A Bigger Deal Than Easter Itself...

The Weekend is upon us…

The Good Friday-Silent Saturday-Easter Sunday Weekend.

And its quite a big deal.
The Easter Story…

The Resurrection-of-Jesus story 

…does not begin with triumph, or hope, or shouts of joy. 

Instead, it begins with
…
fear, and disbelief, and silence.

A lot of silence.
The story…according to Mark’s Gospel…

the first book written about the life of Jesus…goes like this:
“…Early Sunday morning, a small group of women arrive at the tomb of Jesus,
to find it empty,
and to find a man dressed in white 
bearing a cryptic message that Jesus had been raised.
…
Their response isn't to raise their hands and weep with joy.

Nor is their response to cry out, 'Alleluia, Christ is risen indeed!' 

…Rather, they run as fast as they can, and don't dare breathe a word 
of what they’ve
seen or heard…so terrified are they.”

In the oldest version of the Gospel of Mark, the story ends there

…disarming in its abruptness, troubling in its lack of closure.

Even when later writers fill out the story with embellishments, 

the first responses are almost always Fear and Disbelief.
I like The Gospel of Mark’s Easter story…  

It refuses to tie up loose ends, and leaves the idea of resurrection

filled with conflicting emotions, and multiple possibilities.
It wonderfully absorbs both joy and fear… 

both triumph and disbelief. 

And it holds in tension all our contradictory raw emotions, 

and molds them into A Profound Existential Mystery.
A Mystery that invites the expectation 
that we might just run into this Alive-Again-Jesus… 
anywhere…any time!
A Mystery that invites the possibility that Jesus’ story

can be our story, too.
And that invitation is a bigger deal than Easter itself.

At least it can be that.

Every one of us has been where the Weekend begins.

We’ve been in that Friday Nowhere Place 
that feels like somewhere between
Life and Death…

Heaven and Hell. 


Everyone of us has been in that Scary Place

where what is left of life feels fragile
 and very, very temporary.

Where everything that is
 is overwhelming…

and hectic, and hellish, and out of control.

Where if life did have anything more to heap on us

we could not imagine what that more would be.
Everyone one of us has been in that place that is
 sucking the heart and soul right out of us.

Where who we are is folding back in on itself.


Everyone one of us knows exactly what the Friday
 of this Weekend feels like.

And equally, everyone of us knows what the Saturday 
of this Weekend feels like.
Silence.

It feels like silence.

Deafening, entombing silence.

And darkness.

And aloneness.

Abandonment even.

We are completely untouchable by any living being.

Friday.

Saturday.

And then…Sunday.

What makes this Profound…Existential…and Mysterious
 Weekend
a bigger deal than Easter itself
 is that everyone of us has…or yet hopes to have…

a Sunday that follows Friday and Saturday.

A Sunday when we realize…by experience…

That Love is stronger and longer than Death…

That Light will overcome the Darkness…any time and any place…

That Peace can come in spite of Circumstances…

That nothing but self can ever control the Human Spirit…

That Compassion will outlive Cruelty…

That Justice will ultimately prevail…

That the best of life is never ultimately lost…

That death will not have the last word…

That we are never ultimately forgotten, alone, despised, or worthless...

That any stone can be rolled away...
That there is always something bright and believable 

maybe even miraculous and possible for us in this life.

And when That Weekend of Life takes place for us…

I submit to you that it is a

Bigger Deal Than Easter Itself.

Because when That Weekend of Life takes place for us…

It won’t matter if we are religious or not…

It won’t matter if we subscribe to a literal or figurative resurrection…

Not much of anything like that will matter…

Because for us The Whole Event Will Be Real.


Old Age...

I am older now than I have ever been before!

So are you.

I am now...and have been for several years...the oldest living male in my family in three generations. (It could be even more generations, but since I don't do that genealogy thing, I am not certain about that fact.)

And so...when does "Old Age" begin?
And what are the symptoms of this malady?
And what comes next?

I found this:
Responses to the question, “When does old age begin?” vary by sex as well as age, with women taking the more generous view. On average, women say old age begins at age 70, according to the Pew study. Men, on average, say that old age begins at 66.

One definition of "Old Age" is that it is "the later part of normal life."

I discounted that one because by my own account...and that of others...I have not lived a normal life.

This doesn't help much either: You know you are old when you still got it, but don’t know what to do with it.

I never did have it.

When I was born:
The average new house in America sold for $4,600.
The average annual wage paid in this country was $2,400.
A portable typewriter sold for $68.37.

When I started high school:
That new house was going for $12,400.
Wages were at $5,010.
A gallon of gas sold for 25 cents.
A movie ticket cost $1.00.
A Kodak movie camera set you back $67.50.

