WEBVTT 00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:03.000 Please pray with me. 00:00:11.359 --> 00:00:16.000 O Lord, of all of your promises that you've given to us, 00:00:17.219 --> 00:00:20.780 you promise your presence and you promise your voice. 00:00:23.359 --> 00:00:26.080 So we pray now, Lord, by your mercy, 00:00:26.079 --> 00:00:30.079 that these spoken words would lead us faithfully into your written word 00:00:30.079 --> 00:00:34.780 and that your written word would reveal to us your living word. 00:00:36.299 --> 00:00:39.119 And that as we see him and as we hear him 00:00:39.119 --> 00:00:40.780 and as we come to know him, 00:00:40.839 --> 00:00:43.959 that we would be changed and become more like him. 00:00:45.379 --> 00:00:48.320 We pray this for our good and for your glory, Lord. 00:00:48.599 --> 00:00:49.820 In your son's name, amen. 00:00:49.820 --> 00:00:49.920 Amen. 00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:55.100 So all of this week, 00:00:56.340 --> 00:00:58.480 all of this evening, 00:00:58.679 --> 00:01:02.300 we've been not only sharing a story, 00:01:02.500 --> 00:01:05.200 but embodying a story. 00:01:05.340 --> 00:01:07.200 We've been participating together 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:10.180 in the recounting of a story 00:01:10.180 --> 00:01:12.500 that started thousands of years ago 00:01:12.500 --> 00:01:14.659 and continues to this very moment. 00:01:15.740 --> 00:01:18.780 On Friday, we remembered the horror of the cross. 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:23.460 This horrific image. 00:01:25.500 --> 00:01:28.939 And on Sunday, we'll celebrate the hope of the resurrection. 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:31.859 In just a little while, in fact. 00:01:32.980 --> 00:01:35.740 But for the moment, we find ourselves in a day 00:01:35.740 --> 00:01:38.320 that we call Holy Saturday. 00:01:39.900 --> 00:01:41.780 It's a day in between. 00:01:41.780 --> 00:01:44.780 It inhabits an in-between space, 00:01:45.560 --> 00:01:51.040 a space between horror and hope. 00:01:52.079 --> 00:01:53.599 It's a day of uncertainty. 00:01:53.879 --> 00:01:55.439 It's a day of confusion. 00:01:57.420 --> 00:02:00.000 And so this is a moment where we pause 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:02.280 and we ask ourselves, 00:02:02.780 --> 00:02:08.199 what do we believe about God? 00:02:08.199 --> 00:02:12.359 What do we believe about this world? 00:02:14.039 --> 00:02:16.119 What do we believe about ourselves? 00:02:18.119 --> 00:02:19.739 And how it all fits together? 00:02:21.979 --> 00:02:23.459 And I'd like us to do that 00:02:23.459 --> 00:02:24.879 by spending a little time 00:02:24.879 --> 00:02:29.319 reflecting on the person of Pontius Pilate. 00:02:29.319 --> 00:02:32.319 I know that's an odd choice. 00:02:33.359 --> 00:02:35.199 If you think that, you're probably right. 00:02:35.959 --> 00:02:38.639 We don't know much about Pilate 00:02:38.639 --> 00:02:41.280 other than the fact that he is famous 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:44.060 for being the one who finally made the decision 00:02:44.060 --> 00:02:47.659 that Jesus should be crucified. 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:50.699 Beyond that, beyond knowing that he was the governor 00:02:50.699 --> 00:02:54.659 of the region at the time of Jesus' crucifixion, 00:02:54.719 --> 00:02:55.319 that he was in politics 00:02:55.319 --> 00:02:58.799 and held that office for roughly 10 years, 00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:00.019 we know very little. 00:03:00.099 --> 00:03:02.599 The Bible, frankly, doesn't tell us much. 00:03:02.719 --> 00:03:04.400 There are many speculations 00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:06.959 and even one tradition dating back 00:03:06.959 --> 00:03:08.459 to at least the second century 00:03:08.459 --> 00:03:11.979 that Pilate eventually became a follower of Jesus. 00:03:13.639 --> 00:03:15.000 A bit spurious, perhaps. 00:03:16.299 --> 00:03:17.819 But we don't know much about him. 00:03:17.819 --> 00:03:22.199 But the one reason that I believe 00:03:22.199 --> 00:03:24.900 we should spend time thinking about this person 00:03:24.900 --> 00:03:29.599 is because if the Bible makes anything clear about Pilate, 00:03:30.379 --> 00:03:33.739 it's that he was a deeply conflicted man. 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:40.979 He was a deeply fragmented person in his heart. 00:03:41.099 --> 00:03:42.219 And in that one way, 00:03:42.340 --> 00:03:45.560 I think that he's someone with whom we can all identify. 00:03:45.560 --> 00:03:52.259 Pilate seems suspended between two poles. 00:03:53.780 --> 00:03:56.479 As we see him encounter, interact with, 00:03:56.680 --> 00:03:59.759 and ultimately be forced to decide about Jesus, 00:03:59.900 --> 00:04:02.520 he seems suspended between two poles 00:04:02.520 --> 00:04:05.980 or buffeted by two powerful conflicting forces. 00:04:06.340 --> 00:04:07.159 On the one hand, 00:04:07.240 --> 00:04:09.140 the Jewish leaders and the crowds 00:04:09.140 --> 00:04:11.879 are pressuring him 00:04:11.879 --> 00:04:14.359 to side with them, 00:04:14.439 --> 00:04:16.060 to agree that this man Jesus 00:04:16.060 --> 00:04:18.540 is nothing more than a rabble rouser. 00:04:18.639 --> 00:04:20.899 He's nothing to concern ourselves with. 00:04:20.939 --> 00:04:22.500 And it would be better for all of us 00:04:22.500 --> 00:04:26.139 if he were done away with quickly and violently. 00:04:28.779 --> 00:04:30.300 And on the other side, 00:04:30.379 --> 00:04:32.159 as we read these accounts, 00:04:32.980 --> 00:04:36.899 Pilate clearly has a gut feeling about Jesus. 00:04:36.899 --> 00:04:37.099 Jesus, 00:04:37.699 --> 00:04:39.339 an intuition, 00:04:40.719 --> 00:04:44.159 something that he doesn't seem to quite be able to identify, 00:04:45.699 --> 00:04:47.799 but it's obvious that he, in some ways, 00:04:48.299 --> 00:04:49.439 doubts his doubts. 