A Strange Few Days

These are probably the strangest couple of days in the year. This weekend we remember a King who acts like a slave, we talk about the Son of God getting murdered and we call it “Good,” we say a common execution 2,000 years ago in the remote edges of the Roman Empire has something to do with us, and (most outrageous of all) we tell stories of a dead man who came back to life.

It’s an odd time of year.

But then again, in a society where it’s normal to shove and scratch our way up the social ladder, maybe it’s a good thing to remember Jesus’ strange humility.

And in a world where it’s normal to hate, maybe it’s ok to remember the strange day when Jesus died out of love for us, and to call that day “Good Friday.”

In a time when it’s normal to be isolated from both our history and the people around us, maybe there is wisdom in gathering with a strange group of people called the church, to tell the strange story Jesus’ death, and discover the strange power his death continues to have to set us free.

In a life that must end in death, maybe there is a strange kind of hope to remember that death no longer has the final word.

It’s an odd time of year. But if the hopelessness and aimlessness of the world is normal, I’ll take odd.

Signs of Spring

We who live in the frigid tundra of Wyoming County, NY have been aching for signs of Spring for the past two (three?) months. Finally, in these last couple of days, our longings have been satisfied. Birds are singing. Snow is melting. Sap is running. Mouths are smiling. And people in general are beginning to wake up, stretch, and poke their heads out of their hibernating holes.

There is no better time of year to celebrate the Easter cycle of Lent - Good Friday - Easter. With Jesus we are emerging from the tomb into the new, bursting, fresh life of Christ. Do you remember what it was like when you first had that new life? It was like birds singing, snow melting, sap running, mouths smiling. It was waking up from that long hibernation and smelling the fresh air. It was like a long lost Spring.

Our Christians journeys - like our seasons - have cycles. We have the carefree, sunny days of Summer, the melancholy homesick days of Autumn, the bitter grueling struggle of a seemingly endless Winter, and sometimes, the fresh bubbling days of new life in Spring.

This Spring, as we celebrate Easter together, may God grant you a Spring. May you be filled to the brim with new life and fresh air.