When I moved from Indiana to California:
That house cost $13,050.
Wages came in at $6,000.
A first-class postage stamp was 5 cents.

When I moved from Los Angeles to Indianapolis:
The house was up to $14,950.
Wages had risen to $7,850.
The average new car sold here cost $2,822.
The Dow closed the year at 943.

When I began serving my first church as pastor:
That house was selling for $34,900.
Average annual wages were at $13,900.
A gallon of gas went for 55 cents.
A Samsonite business case sold for $62.00.
The inflation rate was 11.3%.

When my youngest child was born:
That house was now up to $129,300.
And wages were up to $38,100.
The average price of a new car was $17,200.
A pound of bacon was $2.53.

And when I retired:
That house...$188,900.
Those wages...$44,600.
Four years of college, on average, set you back $160,000.
A grande size latte at Starbucks cost $4.00.
A PC went for $650, and a MacBook went for $1,300.

Obviously, living to Old Age means living through incredible financial changes.

When does Old Age begin? And what are the symptoms?
For me, Old Age probably set in sometime in my late sixties.

My mental capacities weren't so much impaired as they were slowed down.
I began to have some difficulties recalling names, places, things.
Nouns...I had trouble recalling nouns. I could start a sentence with the noun in mind, but when I got to the noun, it was often gone...just gone.

Physical stuff that had been questionable for a few years, got real.
Sports that I used to enjoy participating in...softball, racquetball, basketball, distance running...weren't really fun anymore, They were more like work. And I'm certain my body no longer moved or responded in ways that it used to.
I ran my last half-marathon in 2012.
Wait, that's not true.
I ran my last half-marathon in 2011. In 2012 I finished...by jogging and walking and something akin to actual running...my last half-marathon.
Golf is still an option. And like all old golfers, I hope to shoot my age someday.
(That being the case, I have several more years to go...more than several, actually)

The hip replacement took place in 2016.

I used to think of myself as younger than I actually was.
It was a mental mirage, of course, but I thought it was mostly accurate.
Compared to many others my age, I imagined I acted younger.
Those others might have thought just the reverse.

I had said and done all I thought I could say and do in my 41-year profession.
I found that I was pretty much preaching just one or two or three sermons over and over again:
The Kingdom Is Within, Grace Trumps Everything, Times Change.
My work colleagues were gracious in allowing me to hang around at what was certainly a somewhat reduced capacity.
My long-term friends kept assuring me retirement was a good thing...and not to be feared, financially or otherwise.
When it was over, people were very kind and appreciative.
When it was over, though, it was time to go.
And I have.
Old Age will do that to ya.

What comes next? After Old Age, what is there?
Even Older Age comes next, I would think. Like I said at the beginning, I am older now than I have ever been before.
And that will be true every day hereafter...until there are no more days hereafter.
That's a "tautology."
In the discipline I studies in college...Philosophy...Logic being within that discipline...a tautology is a truth anyway you look at it.
In the profession I undertook, truth was a big deal.
And where Logic and Religion cross paths, you find this sign-post: The Truth will set you free...but first it will piss you off!
(That is also a tautology and big deal.)

I made quite a point in my final six years of sermonizing, saying (to quote Peter Putnam's poem, Detroit Jesus) that The Time on the Clock of the World is Now.

What comes next is Now, I think. And it comes until there is no more Now.

And while the transition from Old Age to The-Time-When-There-Is-No-More-Now takes place, one can enjoy each day as it comes.

Which is pretty much a good rule of thumb at any age.

More Things...13 Actually

In July of 2014, after having announced my plan to retire the coming June, and after having been asked by a small group of folks in the church I was serving to offer any "wisdom" I had gleaned over 41 years of ministry, I offered a blog-post listing the "18 Things I Learned in 41 Years."

I admitted then and I admit now, that there are hundreds (maybe thousands...maybe more) of lists available from all sorts of people and sources...lists of "Learnings" that point to ways one might live a good life, be a better person, feel more comfortable in one's own skin, achieve inner piece, etc. There may be little or nothing in either of my lists that is new or unique. My lists are just two new ways of packaging what is probably common knowledge, and hopefully good thinking.

These 13 More Things have come to my attention since retiring from gainful employment just over eighteen months ago. Since posting that first list of 18 Things, I have played more golf than I would have otherwise, I have had hip replacement surgery, my daughter has completed high school and moved out on her own, my wife and I have traveled more than we had in previous years, and we have been attending a Friends Meeting instead of a United Methodist Church. All of these changes probably did something to make me aware of these 13 More Things. Getting older (I am now 72) has contributed, too, no doubt.

