And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.
Today is one of my “favorite” holy days. I do not relish Christ’s pain, but I celebrate that His death removed the curtain that separated me from God.
If I don’t catch you again before then…ENJOY A BLESSED AND HAPPY EASTER!
Palm Sunday. This is the first one in, oh, something like 15 years, that this family hasn’t been at church……for any amount of time, let alone our previous normal of half the day or more. It feels weird. Church was such a huge part of our lives for a long time. But, you know what? It also feels good to be home.
We’re your typical busy family. Dad works long hours, six days a week. Mom works. The kids have activities, school and the rest. Sunday is the only day of the week we are all home. Our church involvement used to totally kill Sundays. Tim often had to be at the early service as well as the later because of his position as an elder. The kids and I would show up for Sunday school. They would each go to their class, I’d go to mine, and if there wasn’t any business to take care of Tim would join me. During the second service, Tim may or may not have been the worship leader, Matt would either be running sound or working in the nursery and Megan was either helping with children’s church or the nursery. I sat without my family most Sundays. By the time we got done talking with people after church it would be nearly 1:00. Sometimes we’d rush home and I’d make dinner, but usually we’d grab something somewhere. As soon as we’d get home, Tim would collapse across the bed for a nap that usually lasted at least 3 hours. Some Sundays the kids and I never even came home because of youth activities or Bible quizzing. Sunday nights the kids and I had youth group. Once in a while Tim would come too because the church was having an ordinance service or a meeting.
Sundays during our previous church life were exhausting and we barely saw each other. Our lives haven’t really changed, but without church to deal with on Sundays we actually spend time together. I’ve always had a hard time accepting that church leaders, by serving God, often have to short-change their families (even Billy Graham admitted to doing it). I just don’t think it can be what God intended. We’re just working around the house and yard today, but we’re doing it together. We had breakfast together. We’re going to go put flowers on Tim’s parents’ graves and my dad’s grave later…together.
Something else is different, too. Not so long ago even thinking about staying home, let alone doing it, would have caused me great anxiety, stress and guilt. I’m feeling pretty good about it today. I’m working through a lot of things in my heart and mind and I know some of my conclusions will sadden my christian friends, because not so long ago I felt the same way they do……..but those things are fodder for another day. Maybe tomorrow or the next day as I’ve started to read Misquoting Jesus and I’ll be sharing my thoughts on it as I go along, just like I promised Grace.
I hadn’t even heard of the upcoming NBC show “The Book of Daniel” until I read an article on AOL this morning stating that some NBC affiliates will not air the show, which begins tonight with a 2-hour premier. The show basically appears to be about an Episcopal minister’s struggle to find his way in this world. Apparently what the fanatically religious are taking exception to is the fact that the minister sees Jesus and has conversations with him about his struggles.
I guess I’m a simpleton because, gee….I happen to think a minister that talks to Jesus is a good thing. In fact, it would be a very good thing if more of them spent more time doing it. I plan to watch tonight and see for myself just how things are handled. It sounds like it might actually be a semi-serious look at faith. I just hope this show about a minister’s family turns out to have more substance and redeeming qualities than a certain other show that turned out to be nothing more than another teenage melodrama.
Update! I just finished watching “The Book of Daniel.” Frankly, the scenes where the good reverend speaks to Jesus are among the least offensive. Overall, the show has a very cavalier attitude about drugs, sex and all moral issues in general…..and that’s among the depicted clergy, never mind the parishoners.
‘A Strange Way to Save the World’
~by 4Him
I’m sure he must have been surprised
At where this road had taken him
‘Cause never in a million lives
Would he have dreamed of Bethlehem
And standing at the manger
He saw with his own eyes
The message from the angel come to life
And Joseph said…
Why me, I’m just a simple man of trade
Why Him with all the rulers in the world
Why here inside this stable filled with hay
Why her, she’s just an ordinary girl
Now I’m not one to second-guess
What angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world
To think of how it could have been
If Jesus had come as He deserved
There would have been no Bethlehem
No lowly shepherds at His birth
But Joseph knew the reason love had to reach so far
And as he held the Savior in his arms
He must have thought…
Why me, I’m just a simple man of trade
Why Him with all the rulers in the world
Why here inside this stable filled with hay
Why her, she’s just an ordinary girl
Now I’m not one to second-guess
What angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world
Now I’m not one to second-guess
What angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world
Such a strange way to save the world
Such a strange way
A strange way to save the world
After spending the last two days baking batch after batch of cookies, shopping for the Christmas ham (and all the trimmings), wrapping presents and bopping around the house singing every Christmas carol, hymn and song known to man loudly (and badly)….I have finally found my Christmas spirit!
