In the Name of the Father, and of the Son+, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. <\/em> <\/em><\/p>\n After all that this past year has brought,<\/p>\n after all that this past year has taken,<\/p>\n on this Good Friday I remember back to my childhood.<\/p>\n I loved the poet and writer, Shel Silverstein.<\/p>\n I remember eagerly going to the school library to borrow<\/p>\n \u201cWhere the Sidewalk Ends\u201d and \u201cA Light in the Attic.\u201d<\/p>\n The only book I owned, however, was one my mother had given to me:<\/p>\n \u201cThe Giving Tree.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It is the story of a friendship between a boy and a tree.<\/p>\n Silverstein tells the story of the boy\u2019s life through the gifts the tree gives to him.<\/p>\n The tree provides a long branch on which the boy can swing and play.<\/p>\n The tree provides leafy shade from the warm summer sun.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As the boy grows older, the tree gives space for the boy and his lover to carve their initials.<\/p>\n As the boy becomes a man \u2013 the tree gives her branches for wood for the boy to build.<\/p>\n As an older man, the tree\u2019s trunk makes a boat, so the man can go fishing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Finally, all that is left of the tree is a weather-beaten old stump.<\/p>\n Silverstein illustrates the once beautiful, large, living tree as a sagging, worn-out, dying stump.<\/p>\n The tree looks like she has nothing to offer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One day, the boy, now an old man, comes shuffling into the wood to see the tree.<\/p>\n She sadly explains that she has given all that she can to the boy.<\/p>\n The tree just doesn\u2019t have anything left.<\/p>\n But, the boy tells that tree that he has led a long and full life.<\/p>\n He is tired.<\/p>\n He\u2019d only like a place to sit and rest.<\/p>\n The tree gives him one more gift \u2013 she is able to provide her beloved boy with what he needs-<\/p>\n A place to rest.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And so the story ends- the two friends, companions once more.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I cannot help but think that eventually both the tree and the boy will die.<\/p>\n The tree has given all that she can.<\/p>\n Without her strong branches and leaves to absorb the sun, her roots will wither.<\/p>\n She will fade back into the earth.<\/p>\n The tree will have nothing to give.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And sometimes I think \u2013 that boy- he was so selfish!<\/p>\n What did he give to the tree?<\/p>\n He took everything the tree had to give.<\/p>\n He took everything and she gave her life for him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Yes, on this Good Friday, we took everything and He gave his life for us.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Today we hear about the final days of Jesus\u2019 ministry.<\/p>\n Here is the culmination.<\/p>\n Jesus has gathered followers.<\/p>\n He has shown signs to the people.<\/p>\n He has preached to them the kingdom of God.<\/p>\n Jesus has entered the great city of Jerusalem.<\/p>\n Here he is to receive the glory he has been speaking of.<\/p>\n He is to be raised up.<\/p>\n The glory of the Son is to be revealed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But we took everything and he gave up his life.<\/p>\n Jesus- imprisoned, tortured, stripped-<\/p>\n The people have deserted him.<\/p>\n He is crowned in mockery.<\/p>\n Robed in royal purple only to be ridiculed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And then \u2013 then he is raised up.<\/p>\n Raised up onto the cross \u2013 the cruelest form of death in those days.<\/p>\n Death on a cross was so cruel, that citizens of the Roman Empire were never subject to it.<\/p>\n It was reserved for the lowest of the low.<\/p>\n Non-citizens, slaves, criminals.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jesus is raised up, nailed to a tree.<\/p>\n Naked, deserted, dying.<\/p>\n He has nothing left to give.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And yet, it is at this moment that the glory of God is revealed.<\/p>\n The Son of Man is to be lifted up.<\/p>\n Here he is \u2013 Jesus is dying \u2013<\/p>\n In those last moments of breathing, of blood flowing through his body.<\/p>\n Here- here is God revealed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For here is the Giving Tree.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Cross has become the Tree of Life.<\/p>\n Here the boughs are spread forth to provide shelter.<\/p>\n They open wide to accept all into the arms of grace.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The nutrients- the blood and water- they flow out-<\/p>\n That they might water and nourish the earth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And the trunk- the trunk of that tree is rooted firmly into the earth.<\/p>\n Jesus has brought God\u2019s love to us.<\/p>\n Nothing will separate us.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Deserted, dying- lifted up in cruel torture-<\/p>\n Jesus, the Son of Man- the dying one-<\/p>\n He is raised into the glory of God.<\/p>\n God calls us to the foot of the cross.<\/p>\n God calls us to the Tree of life.<\/p>\n Gather under these branches.<\/p>\n Come, behold life in these limbs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This tree, this Jesus will give you shelter.<\/p>\n Seek safety in this place.<\/p>\n This tree is for you, for your salvation.<\/p>\n Its leaves bring forth the healing of the nations.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jesus, on the cross<\/p>\n Here is the glorious, giving Tree.<\/p>\n Come seek shelter.<\/p>\n It is for you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Amen.<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n The Rev. Dr. Kathleen Mills<\/p>\n Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Trumbull, CT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Good Friday, April 2, 2021 | A Sermon on St. John 18:1-19:42 | by The Rev. Dr. K. Mills | In the Name of the Father, and of the Son+, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. After all that this past year has brought, after all that this past year has taken, on this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4719,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,157,108,110,706,707,3,109],"tags":[],"beitragende":[],"predigtform":[],"predigtreihe":[],"bibelstelle":[],"class_list":["post-4735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-johannes","category-beitragende","category-current","category-engl","category-kapitel-18-chapter-18-johannes","category-kathleen-mills","category-nt","category-predigten"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4735"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4735\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4802,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4735\/revisions\/4802"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4735"},{"taxonomy":"beitragende","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/beitragende?post=4735"},{"taxonomy":"predigtform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtform?post=4735"},{"taxonomy":"predigtreihe","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtreihe?post=4735"},{"taxonomy":"bibelstelle","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bibelstelle?post=4735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}