Devotional for Holy Week

Mark 14:32-36

Holy Week is a time to remember that Jesus received a call from God that was much bigger than his personal want, his personal desires or personal wishes. God had a call on Jesus life that, as we can deduct from this Scripture, Jesus did not like. He did not want to go.

And yet, Jesus put his personal wants, desires and wishes aside. He responded to the call on his life that was much bigger than himself.

Had Jesus done what he wanted to do, had Jesus gone the way of his personal desires, had Jesus received his wish and the cup passed from him, had Jesus gone the way that his disciples wanted him to go, then the world would be lost. Creation would miss out on the goodness and blessings of God that come through Christ Jesus. Had the cup passed from Jesus, Jesus might have gotten what he wanted, but God had bigger dreams than the desires of one man.

Are we responding to God’s greater call on our lives or are we holding onto our personal wants, desires, and wishes?

Are we willing to let our desires die so that God’s dream can live?

Flights - by Judy Brown August 23, 2010

Rev. Nancy Allen came across this poem and I loved it.  Thought I would share it with the interwebs.

Flights
Yesterday,
An easy flight
For me. Not so
For him.
He was an hour
Late because a
Jar of caramel sauce
inside a suitcase, broke,
And ran out, down
The outside
Of the plane.
They didn't know
What the suspicious
Liquid was.
Was it mechanical?
A terrorist plot?
As it turned out
They should have
Called for ice cream,
Not mechanics
And the bomb squad.
So hard to know
What we are seeing,
Sometimes. Especially
When we're scared.

Maybe God is a pancake...

My wife and I were driving and we drove past a very faded billboard.  We drove by in silence and after about seven seconds I stated out loud, "What was on that billboard?"

Estee replied, "I was thinking the same thing! I think it was a bunch of burning candles."

"Weird, I thought it was crabs legs dipped in melted butter."

We both were flabbergasted at what the heck that sign was, but we drove on.

We exited the highway and realized that we would have to double back just a bit in order to get to the restaurant we wanted to grab lunch at. After lunch, we got back on the highway only to see that billboard again.

We slowed down a bit and just as we were about to pass the billboard for the second time, Estee and I shouted out at the same time "PANCAKES!".

It was a billboard for an IHOP and there was just a large stack of pancakes. We were initially way off and we did feel better after we figured out that it was neither lobster or candles but pancakes, but I could not help but think about my Christian faith.

I find myself in conversations with people who tell me what they think God is like and I tell them what I think God is like. We each are dependent upon our own senses, reason, logic, experience and the like in order to share our thoughts on God.

But really, everyone may just be initially way off on our thoughts on God.

Just as I was convinced that the billboard had lobster on it, I am convinced God is a certain way. I am convinced God does not desire anyone to be killed or harmed. I am convinced God cares less about sexual orientation and more about mutual loving and respecting relationships. I am convinced God cares less about creeds and more about loving justice and humility. I am convinced God is less concerned about progressive or conservative and more concerned about peace and reconciliation.

And just as my wife was convinced that the billboard had candles on it, others are convinced God is something else than what I think God is.

But maybe, just maybe, we all are wrong and God is more like pancakes and less like lobster and candles.

Saw this in the news and then got it on an email, I am sure you did too.

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning. A man with a violin plays six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately two thousand people passed through the station, most of them on their way to work. After three minutes a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule. 4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar: A woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. 6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. 10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly. 45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only six people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32. 1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin valued at $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the price of seats averaged $100. This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: In a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context? One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made....what else are we missing?