00:04:51.620 --> 00:04:55.519 He seems to wonder if Jesus might really be more than he seems. 00:04:55.739 --> 00:04:57.219 He tries again and again 00:04:57.219 --> 00:05:01.099 to convince Jesus to defend himself. 00:05:01.100 --> 00:05:04.140 He creates opportunities for Jesus 00:05:04.140 --> 00:05:05.780 to get himself off the hook, 00:05:05.879 --> 00:05:07.939 should he hope to survive this encounter. 00:05:08.180 --> 00:05:10.280 He even tells the leaders of the Jews 00:05:10.280 --> 00:05:11.040 and the crowds 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:13.720 that he believes that Jesus is innocent of the charges. 00:05:17.860 --> 00:05:19.480 So what does this have to do with us? 00:05:20.240 --> 00:05:21.860 And what does it have to do with this evening? 00:05:24.260 --> 00:05:26.320 I don't want to take Pilate out of context. 00:05:27.140 --> 00:05:28.820 I don't want to project anything 00:05:28.820 --> 00:05:30.960 onto Pilate that isn't there, 00:05:30.959 --> 00:05:31.919 but I do believe 00:05:31.919 --> 00:05:33.299 that in this way, 00:05:33.419 --> 00:05:35.239 Pilate would really be at home 00:05:35.239 --> 00:05:37.259 in our culture today. 00:05:38.439 --> 00:05:40.659 I think Pilate would very much be at home 00:05:40.659 --> 00:05:43.240 in a Western postmodern context. 00:05:44.719 --> 00:05:45.939 A few years ago, 00:05:46.039 --> 00:05:47.199 the philosopher Charles Taylor 00:05:47.199 --> 00:05:49.779 wrote a massive doorstop of a book 00:05:49.779 --> 00:05:52.060 called A Secular Age, 00:05:52.679 --> 00:05:54.740 made accessible to people like me 00:05:54.740 --> 00:05:55.919 by other books, 00:05:55.979 --> 00:05:58.179 such as the one by Jamie Smith. 00:05:58.180 --> 00:06:01.439 But he asks this question 00:06:01.439 --> 00:06:04.600 as the centerpiece of his work. 00:06:04.740 --> 00:06:06.500 How in just 500 years 00:06:06.500 --> 00:06:09.420 did Western culture go from being a place 00:06:09.420 --> 00:06:11.519 where it was virtually impossible 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:13.460 not to believe in God 00:06:13.460 --> 00:06:16.500 and in just 500 years, 00:06:16.600 --> 00:06:17.600 it became a culture 00:06:17.600 --> 00:06:19.319 in which belief in God 00:06:19.319 --> 00:06:20.720 was just one of many options? 00:06:21.560 --> 00:06:24.240 How did that happen in so short a time? 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:26.920 And Taylor spends a lot of time 00:06:26.920 --> 00:06:28.920 describing what it feels like 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:31.199 to be in our culture today. 00:06:31.340 --> 00:06:34.120 He's trying to get at the sense of things. 00:06:35.699 --> 00:06:37.639 And he says that we are, 00:06:37.800 --> 00:06:38.259 in many ways, 00:06:38.519 --> 00:06:40.860 suspended between two poles. 00:06:41.860 --> 00:06:42.699 On the one end, 00:06:43.180 --> 00:06:46.500 a purely materialistic atheism. 00:06:46.500 --> 00:06:48.420 No gods, 00:06:48.759 --> 00:06:49.459 no miracles, 00:06:49.879 --> 00:06:50.620 no magic, 00:06:51.019 --> 00:06:52.040 nothing beyond this. 00:06:53.180 --> 00:06:54.319 And on the other end, 00:06:54.500 --> 00:06:55.399 the other pole, 00:06:56.439 --> 00:06:57.180 is a deep, 00:06:58.040 --> 00:06:58.639 profound, 00:06:59.540 --> 00:07:00.279 gut level, 00:07:00.540 --> 00:07:02.000 inconsolable longing 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:03.100 for the transcendent. 00:07:05.300 --> 00:07:05.920 And so he says 00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:06.920 we live our lives 00:07:06.920 --> 00:07:09.399 buffeted by these two forces. 00:07:09.839 --> 00:07:10.699 And because of that, 00:07:10.759 --> 00:07:13.100 we are all deeply conflicted. 00:07:13.180 --> 00:07:14.180 We are fragmented. 00:07:14.180 --> 00:07:16.680 And this applies to believers 00:07:16.680 --> 00:07:19.139 and non-believers alike. 00:07:20.459 --> 00:07:21.160 So he says 00:07:21.160 --> 00:07:22.160 all believers 00:07:22.160 --> 00:07:24.000 are haunted by doubt. 00:07:27.840 --> 00:07:28.699 Admit it. 00:07:31.879 --> 00:07:33.160 All of us who are here 00:07:33.160 --> 00:07:33.740 who are believers, 00:07:33.879 --> 00:07:34.800 we're haunted by doubt. 00:07:38.800 --> 00:07:40.860 The choice is not between 00:07:40.860 --> 00:07:43.060 doubt and belief. 00:07:43.060 --> 00:07:45.139 As Jamie Smith says, 00:07:45.939 --> 00:07:47.819 we believe while doubting. 00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:50.060 And what this means 00:07:50.060 --> 00:07:51.500 is that for people like me, 00:07:52.879 --> 00:07:54.459 my faith often feels 00:07:54.459 --> 00:07:55.300 like a struggle. 00:07:56.379 --> 00:07:57.519 Sometimes it feels like 00:07:57.519 --> 00:07:59.560 a tooth and nail battle. 00:08:00.779 --> 00:08:01.879 And I know many of you 00:08:01.879 --> 00:08:02.879 are the same 00:08:02.879 --> 00:08:06.120 if we're really honest. 00:08:07.480 --> 00:08:08.519 I'm not saying that 00:08:08.519 --> 00:08:09.600 there aren't great reasons 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:10.340 for the faith. 00:08:10.339 --> 00:08:12.339 There are. 00:08:13.060 --> 00:08:14.079 There's extraordinary 00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:15.179 compelling evidence 00:08:15.179 --> 00:08:17.179 that the resurrection 00:08:17.179 --> 00:08:18.319 actually happened. 00:08:19.000 --> 00:08:19.639 Hopefully you'll hear 00:08:19.639 --> 00:08:20.599 more of that tomorrow. 00:08:20.859 --> 00:08:21.719 Extraordinary evidence. 00:08:22.119 --> 00:08:22.899 And I'm not saying 00:08:22.899 --> 00:08:24.259 that faith isn't a gift. 00:08:24.919 --> 00:08:25.819 It is very much 00:08:25.819 --> 00:08:26.699 a gift. 00:08:27.019 --> 00:08:27.839 But what I am saying 00:08:27.839 --> 00:08:28.239 is this, 00:08:28.279 --> 00:08:29.500 that we live in a culture 00:08:29.500 --> 00:08:32.620 that constantly 00:08:32.620 --> 00:08:33.539 undermines 00:08:33.539 --> 00:08:34.339 belief. 