March 2018

A group of four-year-olds were gathered together in a Sunday School Class. The teacher looked at the class and asked this question: "Does anyone know what today is?" A little four-year-old girl held up her hand and said, "Yes, today is Palm Sunday." The teacher exclaimed, "That's fantastic, that's wonderful. Now does anyone know what next Sunday is?" The same little girl held up her hand. She said, "Yes, next Sunday is Easter Sunday." Once again the teacher said "That's fantastic. Now, does anyone know what makes next Sunday Easter?" Same little girl responded and said, "Yes, next Sunday is Easter because Jesus rose from the grave" and before the teacher could congratulate her, she kept on talking and said, "But if he sees his shadow. . .he has to go back in for seven weeks."

Just When You Think You Have Figured It Out! The child knew all the basics. She knew what she knew. For her, it all made perfect sense. She knew that Jesus came out of a dark place, just like the groundhog. The logical progression in her mind drew the connection. As adults we can laugh because we know more of the story. We have lived the story. We have heard it repeated over and over again and have claimed it as OUR story. Every time we gather together, we experience the story as it relates to us today. It is that reason that we believe in Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of the World.

Yet, God knew that we would never figure the story out totally. What I mean is there is still mystery in how God operates. As humans we love asking the questions that don't really matter but are fascinating to think about. I won't be able to list all of them here. However, here is the short answer to the question "Why?" Because, God loves us.

The season of Lent more than any other allows us to examine our hearts and simply realize that all we can do is be grateful and receive this awesome gift of his death on the cross for us. That's it, nothing more on that end. However, what do we do with that knowledge? Jesus said it simply to the disciples of John the Baptist when they came to find out who he was, "tell what you have seen and heard". Is it really that simple?

I believe that it is. Lent and Easter help us define who we are as followers of Jesus in the light of his death on the cross and his resurrection. It is the lessons, we hear and songs that are sung that surround us with the life-giving message that allows us to embrace our Lord. Like the child, we get a chance to wonder again and retell the story. An old story that we know, but it remains new and fresh as our life is lived with it's new challenges.

In Christ,

Pr Craig