A Risky Good Friday Remembered

This weekend I found myself thinking about a unique Good Friday experience from a few years ago. This unusual way of commemorating Good Friday was the brainchild of Robert W. Leeson, or as he was better known, Pastor Bob. I was fortunate to have served in a pastoral team with Bob Leeson for 27 years. Bob always was a bit of a renegade, doing ministry in a way that made sense to him, even if it was not what people were used to. So when he suggested to the pastoral team in the spring of 2008 that we should hold a Memorial Service for Jesus on Good Friday I wasn’t totally surprised. Pastor Bob was in charge of Pastoral Care throughout his time of serving at Christ Lutheran – funerals and memorial services were his area of expertise. So to Bob it seemed like a natural fit, Good Friday and a Memorial Service. There was some risk in this, people might find it offensive or think it was being disrespectful, but in spite of the risk of negative public reaction Bob pressed ahead with his idea.
 

Somehow Bob was able to get the local newspaper to include the following notice on the obituary page:

Jesus of Nazareth - A memorial service for Jesus Josephson, late of Nazareth, will be held at 11 AM on Friday, March 21, 2008 at Christ Lutheran Church, 4825 Dewdney Ave. Regina, SK. Pastor Bob Leeson will officiate. Jesus met an untimely death through Roman execution and is deeply missed by his mother, Mary, his family and friends. Jesus was a good carpenter by trade and was also a Rabbi who did not always see eye to eye with his contemporaries. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the charity of your choice. For more information phone 352-4832.

So it came to pass that on Good Friday that year we held a Memorial Service for Jesus. Pastor Bob (who led the service as Nicodemus) and members of the congregation who took on the roles of Jesus’ followers and friends, shared with us their remembrances of Jesus. The congregational members who participated created their own remarks based on the person from the Biblical story they were representing – these included Mary the mother of Jesus, John the Disciple, Lazarus the brother of Mary and Martha, Zacchaeus the Tax Collector and Andrew the Disciple.
 

That Good Friday we had the largest attendance in a long time, the church was packed. The remembrances written and spoken by the members of the congregation were thoughtful and touching. Pastor Bob preached a sermon as Nicodemus. There were some scripture readings and hymns as well, but the overall form of the service remained true to a Memorial Service format. Folks who came just because they were curious left saying it was the most memorable Good Friday service they had ever been to. Others expressed appreciation for the way this service seemed to bring the death of Jesus into our current reality. Overall it was well received, and deeply meaningful for many.
 

It won’t happen again, at least not in the same way. We found out through the grapevine that the person at the newspaper who allowed this notice to be included as a regular obituary was sternly reprimanded. Part of the reason it worked so well is because people around here had never experienced anything like it – but now they have and so to repeat it wouldn’t have the same impact. Finally, it really was a Bob thing – unique to his personality and approach to ministry. He could pull it off as sincere and respectful, because that is what it was for him. Sadly Pastor Bob passed away in 2013, and so we are left with not only the memory of this unique Good Friday service, but also with the memory of Robert W. Leeson.
 

This, and every Easter we celebrate the promise of the resurrection, and that we will all be reunited one day. And then there will be no more need to remember, for we will be experiencing the fullness of the promise and presence of God in the company of all the saints – including Saint Bob.