Religion

This is and has been Holy Week for many Christians, although some denominations keep Easter by a different calculation of dates. Holy Week, whenever it is observed, is the time before Easter Sunday. It contains Palm Sunday, that double service, the first a celebration of Jesus Christ’s entry to Jerusalem on a donkey, being celebrated as a king. The second part of the service is a reading of the Passion of Christ from one of the Gospels, as Christ is betrayed, arrested, beaten, ridiculed, crucified and dies. The Resurrection of Christ is not mentioned, except in passing. Palm Sunday is a big swing from the hosannas to God to the last breath of Jesus.

Whereas, a bad decision can have a lifetime of consequences, a good decision can set you up for life’s successes. Therefore, it is important to count the cost in any situation, with the hope of some level of predictability.

An intern, Brooke, from Mount Vernon Nazarene University College of Social Work needed to include a cross-cultural experience in her placement with us. Just about the time she inquired with me, I got an annual invite to the Noor Islamic Cultural Center for a Ramadan “breaking of the fast” iftar meal.

The weather is getting warmer, and flowers are popping up in yards everywhere. What’s that saying? February showers make March flowers. It’s enough to make anyone feel better. You don’t even need to go outside. Just open the window, and let the fresh air in, and count your blessings.

When Lent and Easter follow so closely behind the Advent and Christmas seasons, I must admit, I find myself a little “holiday confused.” I walk into my local TJ Maxx (all-time favorite store!) only to find leftover Christmas clearance, Valentine’s cards, Mardi Gras beads, St. Patrick’s Day shamrocks, and chocolate Easter bunnies all in the same aisle. I am not sure what holiday to celebrate because they all seem to blur together.

In Mark 1:21-22, we read, “21 (Jesus and his disciples) went to Capernaum; and when the Sabbath came, (Jesus) entered the synagogue and taught. 22 (The people) were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”

I read recently that the heart emoji is the most used emoji of them all. I am a fan of the heart emoji. There is something simple, kind, and joyful about this ubiquitous red symbol. An argument can be made that it is overused and trite, but I would counter that messages of love can never be overstated.

Sitting quietly around a large circular banquet room table at the Sheraton Conference Rooms in New Orleans, Louisiana, for worship recently at a clergy youth workers conference, my thoughts were still clamoring loudly from the morning’s activities. The last-minute conversations that I had before walking in the banquet hall still echoed in my mind. Then with a slow decrescendo, my thoughts softened in preparation for worship.

“Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

The story of Jonah is one of the Bible’s most familiar tales. It begins with the dramatic image of Jonah being swallowed by a whale. That’s punishment for Jonah’s unwillingness to follow God’s command.