Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. John 12:20-33

It’s been a quiet week at Crown and Cactus Lutheran Church, that little congregation over between Mesa and Gilbert and Chandler. Last Sunday because it was still spring break in a number of schools there were several families who had chosen to go out of town and who were not present at worship. Some were skiing, others had gone to Mexico, and a few had made the trek to San Diego. As it turned out, the number absent was more than matched by the Chicago Cubs spring training fans who had been attracted by the flyers being passed out every day at the Mesa ballpark. They were thrilled at the invitation and loved the children’s recessional that is still a part of every morning worship service. Many had been there at the Wednesday service and even made some personal connections.

At the choir rehearsal on Wednesday, Janice asked Sean O’Conner the lead tenor in the choir if he wanted to do a special Irish number on Sunday. Of course he was thrilled to be asked and they settled on the old Irish prayer tune that he had first sung in 2012. Sean has a lovely high voice and is very proud of his heritage. He and his family have been regulars at Crown and Cactus for many years. Their children, all in high school now, have been fixtures in the youth program, and they were among the first to come back after their time in the cloud. 

The worship on Wednesday, after the soup and bread supper, had been notable, not only for the Chicago visitors, but for the little knot of twenty-somethings that had shown up with Syd McCovey. They had driven into the parking lot just a couple minutes before the service started and had seated themselves in a little cluster around Syd in the rear of the sanctuary. Syd waved at some folks that he knew but his friends seemed quite self-conscious and a couple would glance periodically at the ceiling, as though they were afraid it was going to fall on them. Only Syd joined in the singing–the others paying little attention until Lacey Zeiner began her little meditation on  Psalm 51. She focused on the verse, “I was born guilty, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” She talked about how that verse has affected attitudes about human sexuality through the years, and its impact on her own life. As she spoke, Syd’s friends listened intently.

After the worship the little group stayed until Lacey came out of the sanctuary, and then as Syd went over to greet her, they all crowded around. The men had taken their hats off and they seemed awestruck in her presence. Lacey, of course, had a warm greeting for each of them and asked personal questions that they answered with some embarrassment. When she found out they were all from Tempe, she invited them to come to the Thursday night gathering. As they left she gave Syd a gentle hug and they all drove off together. 

Later, Brad asked Lacey about them, and was wondering why they had been at the service. Lacey just shrugged and said, “Who knows? I’m sure I’ll find out tomorrow night.”

Thursday was a busy day for both Brad and Lacey. One of the Chicago people had given them tickets to the Cubs game in Mesa and they had decided to go. The seats were wonderful and they had a great time watching the Cubs win. A few people recognized them from church and they were greeted warmly–it was amazing to experience how innovation in ministry could expand outreach. At any rate they didn’t get to downtown Tempe as early as Lacey would have liked–there wasn’t time for her usual wandering around and making connections. When they got to the Sun Devil Tavern, where Lacey’s group met, there were already a number of young people sitting around in the back room. She recognized three who had been at the Wednesday service and greeted them by name. Brad is always amazed at how she can do that–it’s as though they’re wearing name tags that only she can see.

Chris and Miles showed up a little later and it wasn’t long before everyone was singing. Through the weeks they’d developed an appreciation for a couple of the songs and they never got tired of singing them. It was an amazing atmosphere. This night, more and more people kept coming, and some spilled out into the patio area. Syd was among the last to arrive and he was shepherding along a couple of those Lacey had met the night before. When Lacey began to speak she asked how everyone was, and anyone who wished could share how the week had been going. She always listened intently and gave careful warm responses. Chris had a new song for them and took some minutes to teach the rhythm, tune, and lyrics. Then Lacey spoke about Jesus and his sacrificial love. She asked if any had ever experienced sacrificial love–it was a hard question for many of them–few had ever experienced much love of any kind.

It was a good evening, and the participants were reluctant to leave. Lacey sent them off with a challenge, to love people they met with the love that Jesus has for us all. When they had gone, Syd was still hanging around. It was obvious that he wanted to have some alone time with Lacey. So while Brad went off with Chris and Miles to see their apartment, Syd walked with Lacey down to the lake.

In response to her question about all the new people, Syd had smiled sheepishly. Slowly and shyly he revealed his answer. Ever since he’d gotten back from Las Vegas, as he’s been looking for a job, he’s been thinking about his call to ministry, his call to be a disciple of Jesus. He’d gone down to the place of his baptism, just to catch the vibe of the place again. He’d seen the policewoman who had arrested him, flagged her down, and had a nice conversation, thanking her for doing her job. She wasn’t much interested in his testimony, but she had at least smiled at him. It wasn’t often she got thanked by a criminal for an arrest. And then he had talked to whoever would listen, both in the places he was applying for work, and for people he met along the way. When people were willing to listen he’d share his story, and some asked questions. He had a chance to talk about Jesus, his ministry to the poor and the hurting, and his own call to live a new life. Some were interested in the story of his baptism, and he gladly shared what had happened on that cold January day.

And then last week there were some people who had actually approached him. He guessed that word had gotten out. And they had asked him if he knew where they might make contact with this Jesus he’d been talking about so much. One had phrased it this way, “Syd, we want to see Jesus.” Syd hadn’t quite known how to respond–it was just like the gospel of John. And then on an impulse he’d said, “I can help you. If one of you can drive, I’ll take you to see Jesus on Wednesday night.” And so it was that the whole group of them had shown up at Crown and Cactus for the Lenten service. He’d known that Lacey was doing a meditation each week and thought this would be the perfect chance for them to meet Jesus. 

When he finished his story Syd just looked at Lacey, waiting for her reaction, a shy smile on his face. Lacey had stopped and stood facing him–it had been a long day and she didn’t quite know what to say. Finally she said quietly, “Oh Syd, I’m not Jesus–I’m not anything close.”

Syd spoke, with a tinge of disappointment in his tone, “Well, just try telling them that! They saw and heard you on Wednesday–and again tonight. I could see it in their faces. They’ve seen Jesus, and they’re going to be back.”

“Oh Syd,” Lacey began again, “I don’t know what to say. I never expected this.”

“I understand,” Syd returned, but this is what people are seeing and saying!”

Later when Lacey and Brad headed home she told him about this strange conversation with Syd. “What should I do? I’m not Jesus.”

Brad was quiet for a moment. He understood what Lacey was feeling, but he also knew what Syd was talking about. He knew there was something special about his wife, that while Christ is in all people, and works through all people, Lacey actually presented folks with Jesus, and it wasn’t a show. It was who she was. He said, “I think that this has been going on for a long time, and now Syd, in his new disciple way, has put his finger on it. He’s vocalizing what others have felt but have not had words to describe.” He put his hand on hers. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I won’t let it go to your head!”

When they had gotten to their apartment, even though she was very tired, Lacey wasn’t able to sleep. It was going to take a while to work through what she’d experienced tonight. She felt Brad’s hand on her hip, he whispered, “Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone crucify you!”

And that’s the word from Crown and Cactus Lutheran Church, where all the men are faithful, the women are committed, and the children are all growing in grace.