Alive With Him

 

A Quarter Will Do

Lent begins Wednesday.
Easter falls on April 9.
We have the in-between to prepare.

Growing up, I was told that in preparation for Easter, I should give up something for Lent that I really love. This was meant to prove my sacrificial love for God. The information supplied stipulated that it could not be something like well, Asparagus. Chocolate would do, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups would be OK, but the Brussels Sprouts are off the table - well, literally, at least in my house.

In later years, I was hearing things like making a pledge for some kind of self-improvement.  This would, of course, start with a spiritual aspect, but it would also be good if there was some personal benefit as well. I guess some were thinking that a new Gym-membership would be financially sacrificial and would take up valuable time, but hey, the abs would be awesome! 

And come to think of it, perhaps the Brussels Sprouts might work if the idea was to EAT them - sacrificial for certain, maybe even beneficial. 

Worth the Wait

We waited.

Everybody waited.

From all around the world we came, we took our seats, and waited.  

Some had prepared for months.  For others, a last-minute opportunity had presented itself.  But we were now mingling with people of many nations while we waited.

Our group, from Japan, Russia, and the U.S. stayed together.  The bus had arrived early enough that we quickly found seating without having to navigate the uncomfortably steep, bowed concrete amphitheater steps. 

Words Matter Part 2 of 2

I’m thinking that I’ll just wrap up the 3 remaining lines that are hanging out there from the original article called Post-it Ponderings.  Says a strong ego, "I know you've been patiently waiting for this!"

“On the other side of fear, is freedom.
On the other side of hate, there’s love.
Just pray you’ll make it home.”

We’re all afraid.  It seems evident that our fears brandish hate as a tool.  And by itself prayer won’t allow us to make it home.  We can’t leave behind the pain of Holy Week for the glory of Easter if we refuse to listen. This upcoming week is an appropriate time to consider where we are and where we want to be.

I thought a few examples might help us make some sense of the leftover lines.

Hopeless Not Allowed

Because work schedules and time-frames have been altered, I participated in some HULU binge-watching.  I heard that “The Wire” was a good show, so over the past many weeks of stay-at-home, I watched 5 seasons.

Set in Baltimore, it followed a police force dealing with street-corner drug gangs and politicians.

The storyline followed attempts to shut down the drug trade, of course. Against this background, the episodes traced characters within each group as well.  Narratives focused on the choices (good and bad) these people made as well as highlighting options unavailable to them. 

I was saddened by the deaths of some of the street-punks, which was the term given to those selling on the ‘corners’.  I was distressed by some of the deaths of the ‘drug-fiends’ who bought the drugs. This wasn't all that surprising because I had gotten to know these people and their stories. 

I was stunned as I watched the screen highlight violent neighborhoods because they looked familiar.  I remembered similar boarded-up, crumbling, and graffiti-scarred brick facades of inner-city ghetto-like row-houses.

They were recognizable because I had volunteered in a downtown Cincinnati neighborhood that bore look-alike disfigurements to those depicted in Baltimore.  The scenes were identical from the ‘corners’ to the in-street-shootings, from happy children in playgrounds to those same innocents scrambling away from gun-shots, from glassy-eyed muggers to mothers cradling babies on the filthy steps of the hood.

Because Easter Deserves Its Own

He is Risen, Alleluia!

As we celebrate this day, I pray for each of you with this simple yet powerful song by David Haas.

“Prayer for Peace”.

Peace before us, peace behind us, peace under our feet.

Peace within us, peace over us, let all around us be peace.

Love before us, love behind us, love under our feet.

Love within us, love over us, let all around us be love.

Light before us, light behind us, light under our feet.

Light within us, light over us, let all around us be light.

Christ before us, Christ behind us, Christ under our feet.

Christ… Alleluia

Psalm 118:24 

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Happy Easter!

For All

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8

The love of God for each one of us. 
There's little else I want to think about right now.

Happy Easter