Post date: Mar 25, 2014 9:04:26 PM
From the pastor...
As we go to press in the middle of Lent, we are focused on Jesus’ journey to the cross. I am impressed with Bethel’s Wednesday evening suppers and gathering in worship/reflection. What a great turnout!
At the same time, I am looking ahead to Holy Week and Easter Day, and it makes me think of the word “mighty”. It brings back a memory. Back in the day, the early days of how-to television shows, there was an artist who demonstrated the painting of landscape scenes. Speaking with a wonderful European accent, wearing a beret, every scene he created was MIGHTY. He painted on a mighty canvas, with mighty brushes and mighty implements, using a mighty palette of mighty paints mixed with mighty pigments applied with mighty, mighty strokes, causing mighty icy peaks to appear in the mighty blue sky, while mighty evergreen forests would suddenly form on the mountain side as he applied the mighty green and brown pigments, and then added a lovely meadow at the base of the mountain with mighty little flowers. All was uniformly mighty. What an odd thing to remember.
Here are my questions: What does this have to do with Jesus? What is so mighty about a last meal with his disciples, a trip to a garden to pray, being arrested, tortured and killed on a cross? All of these events, even crucifixion, were not so unusual or mighty. BUT – when they are followed by Jesus’ resurrection? Now THAT is MIGHTY. That this all happened for all of us? That not only eternal life, but life with our Lord Jesus NOW, is ours because of these events? That’s mighty.
And so I invite you to worship on Palm and Passion Sunday with hosannas and the passion story; Maundy Thursday with the Last Supper, our Lord’s Supper; Good Friday with the story of the crucifixion, and Easter Day, Resurrection Sunday, the very heart of the matter. Details are in this Betheletter.
Pastor Alan