First, here are the 18 Original Things...
1. You don't need to know every detail to succeed.
2. Don't live in the future.
3. Don't set unrealistic expectations.
4. There is more than one way to do just about anything.
5. Stop all-or-nothing thinking.
6. Its OK to be a lone wolf.
7. People change.
8. People never change. (I know 7 and 8 seem contradictory...but not really.)
9. Don't settle.
10. Never forget who you are.
11. People are capable of both great humility and great arrogance.
12. People can be incredible liars.
13. The universe is a tough place.
14. You will be betrayed.
15. Just about everything is political.
16. You can change the things you can change...but you may have to work at it, and it may not happen over-night.
17. Despite how we refer to the One God who has created all that is, it is that One God who loves us, is present with us, and redeems us.
18. For many of us the clearest revelation of God is the person of Jesus of Nazareth, but he is not the only revelation of God.

 

And now here are More Things...13 Actually...

1. To do something, you’ve got to start at the beginning.

   To build something you’ve got to start from the bottom up.
2. Being afraid serves an important purpose. 

   Being brave serves a more important purpose.

   There are lessons to be learned from both fear and bravery.
3. The big picture is nothing other than many smaller pictures brought together.

   Be sure to notice the smaller pictures.
4. If something makes you uncomfortable, try looking at it differently.
   If it still makes you uncomfortable, leave it alone.
5. The truth will sound the same no matter how you speak it.
6. If it doesn’t look like love, no amount of words can make it otherwise.
7. If you find yourself hemmed-in, boxed-in, or trapped, do whatever it takes to break free.
8. If someone demands your silence, leave.
9. To be on the mend first requires the admission that you are broken.
10. Listen to your inner voice.
    Learn from what hurts you.
    Learn from what heals you.
11. Read good books. Often.
12. Its only “Good Advice” if it points to the truth.
13. Learn to listen to and understand the Language of Silence.

The Most Important Time...

When is the most important time?, you ask.

Glad you asked.

The most important time is...NOW!

Whatever has happened to you in your past has no power over this present moment, because life is now.  -Oprah Winfrey


The most important time is NOW.
All the words you know you should, but have not yet spoken
…
you can speak NOW.
All the actions you know you should, but have not yet take
n…
you can take NOW.
All the feelings you will not let yourself feel
…
you can feel NOW.
All the requests you are aching to, but have not yet made
…
you can make NOW.
All the doubts you suffer with, but will not give voice to
…
you can give voice to NOW.
All the pain you live with, but have not confronted...
you can confront NOW.
All the fears that haunt you that must be stared down…
can be stared down NOW.
All the desires you feel so deeply, but have not taken ownership of
…
can be owned up to NOW.
All the risks you know are necessary, but have refused to take
…
can be taken NOW.
All the dreams you dream, but will not embrace
…
can be embraced NOW.
All the joy you won’t allow yourself to reveal...
can be revealed NOW.
and
…
All the possibilities you refuse to create...
can be created NOW.

Begin to be now what you will be hereafter.  -William James

The most important time is NOW.
Right NOW, you can transform your way of seeing…
Right NOW, you can stop using judgments to close your heart…
Right NOW, you can treat people more kindly…
Right NOW, you can stop fearing those who are different from you… 
Right NOW, you can come out from behind the walls of your own group…
Right NOW, you can respect the rules, but go beyond them…
Right NOW, you can stop wasting your time…

Right NOW, you can watch your step...
Right NOW, you can use your head... 

Right NOW, you can make the most of every chance you get...
Right NOW, you can stop worrying about what you will become, and concentrate on who you will become...
And...
Right NOW, you can mount the resistance needed in these days.

You can do all this...because
The Most Important Time Is NOW!

Dark Days...

The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.

That very familiar phrase is found in the Good Book...the Bible. Specifically, it comes from from the New Testament book known as The Gospel of John, chapter one, verse five.

There are other ways of interpreting/translating the ancient passage. The one I like best is found in the New American Standard Bible...it reads:
The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

When the Light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not comprehend it,
there is always the chance that...

Leadership could give way to Bombast...
Oratory could be replaced by Tweet-Storms...
Diversity could be pushed aside in favor of Division...
Opportunities could be replaced by Obstacles.

When the Light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not comprehend it,
there is always the chance that...

Bullying could take the place of Compassion...
Threat could over-power Relationship...
Half-Truths and Lies could throw Honesty under the bus...
Adversities could take the place of Advantages.

When the Light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not comprehend it,
there is always the chance that...

Integrity could be in short supply...
Transformation could give way to Requirements...
Justice could be pushed aside in favor Reward and Privilege...
Exclude could replace Include.

