Asleep in the Garden

My wife Judy is an excellent cook. She's been to cooking schools in France, in Spain, and in Toronto, and she has perfected her culinary skills.

And Judy knows … how much I love chocolate …

So in our kitchen, there's always something chocolate-y. Chocolate chip cookies, fudge, brownies, truffles, cheesecake -- and when she finds a new recipe … I am the taste tester.

Now the great thing about this is, there are always delicious chocolate treats in our home. The not-so-great thing is … there are always tempting chocolate treats in our home.

This is dangerous for my waistline …

From time to time, I will step on the bathroom scales and discover … I have gained a few pounds. And I will resolve to lose those extra pounds I’ve put on … “No more chocolate treats!”

It’s a good resolution to make first thing in the morning, when I don’t usually even want any of my chocolate treats. But now … later in the day – mid-morning, after lunch, mid-afternoon, after dinner, before I go to bed … my resolve can become quite shaky. In fact, more often than not … it completely crumbles …

I have great intentions when it comes to shedding those extra pounds, but while one part of my brain is saying, “Remember Wes, no chocolate!” The other part of my brain is saying, “Remember Wes, there are chocolate brownies in the kitchen …”

And more often than I would like to admit, the attraction of brownies and cookies, wins out over the desire to lose those extra pounds I’m carrying around the middle!

“The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak …”

Those words, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” come from the story we read today in the Gospel of Mark.

Those are the words Jesus speaks to the disciple Peter, when Peter can’t stay awake in the Garden of Gethsemane.

I know how Peter must have felt. I know about it from my attempts to resist the “siren call” of chocolate. And I know about it from more serious episodes in my life, when my high intentions have been thwarted by the weakness of my resolve … maybe you know it too.

Yes … I think we all understand Peter …

As those disciples sat around the table at the Last Supper with Jesus, despite all the hints Jesus was dropping, the disciples didn't know this was the Last Supper. They thought it was just another Passover meal they were celebrating, one of many more they would enjoy together over the coming years.

So when Jesus says, "You will all fall away." It was easy for Peter to say, "Even though they all fall away, I will not ... even if I must die with you." Because, of course, he really had no idea what this commitment might cost, or how soon he might be required to pay it. It's just the sort of thing you automatically say in these kind of situations ... you make the commitment without really thinking about the hard work, the suffering, and the perseverance it might require.

Jesus says, “It is written, "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered."

"No!” Peter shouts, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!"

So, the meal finishes … Jesus and the disciples go out to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.

Now, Jesus knew what was coming. Maybe not even by divine foreknowledge, but simply by the whispers on the street, the unexplained absences of a particular disciple, and by the look of greed and impatience in the eyes of that same Judas Iscariot.

"I am really very sad and frightened.” Jesus says, “Could the three of you - Peter, James and John - sit and watch with me for a time while I pray?"

But the disciples are tired. And for all the embarrassment of falling asleep, and the rebukes from Jesus, and the determination: "Don't worry, Jesus, this time we'll stay awake, we'll watch with you, we'll pray" ... sometimes our eyelids have a mind of their own … “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak".

It's just unfortunate, this was not a good time to fall asleep. This was the time to stay awake. This was the time ... this, in retrospect, was obviously the moment of truth ... the dark hour of the soul, when Jesus really needed someone to watch with him and pray.

For, Jesus was now quite sure death lay ahead. And for all our efforts to kind of deify Jesus - to make him into some kind of superman -, the truth was, he was no doubt afraid of the cross - afraid of this slow, agonizing form of death ... and afraid just of the mystery of death itself.

In our rush to get to the empty tomb and the resurrected Christ, we sometimes forget Jesus gave up his divinity when he took on the human form with all its frailties, anxieties and limitations.

So, this was not play acting in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus throws himself on the ground and prays, "remove this cup from me." This is a real struggle. Will Jesus follow the plan of God, or will he fall back upon our excuse - "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak?”

"Sorry God, I can’t do this … not the cross … not today. I just don’t have the courage …"

But of course, this is the only cross, and this is the only moment there ever will be ... and this is where both the spirit ... and the flesh, have to be willing.

