Take Up Your Cross

Back in February I wrote a blog about entering into my first Lenten season.  I was not raised in an Orthodox setting so this was brand new to me.  My family chose to give up television as a group and we all picked out our own individual “fasts” as well.  One of the things I gave up for Lent was social media (with the exception of business necessities).  In those forty days I experienced refreshing in every sense of the word, and I honestly don’t plan to make media a daily part of my life again. . .but Lent was only the first part of my journey.  Our Methodist Church walks through the life of Messiah from Lent (His 40 days in the wilderness) to the week of His Passover/Passion and then 50 days later we go into Pentecost.

As the season of Lent was soon to end, last Sunday  we “welcomed” Jesus into Jerusalem with Palm branches and heard the story of Him driving the money changers from the Temple.  On Thursday we kept the Passover feast together as a church family.  We sat as if we were with Him ourselves experiencing unleavened bread, bitter-herbs, and four cups of wine (okay so we used Welches).  During the Seder we experienced the traditional Maundy -Thursday foot washing in order to become like our Messiah and act as servants.

On Friday we attended the service of Tenebrae (Darkness).  We enter the dark sanctuary with only candles lit on the alter by the cross.  Our pastor and my husband take turns reading the story of Christ’s crucifixion from the gospels. . .after each passage ends, one candle is extinguished.  The last candle that goes out is the Christ candle.   “It is finished”, our Lord has died. . . He is now in the tomb. . .we leave in silence.

My family does not light or traditional Sabbath candle tonight. . .we spend the rest of Sabbath thinking about the Sacrifice made for us. 

But then, early the next morning, behold He is risen.  He is Risen indeed!  Our Resurrection service is beautiful.  The dark sanctuary of Friday has now been transformed in bright colors.  We have a special orchestra in honor of our Lords victory.  Our children are given seeds in the form of a cross to plant and remember they have life in Christ!  Our Pastor reminds us that Jesus death and resurrection does NOT guarantee us that we will have no more trials,   but it reminds us that even on the hardest day it’s not our last day.  We will one day follow Him into newness of life.

For many of you this Lenten/Holy Week cycle may seem like no big deal.  I hope that all of you have been blessed to participate in the fullness of our hope as Believers.  But for me this was the first time I was able to participate in the fullness of Christs Great Passover.  Our Great Passover. 

Mark 10:21-  Take up your cross and follow me

1 Corinthians 5:7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

What a beautiful walk we took. . .in the wilderness. . .through the streets of Jerusalem. . .at the Passover. . .in the garden. . .to the cross. . .and on into His victory over sin and death!

 

 

Passover Seder with our Pastor and his family. . .My Husband and Pastor Rick at Tenebrae.

Giving it up

I have the feeling this blog might be rated as “most hated” from readers.  I have pondered writing it for a long time but have yet to find a place it would fit until now. 

This Wednesday (February 13^th) begins the 40 days of Lent.  These are 40 days that lead to the week of our Lords Passover and Resurrection.  Forty days of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving taken from:

#1- 40 years the children of Israel spent in the wilderness

#2- 40 days Moses spent on Mt. Sinai receiving God’s Law

#3- 40 days Jesus spent in fasting and prayer out in the wilderness

If you are not part of a congregation who practices the Lenten season, you have certainly heard the expression, “What are you giving up for Lent”? This is the first year my family has been a part of a church who participates so this is my first year to “give something up” for 40 days.  As far as food fasting is concerned I am only participating in a small way (hey I’m a health nut; not much to give up!) but my main fast will be from television and social media in order to:

#1- devote more time to God in prayer

#2- devote more time to my family and home

Whether you are part of a participating church or not I am challenging women to join this “fast” with me.  I have noticed a disturbing trend in my generation (Generation X).  We have become a group of women OBSESSED with the media.  You don’t think that’s true?  How many people did you communicate with via face-book, text message, e-mail, etc this week?  How many people did you sit face to face and have coffee with this week?  How long did you spend watching gosh-awful reality T.V shows like the Bachelor and how many hours did you spend talking to your spouse/children about their day?  Now I am going to hit the main nerve. . .READY?  How much time did you spend surfing the internet, checking face-book or posting on pintrest while you had a sink full of dirty dishes, or a pile of laundry waiting to be folded?