When the Light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not comprehend it,
there is always the chance that...

People may value Complaint over Gratitude...
Disharmony over Peace...
Despair over Hope...
Judgment over Reconciliation...
And Grace, Humility, and Hope may become obvious
by their absence.

This all could be true...because even though the Light shines in the Darkness,
the Darkness does not comprehend it.

The Eternal Hope is, of course, that the Darkness will never...ever...altogether
overcome the Light.

There are times when that kind of Hope is needed more than at others.

This is such a time, me thinks.

The Countdown...Hello 2017...Being Grateful...

 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-
"The Countdown" is on as I write this. 
The Countdown to the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017.

My wife and I will be in Orlando as the New Year is ushered in and the old year is kicked to the curb. I am Grateful that we are able to make the trip.

As with any "out-with-the-old-year-and-in-with-the-new," there will be fond memories of what has been...
and hopes for what will be.
There will be regrets and sorrows we leave behind...
and resolutions we make to help insure the next year will be better than the one just past.

I would like to say that 2016 was just OK, so far as years go. A mix of good and bad...sweet and bitter...birth and death...building up and tearing down.
I do lament the outcome of the Presidential election in our country...
but we will get by...
we will survive...
life will go on...
lessons will be learned.

But, truth be told, 2016 was messy...sometimes real messy. And...

Truth be told, Life IS messy…every one of us knows that…
First-hand…up close and personal.

The messiness
Is wild and sneaky

It lives in our bones

And makes a home in the very fabric of our being.

It doesn't care that we wish it would pack its bags
And get the hell out of town.
Truth be told...
The longer we live

The messier life gets.

And while I have no way of knowing what my mood or yours will be as the ball drops in Times Square on Saturday night...
I would like to suggest a few thoughts on the subject of Being Grateful as we say Hello to 2017.
Here's hoping 2017 will be a little less messy.

Being Grateful because all who will read this blog-post have received much in this life.

Being Grateful because it moves us away from being hateful.

Being Grateful because, when we think about it, its our moral duty.

Being Grateful because it truly is a learned behavior...and why not start January 1st.

Being Grateful because it has the possibility of turning things around...for the better.

Being Grateful because it really is so easy. A simple act. A kind word. A smile. Being there.

Being Grateful because it has the power to rekindle the inner spirit.

Being Grateful because there are people who love you.

Being Grateful because Karma/Fate/God will bring it back around to you.

Being Grateful for just being alive...for some measure of health...for whatever privileges you enjoy.

Being Grateful for where hard work...and luck...and time...and relationships...have gotten you.

Being Grateful because it will warm your heart...and probably your soul, too.

Being Grateful because its a way to intentionally reflect...to be still...to look back on and learn from the positive.

Being Grateful because it is...it most certainly is...a way to pray.

Being Grateful because 2016 (or any previous year) was gifted...not guaranteed.

Being Grateful because it will turn what you have into enough...maybe even more than enough.

Being Grateful because it almost always makes you graceful, as well.

Being Grateful because the effects of it...and the echoes of it...will go on and on and on.

Being Grateful for Here...for Now...and for What Will Be.

Maybe Now...12 Days Before Christmas

The Twelve Days of Christmas...too many of us are not clear on just when those 12 Days take place.
The 12 Days begin on Christmas Day and run thru January 5th...with the next day, January 6th, being Epiphany...AKA Three Kings Day.
Those Twelve Days of Christmas are not the subject of this blog-post.

This blog-post is written and posted on December 13...12 Days Before Christmas 2016.

I wonder...
I wonder if maybe now...
Maybe now that we are through most
 of the tree-trimming and the decorating

and can manage a little time
 with the ones we love…

Maybe now in the midst of our scaled-back going and doing,

in what remains of our almost completed shopping and spending,

we will remember the Hope, and the Joy, 
and the Light-of-the-World, 
because…

In 12 days it will be Christmas…

But today we are very close to it.

Too often, in the midst of 
our sorrows and tragedies,
we miss the echoes of grace and peace…

Yet, maybe now...
in the embrace of our children, 
in the comfort of family and friends,

we can be tempted to be hopeful once more… 

hopeful that maybe just a little
 of our world and ourselves might be 
changed for the better, 
because…

In 12 days it will be Christmas…

But today we are very close to it.

In this oft-times difficult world
 as we allow ourselves to anticipate  
the Advent of Peace, once more…

as we remember that there is indeed
 much about which to be joyful…

Maybe now we could carry that joy with us 
for just a short while, 
because…

In 12 days it will be Christmas…

But today we are very close to it.

So I wonder if Maybe Now...