I remember being rather enamored with the last one. Granted, we Lutherans do some ministry and church things well, but with all the flack we have given to our Roman Catholic siblings in Christ the last half millennia, they do their fair share rather well, too. Of course, there’s their charitable organizations helping those in impoverished circumstances and many people who have been given up on by nearly everyone else, and they do some what we call “high church” worship experience fairly impressively with their beautifully crafted cathedrals and chanting and incense among other things (not everyone’s cup of Sunday morning tea, I understand). But the conclave, where the highest of higher ups in the Roman Catholic Church throughout the world gather in the Sistine Chapel to determine their leader…that’s a whole ‘nother level of organized religion interest that I’m not so sure anything else can quite touch.
The readings for this Wednesday in Holy Week include a beloved passage for many children of God: Hebrews 12:1-3.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
3Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.
There’s something rather calming about after all the children finally cave in for bed time, and the toys and books can be put away in a somewhat organized fashion, or the cups can be neatly stacked before the youngest one knocks them down the next morning; and, at least for a couple rooms in the house, some sense of order and perhaps even some peace and tranquility is restored. There’s something almost triumphant about it: that no matter how chaotic the day had been, somehow peace, in the end, can still reign.
In the next couple weeks, a fair share of chaos will ensue, and not just for the clergy. There will be some immense expectations placed on children of God, which are more so from our own doing as opposed to anything desired from the Divine. For some, it might even feel as if the fate of the cross and the tomb rests on their not-Jesus shoulders. But rest assured, it has been more than taken care of for all eternity, including our relatively small portion of it.
Every once in a while, as I turn on my laptop ready to open up emails or whatever else needs taken care of technology-wise, the digital world instantly stops me in my task-oriented track with some of the random images they upload to my initial screen. Just a not-so-subtle reminder of the breathtaking beauty still alive and well in this world that we sometimes wonder if it’s descending into a not-so-pleasant abyss. This time, it was the Twelve Apostles Mountain Range in South Africa, overlooking one of the most scenic coastlines in the world.