Yes I know, I am getting too personal and what business is it of mine?  Ladies I want you to think about how you would feel if your husband came home from work and didn’t get his pay-check  because he hadn’t finished his work. What if he was too busy looking up all the caddy-gossip on face-book or posting his favorite football team’s beer-mug on pintrest?  What if your children did not complete a homework assignment because they spent the evening text messaging or playing video games? 

Ladies I am challenging all of you to treat your home and family as top priority in your day.  In doing that, you are really putting Christ first.  He says the greatest in the Kingdom is to be the servant of all. . .how many of you mom’s ever feel like that “Cinderella” servant? Just remember as you honor your family and home by giving them the best of your time and energy you are really honoring the Lord Himself!  It’s easy to get tired and grow lax in our homes. . .after all, we don’t really have a boss looking over our shoulder.  I challenge you to consider the Lord your boss over the next 40 days and commit to give your best in your home! 

By the way. . .I am a little obsessive/compulsive and have actually timed how long household chores take me.  Unload dishwasher=4 ½ minutes; wipe down kitchen counter/ 30 seconds; collect dirty laundry=2 minutes; start a load of laundry=30 seconds; fold a load of laundry= 5 minutes; cook a meal=30 minutes; wash pans post cooking= 5 minutes.

In the time it took you to log on and read my blog (hee-hee) one of those tasks could be done with!  If you are like me, a lot of your media sources are directly business related so you cannot totally get rid of media.  Just try this. . .set a rule that you cannot watch T.V; check face-book, or browse pintrest while a mess sits behind you.  My children can’t play video games in the evening until they have homework done and rooms cleaned.  What if all of us set the same rule for ourselves for the next 40 days?!

 

Go ahead. . .I DARE YOU!

Rise to Greatness

Everyone who knows me even a little bit knows that I am a BIG fan of “The Greatest Generation” (the WWII generation).  They never cease to both amaze and provoke me.  Today was no different.

My husband and I chose to be members of a Sunday school class known as the Crusaders.  It is a class filled with members between 70 and 95 years of age.  Considering we are only in our mid thirties, this choice raised a few eyebrows.  We chose this class because we believe that there is no one more able to teach and instruct us in both our spiritual and practical life.  Today we had a little lunch social after Sunday school was over.  I had made a special request that everyone bring photos of their “younger” days.  (One of my favorite things to do is look through my own Grandmother’s photo albums).   Pictures of another day and time fascinate me for many reasons but most of all I enjoy the story that goes with each picture.  As we all began to look at the pictures the stories began to come out.  That is the point that I was once again provoked by this generation of people.  Many of them had pictures of themselves and their children dressed in “Sunday Best”.  Several had at least three or four children pictured.  Several not only had pictures of their family at church, but at our very same church!  One of the couples had even been married in our old sanctuary.  So I am sitting in a room filled with a generation of values and steadfast devotion.  I stopped to think about my generation.  Are we dedicated to raising our children in God’s house?  Will any of my generation still be planted in a local church body 50 years from now to proclaim faithfulness to younger generations?   I am afraid of what the answer may be if we continue down the same path we are currently on.  Everything else seems to take the place of importance.  Ball games, vacations, meetings, PTA.  Somehow we make time for all of the other things and fail to make time for what is most important; worshiping together as a family and being a part of a committed body of believers.  If we can’t make that commitment to lead our children in the example that God comes first and everything else falls after, then what do we think will happen to our youngest generation?  Will they magically go off to college with a strong will and commitment to follow the ways of the Lord?  If we have not led by example then what can we expect from those who are watching us?  Sometimes being in relationship is hard.  Sometimes we may not agree with our Pastor or other church leaders.  But in the beginning God had called all things good except one thing. . . for man to be alone.  Think about that!  Adam walked with God and yet God said it was not good for Adam to be alone.  We are meant to journey with others.  I have been guilty of being a loner, of being angry with imperfect churches and wanting to walk with God alone.  But God says that is not good.  Today the memories the Greatest Generation brought to our class reminded me of that.  If our children and our children’s children have any hope for the future then our generation must resolve to walk in the very same greatness.  How can we live WHOLLY-HOLY lives if we try and live them alone?

 

Psalm 42:4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.