April 2025

Jesus’ Silence Perseveres  Before Pilate   Red Rock News April 11, 2025 Rev. Dona Johnson |April 13, 2025 Jesus did not leave things to the last moment. His plans were made. He would have a last meal with his beloved disciples before Judas, one of the twelve would betray him and give his whereabouts to the Roman authorities. The Savior of the world, the one who had healed the sick, made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, raised the dead to life, forgave adulterers, ate with prostitutes and railed against the religious elite who used the law to condemn and punish people with little regard for mercy and human suffering, this was the man who took on the establishment and generations of corruption to demonstrate there is better way— God’s unconditional love for humanity (Matt. 26:30-27:66, Mark 14:26-15:47, Luke 22:39-23:56, and John 18:1-19:42).       In his last meal with his disciples, he had an intimate moment with them where he communed with them. He shared a loaf of bread and a cup of wine and with those two elements Jesus activated a new covenant, a covenant that would forever change the world. He would offer his life for the sake of delivering humanity from their sin. The life blood of God himself would be poured out as the final sacrifice.       As Jesus stood before Pilate, he uttered no defense, no insults and did put up a struggle. He stood silent. Jesus stood there shackled in chains, a man before God and a God before man. In his gut, Pilate felt something strangely wrong with sentencing Jesus to death. He didn’t quite know what to do with the accusations. But one thing is for certain, he did not want Jesus’ blood to be on his hands. So Pilate handed over the decision to the mob. The mob was a Jewish crowd who coerced an experienced Roman governor to sentencing Jesus to death. Mob or herd mentality is not a new thing in any society. It’s been around a long time. Psychologist who study mob behavior say when people are in a mob protest, they can lose their sense of awareness, emotions are heightened and people feel anonymous so they feel more empowered to act out overtly with violent and destructive behavior.      The Roman government could not afford to tolerate any civil disobedience in the empire. So, Pilate a weak man sacrificed justice rather than lose his post. So the mob screamed for Barabbas, a convicted criminal to be freed in exchange for Jesus. Jesus was sentenced to death row. On the cross, as Jesus took his last breath, ‘he” gave up his life. He died alone, betrayed and abandoned by those he came to save. His dear mother was there with his beloved disciple John, but many of his disciples scattered for fear they too would be hunted down and killed.      Eyewitness accounts record that creation experienced the deep sorrow of their Creator’s death. The sky grew ominously dark, the ground shook and rocks split apart. Something mysterious was happening. Many thought Jesus’ death marked him as a fraud and failure.      But for we who believe, we live with the promise of the Third Day, Easter in our hearts. We live every day with resurrection power running through our veins. By God’s grace, through faith, we embrace this one fundamental truth: Jesus, was, is and will always be the Lamb of God who comes to take away the sin of the world, and his mercy, his forgiveness and redemption have no end. Sola Deo Gloria. Rev. Dona Johnson |April 13, 2025

Love Is Not Love If Has To  Count The Cost  Red Rock News March 28, 2025 Rev. Dona Johnson |April 6, 2025        It was coming to an end for Jesus. To come to Jerusalem for the Passover was quite a courageous thing for Jesus to do. The authorities had already labeled him a heretic and an outlaw. They were waiting for him.        Jesus stopped at Bethany, a small town outside Jerusalem for a meal at the house of Martha, Mary and their brother Lazarus. It was during that same meal that Mary took a very expensive ointment, spikenard, an aromatic herb and anointed Jesus’ feet (John 12:1-8). As Mary expresses her love for Jesus, we also get a clear picture of what humility looks like. Whereas kings are anointed on the head, the dead are anointed on the feet as part of their preparation for burial. Did Mary know Jesus was going to die soon, or was she proclaiming Jesus is the one in whom death becomes life? Probably both, Mary had witnessed Jesus’ calling to Lazarus’s dead body in the dark tomb and watched him walk out alive—breathing again. Judas was also there. He was closely watching Mary rub Jesus’ feet with the expensive perfume. He asserted, “Why not sell the perfume and give the proceeds to the poor?” This was no surprise. Judas Iscariot’s chintzy comment only highlighted his true character. Judas was known to be a pilferer. And even though he was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, he later sold Jesus’ whereabouts to the authorities for a bag of coins. Judas was an embittered man and he took an embittered view of things. He probably did not like his lot in life and that caused him to react in a mean-spirited way to things that were good.       There are always those people who are so tight-fisted and frugal they take the joy right out of giving. Generosity and gratitude are not in everyone’s vocabulary, let alone their hearts. But for Mary, her affection, her extravagant love for Jesus far outweighed the price of an expensive bottle of perfume. Mary took the most expensive possession she had and spent it all on Jesus. Love is not love if it has to count the costs. When we truly love someone, we are willing to give them almost anything—an extravagant gift, or give them a good deal of our time and demonstrate to them that we really do care.       You see we live in a world that by its very nature is transactional. We pay for something (service or commodity), or we do something for someone and we automatically expect to get something back. But genuine love is love that gives and then gives again without counting the cost and expecting a return on one’s investment. Genuine love rejoices in opportunities to give. It is a natural, not a forced response. How often do we calculate consciously or unconsciously our giving by what we expect to get back?       We end this scene with Jesus responding to those present, “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” Jesus would not live to old age. His time was short. The time for any action of devotion or words of love for him is much shorter than any of sitting around the table think. It too is a powerful reminder to us all, to express love towards people ‘now,’ while you have them in your midst. For, who knows where you or I will be tomorrow and tomorrow may be too late.Prayer: Lord, help me to love generously, with little Rev. Dona Johnson |April 6, 2025