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Writing about Easter deep in Holy Week is, on the whole, pretty reflective of my spirit-life.  How about you?  Fickle as the weather, this liturgical season is a patchwork of sunshine and cloud; and that’s not only in Holy Week.  Truth be told, my devotions plod on with an occasional fit of fervor–and those regrettable detours into shallowness which I’ve never outgrown.  Lord have mercy; Christ have mercy; Lord have mercy.

Third Isaiah speaks a Word from a most-patient and steadfast God. (65:17-25)   As Believers are swiftly becoming overwhelmed by the forces of Hell Itself, only Grace can say, “But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating;”  and then goes on to describe a Peaceable Kingdom where wolves and lions will not hurt or destroy on this holy mountain.  A bit before Resurrection; yet we suppose that Isaiah was seeing an ultimate resolution to all the slings and arrows. (Come quickly, Lord Jesus!)

And then, in retrospect, Peter spoke:  “They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear….All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:39-40, 43)   Peter addressed what he saw, not in the cold pre-dawn discouragement of Good Friday morning, but in the bright sunshine of God’s New Day.

It’s probably easy to get caught up in the Easter Morning story of faithful Mary, who came to the garden alone while the dew was still on the roses.  But let this message rise far above a dime-store romance with a happy ending!  It’s about running men who’re trying desperately to see God’s work in all this mess:  “[John] bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there….Then [Peter], who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed.”  (John 20:5-8)  Mary saw two angels in white, and then she saw Jesus himself!

So much of what we do on Sunday will be visual.  Most of the women of our congregation will dress beautifully, and we guys will try to look as good as possible, too.  There will be bright flowers all ’round!   We’ll smile and strut in the spring sunshine.  In the midst of it, look diligently for signs of the Risen Christ.  The Kingdom of God has drawn near! 

May every morning be Easter Morning, from now on!

God Bless Us, Every One….

                                                H   B   King

  A fence built around a graveyard is a thing of wonder, no doubt:                                              those  outside don’t want to get in, and those who are in can’t get out!                                       –as heard on “the Benny Hill Show”

So the theme this Palm Sunday weekend is Gates, especially the Gates of the City.   I once had a young man of the parish, a computer nerd, who did all the tech stuff around the church.   When at Advent we’d sing, “Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates”, he thought it was about BILL!  

The Jewish community traditionally reads Psalm 118 during Passover, and therefore it’s not a bit surprising that Jesus & Co. honored its verses of thanksgiving as a sign that the Lord is near.   The singer calls to the watcher of the gate, “Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.  This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.” (verses 19-20)   Those who followed Jesus through the gates of Jerusalem, the Holy Center of the world, shouted loudly, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” (v.26)

Perhaps for me the significant verse in Luke’s recounting is the first one in the reading: “(Jesus) went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.” (19:28)  It woulda been really easy to escape the heat for a while–but he was not to be dissuaded.   He went right to the heart of the faith.

Interestingly, Luke shows his non-Jewishness by omitting what is central to many Church people:  Nowhere in the text do we read “Hosanna!”, which means “save us, Lord!”  As a Greek, Luke wouldn’t have participated in the Long Despair the Jews had suffered under Syrian & Roman occupation–so being “saved” from idol-worshipers wasn’t on his front burner.

And what’s this?  NO PALM BRANCHES!   To the Jewish folks in Jesus’ day, the palm fronds were symbols of rebellion:  the Zealots and other revolutionaries waved palms as flags, and some appeared on old coins, as well.   Luke may not have known this tradition, so he saw no real reason to include it.   However, the folks around Jesus expected an immediate restoration of the Throne of David–and an expulsion of those uppity Romans.

On Sunday, YOU can wave (sterilized) palm branches in order to announce a revolution and a civil overthrow of the systems which enslave our lives!   And shout “Hosanna!” loudly, fully expecting that Jesus is the One to Save Us!   Do you believe in this revolution, this salvation??

Don’t stand outside the Gates to the City of God.   C’mon in!

God Bless Us, Every One                        H    B   King

                                                                                                          graveyard                                                                                                       

The ugly-duckling girl in junior high suddenly became gorgeous!  That skinny farm boy who’d trip over his big feet suddenly filled out to be suave & handsome!   What in the world happened?   Or did I just see them in a different light as I matured myself…..  Part of our Lenten journey is change or transformation — and seeing in a different light ourselves.

A brief passage in the saga of Joshua tells about the Exodus Pilgrims finally arriving in the Land of Milk & Honey.  “The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the Land of Canaan that year.”(Joshua 5:12)   The Bread of Heaven, a necessity for so many years, didn’t happen any more because the new arrivals saw that they had their own fields and gardens.  They saw that they were no longer Wanderers, but Residents, by God’s Design.

The core of Psalm 32 seems to be a change felt through healing.   “While I kept silence, my body wasted away….Then I acknowledged my sin to you…and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”  (vv.3-5)   The self-exiled sufferer couldn’t get to be herself until she trusted in God enough to partake in God’s steadfast love:  she saw herself differently, as a beloved child in the process of unfolding.

Some have difficulty with Paul’s admonitions to the Corinthians, II, 5:17 — “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”  When anyone puts on Christ, everything looks different:  we take a big-picture look at Creation, we understand those we meet as important carriers of God’s Image!   How different from seeing the challenged in front of us in line at the food market as just an unpleasant obstacle to our daily agenda!  Or that idiot driver who won’t leave the intersection at the stroke of green!  Or those who need medical assistance.  Or food stamps. Or job training…

The Gospel is the story of the Prodigal Son, recorded by St. Luke in Chapter 15.  Better preachers that I have suggested that we have all at some times been the adventurous son, the good son, and the devoted father.  The son in question eventually “came to himself” after blowing his fortune on high living.  He saw things differently.  We don’t know, but we hope that the older brother eventually saw this event in a different light, too.   And the ever-gracious father watched for the transformation every day….

When was that amazing day that I was tall enough to see over the top of the dining room table?  (I bet my mother knew!)   Or when I could throw from Third to First?  Or when I first successfully manipulated the clutch?  Or when I learned discretion?  (The jury’s still out, on that one…)    These milestones are hard to pinpoint, as is our New Vision  through the eyes of Christ.   As you “press forward for the prize”, take occasion this Lent to appreciate how far you’ve come!

In the words of Sir Humphrey of Bogartus, “Here’s lookin’ at YOU, kid”

God Bless Us, Every One………                  H   B    King