Days that change our lives forever

For the majority of us most days are relatively "normal," and by that I mean without great drama or trial.  We go about our daily lives working, meeting a friend for a cup of coffee, a little exercise, read a good book - not too bad.  There are times of laughter and of course tears, as well.  But, thank goodness, there are seldom days that change our lives forever, days when the earth trembles and darkness covers the sky.   Days which begin innocently enough, but when evening comes we find ourselves curled up on the floor in the fetal position gasping breath and our eyes burning with tears.  From that day forward our lives are changed forever.

We live today, Good Friday, with two thousand years of history and with the inside knowledge on how the story ends.  (By the way, just in case you don't know...it's a GREAT ending! Go to church on Sunday!)  But, on that first Good Friday no one knew what to expect.  No one knew how the story was going to end.  No one knew the true meaning or salvific significance of the events that were painfully and brutally unfolding before them. 

Today, things are going to take a tragic turn for the worse.  It's going to be filled with lies and accusations, filled with spit and venom, filled with hatred and revenge, filled with bloodshed and death.  By the time the sun sets, people will be at the foot of the cross staring in disbelief at the lifeless body of Christ.  They'll return to their homes and fall asleep on the floor curled up in the fetal position in a pool of tears. 

I pray that today, we will live Good Friday only through the liturgy.  I pray that we will hear the story, but not have to live it.  The truth is, however, for some this day will truly be Good Friday.  For some this day will take a tragic turn.  For some this day the earth will tremble and darkness will cover the sky.  For some when the sun sets on this day, they will find themselves on the floor curled up in the fetal position in a pool of tears gasping for breath.   

For this day is 9/11, Hiroshima, the earthquake in Haiti, the tsunami in Japan, the day Kennedy was shot, the day King was assassinated, the day your spouse tells you they're leaving, the day the test results show that death is inevitable, the day a confused and distraught teenager goes into their high school and opens fire, the day they chain a young gay man to the back of a truck and drag him until he dies, the day the police knock on the door and say, "There's been an accident," the day a suicide bomber walks into a crowded market, the day the Klan put a noose around the neck of yet another black man and let him swing from a tree, the day the Nazi's made the Jews pile into cattle cars for Auschwitz.  For some, this day their cry will echo throughout all of heaven, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!!!"  And God's tears will drench the earth. 

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Protect us from this day.

May Sunday come!

Dear God, may Sunday come!

Save us!

Paul+

The Invisible Man

This past week I got an email which simply said, "This is awesome!"  I had the time so I thought I would take a look. At first, it seemed like a nice momentary diversion, another internet visual novelty, but upon reflection the theological significance hit me, and even more so the human significance.  Liu Bolin is a Chinese artist who paints himself into scenes with such amazing ability he virtually disappears.  You really have to look to see him. Awesome! (For more images: Liu Bolin ~ The Invisible Man)

Our world is full of “invisible people.”  They, however, don't paint themselves so as to become invisible, we just don't see them.  They're the wrong color, the wrong socioeconomic class, the wrong sexual orientation, the wrong ethnic group. They're not pretty or they're poor. They're dirty or just different. Whatever they are...they're not us.  They're not something we really want to see, and if we don't see them we can convince ourselves that they don't exist.  But, if we do see them, then we must admit they exist.  And, if we admit they exist, then what?  Ah…there’s the rub! What will this mean for me?

It means that I may have to do something.  If I admit that I see the "invisible person" and admit they exist -- then what?  What is my responsibility for my newly discovered, sister or brother?  If I really see the poor, what does that mean?  If I really see the hungry, what does that mean? If I really see the immigrant, what does that mean?  

If I really see the “other,” my neighbor, what does that mean?

Invisible people are everywhere!  But, do we see them?  Do we want to see them?  For if we see them, we acknowledge they exist.  And, if we acknowledge they exist we cannot ignore them.  As people of faith, we believe that ALL people are created in image of God.  We are ALL children of God and though we may deem some in our society as invisible, no one is invisible to God.

As Episcopalians in our Baptismal Covenant we profess that we are to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves, and we are to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.  These are not uniquely Christian values. They are, however, essential human values at the heart of a humane and just world. 

Keep your eyes open, my sisters and brothers.  Invisible people are everywhere, children of the living God --- God’s sees them, do we?  God loves them, do we?  God is willing to give everything for them, are we?

Peace,

Paul+

Matthew 25:35-40

³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

   ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’     

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

So long "Frozen Chosen" Hello "Enthusiastic Episcopalians"

On Wednesday evening, Douglas Forrester was our Lenten lecture speaker. He spoke on the Doctrine of the Trinity in a wonderfully fresh way.  During the course of his lecture, he spoke of "enthusiasm" and mentioned that the origin of the word comes from the Greek "entheos" to be "in God."   I love that!  So at first chance, like most of us when we have a burning question, I turned on the computer and googled it.

enthusiasm

c.1600, from M.Fr. enthousiasme (16c.) and directly from L.L. enthusiasmus, from Gk. enthousiasmos "divine inspiration," from enthousiazein "be inspired or possessed by a god, be rapt, be in ecstasy," from entheos "divinely inspired, possessed by a god," from en "in" (see en- (2)) + theosThea). Acquired a derogatory sense of "excessive religious emotion" (1650s) under the Puritans; generalized sense of "fervor, zeal" (the main modern sense) is first recorded 1716. "god" (see

Etymology Online

I don't know how I missed that one, but I love this new understanding that to be truly enthusiastic is to be "in God" to be inspired by God, to rapt and in ecstasy!!!! How wonderful!!! How freeing!!! 

Somewhere along the way, however, to have ecstasy in God got a bum rap.  No, we need to keep things in control.  We need to maintain proper decorum at all times.  We can't show positive emotion in connection with God.  No, we mustn't show too much joy or excitement.  No, we mustn't want to dance or sing or shout for joy! No, no, no...we mustn't.  Serious, stoic...that's better.  If you have to pass the peace do it quickly, and please, don't enjoy it. 

I completely understand that everyone has different comfort levels when it comes to feeling and expressing "enthusiasm."  And this is not a plea for us to become Pentecostal, but...I invite us to open up, just a wee bit, to a new way experiencing our lives and our relationship with God.

God is an "enthusiastic" God.  A God of joy and life.  A God of laughter and love.  A God who, as Mr. Forrester reminded us, invites us to dance.  Invites us into a wonderful, life giving, inspired, divine and holy dance.  A dance of prayer and worship.  A dance of service and sacrifice.  A dance of hope and joy.  A dance of tears and laughter.  A dance of death and life.  The dance of the Triune God, the sacred dance of life.

God longs for us to live life to the fullest.  I believe God longs for us to be inspired, possessed, rapt, and in ecstasy to be truly "entheos."  So full of the Spirit we can't help but be ENTHUSIASTIC!!

So my friends, "So long Frozen Chosen! Hello Enthusiastic Episcopalians!"

Let us Praise the Lord!

Every day in every way, let us Praise the Lord!

Paul+

Psalm 150 (A psalm for "Enthusiastic Episcopalians")

¹Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty firmament!

²Praise him for his mighty deeds;

praise him according to his surpassing greatness!

³Praise him with trumpet sound;

         praise him with lute and harp!

⁴Praise him with tambourine and dance;

praise him with strings and pipe!

⁵Praise him with clanging cymbals;

praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

⁶Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!