00:08:34.340 --> 00:08:34.860 belief. 00:08:36.379 --> 00:08:37.440 It constantly 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:38.220 undermines 00:08:38.220 --> 00:08:39.040 faith 00:08:39.040 --> 00:08:39.920 by the very fact 00:08:39.920 --> 00:08:40.560 that faith 00:08:40.560 --> 00:08:41.080 and belief 00:08:41.080 --> 00:08:42.480 are even considered 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:43.759 to be a choice. 00:08:45.500 --> 00:08:46.280 And so some of us 00:08:46.280 --> 00:08:47.220 are okay with that. 00:08:47.780 --> 00:08:48.420 We understand 00:08:48.420 --> 00:08:49.440 that this is a part 00:08:49.440 --> 00:08:50.980 of our culture, 00:08:51.180 --> 00:08:52.080 a part of the water 00:08:52.080 --> 00:08:52.840 that we swim in 00:08:52.840 --> 00:08:53.840 and we embrace it. 00:08:54.200 --> 00:08:54.759 But I know 00:08:54.759 --> 00:08:55.300 that there are 00:08:55.300 --> 00:08:55.940 some of us, 00:08:56.019 --> 00:08:56.639 many of us, 00:08:57.139 --> 00:08:57.700 some of whom 00:08:57.700 --> 00:08:58.780 are probably here tonight, 00:08:59.259 --> 00:09:01.259 who are ashamed, 00:09:01.259 --> 00:09:03.899 who feel that our faith 00:09:03.899 --> 00:09:05.519 is somehow deficient. 00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:08.139 This is the water 00:09:08.139 --> 00:09:08.899 that we swim in, 00:09:08.960 --> 00:09:09.200 friends. 00:09:10.139 --> 00:09:11.159 And here's the thing. 00:09:12.240 --> 00:09:13.580 It works both ways. 00:09:14.779 --> 00:09:15.580 Not only is 00:09:15.580 --> 00:09:16.480 belief 00:09:16.480 --> 00:09:17.139 constantly 00:09:17.139 --> 00:09:18.159 undermined, 00:09:18.279 --> 00:09:19.360 but unbelief 00:09:19.360 --> 00:09:20.399 is constantly 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:21.519 undermined 00:09:21.519 --> 00:09:22.879 in the very same 00:09:22.879 --> 00:09:23.620 way. 00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:26.620 Many atheists 00:09:26.620 --> 00:09:27.500 and agnostics 00:09:27.500 --> 00:09:28.159 are also 00:09:28.159 --> 00:09:28.620 haunted. 00:09:31.259 --> 00:09:33.240 But they're 00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:34.259 haunted by belief. 00:09:38.019 --> 00:09:39.059 Thomas Nagel, 00:09:39.259 --> 00:09:39.939 who's an atheist 00:09:39.939 --> 00:09:41.340 professor at NYU, 00:09:41.899 --> 00:09:42.539 writes about 00:09:42.539 --> 00:09:43.120 what it's like 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:43.740 to be haunted 00:09:43.740 --> 00:09:44.460 by belief. 00:09:45.220 --> 00:09:45.899 He says this, 00:09:46.159 --> 00:09:47.220 I want atheism 00:09:47.220 --> 00:09:47.899 to be true. 00:09:49.220 --> 00:09:50.120 I want it 00:09:50.120 --> 00:09:50.620 to be true. 00:09:51.299 --> 00:09:52.100 And I'm made 00:09:52.100 --> 00:09:53.220 uneasy by the fact 00:09:53.220 --> 00:09:53.779 that some of the 00:09:53.779 --> 00:09:54.439 most intelligent 00:09:54.439 --> 00:09:55.299 and well-informed 00:09:55.299 --> 00:09:56.100 people I know 00:09:56.100 --> 00:09:57.679 are religious believers. 00:09:59.460 --> 00:10:00.620 So Taylor says 00:10:00.620 --> 00:10:01.299 that we're haunted 00:10:01.299 --> 00:10:02.440 by this deep 00:10:02.440 --> 00:10:03.740 inconsolable longing 00:10:03.740 --> 00:10:05.000 for something bigger 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:06.240 or something more 00:10:06.240 --> 00:10:08.019 or something beyond this. 00:10:08.820 --> 00:10:09.799 Listen to these lyrics 00:10:09.799 --> 00:10:11.080 from the Fleet Foxes. 00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:14.759 You gotta know 00:10:14.759 --> 00:10:15.200 your audience, 00:10:15.299 --> 00:10:15.440 right? 00:10:18.820 --> 00:10:20.080 I was raised up 00:10:20.080 --> 00:10:20.759 believing I was 00:10:20.759 --> 00:10:21.620 somehow unique. 00:10:22.659 --> 00:10:24.100 Like a snowflake, 00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:25.100 distinct among 00:10:25.100 --> 00:10:25.860 snowflakes, 00:10:26.580 --> 00:10:27.680 unique in each way 00:10:27.680 --> 00:10:28.379 you can see. 00:10:28.379 --> 00:10:30.100 And now, 00:10:30.220 --> 00:10:31.240 after some thinking, 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:33.779 I'd say I'd rather be 00:10:33.779 --> 00:10:35.539 a functioning cog 00:10:35.539 --> 00:10:36.919 in some great machinery, 00:10:38.019 --> 00:10:39.120 serving something 00:10:39.120 --> 00:10:40.000 beyond me. 00:10:41.399 --> 00:10:42.439 But I don't. 00:10:42.840 --> 00:10:43.759 I don't know 00:10:43.759 --> 00:10:44.659 what that will be. 00:10:45.960 --> 00:10:46.899 I'll get back 00:10:46.899 --> 00:10:47.580 to you someday, 00:10:47.879 --> 00:10:48.179 soon. 00:10:48.759 --> 00:10:49.720 You will see. 00:10:50.200 --> 00:10:51.120 What's my name? 00:10:51.299 --> 00:10:52.080 What's my station? 00:10:53.399 --> 00:10:54.679 Oh, just tell me 00:10:54.679 --> 00:10:55.360 what I should do. 00:10:55.360 --> 00:10:58.139 So think about this. 00:10:58.279 --> 00:10:59.419 We live in a culture 00:10:59.419 --> 00:11:02.379 where we define freedom 00:11:02.379 --> 00:11:04.460 as the ability 00:11:04.460 --> 00:11:06.919 to define truth 00:11:06.919 --> 00:11:08.639 for ourselves. 00:11:09.480 --> 00:11:10.800 The Supreme Court 00:11:10.800 --> 00:11:12.680 even made this official 00:11:12.680 --> 00:11:14.039 back in 1992 00:11:14.039 --> 00:11:14.800 in a ruling 00:11:14.800 --> 00:11:15.440 where they wrote, 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:17.659 at the heart of liberty 00:11:17.659 --> 00:11:19.879 is the right to define 00:11:19.879 --> 00:11:21.480 one's own concept 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:22.659 of existence. 00:11:22.659 --> 00:11:22.860 existence. 00:11:23.539 --> 00:11:25.019 At the heart of liberty 00:11:25.019 --> 00:11:27.100 is the freedom 00:11:27.100 --> 00:11:28.719 to define 00:11:28.719 --> 00:11:29.980 one's own concept 00:11:29.980 --> 00:11:30.899 of existence. 