Philippians

We live in perilous times. This month we added to our litany of gripping national problems: wars, hurricanes, and global warming a new crisis-- we’re now in the midst of a financial meltdown that economists tell us is every bit as desperate as the problems the United States faced in the late 20’s. So staggering is the scope of the problem, we’re losing our ability to be shocked by the numbers…You need a check…today…filled out for 700 billion dollars or it’s back to living in caves? Can we charge it to our grandkids?
Panic hasn’t hit our neighborhoods yet…although the investment bankers and financial gurus’ hair has been aflame for some time. But shortages and high prices have us shaking our heads. I was supposed to meet with some preachers near Asheville on Friday. Two of them called to cancel the meeting…there was no gasoline in their towns. No gasoline to be had. Have you ever known that to happen before? Are harder times ahead? Are we due for a serious lifestyle re-adjustment? What will that mean for us?

    It was humility and obedience that brought Jesus to the point of death.  Our Gospel reading takes us to the Mount of Olives on the last night of Jesus’ life.  Here Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.  The name Gethsemane translates “olive press.”  Jesus often came to this beautiful grove to pray, and on that night it lived up to its name.  Ancient olive presses were simple and effective machines: a basket full of ripe olives was placed on a stone catchment and a massive stone weight came down with crushing force, squeezing the oil out of the olives.  On this last night of earthly life, Jesus came to the “Garden of crushing,” and laid his life under  the weight of the world’s sin and the inexorable will of the Father.