These next three days are what life is all about. They were the pivotal moment in earth’s history. The importance of what happened cannot be overstated. The importance of what happened should not be understated.
And yet, because of the way us Christians
live
act
speak
demean
misconstrue
ignore
sleep
reject
waste
fear
rebel
judge
abandon
deny
cower
confuse
neglect
so many people will carry on today with life as normal. They will…
eat
drink
be merry
laugh
drive
work
entertain
shop
sell
build
party
learn
vacation
worry
win
lose
write
speak
carry on
as if life is all about this world, and God is just an afterthought.
Yet, God sent His Son into the world. Out of weakness, He suffered. Out of love, He died. And in power, He rose again.
I wish I had the words to convey just how incredible, true, and powerful Jesus’ death and resurrection really is. As a pastor, I feel it is my duty to somehow get it through everyone’s heads what this all means. But I keep coming up short. I can’t do it justice.
I just wish that everyone understood. I wish that instead of mocking, they would kneel. Instead of dismissing, they would confess. Instead of ignoring, they would come face-to-face with their Creator and receive His forgiveness.
I wish that all that Jesus did would have a much bigger effect on the world. I wish it would have a much bigger effect on us Christians and on those who have yet to believe.
As C.S. Lewis said, “Christianity…presents us with something knottier–a God so full of mercy that He becomes man and dies by torture to avert that final ruin from His creatures, and who yet, where that heroic remedy fails, seems unwilling or even able to arrest the ruin by an act of mere power.”
Oh, that we might all come to the truth of who Jesus is and what He has done for us. That God might be able to peel through the many layers of our hearts that prevent us from standing bare before the truth. If that were to happen, today would indeed be a good Friday.
St. John Bosco was known to pray: “Lord, give me souls. Take away the rest.” I suspect you are very close to making that your own prayer.
I would love to be able to say that prayer. Unfortunately, I see too much of myself in the description of Christians I listed above, which is a big reason why this is my lament.
And I’m sure St. John did too. Most saints are very conscious of the fact that they are sinners. Anyway, it’s been a while since I read his story but I suspect a huge part of what made him a Canonized saint was God answering that prayer over the course of his life.
Here’s something I pulled up online about St. John Bosco. You couldn’t ask for a drier narrative, but it’s rich in interesting details: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02689d.htm
I think the two of you would have gotten along very well.
…and one more very short meditation about his prayer: http://www.stbenedicts.ca/docs/salesian/Don%20Bosco%27s%20Motto.pdf
OK, done clogging up your blog.
Very well put.
What a Savior we have! Hallelujah!