Journey to the Cross
Good stuff I want to share from Andy Watts & Amy Dodson-Watts at Journey to the Cross:
Barbara Brown Taylor was invited to speak at a church when her host greeted her with the question, "Tell us what is saving your life now." Taylor, an Episcopal priest, was struck by this question because, as she writes, "most of us know what is killing us." It’s easy to identify the things that suck the life out of us, like worry, deadlines, finances, and even possessions.
But identifying what saves us is a bit more difficult. It’s easy to give a Sunday School answer: "God, of course." But how do we answer the question, "What is saving your life?" How do we identify what feeds our souls; what fills our bodies, like the smell of the fresh ocean breeze? God? Then how? In what ways? Through what people? God? How do we participate in God’s movement in our lives?
When Jesus called, Lazarus still had to walk out of that tomb, from death to life. (John 11:40-44)
We emerge from the wilderness having persevered because God is with us. This Holy Week we are reminded that Jesus is the pioneer and perfector of our friendship with God, enduring the cross for love.
Watch now for how faith will emerge anew in your soul.
John 12:12-16: Oh, the wonders of a festival! Music, food, crowds, merriment – the smells, sounds, sights and experiences brings excitement to mundane daily routines. But this isn’t just any festival – it’s the Passover celebration, and we find Jesus in the midst of the crowd. He has returned to Jerusalem after being in the wilderness only a short while ago. He’s entered the Holy City. Peoples’ cloaks have been thrown on the ground, palm branches are being waved and cries of hosanna – “save, now” – surround him.
Palm Sunday’s excitement can be intoxicating as we immerse ourselves in the merriment of the festival. But the week is long. At times our voices may be silenced. Yet our hearts, as well as the stones, must still cry out.
In Between Parades, Ann Weems writes, “It's between parades that we don't do so well. From Sunday to Sunday we forget our hosannas. Between parades the stones will have to shout because we don't.”
“Not to advance in the spiritual life is to go back, but those who have the gale of the Holy Spirit go forward even in sleep.” ~Brother Lawrence
May we go now, open to the Holy Spirit’s gale blowing through our lives.
Barbara Brown Taylor was invited to speak at a church when her host greeted her with the question, "Tell us what is saving your life now." Taylor, an Episcopal priest, was struck by this question because, as she writes, "most of us know what is killing us." It’s easy to identify the things that suck the life out of us, like worry, deadlines, finances, and even possessions.
But identifying what saves us is a bit more difficult. It’s easy to give a Sunday School answer: "God, of course." But how do we answer the question, "What is saving your life?" How do we identify what feeds our souls; what fills our bodies, like the smell of the fresh ocean breeze? God? Then how? In what ways? Through what people? God? How do we participate in God’s movement in our lives?
When Jesus called, Lazarus still had to walk out of that tomb, from death to life. (John 11:40-44)
We emerge from the wilderness having persevered because God is with us. This Holy Week we are reminded that Jesus is the pioneer and perfector of our friendship with God, enduring the cross for love.
Watch now for how faith will emerge anew in your soul.
John 12:12-16: Oh, the wonders of a festival! Music, food, crowds, merriment – the smells, sounds, sights and experiences brings excitement to mundane daily routines. But this isn’t just any festival – it’s the Passover celebration, and we find Jesus in the midst of the crowd. He has returned to Jerusalem after being in the wilderness only a short while ago. He’s entered the Holy City. Peoples’ cloaks have been thrown on the ground, palm branches are being waved and cries of hosanna – “save, now” – surround him.
Palm Sunday’s excitement can be intoxicating as we immerse ourselves in the merriment of the festival. But the week is long. At times our voices may be silenced. Yet our hearts, as well as the stones, must still cry out.
In Between Parades, Ann Weems writes, “It's between parades that we don't do so well. From Sunday to Sunday we forget our hosannas. Between parades the stones will have to shout because we don't.”
“Not to advance in the spiritual life is to go back, but those who have the gale of the Holy Spirit go forward even in sleep.” ~Brother Lawrence
May we go now, open to the Holy Spirit’s gale blowing through our lives.
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