Re-Thinking Easter

It is with such amazing grace that today we look back over the days of Lent and Easter, and we can see how every day got a little bit harder when Jesus was on the camino heading to Jerusalem. Every breath He took,  every move He made,  every step He took, every word He said, everything He did -  the burden and the glory of the Lord was always on Him. His time was too dear and too near.

Crowds were swarming like bees, just to touch Him, to see His eyes, to walk in His footsteps so they could maybe absorb a bit of healing or a touch of restoration to their own faith. The pilgrims actually followed His steps, His twist & turns.  Even the Greeks (Gentiles) were curious - those Greeks dedicated to their gods and goddess!  Wow. Like we are today.  LeBron James or Tom Brady, Lionel Messi or Serena Williams. We just want a touch, a selfie, a look - they know what it’s like to be the gods and goddesses of the contemporary world. No peace. No thought time. No isolation. No place to hide. And in Jesus’ time everyone not Jewish had the door open for them, through word of mouth and off the shores of Israel

Up to the beginning of Holy Week, Jesus was not firm, not sure that He was ready - that His “hour” had come. In His mind He was understanding that His time was creeping up. But at the same time, it was so important that He could still open the doors and minds of all kinds of people - the believer and the curious and the non-believer. But everyone He met was important and a hope, even though, it seemed, on the front row, his enemies elbowed in, religious authorities who did not want to take a risk or lose their own powers. In fact they wanted to get this man Jesus out of the picture, by look or by crook. He was messing up their powers and philosophies. They were horrified not only about the blind seeing,  the hogs running off a cliff to their death with souls of the devil in them, of miraculous healing of the sick and dying, giving sight to the blind with a dab of mud, and horror of horrors He had risen Lazarus from his tomb. (Surely some of them knew at least, the family of Lazarus, Mary and Martha.) And Wow that was like winning the  impossible dream or the Super Bowl.

But when Jesus did know the time had come, when joy would be put aside, it meant the day to sacrifice his life was at hand - when He would, thru pain, death and suffering from his friends scattering, from mockery and being beaten out by a criminal, now He would do what He had come to earth to do:  the passion, when the kernel of wheat falls to the ground , dies and rebirths thru the soil and the rain and sun - to bear fruit again and again and repeat.  Jesus then laid down His life to redeem the world, to no longer love the streets where He had walked and talked, but to dress then in eternal life.

How would we deal with the disappointment and rejection at the end of our lives? Or at a difficult moment in our lives? And we really don’t know what heaven is, the afterlife, eternity. We only know what we think we know from the Bible history, from Jesus’ words, from what the hierarchy of the church s us, while hiding the nightmares that have been going on in priesthood for decades. It’s not a pretty picture, but we must, individually, believe strong enough to overcome the worst of reality. And become leaders for the doubters and the unbelievers.

Every day I pray for my family, friends, ancestors that we may dance forever together before God and eternity - no more pain, sorrow, disappointment, disasters, storms, fears, corruption, evil. No more lies, deceits, insults, hatred. Can you imagine what kind of a place that might be? Like Jesus we too must leave this environment, this earth, this life, thru the exit called death. The servant who does this with faith, love, and joy, will be where Jesus is, beside Him, and in the Lap of the Great God of all,  and we will receive honor from The Father,  Our Father, as we leave behind a trail of goodness and love and encouragement to others who should follow that path we all need to dance down - that we seek - that road chosen, finally.

 ~ Rev
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