Yesterday was Maundy Thursday, and opening night of Major League Baseball (both the Cubs and Sox won). This weekend we stop to worship – some in massive cathedrals (for March Madness B-ball) and some in dark chapels.
Why Good? The rest of the world calls today Black Friday, Passion Friday, Holy Friday or the Friday of the Lament. Only in the US is it called “Good.” Some claim our expression is a modification of “God’s Friday.” Others see American optimism in play. Whatever, the events remembered today were glorious. Unthinkable. Christ substituted himself for me.
Forgiveness: I’ve heard we should forgive in order to escape from the dehumanizing prison of anger and bitterness. True in part. But what if we have nothing to gain by forgiving? Christ had nothing to gain when he prayed, “forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Forgiveness may not always make sense. It is not always practical or reasonable. The highest expressions of love seldom are.
Kristoff and Keller: Last year at this time, Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times foreign correspondent, interviewed New York pastor (and author) Tim Keller. If you missed Am I a Christian? when it ran last Easter, you should read it now. If you read it then I suspect you’ll want to read it again.
Decoding our World. Speaking of Keller, Charles Taylor, Tim Keller (and others) argue that we should wake up to the narratives in play during this secular age. We need to understand then because: 1) we breathe them in unwittingly; 2) they are shaping the way we live; and 3) those living one hundred years ago dismissed them as nonsense. What are these narratives: 1) I need to be myself. (In a traditional culture, a good person sublimated their desires to the good of the whole. Today, if we do not assert ourselves we are “living a lie.”; 2) Only I have a right to decide what is right/wrong for me. 3) I must be free to live my life and express myself however I want; and 4) Old is bad. New is good.
Resilience: Last week I referenced an interview with Dr. Don Guthrie on resilience, especially – but not exclusively – resilience for pastors. The link did not work. My apologies. Let me try again.
Learning from Tiger Woods: Tiger is back in the news, both because his golf game is rebounding and because a new book exhaustively chronicles his rise and fall. Reading about him made me look back to a talk I gave right after the worst came to light. I remain persuaded that we have plenty to learn from Tiger.
Thanksgiving: Many of those living in the northern suburbs of Chicago went south or west for Spring Break, which has led to a quiet Holy Week. I had time to read, think and drink coffee. Wow. I recommend all three. Also, once a year we offer a nine-week class called Financial Peace University. I just received a report detailing the amount of debt class participant paid off, the number of credit cards they ripped up, etc. Fiscal sanity leads to a lot less stress.
Prayer Requests: This is Super Bowl Sunday. By some counts, 25 percent of a church’s visitors come on this one weekend. Many having not walked into a church since, last Easter, or perhaps last Christmas. (The new term is CEOs – Christmas and Easter only). The work we want to see done is a work only God can do. Pray we serve in our supporting roles well and that people slow down, soften their heart and meet with God.
A Prayer from Vincent Van Gough: It is true there is an ebb and flow, but the sea remains the sea. You are the sea. Although I experience many ups and downs in my emotions and often feel great shifts and changes in my inner life, you remain the same. Your sameness is not the sameness of a rock, but the sameness of a faithful lover. Out of your love I came to life; by your love I am sustained, and to your love I am always called back. There are days of sadness and days of joy; there are feelings of guilt and feelings of gratitude; there are moments of failure and moments of success; but all of them are embraced by your unwavering love. Amen.