Jesus, Remember Me

This is the English-translated outline of the sermon preached by Rev. Musubi Tabuchi on Sunday, November 23, 2023, drawing from Luke 23:33-43.

Today marks the last Sunday of the church calendar year, and as we discuss every year our church calendar begins again with the Advent season; the four weeks in which we prepare for Christmas. Next week however, our church will be holding a Memorial Service for the Departed, commemorating our church's faith pioneers, followed by a burial service at Ashiya Cemetery. Perhaps it is for this reason that today's Gospel reading from the lectionary depicts not the preparation for Jesus' arrival, but the moment of Jesus' death on the cross.

Still, it does feel somewhat out of season, doesn't it?

Most of the people in this story hurl criticism and condemnation at Jesus. Jesus - who had been called the Messiah, or the King of the Jews - was now being crucified, facing the most humiliating death possible. Words of abuse, expressions of disappointment in a real sense, were being hurled at Jesus, who seemed to them to be nothing but a failure. In the middle of all this, only one person spoke up to say, “But this man has done nothing wrong.” And it wasn't one of Jesus' friends, or allies; it was one of the men being crucified alongside Jesus. While it is amazing in itself that this man could say such a thing, what is truly remarkable is that he was not overwhelmed by the circumstances of the moment, but held fast to his own conviction, literally until the moment of his own death.

At one point in his ministry, Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say I am?” (Mark 8:29). While other people might say any number of things about Jesus, and included in that “everyone” is what we here in Japan might be saying as well, you — that is, we — are called to confess in our own words who Jesus is to us. This is a profoundly important thing in our Christian faith. Those who persisted in condemning Jesus, and even the other criminal being crucified alongside him, ended their lives cursing other people. Yet this one other criminal faced his death not in bitterness or rage, but by releasing that anger and holding onto hope for heaven instead. As we look towards the end our own journey, as we close this year and look onward to the next, let us remember to give thanks that we are among those who can face the end of things not with fear, or anger, but with confidence in God's promise of blessings still to come.

Let us pray:

God, you have guided us and this Ashiya Christian Church throughout this year with your love. We give you heartfelt thanks that we may rise meet this moment with your blessing, secure in the love that you have given us this year, and confident in hope you give for the new year to come. May we welcome 2026, a year of great significance for us as a church, knowing that you will bestow even greater grace upon us.

We pray in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ,

Amen.