00:11:31.139 --> 00:11:33.139 And we hear this 00:11:33.139 --> 00:11:36.620 and we believe this 00:11:36.620 --> 00:11:37.219 on one level 00:11:37.219 --> 00:11:38.539 and yet this makes you wonder, 00:11:38.879 --> 00:11:40.500 is life 00:11:40.500 --> 00:11:41.879 as a self-defining 00:11:41.879 --> 00:11:42.899 little snowflake 00:11:42.899 --> 00:11:44.439 really that great? 00:11:44.440 --> 00:11:47.340 because the time 00:11:47.340 --> 00:11:48.600 comes when we look 00:11:48.600 --> 00:11:49.720 at our degrees 00:11:49.720 --> 00:11:50.400 and we look 00:11:50.400 --> 00:11:51.400 at our jobs 00:11:51.400 --> 00:11:51.900 and we look 00:11:51.900 --> 00:11:53.080 at our accomplishments 00:11:53.080 --> 00:11:53.780 and we look 00:11:53.780 --> 00:11:54.880 at our perfectly 00:11:54.880 --> 00:11:56.320 manicured identities 00:11:56.320 --> 00:12:00.800 and we think, 00:12:00.940 --> 00:12:01.500 is this it? 00:12:04.420 --> 00:12:05.620 Is this all there is? 00:12:07.220 --> 00:12:08.060 Is there nothing 00:12:08.060 --> 00:12:08.640 more to it? 00:12:10.640 --> 00:12:11.560 And all this means 00:12:11.560 --> 00:12:12.400 that we're more 00:12:12.400 --> 00:12:12.840 and more 00:12:12.840 --> 00:12:14.019 and more fragmented 00:12:14.019 --> 00:12:15.120 on the inside 00:12:15.120 --> 00:12:15.639 in the sense 00:12:15.639 --> 00:12:16.620 that we don't 00:12:16.620 --> 00:12:17.940 fit together. 00:12:18.980 --> 00:12:19.700 It's as though 00:12:19.700 --> 00:12:20.500 our thoughts 00:12:20.500 --> 00:12:21.259 and feelings 00:12:21.259 --> 00:12:22.139 are like multiple 00:12:22.139 --> 00:12:23.060 ships passing 00:12:23.060 --> 00:12:23.960 in the night. 00:12:24.060 --> 00:12:24.780 There was an interview 00:12:24.780 --> 00:12:26.420 on NPR's Fresh Air 00:12:26.420 --> 00:12:27.639 where Terry Gross 00:12:27.639 --> 00:12:28.240 interviews 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:29.899 the children's book writer 00:12:29.899 --> 00:12:30.860 Maurice Sendak, 00:12:31.580 --> 00:12:32.600 Where the Wild Things Are, 00:12:33.160 --> 00:12:33.840 one of our favorites 00:12:33.840 --> 00:12:34.320 at home. 00:12:35.800 --> 00:12:36.580 And he's talking 00:12:36.580 --> 00:12:37.360 about getting old, 00:12:37.460 --> 00:12:38.120 he's talking about 00:12:38.120 --> 00:12:38.960 his friends dying 00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:39.879 and he starts talking 00:12:39.879 --> 00:12:40.660 about his brother 00:12:40.660 --> 00:12:42.000 passing away 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:42.820 and he's mourning 00:12:42.820 --> 00:12:44.100 the loss of his brother 00:12:44.100 --> 00:12:45.480 and listen to what 00:12:45.480 --> 00:12:46.019 he says. 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:48.679 I don't believe 00:12:48.679 --> 00:12:49.419 in an afterlife 00:12:49.419 --> 00:12:51.659 but I still fully 00:12:51.659 --> 00:12:52.440 expect to see 00:12:52.440 --> 00:12:53.139 my brother again. 00:12:55.340 --> 00:12:56.340 I don't believe 00:12:56.340 --> 00:12:57.039 in an afterlife 00:12:57.039 --> 00:12:59.580 but I fully expect 00:12:59.580 --> 00:13:00.559 to see my brother again. 00:13:02.179 --> 00:13:03.539 If you're not convinced 00:13:03.539 --> 00:13:05.860 that this division, 00:13:06.100 --> 00:13:06.759 this conflict 00:13:06.759 --> 00:13:08.879 is a reality, 00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:10.200 just ask people 00:13:10.200 --> 00:13:11.840 who work in advertising. 00:13:12.460 --> 00:13:13.740 They have this down 00:13:13.740 --> 00:13:14.799 to a science. 00:13:15.519 --> 00:13:15.679 You know, 00:13:15.799 --> 00:13:16.539 brand managers 00:13:16.539 --> 00:13:18.059 used to be responsible 00:13:18.059 --> 00:13:19.120 for writing copy 00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:20.439 and designing packaging. 00:13:21.879 --> 00:13:22.899 But now, 00:13:23.039 --> 00:13:23.840 brand managers 00:13:23.840 --> 00:13:25.220 are expected 00:13:25.220 --> 00:13:26.659 to turn their brand 00:13:26.659 --> 00:13:28.460 into an entire system 00:13:28.460 --> 00:13:29.439 of meaning 00:13:29.439 --> 00:13:32.019 with an entire 00:13:32.019 --> 00:13:33.519 religiously devoted 00:13:33.519 --> 00:13:34.419 community 00:13:34.419 --> 00:13:35.240 attached to it 00:13:35.240 --> 00:13:36.200 because they know 00:13:36.200 --> 00:13:37.940 that a person 00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:38.740 like me, 00:13:39.519 --> 00:13:40.360 if I even 00:13:40.360 --> 00:13:41.320 remotely suspect 00:13:41.320 --> 00:13:42.200 that a shoe 00:13:42.200 --> 00:13:43.320 or a car 00:13:43.320 --> 00:13:44.620 is going to somehow 00:13:44.620 --> 00:13:45.639 satisfy 00:13:45.639 --> 00:13:47.159 that inconsolable 00:13:47.159 --> 00:13:47.560 longing, 00:13:47.680 --> 00:13:48.759 I'm much more likely 00:13:48.759 --> 00:13:49.500 to buy it. 00:13:50.840 --> 00:13:51.919 Or there are places 00:13:51.919 --> 00:13:52.980 like SoulCycle. 00:13:56.419 --> 00:13:57.560 Wildly successful. 00:13:58.700 --> 00:13:59.680 Wildly successful. 00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:02.960 It's an exercise class. 00:14:02.960 --> 00:14:06.720 It's an exercise class 00:14:06.720 --> 00:14:08.440 that promises 00:14:08.440 --> 00:14:09.240 you can not only 00:14:09.240 --> 00:14:09.900 get in shape 00:14:09.900 --> 00:14:12.400 but find your soul. 00:14:13.519 --> 00:14:15.280 It says it in neon letters. 00:14:16.180 --> 00:14:17.120 Find your soul 00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:20.920 for just $30 to $40 00:14:20.920 --> 00:14:22.139 per class. 