Tag: John 19

Sermon: “Joseph of Arimathea”

Joseph of Arimathea inspires me because his deed is a lesson for us all on what it means to have a living faith. He was the first. Like him, we are called to see what others can’t see, or don’t want to see, and do what we can to help.

Please join me in prayer… 

Lord God, may your peace and Holy Spirit fill this place. Open your scriptures to us, and may I clearly communicate that which you intend us to receive. May your Word take root and flourish within each and every one of us. Through it may we be strengthened and transformed by your unconditional, living, and limitless love for all of your Creation. 

In Jesus Name, Amen.

Our journey through the Christian year often seems like a rush from one major event to the next, skipping over the smaller stories in-between.  But then again, that’s the point of this summer’s series of sermons; such as this morning’s meditation on the story of Joseph of Arimathea. 

Like Joseph and the others we’ve studied, there’s a whole chorus of us here at MCC – seen and unseen – whether officially members of this congregation or not – who make this service, this congregation, this community of Faith, and its many ministries and outreaches, part of our own stories. We are all part of that community. All of us make the Body of Christ a living reality.  It works because of all of us.

There are no heroes here, nor in the stories we’ve studied. There is no one waving a magic wand to make it all happen. They and we are just one of a bunch of people working together to help all of us move along on our journeys of faith. And in that light, our subject this morning fascinates and inspires me for three reasons.  

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The Stone of Unction: What are You Going to Do?

The Stone of Unction: the spot where Jesus' body was laid when first taken down from the Cross. Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem.
The Stone of Unction: the spot where Jesus’ body was laid when first taken down from the Cross. Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem.

Presented at a joint Ecumenical Service at Christ Lutheran Church, West Boylston, MA; April 6, 2012 (Good Friday).

Gospel Reading: John 19:31-42.

Seeing this beautiful Cross laid out here before us this evening, I am reminded of my recent visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the focal point of the events that take place in this evening’s reading from the Gospel of John, the central narrative of our faith, which we remember in this Good Friday service, as well as on Easter, the story of Christ’s death and resurrection.

What made the biggest impression on me in that place was not the elaborate shrines of Calvary and the Tomb. It was a humbler shrine near the main entrance to the Church, “The Stone of Unction.”

This stone marks where Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the High Council in Jerusalem, and the Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews; laid Jesus’ body after taking it down from the Cross. It was there that they washed Jesus’ body, anointed it with oil, and prepared it for burial.

Why is the Stone of Unction important? Why did the builders of that Church orient the building such that this spot is so close to the main entrance? Why is the building laid out such that you must pass by the Stone of Unction as you go from the Cross to the Tomb? In other words, why does it matter?

Let’s start by thinking about what would have happened if Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had not taken the body of Jesus down from the Cross.

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