Last week we began our seven weeks of Lent with me critiquing a popular view of why Jesus died on the cross. I said that if we think what the cross shows us about God and people and justice is that God hates us, or that God needs to punish before God can love, or that God uses violence to get God’s will done, then we’ll hate ourselves and one another more, our notions of justice will be too punitive, and we will be prone to violence ourselves.br /

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And I tried to begin to share one reason Jesus died - which is to show us what God is really like. To show us that God is love, and that in particular, God is self-giving, co-suffering, all-forgiving love. br /

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Lydia will be preaching next week, and the week after that Ivy will be leading us in another one of our participatory liturgies - these weeks when we skip the sermon on Sunday, and experiment with alternative ways to use our time and space for worship together. br /

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But today, I want to explore a second reason why Jesus died. This is one of the oldest answers to that question. When the early teachers of the faith, the fathers and mothers of the church 17, 18, 19 hundred years ago were asked about Jesus, one of their shortest, most powerful ways of talking about the good news of Jesus, including the death of Jesus, was to say: He became like us, so that we could be like him.br /

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Jesus became like us, so that we could be like Jesus. br /

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God became like us, so that we could be like God. br /

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I want to talk about that meaning, that belief, that hope today. And in particular, I want to talk about two different ways of reading that sentence, which reflect two different views of God, and two different views of all of us too. br /

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Can we pray first, though? br /

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We’re looking at the Cross this year through the lens of the Seven Last Words of Christ - the seven things that Jesus said as he was dying. We have a much deeper daily dive into this in our Bible guide. Each week, Monday through Friday, we give you a short passage from the Bible, sometimes a related poem or image, along with a few comments from me or some weeks from Lydia, and an encouragement for a prayer you might pray and a short spiritual practice you might try. The guide is different every day, but the spiritual practice stays the same every day for the week, to give you some chance to try it on for a while and see what it might do for you. This guide is really the heart of our Lenten experience. It’s on our website at reservoirchurch.org/lent. We’re emailing a link to our mailing list each week too. And we’re keeping a few paper copies in the lobby as well. Week two starts tomorrow, and if you missed week 1, no worries, just start tomorrow - no need to try to go back and catch up or anything. br /

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And this week, our second phrase from Jesus comes from Luke right where we left off last week. Sometimes this is called the Word of Salvation. br /

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Let me read the passage for us, that is also printed on your programs.br /

Luke 23:32-43 (NRSV)br /

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32 Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing. 35 And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”br /

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39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!