00:14:25.139 --> 00:14:26.320 You ride a bike 00:14:26.320 --> 00:14:26.940 for an hour. 00:14:28.259 --> 00:14:29.360 Find your soul. 00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:32.419 But these places 00:14:32.419 --> 00:14:33.300 are blowing up. 00:14:34.379 --> 00:14:34.899 Why? 00:14:36.320 --> 00:14:37.279 Julian Barnes 00:14:37.279 --> 00:14:37.980 once wrote, 00:14:39.159 --> 00:14:40.279 I don't believe in God 00:14:40.279 --> 00:14:40.980 but I miss him. 00:14:42.980 --> 00:14:44.080 That's our culture 00:14:44.080 --> 00:14:44.700 in a nutshell. 00:14:46.779 --> 00:14:48.180 We live suspended 00:14:48.180 --> 00:14:49.899 between disillusionment 00:14:49.899 --> 00:14:51.639 and longing. 00:14:53.420 --> 00:14:54.620 So why are we talking 00:14:54.620 --> 00:14:55.360 about this now? 00:14:55.360 --> 00:14:56.039 Now? 00:14:57.399 --> 00:14:58.779 Because there's no day 00:14:58.779 --> 00:14:59.919 in the church calendar 00:14:59.919 --> 00:15:02.539 where this theme 00:15:02.539 --> 00:15:03.519 is more appropriate 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:05.519 than Holy Saturday. 00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:09.139 This cultural moment 00:15:09.139 --> 00:15:12.080 is captured perfectly 00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:13.639 in the mood 00:15:13.639 --> 00:15:14.519 of this evening. 00:15:14.960 --> 00:15:16.200 Because in our culture, 00:15:16.379 --> 00:15:16.639 listen, 00:15:17.820 --> 00:15:18.820 every day 00:15:18.820 --> 00:15:19.779 is Holy Saturday. 00:15:19.779 --> 00:15:23.079 Every day 00:15:23.079 --> 00:15:24.079 is Holy Saturday. 00:15:24.939 --> 00:15:25.500 It's a day 00:15:25.500 --> 00:15:26.100 suspended 00:15:26.100 --> 00:15:27.360 between the godless 00:15:27.360 --> 00:15:28.059 brutality 00:15:28.059 --> 00:15:30.639 of the crucifixion 00:15:30.639 --> 00:15:32.740 and the seeming 00:15:32.740 --> 00:15:34.279 fairytale hope 00:15:34.279 --> 00:15:36.159 of resurrection. 00:15:36.419 --> 00:15:37.319 And it's suspended 00:15:37.319 --> 00:15:38.199 right in between 00:15:38.199 --> 00:15:39.059 these two things. 00:15:39.339 --> 00:15:40.059 Can you imagine 00:15:40.059 --> 00:15:41.179 what it must have been like 00:15:41.179 --> 00:15:41.959 for the disciples 00:15:41.959 --> 00:15:43.559 on that first Saturday? 00:15:44.620 --> 00:15:45.519 Can you imagine 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:46.319 what they must have 00:15:46.319 --> 00:15:46.939 been feeling? 00:15:46.940 --> 00:15:49.380 You understand, 00:15:49.540 --> 00:15:50.800 they expected 00:15:50.800 --> 00:15:51.360 that Jesus 00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:51.960 had come 00:15:51.960 --> 00:15:53.320 to lead a rebellion. 00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:55.800 They had been told 00:15:55.800 --> 00:15:56.520 since the time 00:15:56.520 --> 00:15:57.380 they were toddlers 00:15:57.380 --> 00:15:58.820 that their nation 00:15:58.820 --> 00:15:59.620 was set aside 00:15:59.620 --> 00:16:00.100 by God 00:16:00.100 --> 00:16:01.480 for great things, 00:16:02.120 --> 00:16:03.240 great purposes. 00:16:04.920 --> 00:16:06.040 They had been told 00:16:06.040 --> 00:16:07.000 that when they were 00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:08.260 in times of captivity, 00:16:08.440 --> 00:16:09.480 like the great story 00:16:09.480 --> 00:16:10.060 of the Exodus, 00:16:10.560 --> 00:16:11.500 that God would one day 00:16:11.500 --> 00:16:12.740 come and liberate them. 00:16:13.100 --> 00:16:13.900 And here they are, 00:16:13.980 --> 00:16:15.280 oppressed by Rome, 00:16:15.700 --> 00:16:15.940 humiliated, 00:16:16.940 --> 00:16:18.680 tolerated as long 00:16:18.680 --> 00:16:19.840 as they pay their taxes. 00:16:20.180 --> 00:16:20.840 And they knew, 00:16:20.920 --> 00:16:21.580 they just knew 00:16:21.580 --> 00:16:22.120 when they read 00:16:22.120 --> 00:16:22.660 their scriptures 00:16:22.660 --> 00:16:23.600 that at some point 00:16:23.600 --> 00:16:25.040 God was going to send 00:16:25.040 --> 00:16:26.140 another Messiah, 00:16:26.520 --> 00:16:26.960 liberator, 00:16:27.060 --> 00:16:28.020 to set them free. 00:16:28.300 --> 00:16:29.420 And so they saw Jesus 00:16:29.420 --> 00:16:30.640 and they saw what he did 00:16:30.640 --> 00:16:31.680 and they heard what he said 00:16:31.680 --> 00:16:32.680 and they expected, 00:16:32.800 --> 00:16:33.980 they knew in their guts 00:16:33.980 --> 00:16:34.980 that one day 00:16:34.980 --> 00:16:37.020 he was going to overthrow Rome 00:16:37.020 --> 00:16:38.000 and he was going to 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:39.200 vindicate Israel 00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:40.200 and he was going to show 00:16:40.200 --> 00:16:41.080 everybody, 00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:42.000 you don't mess 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:42.840 with God's people. 00:16:42.840 --> 00:16:46.960 in short, 00:16:47.080 --> 00:16:47.800 they wanted Jesus 00:16:47.800 --> 00:16:49.420 to make Israel 00:16:49.420 --> 00:16:50.500 great again. 00:16:59.080 --> 00:17:00.180 So can you imagine 00:17:00.180 --> 00:17:01.340 what they must have been feeling? 00:17:05.259 --> 00:17:06.519 As the blood ran down 00:17:06.519 --> 00:17:07.519 the cross that day, 00:17:07.600 --> 00:17:08.319 it must have been 00:17:08.319 --> 00:17:09.480 as though all the magic 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:10.620 bled out of the world. 00:17:10.619 --> 00:17:16.259 Don't you feel it? 00:17:19.659 --> 00:17:20.659 Don't you feel 00:17:20.659 --> 00:17:21.599 the disillusionment? 00:17:22.599 --> 00:17:22.739 I mean, 00:17:22.779 --> 00:17:23.719 when you look at our city, 00:17:24.259 --> 00:17:25.479 when you look at our world, 00:17:26.879 --> 00:17:28.719 when you look at our country, 00:17:29.399 --> 00:17:30.879 when you look at this election, 00:17:32.259 --> 00:17:33.159 can you not feel 00:17:33.159 --> 00:17:34.259 the disillusionment, 00:17:34.339 --> 00:17:36.659 the almost existential dread 00:17:36.659 --> 00:17:38.279 in the air? 00:17:38.279 --> 00:17:42.740 here's the point. 