In honor of the season and my newly acquired festiveness I thought I’d share the lyrics from one of the most beautiful Christmas songs ever. I get goosebumps everytime I hear it. So, here it is, I Celebrate the Day by Relient K. Find it on their Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hands CD.
“I Celebrate The Day”
And with this Christmas wish is missed
The point I could convey
If only I could find the words to say to let You know how much You’ve touched my life
Because here is where You’re finding me, in the exact same place as New Year’s eve
And from a lack of my persistency
We’re less than half as close as I want to be
And the first time
That You opened Your eyes did You realize that You would be my Savior
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did You know that it would change this world forever
And so this Christmas I’ll compare the things I felt in prior years
To what this midnight made so clear
That You have come to meet me here
To look back and think that
This baby would one day save me
In the hope that what You did
That you were born so I might live
To look back and think that
This baby would one day save me
And I, I celebrate the day
That You were born to die
So I could one day pray for You to save my life
It being the Christmas season and all, it seems like a good time to give a mention to one of my all time favorite charities….Heifer International.
You’ve heard the saying “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” Heifer International puts that into practice. Donations purchase livestock for families in crisis all over the world. The families are then taught how to care for their animals and so much more. They are also required to give back into the program and help others in their communities. Read stories about how the program works, successes and how you can help at the Heifer International website. For as little as $20 you can buy a needy family a flock of chickens. If you’ve been blessed with greater financial resources there are larger animals that can be purchased or even whole collections of animals.
I ran to the store this evening, just a quick in and out for a few things. Out in front was a man ringing a bell beside a familiar red kettle. I’ll catch him on the way out, I thought. Inside, I walked up and down the aisles doing my shopping, tossing several impulse items into the cart along with the needed things…..really “important” items, like candy canes for the Christmas tree and cranberry flavored ginger ale. I got in line at the register, placed my items on the belt, watched the cashier ring up each item and drop it into a bag, pulled out my handy little bank card and gave it a swipe. Would I like cash back? Umm…yeah, Hubby’s working tomorrow, he’ll want a couple of dollars for lunch. $10 should do it. Thank you, have a nice night. Out the door and….oh crap! The red kettle. I forgot about that. My change is in my purse and my hands are full. I dropped something in last time I was here. I can’t be expected to drop something in every single time I see one of these kettles. Have a nice evening the man with the bell calls after my fleeing figure. Same to you, I mumble as I scurry even faster toward the car.
Guilt.
Guilt.
Guilt.
I unload the groceries into the trunk and push the cart to the cart return, which is right across from the entrance and bell-ringing man with the red kettle. Crud. I can’t walk away. I hoist my purse onto the rail of the cart return and dig around in the bottom until I have a whole handful of quarters which I take over and drop in the kettle. Hello again and thank you so much says the man. I feel like poo accepting his thanks, knowing I’m doing this to ease my guilt not because I’m such a nice person.
Then I remember something. Can I ask you a strange question, I ask the man. Sure, he says. So, I tell him that I have a pair of virtually brand new men’s Nikes, size 10, in my trunk. My husband bought them, I say, and only wore them 2 or 3 times because they hurt his foot. Can I give them to you, I ask, and can you find someone who can use them? Someone other than me?, he asks. He says if I don’t want him to have them he will give them to the Salvation Army and they will find someone. I tell him that if he can use them he is welcome to them. He tells me that he wears a size 10 and was just thinking he needed a new pair of sneakers. Hold on, I tell him and rush back to the car to retrieve the shoes.
Walking back toward the man, shoes in hand, I notice for the first time as he moves around that his left side appears to be crippled. He walks with a severe limp. As I hold out the shoes, his gnarled hand reached out to stroke them. He proceeds to tell me how his mother buys most of his clothes at the thrift store and what a wonderful thing it is to get an early Christmas gift. His gratitude is so humbling and besides “thank you” his parting words are, “I’m glad you asked. There’s no such thing as a stupid question. So many people miss out on doing good because they don’t ask if they can help.” Wise words.
Go ask some “stupid” questions. I plan to make a habit of it.