When Jesus says on the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me," we should take him seriously, that he means that he feels abandoned by God, and that it is more than just a figure of speech. But if it's a real cry of anger and frustration and doubt, what does that mean for how Jesus saw himself in God's plan? Good Friday 2023. Pastor Lars Hammar
The God of Losers - sermon Jan 29, 2023
What if we have it all wrong, when we look at the cross, and our minds skip over it, as a blip along the way to resurrection and victory? What if the whole point of the cross is that it's not the path to winning, but the path to losing? Maybe Jesus wants us to embrace losing and weakness, and reject the whole idea of gaining at other's expense? By Pastor Lars Hammar
The Ordinariness of Jesus' Death - Good Friday sermon
Unlike how we see it depicted in movies, Jesus’ death was probably not the grand event that captivated the whole nation and had crowds and crowds out to see. In fact, in the Roman Empire, killing people who were threats to the social order was very common, routine, and done on a daily basis. Pontius Pilate, who had the final say over Jesus’ execution, was a ruthless killer who could take out hundreds or thousands at a time without remorse. What should shock us about the cross is that it is both horrifying in its cruelty, and ordinary in its execution. By Pastor Lars Hammar