00:17:44.859 --> 00:17:46.019 I believe that we are 00:17:46.019 --> 00:17:47.379 a Holy Saturday culture 00:17:47.379 --> 00:17:50.039 in need of Easter Sunday hope. 00:17:53.599 --> 00:17:54.720 So this brings us 00:17:54.720 --> 00:17:55.960 to our final question. 00:17:59.399 --> 00:18:00.559 How do we respond 00:18:00.559 --> 00:18:01.579 to the claims of Easter? 00:18:01.579 --> 00:18:07.279 How do we respond 00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:08.159 to these claims 00:18:08.159 --> 00:18:10.740 of hope? 00:18:14.339 --> 00:18:15.759 There's Pilate's way. 00:18:17.220 --> 00:18:18.539 How does Pilate respond? 00:18:20.879 --> 00:18:22.539 He hides behind cynicism. 00:18:22.539 --> 00:18:28.519 When Jesus tells Pilate 00:18:28.519 --> 00:18:30.819 that he came to bear witness 00:18:30.819 --> 00:18:31.500 to the truth, 00:18:32.859 --> 00:18:34.480 Pilate famously responds, 00:18:35.559 --> 00:18:37.159 what is truth? 00:18:39.119 --> 00:18:40.059 Some people live 00:18:40.059 --> 00:18:41.200 their whole lives 00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:44.200 asking that question, 00:18:45.259 --> 00:18:45.960 poking holes 00:18:45.960 --> 00:18:46.839 and poking holes 00:18:46.839 --> 00:18:47.659 and poking holes 00:18:47.659 --> 00:18:48.839 and popping balloon 00:18:48.839 --> 00:18:49.779 after balloon. 00:18:49.779 --> 00:18:50.819 it's a great way 00:18:50.819 --> 00:18:52.099 to insulate yourself 00:18:52.099 --> 00:18:54.000 against disillusionment. 00:18:54.200 --> 00:18:54.759 But to borrow 00:18:54.759 --> 00:18:55.779 an image 00:18:55.779 --> 00:18:56.839 from Andy Crouch, 00:18:58.079 --> 00:18:59.039 cynicism is a lot 00:18:59.039 --> 00:18:59.940 like bubble wrap. 00:19:01.079 --> 00:19:02.599 You can wrap yourself 00:19:02.599 --> 00:19:03.859 around with it 00:19:03.859 --> 00:19:05.559 and it will insulate you 00:19:05.559 --> 00:19:07.559 from the hard 00:19:07.559 --> 00:19:09.399 knocks of disillusionment 00:19:09.399 --> 00:19:11.220 in this kind of culture. 00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:12.759 And yet, 00:19:12.879 --> 00:19:14.240 it will also rob you. 00:19:15.079 --> 00:19:16.299 It will rob you 00:19:16.299 --> 00:19:16.819 of the ability 00:19:16.819 --> 00:19:18.200 to fully experience. 00:19:18.200 --> 00:19:20.620 joy, 00:19:21.759 --> 00:19:22.920 love, 00:19:23.480 --> 00:19:25.819 it will dilute 00:19:25.819 --> 00:19:26.460 those things. 00:19:28.259 --> 00:19:29.480 The problem is, 00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:30.420 C.S. Lewis writes, 00:19:31.080 --> 00:19:33.240 is you cannot go on 00:19:33.240 --> 00:19:34.400 seeing through things 00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:34.740 forever. 00:19:36.039 --> 00:19:37.059 The whole point 00:19:37.059 --> 00:19:38.080 of seeing through something 00:19:38.080 --> 00:19:39.360 is to see something 00:19:39.360 --> 00:19:41.140 through it. 00:19:42.440 --> 00:19:44.140 If you see through everything, 00:19:44.620 --> 00:19:45.380 then everything 00:19:45.380 --> 00:19:46.559 is transparent. 00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:46.720 transparent. 00:19:47.139 --> 00:19:48.980 But a wholly transparent world 00:19:48.980 --> 00:19:50.339 is an invisible world. 00:19:51.179 --> 00:19:52.779 To see through all things 00:19:52.779 --> 00:19:53.759 is the same 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:55.960 as not to see. 00:19:59.059 --> 00:20:00.099 Cynicism, I believe, 00:20:00.159 --> 00:20:01.399 is one of the leading causes 00:20:01.399 --> 00:20:02.119 of blindness 00:20:02.119 --> 00:20:03.720 in our culture. 00:20:05.679 --> 00:20:06.940 Or, like Pilot, 00:20:07.019 --> 00:20:08.619 we can simply put off 00:20:08.619 --> 00:20:10.899 making any decision 00:20:10.899 --> 00:20:13.659 as long as we possibly can. 00:20:13.660 --> 00:20:16.400 Pilot obviously has 00:20:16.400 --> 00:20:18.560 a high priority item 00:20:18.560 --> 00:20:20.019 and that is 00:20:20.019 --> 00:20:20.860 keeping the peace. 00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:22.720 And he knows 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:24.380 that once he takes 00:20:24.380 --> 00:20:25.220 a clear stance 00:20:25.220 --> 00:20:25.900 on Jesus, 00:20:26.320 --> 00:20:27.500 he will have to deal 00:20:27.500 --> 00:20:28.360 with the implications. 00:20:29.519 --> 00:20:29.779 And so, 00:20:29.860 --> 00:20:30.860 if you read these accounts, 00:20:30.980 --> 00:20:31.779 he puts it off 00:20:31.779 --> 00:20:34.080 as long as he possibly can. 00:20:34.279 --> 00:20:35.360 He even sends Jesus 00:20:35.360 --> 00:20:36.100 to Herod 00:20:36.100 --> 00:20:37.279 like a hot potato, 00:20:37.640 --> 00:20:38.420 hoping that Herod 00:20:38.420 --> 00:20:39.740 will take the responsibility 00:20:39.740 --> 00:20:41.060 off of his shoulders. 00:20:41.059 --> 00:20:42.980 And even when he finally 00:20:42.980 --> 00:20:43.919 makes the decision, 00:20:44.159 --> 00:20:45.940 he publicly washes his hands 00:20:45.940 --> 00:20:46.980 as if to say, 00:20:47.299 --> 00:20:48.519 don't hold me responsible 00:20:48.519 --> 00:20:49.440 for this decision. 00:20:52.039 --> 00:20:52.980 How many of us 00:20:52.980 --> 00:20:53.899 are the same? 00:20:55.819 --> 00:20:56.619 We know that 00:20:56.619 --> 00:20:57.599 as long as we remain 00:20:57.599 --> 00:20:58.259 undecided, 00:20:58.339 --> 00:20:59.039 we don't have to be 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:00.220 accountable to anything. 00:21:04.460 --> 00:21:04.899 Plus, 00:21:04.960 --> 00:21:05.659 it is a shortcut 00:21:05.660 --> 00:21:08.880 to being sophisticated. 00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:11.740 The jury's still out. 00:21:14.779 --> 00:21:15.700 I have a friend 00:21:15.700 --> 00:21:17.080 who came to Jesus 00:21:17.080 --> 00:21:18.380 a few years back, 00:21:18.920 --> 00:21:20.180 but she spent a long time 00:21:20.180 --> 00:21:21.320 seeking as an adult. 