The Story we Share.

Matthew 26:14-25         Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

Then one of the Twelve-the one called Judas Iscariot - went to the chief priests and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

The Lord's Supper

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"

He replied, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, 'The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.' " So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, "1 tell you the truth, one of you will betray me."

They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, "Surely not I, Lord?"

Jesus replied, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born."

Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?"

Jesus answered, "Yes, it is you."

I remember a man who had dreams of what might be: that people would be set free from ideas and images about God that enslaved them, that people would believe that through their everyday acts of human kindness they are intimately connected with the sacred, that people would live "in peace, in God's presence, all the days of their lives" (Luke 1:75). I remember a man driven by his dreams.

I remember a man who learned of the cruel death of his cousin. He got into a boat, seeking a lonely place, where he could be with his friends to absorb the shock, to grieve quietly, and to calm the feelings of powerlessness and frustration and fear for his own future. I wonder what he prayed about that night? I wonder what helped him leave that lonely place and go forward to confront life, rather than retreat into isolation and safety? I remember a man driven by his convictions.

I remember a man who knew he was going to die, who gathered with his friends knowing it was for the last time, who spoke to them about what he really believed, who wanted them to remember him and to keep his dream alive.

I remember a testament to love.

What other favorite memories of Jesus come to mind at this time?

I remember a man of extraordinary religious insight, utterly convinced of the connectedness between human loving and living in God, determined to give people personal authority in their relationship with God, wanting to set people free from fear of the Unknown, setting his heart on breaking down barriers between people. I remember a man who sets me free.

We give thanks for the ways in which the life, teaching, and death of Jesus have set us free.

We open ourselves to the influence of the Spirit of Life and Love that moved so obviously in Jesus' life.

We want his convictions and his dreams to live on in us.

Jesus challenges us to have faith and hope when all seems lost, so we turn our minds and hearts to our world and we pray -