CAN HE? COULD HE? WOULD HE?

THE PROMISE AND THE FULFILLMENT

I love Gospel Music.  The songs are so down to earth and so joyously in love with God that they lift your heart and your spirit.  My favorite is one called Can He, Could He, Would He?  This is the first line:  

Can he save me, Could he love me, Would he take me, Did he really?

On Easter Sunday He saved us; He showed his love for us, He took us to his heart.  He really, really did. It’s difficult to find the words that express what Easter really means to us.  What it doesn’t mean is the Easter Bunny. Sorry. 

The life of Jesus has been called The Greatest Story Ever Told and it surely is that.

At the moment he set foot on the banks of the Jordan to be baptized, the drama began to unfold.

He wrestled with the temptation to use the power he had to fix everything in one felt swoop, but he couldn’t. That was not the plan.

 He chose his disciples the way Samuel chose David; he trusted that God would reveal them to him.  Just like we do when trying to make a big decision. 

The healing miracles took a lot out of him.  They required total, absolute trust in God, no hesitation and no fear.  He must have known disappointment when so many came for that and only that, caring nothing for his message. 

The anger and resentment of the official leaders of the people resulted in one confrontation after another, each one adding to the pile of so-called evidence against him.  He was fully aware of the dangers, but he persevered.

Flaunting all the rules that bound his people and gathering to himself those who had felt worthless, were the paving stones on the road to death.  Still, he kept on.

Finally he told people that unless they ate his body and drank his blood they could not have life. That was the last straw. 

Then at the Last Supper he explained what he meant when he raised the bread and wine.  That is our legacy. 

Then came the arrest, the beatings, the hypocrisy and betrayal of the crowd, which probably was the worst part.  His death was as if the sun itself was dying.  All the reason for hope was bleeding to death on a cross.  Those feelings are not unfamiliar to most of us.  That is what makes Easter Sunday what it is; the resurrection of Hope and Faith and unceasing Love.

This story is so powerful it overshadows everything else and for many it is frightening.  It seems to demand something from us, something we aren’t willing to give.  That is too much and so it has been diminished into the Easter Bunny and colored eggs.   But not for us.

As the second line of the song says:

Yes, He can, He could, He would and He did!

Happy Easter

Carol Lemelin OPA

YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND

YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND

In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet thanks God for alerting him to the plots against him.  He says he did not realize they were being hatched and calls himself a lamb to the slaughter.  Then he says, in effect, please let me be there when you punish them.

That’s actually funny. He wants God to take revenge on them for their intentions and he wants to be there to see it, which is proof of his humanity.  Despite the fact that God called him, he still doesn’t know to whom he’s talking.  God does things in his own time and in his own way, but the prophet, like the rest of us, didn’t think it hurt to give him a little direction.

The people of this earth are very much like a classroom of children.  The names change every year, the clothes change with the fads, the language changes the same way, but the behaviors are identical year after year. A teacher can count on the smart kids, the lazy kids, the kids from happy homes and the kids from dysfunctional homes.  All the issues are the same and end results for each can almost be predicted.  That pretty much describes the human race in every nation.  People simply do not change.

Lucky for us we have an impeachable ally in Jesus.  Jesus experienced it all. We concentrate on the highlights of his life, but without doubt, he experienced all the other things such as, irritation, humiliation and embarrassment. My mother-in-law was fond of saying, “It’s not the the crosses, it’s the splinters.”

Take the case of the group of people who, hearing Jesus, proclaimed he was the Messiah.  Other people immediately spoke up and said that he could not be the Messiah because he came from Galilee!  Imagine how Jesus felt.  Never mind what he said, let’s argue over where he came from.  The Pharisees ordered him arrested but the guards didn’t do it because they liked what he said.  Imagine how Jesus felt about that.  In a short span of time he was embarrassed, and then elated.  He didn’t defend himself and remind them he was born in Bethlehem because they wouldn’t listen anyway.  Yet, he must have felt joy that the guards actually listened. You know how he felt, you’ve been there.

Frustration, embarrassment and elation pretty much describe every person’s life at one time or another.  Now, though a Friend has replaced the mighty, thunder-voiced God depicted in the Old Testament.  Jesus, the man, whose incarnation was meant to show us how to be human, lives with us each day and his presence is our consolation in grief and the sharer of our joys. If only we could share that knowledge with others. 

