Through the Hole in the Door

A Youth Sermon for the 2^nd Sunday in Lent (RCL B) 3-4-2012

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

Texts:              Genesis 17:1-7,15-16; Psalm 22:22-30; Mark 8:31-38

Themes:         sacrifice
Title:               The Hole in the Door

Good morning, my friends! I need your help this morning to tell a really good story. And, look, I have this board and these swords here to help us to tell this story together. OK?

But first, listen again to what we just heard Jesus say. It’s really important.

He turned to his good friend, Peter, and said: “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things. …For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.”

What does it mean to lose your life for Jesus’s sake? I think this story might help. It’s a true story, too!

In the very same year that Columbus landed here in the Americas – in 1492, there was a long fight that was settled in Ireland. There was a dispute between two leading noble families in medieval Ireland, the Butlers and the FitzGeralds.

The leader of the Butlers was a fellow named Black James.

In 1492, he and his soldiers were running from a groups of Fitzgerald’s who were chasing them.

So they ran into St. Patrick's Cathedral there in Dublin, into the parish house, where they hoped that they would be safe.

So let’s act this out. I will be Gearoid Fitzgerald, the leader of the Fitzgerald’s, one of the most important earls of Ireland at that time. And I need someone to be Black James, and I need someone to hold the door. Black James and I are fighting with our swords, and, since I am winning – of course! – he goes and hides behind the big wooden door at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Imagine that this is a huge, thick solid oak cathedral door, which is locked and bolted shut.  

Now, Sir Fitzgerald had them surrounded. Black James and his Butler men could not escape now!

But, Fitzgerald knew that this fighting was not a good thing, and he wanted to stop all of this fighting between these two families. So guess what he did! Does anyone know?

He yelled through the door for a long time asking Black James to make peace. “Let’s end this feud, Black James!” But Black James of the Butlers always said no. Finally, after a long stand off, Sir Fitzgerald decided to do something risky.

He ordered his soldiers to cut a small hole in the door. Black James was really scared then!

Then, once again, Sir Fitzgerald explained to Black James and the Butler soldiers inside that he wanted to make peace between their families and to end this stupid fighting.

What do you do when you make up with a friend? How do you show that you have made peace after a fight? You shake hands, right?

Sir Fitzgerald wanted to prove that he was serious about making peace. So what did he do? He stuck his arm through the hole in the door. It was the right hand of friendship. Just like we shake hands when we share the peace of the Lord with each other, he was offering the hand of peace and friendship.

But what did Black James do then? He and all of his soldiers could have easily taken their swords and cut off his arm in an instant! It was very risky to do this.

But, thanks be to God, Black James knew then that Fitzgerald was telling the truth, because he was willing to risk his own arm. So he shook his hand and opened the door and the two families dropped their swords and shared peace and their fighting stopped.

If you go to St. Patrick’s Cathedral today, I hear that you can see this door with the hole cut in it. It’s called the Door of Reconciliation.

Jesus wants us to share peace with each other, not to fight and hurt each other.

The human way of thinking is to win the fight, not to stop it; to protect yourself, not to risk yourself; to hurt your enemy, not to let them hurt you.

But God’s way of thinking is to lose yourself for the sake of peace. Fitzgerald was willing to lose his arm, and maybe his life, in order to make peace. “Those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.” 

Sir Fitzgerald risked himself in order to make peace and to save the lives of many others who would be killed if the fighting continued.

That is God’s way. That is the way of the gospel. Jesus gave his life so that we could be at peace with God and with one another. And he wants us to stick our arm through the hole in the door – to take the risk in order to make peace, to reconcile with those who hate us.

Will you do that? Promise me that you will always follow Jesus by making peace.

Excellent! Now please bow your heads and let’s pray together:

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for loving us so much that you were willing to lose your life so that we could have peace. Please help us to follow you, to not protect ourselves, but to risk ourselves in order to make peace everywhere in the world. Thank you for showing us the way. Amen.