The Way of the Cross

We prepare for Holy Week by celebrating Jesus' triumphant ride

into Jerusalem.  This is just another paradox in the Christian

 liturgical year which reflects the continual rise and fall of

 the cruciform life.

And what is this cruciform life?  Simply described as a life 

lived in the shape of the Cross of Christ, it is not so simply

 lived.  The Cross itself is rooted in the earth, even as it 

points to heaven.  The arms of the Cross are stretched out to 

receive the precious arms of Jesus, even as they reach right 

around the world in a redeeming embrace.

To live a Cross-shaped life means that I acknowledge my temporal

 home of earth, because this is the land upon which I now walk 

with Christ.  But I do not forget my true citizenship, as Paul 

describes it, which is heaven.

I follow the Cross and open to the broken world, which may also 

break me. But I stretch out my arms, in imitation of Jesus, so 

that whether I am hurt or not, I stand in a posture of love.

And I look for the Day of His coming.  Holy Week brings me 

through all of the ways Jesus walked the Way of the Cross. 

Celebration, Eucharist, suffering, abandonment and death.

Let me not rush too quickly to Easter.  There is much to be

 learned about the love of Christ on the Way to and 

upon the Cross.

In the Wilderness

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

Whenever we find ourselves in the wilderness, we can be confident in God’s presence as well as God’s desire for our well-being.  This week we welcome the Rev. Martha Macgill as our guest writer.  She will also be leading our Quiet Day on March 17^th.  Her reflections bring up some questions worthy of consideration.  Please feel free to respond here.

We live in so many spiritual places.  We live in the wilderness.  We can also live in the temple.  Sometimes we find ourselves in the garden by the empty tomb.  As we approach the Quiet Day this Saturday, I wonder in what spiritual place we find ourselves this Lent.  Is the wilderness a place of angels, wild beasts or both?  Is the wilderness a place of rest?  Perhaps we have been cleansing a temple or two this Lent?  Is that a place of judgment or compassionate action?  And finally, some of us may just be at the empty tomb, wondering what comes next.  God is in all these places.  Our challenge is to remember and look for God. -Martha

Holy Ground

God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’

Exodus 3

In the tradition of the Old Testament and moving into the New Testament, the wilderness or desert is always holy ground.  Moses takes off his shoes as a way to concretize his awareness of that holiness.

Every wilderness can be holy if we will invite God into it with us, or if we, like Moses, will turn and see that God is already tending the fire of our salvation.

Some wilderness experiences are dark and we cannot, at first, find even a flicker of that light promised by the burning bush.  Often these are experiences into which we are driven, such as grief and despair.  And yet, we have the example of Jesus-driven into the wilderness and waiting upon God.  Jesus’ responses to the tempter can inspire us to call out for Jesus’ wisdom, even if the only word we can utter is help.

Other wilderness experiences are chosen by us.  The church invites us into the wilderness of Lent, and we can accept that invitation in order to deepen our experience of holiness.  Sometimes we may go away for a while, as Jesus did, to pray and commune with God.

Whatever the circumstance of our wilderness experience we can be confident that God will meet us there.  Bidden or unbidden God will be with us.  The holy ground upon which we stand in the wilderness has been sanctified by God’s presence.

All Moses needed to do was turn. 

Turn aside and see the blazing glory of the Lord.

Blessings,

Debra

It is not too late to join us March 10^th and 17^th to explore wilderness spirituality.  Go to Quiet Day