Watching the 2006 Charlotte's Web with the babies this Good Friday. There's so much I've been pondering this week with regard to Easter. You? I've been telling my Guatemalan lovies about Holy Week in Guatemala -- the beautiful decorations, the festivities, the reenactments, the week of holidays. The whole place shuts down. The streets are beautiful and lined with the most elaborate artwork of flowers and colored sawdust. People sell tasty breads and treats all to celebrate the day the Lord rose from the dead.
And it got me thinking so much about how little we do here in the States. We have a service. Sometimes even a holy sunrise service. But the feeling in the air isn't about Jesus -- it's about bunnies, eggs, candies, Peeps, little chicks and local egg hunts. I mean when we're all good and honest about it that is the heart of what we all spend our time on. That's what all our decorations around our homes and offices are.
I'm not saying we don't think about Jesus.
I'm just saying He isn't center stage.
And it kind of boggles my mind.
But I told you my babies and I were watching Charlotte's Web, didn't I? Oh, we picked it out for Little Girl. We thought she might make her animal sounds if she saw all the barn animals. But she still can't say, "oink," so it was a little bit of a bust.
Still, I heard this line early on in the movie when Wilbur moved across the street to the neighbors' barn.
And it struck me.
I bet that's how Jesus felt from heaven when He looked upon the earth. So full of living things -- but not so full of life. In fact -- quite the opposite. Very, very full of death. Death from our sin. Death from our chains. Death from our brokenness.
And the God of Heaven who is life chose to pour His life back into us through deep deep sacrifice.
Good Friday.
This is the day He died.
For me.
For you.
For the muslim down the street.
For the refuge trying to get in.
For the homeless man at the intersection.
For the druggie by the bridge.
For the lesbian couple next door.
For the widow who doesn't leave her house.
For the racist who curses everyone.
For the convict on death row.
Because sometimes we forget how ugly we really are and how without Jesus we stink of death.
We forget how utterly desperate, deeply desperate we are for Jesus to rescue us.
Don't forget these truths.
Call on His name.
One thing has always been truer than true: our Lord is greater than all our sin. And He hears us when we call out to Him.
It's finally dark out here. That means it's late since summer is on its way. At the risk of saying something you might already know, let me say this tonight. All Jesus has ever asked of us is to confess He is Lord (the leader of your life), that you give your life over to Him and trust Him in all things, and ask forgiveness for having lead a life without Him (following your own way). It's pretty simple, but pretty significant.
And if you do talk something like this over with God, then He calls us to be in community (the church) --- all of us recovering broken people out there.
Good night, sweet friends.
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