Homily , March 29, 2026
From The Pastor
The Passion of Jesus is the passion of God. The themes of love, surrender, self-giving, betrayal, and death are familiar to us. These themes are at the heart of every Christian who actively professes faith in Jesus. It is hard to imagine any attentive believer who does not feel a sentiment of compassion, or other deep emotional reaction to the death of Jesus. Faith in Jesus as the Son of God, who freely gave his life for us on the Cross will evoke a deep love, honor, and gratitude. The Lord’s Cross is a pure uninitiated gift.
The Passion and death of Jesus reveals the nature, identity, and mission of God in the person of Christ. The Cross tells us who God loves, how God loves, and why God loves. In today’s world it cannot be said enough. God loves because God is love. God is the essence of love, pure, eternal, and unchanging. Who does God love? God loves every created person and thing. God loves every saint and sinner alike, of every size, shape, flavor, color, creed, nationality, or ethnicity. God loves the poor and the rich, the powerful and those without voice. God loves ugly people and beautiful people, the ignorant and the educated. God loves immigrants, exiles, and refugees, the war torn, the weather beaten, the oppressed, the starving, and the hated ones. God loves people who are a pain in the neck and heartless as much as those who are sweet, lovable, and full of compassion. The Cross and death of Jesus is for every human being. Any other understanding of Christ is the lie of human judgment, deception, pride, or envy. No one is beyond the reach of God’s universal redemption. Those who may find themselves in hell have not only chosen that path, but have consciously, actively, and consistently rejected the love, forgiveness, mercy, and grace God has offered them.
How does God love? God loves with unlimited, unmerited, unconditional, self- surrender. In the person of Christ, God gives himself away to heal and reconcile all creation to himself that in the end all that God created will be one with God. This is what the passion, Cross, and death of Jesus accomplishes.
The Cross and death of Jesus is a contradiction. The Cross serves as an instrument of torture even as it reveals the beauty of love’s truth. Love is a contradiction. Love is the reality of our deepest joy and the cause of our most ardent suffering. In true love, the lover willingly chooses to suffer for the sake of the beloved. Ironically, that same love is the source of our deepest joy. This love is revealed in the glory and hosannas of Palm Sunday even as it culminates in the hatred and rejection of the Cross on Good Friday.
In Christ, the love of God is both active and passive. After his baptism, Jesus enters three years of active ministry spending his energy and time in the service of others. Jesus actively healed the sick, raised the dead, forgave sinners, showed mercy to all who needed it, fed the hungry, and welcomed all who sought his loving care. Jesus preached his coming Kingdom to draw people to believe in him, and to see in him the nature and identity of his Father’s love.
The Last Supper begins the passive ministry of Jesus. Jesus has come to his hour. He has done all he could to draw all to believe in him. All the active love of Jesus now turns passive. Now his love becomes a surrendered love. For all Jesus did for others, it is now time to surrender to what others would do to him. Surrendered love becomes pure love. It is freely chosen and accepted with confident trust that it would bear its fruit. Jesus surrenders to the lies, hatred, and shame of the Cross with willing trust in the Father’s love. The passion of Jesus is to do the Father’s will through the communion of love they share. The Cross was the greatest suffering that produced the greatest joy in the new life of Resurrection not only for Jesus but for all humanity and creation.
Feel Jesus this week. Walk with him. Feel and trust your faith in Jesus as Savior and Christ, Lord and friend. Try to understand the love Jesus has for you. The love he has for you is why he freely chose the Cross so that one day you and he would be one in heaven. Bring yourself to Jesus just as you are. Come to Jesus with your love for him even and especially if you do not understand. Trust Jesus. Let him love you. Bring your sin and shame, heartache and hurt, your hopes and dreams to Jesus. Honor his death by trusting yourself to him. Out of love, Jesus surrendered to death for you. Now you and I can surrender ourselves to Him. That would be joy for Jesus.
Father John Esper
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