Wait…we can.

Blessings on this Holy Week

Carol Lemelin

WAR AND PEACE

WAR AND PEACE

Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you learned and received and heard and saw in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.

(Phil. 4:8-9)

How can this advice stand up in this violent world?  St. Paul’s letter was sent to people who were isolated in their city. Philippi had a tumultuous history and at the time was part of Rome.  These people were Jews to begin with, which separated them from the Macedonians and in addition were members of a new group who followed the crucified Christ, which separated them from the other Jews. Paul is telling his people, who were deeply faithful both to Christ and to Paul, that they should keep their eyes on those things that reflect their faith. The things that drew them to Jesus in the first place, things like honor and justice. He does not tell them to go out into the streets and preach. Ever practical, Paul’s appeal encouraged them to live their Christian lives together, to remember him and his teaching and to preach by example.  

We all crave peace, but all my life there has been one kind of enemy or another at the door.  It began with WWII and has continued through terrorists both foreign and domestic. If you feel discouraged at not being able to change things, follow St. Paul’s advice and concentrate on those things that bring happiness and peace in your own life. The world is never going to be a peaceful place, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be at peace or that we can’t encourage peace in our circle. 

Often you will hear these days described as ‘difficult times’.  The times are always difficult!  One of the most important things I have learned is that God knows the times you live in.  God knows what you have to deal with.

 In his book, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat,

 John Ortberg says,

God himself offers to partner you in your life. He offers to guide you when you need wisdom, encourage you when you falter, pick you up when you sink, and forgive you when you stray.

There it is in a nutshell.  Everything Jesus ever said and did is reflected in those words. Don’t let the times overtake your life.  As I said a few weeks ago, pessimism has no place in the hearts of those who follow Jesus.  Listen to Paul. His message to the Philippians was for us as well. 

Peace,

Carol Lemelin OPA

ADVISOR TO GOD

“LET ME GIVE YOU SOME ADVICE”

Many People want to serve the Lord, but only in an advisory capacity.

(Seen on a sign outside a church)

Of all the attributes we believe God has, one that is most necessary is a sense of humor. We know he has one. Look at the duck-billed platypus.  Luckily, his love is so boundless, he puts up with those who wish to advise him on the outcome of their petitions and those who are 911 prayers - only pray in emergencies.

I knew a man once who told me that during WWII he prayed with abandon while shells burst over his head and bullets hit the ground around him.  Then, when there was a lull and he was allowed to go into the nearby town, he behaved with another kind of abandon until he returned to the trenches.  He said that one night while he was calling on God, he was suddenly fully aware of his hypocrisy.  He said that from that moment on he put his trust in God and pledged to live his life as God would want.  He had made it through, and in appearance was just like everyone else, but inside there beat the heart of a true believer.  He told me that he probably wouldn’t be completely satisfied until he could see God and apologize in person. 

If only more people would allow themselves to recognize the fact that God is always there, always aware of what we need.  Jesus told us that God knows what we need before we ask, but we don’t pray that way.  We truly do think of ourselves as advisors to God.  It’s a bit like when we are sure that we know how the coach or manager should have handled his team When we pray, we usually have a pretty good idea how we want to be answered.  Jesus also told us that God’s ways are not our ways and God’s time is not our time, but we turn a deaf ear.  A lady told me she said her rosary three times a day.  When I asked why on earth so often, she said it was because she wanted to keep God’s attention.  Oh my. 

Happily we cannot influence God by such foolishness.  Even in scripture, humans appear to be trying to define God in their own terms. But God is as immense as all the universes combined and as close as your next heartbeat, and he cannot be defined in human terms. We must not draw God into our pettiness.  He won’t fit.  Besides that, we do ourselves a disservice since we have the ultimate friend in God and we don’t know it.  

Lent is a really good time to spend getting to know God better.  If you feel guilty for not giving up chocolate, remember that God said, “I don’t want your sacrifices. I want you to love one another.”  Read the daily scriptures and think about them. Look up things you don’t understand.  Remember Google?  Google has no prejudices; it will look up whatever you want.  We do more research hiring a contractor or baby sitter than we do in getting to know our Creator.  The beauty of God is that there is no downside to knowing Him better.  The deeper you dig into the words of God and of Jesus, the happier and more comfortable you will be. 

Blessings,

Carol Lemelin OPA