together.

Father, we

thank you for

your word.

We thank you

for the power

with which it

comes to us

from the

Lord Jesus

that he is

not afraid

to be

controversial,

to condemn

those who

are not

following your

way.

But we

thank you

too for

the real

compassion

that we

see for

the raising

of the dead,

for the

healing of

the sick,

for the

hope that

is given

to the

poor.

Help us

all to

understand

who Jesus

is,

why he came

to this

world,

and how

we can

have

complete

forgiveness

and hope

through

him.

And as

we do

that,

help us

to build

up our

knowledge

of him

based on

your word,

and help

us to

become more

like the

real Jesus

that we

may show

to others

the love,

the compassion,

the care

that he

had.

We thank

you for

our time

together.

We pray

you'll be

with us

now as

we join

together in

remembering

more about

Jesus and

particularly

what he's

done for

us on

the cross.

Be with us

in our time

of communion,

we give

you thanks

and commit

ourselves to

you.

In Jesus'

name,

Amen.