And in contrast with Peter, and the other sleepy disciples, Jesus has both of these aspects of his person working in accord with one another - spirit and flesh prepared for the cross ...

Oh yes … I think I understand Peter … don’t we all? And that’s what I want to focus on this Good Friday. It’s only one aspect of the story … but it’s important … the faithfulness of Jesus … the failure of Peter …

In one way or another, we all know what it’s like to be a failure. And it’s especially hard when you have to live with someone who’s perfect – to live in that shadow …

Jesus, who as the scriptures say, “Was tempted in every way as we are, but without sin …”

Jesus, who was faithful to the mission of God, even when he knew it would cost him his life.

So, is that what’s expected of us, to be as steady and reliable, to be as committed and faithful as Jesus?

To wear one of those bracelets that says, “WWJD” – “What would Jesus do?” And to actually have the confidence to believe – that’s a really possibility for my life … doing and living exactly in the way Jesus did!

I know we’re all created in the image of God … but what does that mean … and how much is expected of me?

Let me tell you a story …

When I was young, I really looked up to my father. I know that might not always be the case, but in our house, my father was king. He would leave early in the morning to go off to work. He would come home in the late afternoon after a day at Southam Murray Printing Company in the northwest corner of Toronto.

In those days, the newspaper was delivered in the afternoon, and we kids would have scattered it far and wide – reading the comics or whatever other part of the paper that may have interested us. But before Dad arrived home, the paper would be re-assembled, and as my mother prepared dinner, my Dad would sit in his Lazy Boy reclining chair. He would read the newspaper, sip on a cup of coffee and enjoy an afternoon snack.

He was the breadwinner in our home. He was not big on conversation with us kids, but he was a steady and reliable father. He never went out drinking with the boys. He never gambled away his paycheque. He was at home every evening. I was fortunate to live in a stable and predictable home, where I always felt safe.

I’m thankful to my parents for that environment. And I’ve always looked up to my father because of the example he set for all of us.

A few years ago, after my father had died, I was in a men’s store buying myself a shirt when a complete stranger ran across the store and said to me, “You must be Garth Denyer’s son!”

I looked at him. Was this some kind of paranormal event?

I said, “Well, I am Garth Denyer’s son, but I don’t believe I have ever seen you before in my life!”

He said, “No, you’ve never met me, but your Dad and I worked together at Southam Murray Printing Company for twenty years.”

He went on, “When I looked across the store, I said to myself, “I would know that face anywhere! That’s Garth Denyer’s son!”

Now, it probably helped that both my dad and I are over six feet tall.

But, at any rate, we had a nice little chat, then he left. I paid for my shirts, and then we went our separate ways. I never saw the man again.

But the next morning, I was brushing my teeth in front of the mirror, and I said, “Hi Dad!”

For several weeks, I had this overwhelming sense of bearing my father’s likeness … and I felt good about that … I felt proud of that.

That I looked like him, meant a great deal to me.

Now, in many ways, I doubt I was as good a father as my Dad, but my awareness that I bear his image, inspires me to live up to the example that he set. I may never attain some of the strengths and qualities he possessed, but bearing his image inspires me to try to do that. I am pleased there is a family resemblance.

But, now these many years later - my Dad’s been dead thirty years this month – I tend to forget it. The awareness fades from me and I need to remind myself once again whose image has shaped me.

Now, here’s a thought I would like you to take away with you this morning. This is certainly not the only message of Good Friday, but it’s an important message … and it’s part of the story for this day.

You see … sometimes my awareness that I “bear the image of God” fades from me. I sometimes forget I’m made in the image of my creator … and I need to remind myself, I am a child of God.

I will never attain the perfection of Jesus. I will never be as faithful, compassionate and strong as him. I will never with confidence wear a bracelet bearing the initials “WWJD – “What would Jesus do?”

But the family resemblance – the image of God at the heart of who I am … I want to remember that, because it inspires me to live up to the example which has been set before me.

And I know this too, when I fail – I do fail, and I will fail – that just as with my earthly father, my God in Heaven, will help me to my feet again, brush me off, give me words of encouragement, and send me once again on my way – and never, even when I fail, will God ever love me less, than I was loved before … and always have been.