We have just heard the story of the last hours of Jesus, the best friend we ever had. As we listened to the reading of the Passion, we followed him, step by step, in our hearts through his last hours. And now, having heard Jesus speak those last, dreadful words, “Father into your hands I commend my spirit” and when he had said this, he breathed his last.” We have to make sense. We have to make sense of it all.
What does it mean, this good, kind, loving young man, the kindest man we ever met barely in his thirties dying in so ghastly a way for no crime at all. He was completely innocent. What does it mean . . . and what is it for?
What it means is God loves us. It means God loves us so much that he will withhold absolutely nothing from us absolutely nothing not even his own beloved son.
What it means is that no matter what,no matter what God will always be there for us, with ALL his love all his power, all his comfort and his grace.
What was it for? To tell us that there are no limits no limits to his commitment to us, none at all. That’s what God, Our Father, is saying to us through this terrible moment in Jesus’ life. Our Father is saying, “You can count on me. I will never desert you, and there’s nothing I won’t give you, not even my own son. I will save you.”
This Passion Sunday is, in one way, a very sad day: walking with Jesus on this day can break your heart.
But, and this is a big but, it’s also the brightest of days. The brightest of days because it tells you how very much you are loved, and because it reminds us who view this day from the vantage point of the resurrection that, despite all appearances. All will be well. Thank God Almighty. All will be well.
Are we worried? Are you worried in the midst of this Coronavirus CoVid-19? Sure you are. So what do we mean all will be well? How can we have the audacity maybe the stupidity to say all will be well?
All will be well does not mean we will not sometimes get sick and suffer in life? All will be well does not mean we won’t have difficulty in life. All will be well does not mean we won’t catch the Coronavirus. So what do we mean all will be well, and is that some sort of naive, stupid, pious platitude to say, when people are sick all around us all will be well? What do you think about that.?
What do we mean all will be well? All will be well means there is always hope. There is always hope.
Hope is the trust that somehow, somehow, . . . . one way or another, even when things don’t seem to be working out and are very difficult, our future is in God’s hands. Our Future is in God’s hands.
Just like Jesus on the cross trusted, trusted in God the Father and just like Jesus had great hope had great hope that even when things did not seem to be working out and were very difficult for Him His future was in his Father’s hands.
Our Future, our Future is in God’s hands. And so all will be well.
If we are faithful to him if we stay close to him he will be there for us in the end. And so we have great hope.
Therefore, from our vantage point, which is the vantage point of the resurrection, despite all appearances, even in the midst of struggle, difficulty, Coronavirus, sickness and death, ALL WILL BE WELL!
Does it sound silly to say in the midst of struggle for us to say all will be well and let us rejoice? No! Let us rejoice, Let ---- us ---- rejoice! Because, thanks be to our good God, who loves us, who loves us, ALL ---- WILL –-- BE ---- WELL!
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