where do you see?

This morning we talked about where we see God.  For a quick and practical demonstration on this absolutely glorious, sunshiny day, we set the kids loose with the camera - to find God.  Each of us took a few photos of something that helped us see God.  Here are the places we found our Creator:

:: in the beautiful pinks and blues blossoming throughout the yard

:: in all things because God makes all things, even toy cell phones!

:: in sky and trees

:: in newly potted plants

:: in young sprouts of swiss chard

:: in a toad hopping through the backyard (a little blurry was the best I could get)

:: in the whimsical moments of children

:: in a child snuggling gently into her parents arms and falling asleep a few hours too early

Where do you see your Creator today?

The Passion Story

Matthew 27:45-50 and 54

     From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.  And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" When some bystanders heard it, they said, "This man is calling for Elijah." At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink.  But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him."  Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.

...they were terrified and said "Truly this man was God's Son!"

For many Christians, John 3:16  is the Biblical passage used to justify their faith.  The above passage is the crux of my faith.  The bolded verses, ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" and "Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.") never fail to bring me to tears with the realization that it is ME who put him on that cross.

In the Lutheran church, the Sunday before Easter serves a dual purpose.  We begin in a joyous tone with the celebration of Palm Sunday and move quickly into a somber tone, one filled with anxiety and mourning as we read the Passion.  To hear the Passion story read and acted by members of the congregation sends the message home that you and I are the players in this story.  You and I are the chorus, the Jews, the sinners judging Jesus, the accusers.  No, we were not there.  But, it only takes one day of listening to the hurtful gossip in the office or in a high school, or even in a church to know that we would have behaved the same way if faced with Jesus in his time.

There is one other piece of Scripture, coupled with that above, reminds my of why I came to believe in the triune God along this faith journey.  In a moment of vulnerability, Jesus prays "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want." To know what pain and suffering he must endure for the children of God, to believe that his journey was necessary for you and me, to not question God's will is beyond our human capacity.  

 

I've been reflecting on the notion of pure potentiality this week - the notion of change and of becoming.  I believe as humans we have an amazing capacity to change, to rise above, to be transformed, to pursue our pure potentiality. But, I don't believe we could willingly place ourselves in the seat of suffering on behalf of the world.  Only through God, with God, and in God could this pure compassion manifest!

In our home, the Passion story has been in our hearts and it has been a creative weekend. Included in this post are those pieces that have come from our hearts.  Works of art they are not...

May this Holy Week find you at peace and able to slow down enough to take this message in!

Worry

Today's Gospel lesson was from Matthew in which he tells us not to worry.  Unfortunately, like many women and most mom's, this is something I do very well - worry that is!  I've come to believe that worry, for me, is rooted in a fear of losing control. 

Sometimes I worry over work things (how will this program reflect my office, am I making a difference in the lives of students). 

Sometimes I worry about my children (that's dangerous, I don't want you to get hurt, don't say that, it's mean). 

Sometimes I worry about my faith (do I know what I believe, how does this all fit together). 

And sometimes, those fears collide (am I working too much or spending enough time with my kids, what will my children believe about God when they grow up)

Oh, and the list goes on and on....  We are good worriers!

I have found, though, that we can comfort ourselves and move away from our worry.  A child psychologist once told me that we can look at worry as a "worry monster" who lives inside our heads or our bellies.  Our worry monster is always trying to trick and bully us.  And we need to take charge of our worry monster. 

In our home, we have weapons that have been proven to slow down that worry monster.  For starters, breathing is one of the most powerful weapons we have.  We take in a deep breath so as to prepare for the largest monster bubble ever!  Then we slowly blow that bubble (careful not to blow too fast so that the bubble doesn't pop) and we throw that monster-in-a-bubble to the moon.  It works like a charm.

Here are some other weapons from our home:







The soft, worn corner of a blanket...



A thumb...



Some of us need more weapons than others...

A gift from my daughter before surgery which turned round and round in my hands until the time to go.