Good Monday morning. I can't believe that I just wrote that on a Friday. In keeping with my tradition of not erasing the harmless mistakes... oops, that would mean that we just skipped the weekend and started a new work week! Sorry, maybe that isn't so harmless for you corporate drones and worker bees. What a horrible thought! No weekend, yikes! Might I suggest a good dose of The Generous Mr. Lovewell by MercyMe before you come down here with your torches and pitchforks? At least listen to the song, if you don't have time for the album. All right, let's try this again!
Good Friday morning! The WCWS has started for 2011. You may have missed the four games yesterday in your busy life, but feel free to check in on the ESPN networks later today for the winner's bracket games. For those completely out of touch (like the guy who wrote Monday in place of Friday this morning) WCWS stands for Women's College World Series. If you miss the old days of baseball before the athletes became millionaires or wannabe millionaires; the fans participating in cheers for their team, and a game that moves along without delay, you can watch the college women playing in Oklahoma City for the NCAA championship.
Sorry, I had to pause there to listen to All of Creation, another great song. Now without further delay... Does it seem like the things we are most critical of are often very closely related to our own faults? If you want to hear a rancorous critique of smokers, ask a recovered cigarette addict his opinion. If you want to hear someone come down on fat folks, look to a successful dieter. Even when we have seemingly overcome a problem in this world, we tend to be overly harsh with those still struggling with the same problem. I can only imagine the harsh comments I would get today from someone who has trouble remembering what day it is. Yet, the best example of how to deal with sinners is the one who had no sin in himself.
All of us are sinners, and Jesus did not criticize or disparage us in his ministry. He did criticize those who claimed to be without sin and should have recognized the Son of God for who he was. I find it interesting that Jesus rejected those closest to perfection in the world of his time, while he accepted and even went out of his way to choose those who had only their sinful lives to offer him. Jesus set free the demon-possessed (talk about sin in your life!), healed the sick, and taught those who would listen. His only harsh words were for those who were self-righteous, and his words for those who the world would consider the worst were of love and faithfulness. Even on the cross after Jesus had suffered much at the hands of the Romans as the mob demanded, he had only words of forgiveness for them.
Did you realize that if the Gospels had not happened about 2,000 years ago and some writer came up with an idea for the Cross today we would have a somewhat different story? You can pretty much fill in the story yourself, but the world would be okay with the miraculous birth and the youth spent in obscurity in a small town. The ministry would have to include some shallow love triangle with Mary Magdalene and let's say Martha. The nemesis could be played by the Pharisees since we like to pick on our own governments, and the Romans would serve as the force to be overcome by the hero. The story of the mock trial and torture would work quite well, but when we came to the death of Jesus on the cross, that would be changed to some superhero kind of thing where Jesus would come down from the cross with some witty comment, "That's enough of this nonsense!"; announce that he is the King of kings and proceed to demolish the Roman legions with lightning bolts from his eyes and punish the Pharisees for their cheek in a suitably horrible way. The end would be the wedding of Jesus and one of the women, perhaps with John pining off to the side for his lost romantic love. Praise God it didn't happen that way.
We know the story from the gospel accounts; we may want to keep spreading the Good News of what did happen before some wag comes up with a remake.
Have a great Friday in Christ, and enjoy the weekend in its proper place.
Bucky
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