There
is nothing new under the sun... There is nothing new
The
intimidation that the religious order felt when Jesus walked the
earth is the same intimidation that the practitioners of religion
would feel today. The places He would go, the people He would talk
to, the people He would touch, the things He would say, the things He
would do..
This
morning as the dawn brought forth the day where we reflect and pause
and think about the death of Christ, I realized I have been living
with this reflection for a long time. Walking in the lessons of the
Garden of Gethsemane, Sitting at tables of “friends,” hearing the
words, “I will not deny you,” to only really know the truth.
This
morning the fact is that the reality of death in this world is easy
to touch. So many living in fear, so many living behind walls, so
many living … so many dying.
Death
in this world. Death leads to death.
Death
as it is portrayed in the Christ story. Death leads to life.
I
was being introduced to a man of who the world would recognize as
important. His dress meticulous, his features cared for and well
groomed. It wasn't his shoes, his watch, his sun glasses that caught
my attention and birthed a hunger to wash his feet, it was this man.
This man who other's would chase after, long for the favor of,
envy... was hurting. Was there anyone who could see beyond title and
exterior and look into his heart and care for him? Not for profit or
selfish gain?
Was
he liken unto the rich young ruler, was he liken unto Nicodemus, was
he to be liken unto the Centurion, was he liken unto the woman
pushing throw the crowds trying to get to the robe of Christ, was he
liken unto the man at the well not knowing how to get in, would he be
liken unto the 5000 who needed to be fed, was he liken unto the
children who just wanted to be drawn into the lap of Christ, was he
liken unto those that sat with Jesus, ate with Jesus, walked with
Jesus, who he be liken unto the woman caught in adultery, was he to
be more like the good Samaritan or the one left on the road... yes!
Yes! YES!
There
are attributes of all these characters within each and everyone of
us.... different needs at different times in different places...
Where
I go, the people I meet, the people I talk to ….. whether rich or
poor, strong or weak, in fullness or in need.... the needs of the
heart are so very the same. We are told not to have preference, not
to regard people through the lens of the world's values. When we can
see people as people, as the image bearers of our God... as brothers
and sisters, as sons and daughters then we see correctly … we can
hear their hearts... feel their passions, needs, questions... smell
the fragrance of their lives... taste and see the goodness of God as
it plays out in the life of any and all....
Is
God's goodness questioned by the widow in an African village? Is
God's goodness questioned by the executive sitting on the umpteenth
floor of a high rise? Is the need for God's goodness any different?
The
need for Christ.. the need for mercy.. the need for grace.. the need
for compassion... the need for love is universal. Arrived at and
fully found in the aroma of the passion of Christ.
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