00:21:21.440 --> 00:21:22.500 And she told some 00:21:22.500 --> 00:21:23.420 of her friends at work 00:21:23.420 --> 00:21:25.540 about her spiritual journey. 00:21:25.680 --> 00:21:26.100 And she said, 00:21:26.160 --> 00:21:27.220 I'm beginning to ask questions 00:21:27.220 --> 00:21:28.800 and I'm beginning to look 00:21:28.800 --> 00:21:29.840 and to seek spiritually 00:21:29.840 --> 00:21:30.779 and to figure out 00:21:30.779 --> 00:21:31.740 what I believe 00:21:31.740 --> 00:21:32.980 about God and myself 00:21:32.980 --> 00:21:33.740 and this world. 00:21:33.740 --> 00:21:34.980 And I'm exploring. 00:21:35.420 --> 00:21:36.339 And all of her friends 00:21:36.339 --> 00:21:37.039 rallied around her 00:21:37.039 --> 00:21:37.279 and said, 00:21:37.359 --> 00:21:38.019 this is amazing. 00:21:38.140 --> 00:21:38.620 This is great. 00:21:38.819 --> 00:21:39.920 We have such respect for you. 00:21:39.980 --> 00:21:40.680 This is incredible. 00:21:41.140 --> 00:21:41.980 Share with us 00:21:41.980 --> 00:21:42.759 what you're learning. 00:21:42.859 --> 00:21:43.720 We want to be a part 00:21:43.720 --> 00:21:44.859 of this journey with you. 00:21:44.940 --> 00:21:45.900 This is incredible. 00:21:48.980 --> 00:21:50.299 And she had an amazing, 00:21:50.539 --> 00:21:51.620 powerful experience. 00:21:52.900 --> 00:21:54.380 Came to believe in Jesus. 00:21:55.019 --> 00:21:56.359 It began to change her life. 00:21:56.400 --> 00:21:56.960 And she went back 00:21:56.960 --> 00:21:58.240 to these same friends 00:21:58.240 --> 00:21:58.660 and said, 00:21:58.720 --> 00:21:59.700 I think I found 00:21:59.700 --> 00:22:01.319 what I was looking for. 00:22:01.319 --> 00:22:03.980 And she told me 00:22:03.980 --> 00:22:04.960 that these same friends 00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:05.679 were shocked 00:22:05.679 --> 00:22:07.659 and they were horrified. 00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:10.200 And a number of them 00:22:10.200 --> 00:22:10.960 told her that they had 00:22:10.960 --> 00:22:12.220 lost respect for her. 00:22:13.700 --> 00:22:15.200 Our culture loves 00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:16.700 seekers, 00:22:17.539 --> 00:22:19.679 not so much finders. 00:22:22.579 --> 00:22:23.279 It's funny, 00:22:23.359 --> 00:22:24.179 if somebody came 00:22:24.179 --> 00:22:25.759 and said they were thirsty, 00:22:25.859 --> 00:22:27.480 would we not offer them 00:22:27.480 --> 00:22:28.599 a drink? 00:22:28.679 --> 00:22:29.519 Or would we say, 00:22:29.519 --> 00:22:30.400 it's all about 00:22:30.400 --> 00:22:31.779 the experience of thirst? 00:22:35.660 --> 00:22:36.559 Enjoy it. 00:22:36.740 --> 00:22:38.019 This is what life is. 00:22:39.779 --> 00:22:41.279 Short though it may be. 00:22:45.839 --> 00:22:47.379 So we can be like Pilate, 00:22:48.259 --> 00:22:48.900 but then, 00:22:49.019 --> 00:22:49.379 and listen, 00:22:49.539 --> 00:22:50.519 then we would probably 00:22:50.519 --> 00:22:51.279 have to take 00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:52.220 that deep yearning 00:22:52.220 --> 00:22:55.400 and we would have 00:22:55.400 --> 00:22:56.240 to suppress it. 00:22:57.839 --> 00:22:58.879 What do you do with it? 00:22:59.519 --> 00:23:02.160 Or you could take 00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:03.319 classes at SoulCycle. 00:23:05.400 --> 00:23:05.920 Or, 00:23:06.180 --> 00:23:08.059 we can do what 00:23:08.059 --> 00:23:08.819 countless others 00:23:08.819 --> 00:23:09.299 have done. 00:23:10.779 --> 00:23:12.180 People like Augustine, 00:23:13.440 --> 00:23:14.599 who actually had 00:23:14.599 --> 00:23:15.359 a very powerful 00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:17.319 conversion experience 00:23:17.319 --> 00:23:18.420 about 300 years 00:23:18.420 --> 00:23:19.319 after Pilate. 00:23:21.579 --> 00:23:23.039 Augustine was every bit 00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:24.440 as conflicted as Pilate. 00:23:25.500 --> 00:23:26.660 He was every bit 00:23:26.660 --> 00:23:27.460 as fragmented, 00:23:27.819 --> 00:23:29.160 every bit as torn. 00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:31.680 By skepticism 00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:32.339 and unbelief 00:23:32.339 --> 00:23:33.339 and longing. 00:23:35.680 --> 00:23:36.200 And yet, 00:23:36.400 --> 00:23:37.139 when he felt 00:23:37.139 --> 00:23:37.879 that longing 00:23:37.879 --> 00:23:38.779 and when he felt 00:23:38.779 --> 00:23:39.519 that desire, 00:23:39.759 --> 00:23:41.039 he didn't suppress it, 00:23:41.220 --> 00:23:42.200 he listened to it. 00:23:43.059 --> 00:23:44.279 He listened to it. 00:23:46.160 --> 00:23:47.519 And he followed it. 00:23:48.019 --> 00:23:48.839 He followed it 00:23:48.839 --> 00:23:49.960 like a mountain stream 00:23:49.960 --> 00:23:51.079 up and up 00:23:51.079 --> 00:23:51.720 and up, 00:23:51.859 --> 00:23:52.900 past wealth, 00:23:53.119 --> 00:23:54.339 past success, 00:23:54.519 --> 00:23:55.980 past romantic love, 00:23:56.119 --> 00:23:57.099 past pleasure, 00:23:57.099 --> 00:23:57.579 and he kept 00:23:57.579 --> 00:23:58.439 following it up 00:23:58.439 --> 00:23:59.399 until he found 00:23:59.399 --> 00:24:00.639 the source. 00:24:02.299 --> 00:24:03.219 And he met 00:24:03.219 --> 00:24:04.219 Jesus. 00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:06.059 And he realized 00:24:06.059 --> 00:24:07.679 that this longing 00:24:07.679 --> 00:24:09.000 is actually 00:24:09.000 --> 00:24:09.899 an ancient 00:24:09.899 --> 00:24:10.919 memory 00:24:10.919 --> 00:24:11.699 that we have 00:24:11.699 --> 00:24:12.480 as human beings. 00:24:12.599 --> 00:24:13.379 It's an imprint. 00:24:13.919 --> 00:24:14.859 It's the emptiness 00:24:14.859 --> 00:24:16.799 that we experience 00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:18.079 apart from the love 00:24:18.079 --> 00:24:19.579 of God. 00:24:20.379 --> 00:24:20.839 And so, 00:24:20.919 --> 00:24:22.000 when he found Jesus, 00:24:22.119 --> 00:24:22.819 he realized 00:24:22.819 --> 00:24:23.579 he was finding 00:24:23.579 --> 00:24:24.079 the one 00:24:24.079 --> 00:24:24.819 who said, 00:24:24.919 --> 00:24:25.379 I came 00:24:25.379 --> 00:24:25.839 that you may 00:24:25.839 --> 00:24:26.740 have life 00:24:26.740 --> 00:24:28.359 and have it 00:24:28.359 --> 00:24:29.720 abundantly. 