A Hopeful Holy Week...
A friend of mine and I were talking a few weeks ago about how easy it is to become discouraged when looking at the world and seeing all that is wrong within it. We see so much brokenness and corruption, sin and sorrow. And perhaps the temptation creeps into our thoughts, "why even bother?"
This week gives us the answer. The same struggles we see today in the world are of the same root that have been present in the heart of man since after the Fall. It has been such and while we still live in this imperfect world, it will be such. We will always struggle against our imperfection and the imperfection of the world. But we are not alone.
The answer to the question of, "why even bother?" is Jesus. His life and death for us reveals a deep mystery of love. He bothered, you know? How many people live their lives without caring about God or the larger mystery in which we live, but God never stops loving. His love is not dependent upon our behavior. His love just is. His love is an invitation.
So often God is reduced to myth and sentiment, a caricature for the "weak" of this world. Without Jesus as ultimate Truth, life becomes a competition of opinions, each trying to best the other, in a grasp for power and control. This never fares well, as history repeatedly shows us. We are not the authors nor finishers of this life or the life to come. We do not create out of nothing. We do not make the sun rise in the morning and set in the evening. Someone greater than ourselves has created all these things and has designed a way of life for our ultimate happiness. Do we have the eyes to see? and to be receptive of the One who seeks to give Himself to and for us?
May this Holy Week be one of wonder and discovery. May it be a time of deep silence and desire. May we open our hearts more fully to the One who loves us.
The answer to the question of, "why even bother?" is Jesus. His life and death for us reveals a deep mystery of love. He bothered, you know? How many people live their lives without caring about God or the larger mystery in which we live, but God never stops loving. His love is not dependent upon our behavior. His love just is. His love is an invitation.
So often God is reduced to myth and sentiment, a caricature for the "weak" of this world. Without Jesus as ultimate Truth, life becomes a competition of opinions, each trying to best the other, in a grasp for power and control. This never fares well, as history repeatedly shows us. We are not the authors nor finishers of this life or the life to come. We do not create out of nothing. We do not make the sun rise in the morning and set in the evening. Someone greater than ourselves has created all these things and has designed a way of life for our ultimate happiness. Do we have the eyes to see? and to be receptive of the One who seeks to give Himself to and for us?
May this Holy Week be one of wonder and discovery. May it be a time of deep silence and desire. May we open our hearts more fully to the One who loves us.
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