Sermon - John 12, 20-33

<p>Many of you know that I am a huge proponent of systems thinking.  I truly believe understanding systems and the way they function is vital if we are going to understand the many processes that take place within any organization or community of people, whether it is within society, within the church, within our families and even within our very selves.  Systems thinking is the process of understanding how the actions of various people or entities within systems, influence other components and affect the whole.  Systems thinking can be applied to many facets of life.  Our families are considered systems, government is a system, politics is a system, education is a system, healthcare is a system, we have a financial system that drives the way we live, religion often becomes a system, and faith communities function as a system.  The way we use power and authority can become a system.  Unfortunately, such authority often turns into a system of domination where power is leveraged over others in a very unhealthy manner.  The list of types of systems goes on and on….   Each system is often made up of multiple smaller systems composed of inter-connected parts.  And, the connections within a system cause behavior of one part to affect all others.  Every day, each one of us is a player in multiple systems as we navigate our waking hours.  Some systems can be very helpful, while others can be very harmful.  One thing we soon discover about systems is that they are created to be self-perpetuating.  Consequently, it becomes very difficult to <strong>break</strong> a system, to change systemic functions, or <strong>break free</strong> <strong>from</strong> a system.  And, today, in John’s gospel, we are going to learn about a system.</p> <p>As we begin the last two weeks of our Lenten journey with another reading from the gospel of John, we discover our focus is increasingly directed toward Jesus’ crucifixion and the work of the cross.  The writer of John’s gospel has a large and very dramatic understanding of the work of th