00:24:34.699 --> 00:24:35.439 I wonder 00:24:35.439 --> 00:24:35.919 what it would 00:24:35.919 --> 00:24:36.419 have been like 00:24:36.419 --> 00:24:37.019 if Pilate 00:24:37.019 --> 00:24:37.839 could have met 00:24:37.839 --> 00:24:39.000 Augustine 00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:40.819 and had a conversation 00:24:40.819 --> 00:24:42.240 with him. 00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:43.079 Can you imagine 00:24:43.079 --> 00:24:44.439 Pilate 00:24:44.439 --> 00:24:46.220 in a rare moment 00:24:46.220 --> 00:24:46.980 of honesty 00:24:46.980 --> 00:24:47.919 for a politician 00:24:47.919 --> 00:24:49.779 after a few 00:24:49.779 --> 00:24:50.759 glasses of wine 00:24:50.759 --> 00:24:51.939 finally spilling 00:24:51.939 --> 00:24:52.799 it out on the table? 00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:54.220 I can't take it 00:24:54.220 --> 00:24:54.500 anymore. 00:24:54.639 --> 00:24:55.519 I feel torn apart. 00:24:58.440 --> 00:24:59.579 And for Augustine 00:24:59.579 --> 00:25:00.599 to share with Pilate 00:25:00.599 --> 00:25:01.119 the words 00:25:01.119 --> 00:25:01.680 that he once 00:25:01.680 --> 00:25:02.659 prayed to God. 00:25:04.539 --> 00:25:05.720 You have made us 00:25:05.720 --> 00:25:06.539 for yourself, 00:25:07.700 --> 00:25:08.399 O Lord, 00:25:09.299 --> 00:25:10.079 and our hearts 00:25:10.079 --> 00:25:10.799 are restless 00:25:10.799 --> 00:25:12.039 until they find 00:25:12.039 --> 00:25:12.559 their rest 00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:13.460 in you. 00:25:17.859 --> 00:25:18.339 Friends, 00:25:18.419 --> 00:25:18.960 I would never 00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:20.180 presume to tell you 00:25:20.180 --> 00:25:21.180 what you should think 00:25:21.180 --> 00:25:22.259 about Jesus. 00:25:22.259 --> 00:25:22.940 I don't think 00:25:22.940 --> 00:25:23.740 Christians should 00:25:23.740 --> 00:25:24.799 tell people 00:25:24.799 --> 00:25:25.480 what to think 00:25:25.480 --> 00:25:26.200 about anything. 00:25:28.000 --> 00:25:29.000 But I will 00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:29.619 encourage you 00:25:29.619 --> 00:25:30.279 to think. 00:25:31.720 --> 00:25:33.019 To think well. 00:25:34.119 --> 00:25:36.019 To ask the questions. 00:25:37.359 --> 00:25:38.359 Because we could 00:25:38.359 --> 00:25:39.579 remain in the 00:25:39.579 --> 00:25:41.180 perpetual uncertainty 00:25:41.180 --> 00:25:42.500 of Holy Saturday. 00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:43.539 We could stay 00:25:43.539 --> 00:25:44.379 right here. 00:25:44.839 --> 00:25:45.460 There's nothing 00:25:45.460 --> 00:25:46.220 stopping us 00:25:46.220 --> 00:25:46.920 from staying 00:25:46.920 --> 00:25:48.000 right here. 00:25:48.460 --> 00:25:49.579 Because there is 00:25:49.579 --> 00:25:50.619 a sort of peace 00:25:50.619 --> 00:25:50.919 here. 00:25:52.359 --> 00:25:53.439 The only problem 00:25:53.439 --> 00:25:54.279 is it's the kind 00:25:54.279 --> 00:25:54.759 of peace 00:25:54.759 --> 00:25:55.459 that you find 00:25:55.459 --> 00:25:56.059 in a tomb. 00:26:01.079 --> 00:26:02.099 It's a lifeless 00:26:02.099 --> 00:26:02.500 peace. 00:26:08.099 --> 00:26:09.039 Or if you do 00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:09.959 feel this longing 00:26:09.959 --> 00:26:10.659 in yourself. 00:26:10.660 --> 00:26:15.220 if you feel it 00:26:15.220 --> 00:26:15.680 gnawing, 00:26:16.900 --> 00:26:17.700 even whispering. 00:26:19.920 --> 00:26:20.720 Might you have 00:26:20.720 --> 00:26:21.259 the courage 00:26:21.259 --> 00:26:22.180 to listen to it? 00:26:24.400 --> 00:26:25.320 To follow it 00:26:25.320 --> 00:26:25.840 out of the tomb? 00:26:28.040 --> 00:26:29.120 To commit yourself 00:26:29.120 --> 00:26:29.660 to open 00:26:29.660 --> 00:26:31.180 and honest inquiry? 00:26:33.240 --> 00:26:34.040 To see where 00:26:34.040 --> 00:26:34.560 it might lead? 00:26:34.559 --> 00:26:42.759 Let's pray together. 00:26:51.139 --> 00:26:51.960 After we pray 00:26:51.960 --> 00:26:52.559 this prayer, 00:26:52.899 --> 00:26:53.700 there will be a song 00:26:53.700 --> 00:26:54.139 and then there will 00:26:54.139 --> 00:26:54.759 be a ten minute 00:26:54.759 --> 00:26:56.619 period of silent 00:26:56.619 --> 00:26:57.079 reflection. 00:26:58.299 --> 00:26:59.159 I encourage you 00:26:59.159 --> 00:27:00.019 to use this time 00:27:00.019 --> 00:27:01.839 to think and reflect, 00:27:01.839 --> 00:27:03.179 to ask God 00:27:03.179 --> 00:27:05.099 to speak to you. 00:27:06.279 --> 00:27:07.240 Let's pray together. 00:27:08.519 --> 00:27:09.500 Almighty God, 00:27:09.980 --> 00:27:10.799 creator of heaven 00:27:10.799 --> 00:27:11.240 and earth, 00:27:12.159 --> 00:27:12.939 grant that as 00:27:12.939 --> 00:27:13.559 the crucified 00:27:13.559 --> 00:27:14.659 body of your 00:27:14.659 --> 00:27:15.379 dear son 00:27:15.379 --> 00:27:16.199 was laid 00:27:16.199 --> 00:27:16.839 in the tomb 00:27:16.839 --> 00:27:17.779 and rested 00:27:17.779 --> 00:27:18.659 on this night, 00:27:19.319 --> 00:27:20.179 so we may 00:27:20.179 --> 00:27:21.220 await with him 00:27:21.220 --> 00:27:22.279 the coming 00:27:22.279 --> 00:27:23.259 of the third day 00:27:23.259 --> 00:27:25.059 and rise with him 00:27:25.059 --> 00:27:26.279 to newness of life 00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:27.639 who lives 00:27:27.639 --> 00:27:28.279 and reigns 00:27:28.279 --> 00:27:28.779 with you 00:27:28.779 --> 00:27:30.019 in the Holy Spirit, 00:27:30.740 --> 00:27:31.480 one God, 00:27:31.839 --> 00:27:32.759 now and forever. 00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:33.839 Amen.