An Easter Reflection

As I’m writing this, we’re one Sunday past Easter, and I’m sitting up at the Iron Skillet in Oak Grove. I’m enjoying breakfast, and getting ready to go into a couple of meetings for today. There’s something about Monday mornings that are relaxing and enjoyable for me. I know most of you probably think that I’m crazy, but Mondays are my day off….sort of. I don’t normally get in a hurry on Monday mornings, and it gives me a chance to sit back and think about things.

Pentecost: A New Hope

Normally I would have you start by reading a couple of passages  One of them is Acts 2:1-21, and the other is Romans 8:14-21.

That being said, they can wait for a moment.  Instead, I put together a short video getting us up to speed on where we are.

Pentecost is an important time for the church, and it is dependent on so much of the story that comes before it.  I’m also a nerd.  You’ll catch on to that part pretty quick when you watch the video.

Taking Down the Veil

Start by reading Exodus 34:29-35  and Luke 9:28-36

This morning I’m preparing for the onslaught.  You might be wondering what that onslaught is.  Its just that Lent is coming.  Lent is quickly becoming the next of the major holy days/seasons to become completely secularized.

Now before you think I’m going to complain about that, I’m really not.  And I’m not because we’ve largely done it to ourselves.  Its not that anyone has intentionally set out to change Lent and Easter into a secular holiday. We’ve done that by treating Lent as a time to “give something up” while losing the meaning behind why we do it.  We’ve done that by making a big deal out of eating fish on Fridays, to the point that McDonald’s is now serving fishbites, all in time for Lent.  And worst of all, we’ve done it by treating Easter as only a story to be told, and that’s all we need.

The Baker

I knew it was going to be a long week.  The Passover this year promised to be one of the busiest I’d ever seen.  I didn’t know why it was so busy, but I had a good idea.

There was this new popular Rabbi from Nazareth, wherever that is, who was causing this big stir in town.  I think his name was Jesse, or Chesku, or Jesus, or Jacky, or something like that.  Whatever it was, he was causing a ruckus.  But this was my kind of ruckus.  People were coming from all over for the Passover, but they were also coming to see him.  That meant more business for me!