Have you ever tried to tell the story of Easter to a child? It’s daunting.
In the first place, it’s at least R-rated. There is political manipulation, payoffs, treachery, fear, horrific torture, as well as the death of the hero. No wonder we want to skip from Palm Sunday to Easter Bunny and call that the holiday.
But at some point, we have to grow up and face the darkness. Not only what happened during the original Holy Week, but…..
The gospel writer John narrates Jesus’ encounter with Pilate (John 18:33-38):
33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own…..
When “Amazing Grace” proclaims, “I once was lost, but now am found,” it resonates with Christians. We celebrate ourselves as “found” people, humans transformed because they know God loves them.
But the notion of being a “found” people can easily give way to an untrue corollary: once found, you’ll never be lost again……
In the days when I was raising my children and not working outside the home, I would sometimes bristle at calling myself a “homemaker.” It made a better title than “housewife” (which I couldn’t stand!), but didn’t seem to cover what I considered the extraordinariness of my job. Often I would correct people and insist…..
Do you know people in your life who are forever qualifying requests with, “As long as it’s no trouble,” or “Don’t go to any special effort on my account”? Perhaps these “courtesies” work in our more formal social settings, but the person who delivers them even in a relaxed atmosphere among close friends or family can make…..
When a character in the science fiction movie “The Matrix” needs to make a getaway in a helicopter, she downloads the knowledge of a pilot’s license into her brain and proceeds to take off in the chopper.
As preposterous as this sounds in real life, I wonder if sometimes we are…..
As Americans, we still live in the shadow of a “fire and brimstone” preaching legacy. Too many people associate God with a wagging finger, scolding us for being “naughty” and threatening us with Hell if we fail to behave.
It’s not as if I don’t believe in sin. The problem lies in the…..
In my daily reading material I hear a lot about gratitude lately. People have even studied it scientifically, observing the positive effect of thankfulness on the biochemistry of the brain. Added to all the anecdotal evidence, it’s an easy sell to say that it’s good for humans to be…..
Sometimes we treat the demolition of our “best-laid” plans with as great a sense of catastrophe as the crashing of a plane.
We tend to protect our designs – the offspring of our minds – with the same level of preciousness as our own children, but usually it’s a mistake that betrays hubris.
…..
When you get to a red light, you need to stop.
In my case, it’s my hand. I’ve developed carpal tunnel syndrome in my right hand. I tried ignoring it for a while, but it’s only gotten worse and now I’ve scheduled the surgery.
If nothing else, it’s time for my…..