Good Friday Thoughts

Good Friday is counter-cultural. It has the name "Good" but it is the darkest day of history, the day our Savior died.

I did not grow up following the liturgical calendar (which isn't such a bad upbringing), and there isn't much of the liturgical calendar that I still follow. But I do feel like Lent and especially Ash Wednesday and Good Friday have an important, even essential, part in yearly life.

These are times when we consider our own sin and our culpability in the death of Jesus Christ. It was *my* sins that nailed Him to the cross.

Whether or not you recognize "Lent" - it is a good thing to sacrifice, to fast. Not just a "well, this is when we fast" kind of fast, but a real, heartfelt, give something up for Jesus - kind of fast.

We don't do that much. We mostly indulge our senses to the full extent that we can afford. In fact, as I type this, I am listening to one of the over 12,000 "songs" (do you call spoken word a "song"?) on my iPod.

We blow quickly from one sense to another, from one experience to another, from one non-experience to another (as I would categorize most of our sedentary tv-watching). We don't wait. We don't analyze. We don't look beneath the surface in our own lives.

Lent flies in the face of that culture. It tells us to slow down. To deny ourselves. To follow Jesus.

To die to self.

If we do not do these things, we can never really celebrate in resurrection. We will merely *remember* it or think about it, but we won't experience it.

And we are supposed to experience it in the here and now, not just in Heaven.

A Conversation with Jesus

On Wednesday I took the day as a retreat day, just me and Jesus. In seminary, I found that a good way to do that was to go off into the woods alone with my Bible, my journal, and a pen. I made my way to Alley Park, just south of Lancaster, for some time alone with God.

As I was walking up a hill (as an aside, when there is a trail called "Vulture's Roost" I will always take it), I imagined what it would be like if Jesus was walking along with me (in the flesh). Of course, in my imagination, he was wearing sandals and a robe.

Pretty silly, eh?

Anyway, I wondered, "What would Jesus say right now if He were walking with me?"

The answer was clear. "Slow down!"

Now, this was a silly answer, and it made me laugh. It made me laugh because I could just imagine Him hiking up that white robe (that he wore for His senior picture, you know, the one with the blue sash) and hurrying up the hill with me. I laughed it off, especially because I was on my way up the Vulture's Roost trail, which while not vertical, was sort of a strenuous hike, and I wasn't going very fast at all.

"Slow down! Wait up!"

So I did what any rational person would do in this situation: I made a deal with The LORD. Yeah, that always works out well. How's about this, Jesus? You're the Creator (yeah, with God). So if you really want me to slow down, how's about making me a rock to sit on?

I laughed about the (oh so clever) response I'd come up with... until, about 10 steps on, I found a rock dead in the middle of the path. Not only was this rock flush with the ground, but it was wet. Very wet. With water puddled on it.

"Well, all you asked for was a rock. That, my friend, is a rock!" was his response (between laughs).

So, as clever as I am, I (after a good laugh), told Jesus, "If you can make a flat rock like that for me, you can certainly make a good one for me to sit on. What I'm looking for is something a little taller, and, while you're at it, find some sandstone to make a dry one. And it might as well be out of the wind."

"I mean, after all, you're the LORD."

I got a laugh at my cleverness... until I came around a bend and saw this:

Yes, that is the very rock. And I sat on it and hung out with Jesus for the next hour or so. It was dry. It was big enough to be extremely comfortable to sit on. It was out of the wind. A perfect rock.

What did I take from my conversation with Jesus?

I need to remember to slow down. No matter what else is going on, I have to take the time to sit on a rock that Jesus provides for me. Not slowing down reinforces the lie that I am indispensible. I'm not.

But it also reminded me to be specific in my prayers. If I want a big, dry rock out of the wind, then don't just ask for 'a rock' but tell Him what I really want (He knows anyway).

Do You Know What I Love?

I love talking to people who are working in some area of ministry who say, "This job is like paradise!" I was talking to someone today who was sorting food for our emergency food bank, and that's exactly what she said.

I love it!

And guess what... I am working the best possible job ever. I get paid to share Jesus Christ with people and to empower them to share Him with others! It's mind-blowing to even imagine how lucky I am to get to do this.

I'm just livin' the dream.

Evangelism

There's something about sharing the Gospel that can be scary. I understand that. But please don't give the "I don't know what to say" excuse.

Why not?

This weekend, as we traveled up to see part of my family, Jonathan (age 4) told us that he "wanted to tell Grandma Skelly about Jesus."

So when we got there, he went to her and told her the following:

I want to tell you about Jesus. The bad people put him up on a cross. And they put nails in his feet and in his hands to keep him there. And he died. But then he came back alive!

I asked him where Jesus is now.

He responded: He lives in heaven, but he is in my heart.

A four year old gave a clear Gospel presentation. I think you can, too.