Holy Week 2012 – Thursday: From Light to Darkness

Greetings Dear Reader,

The shadows of night are where the suffering begins for Christ.  He presides over the Passover meal where his friends falsely profess their loyalty.  He goes to the garden to pray.  He finds there great grief and pain before the lash, the first, or the cross touch him.  His friends fall asleep, he bleeds from his pours, and a friend hands him over to the soldiers.

God sends angels to comfort him but it must have reminded Christ of the deep darkness to come.  How many slept whilst God was betrayed and beaten.  We talk about Judas’ betrayal.  Do we consider that everyone fled from his side that night?  Even as he was arrested he showed mercy to his captors.

Just a few days ago Jesus rode into town in full daylight.   Lauded as Hosanna the King of Kings he came to Jerusalem.  Now the night has come and evil men seek his life. Because he is willing they shall have it.  The darkness gathers and descends on an ancient world.  In that darkness is promise.  In that darkness is communion.  In that deep dark death is our chance to live.

There is no story, movie, or song more compelling.  On the wings of that darkness on that night flies the hope of all mankind.  The Light of the World will be extinguished for a moment so that he may rekindle in us.  My darkness causes this.  My nightmares draw the chariot that compels him to death.  My kiss betrays him.  My fists tear out his beard and punch his face.  My hands twist the crown of thorns and force it on his head.  My hand wields the lash, the hammer, and the spear.  

It is me in the crowd jeering at him.  It is me standing far off denying that I know him.  It is my voice that threatens Pilate if he does not crucify this man.  It is my hands that are washed of the matter.  It is my sin that puts him on the cross.  I am the one who makes it necessary for the Lord of Light to journey into darkness because he does so to rescue me.

How dare I ever question his love for me. I dare I ever abandon following with all my heart for even a moment.  Sunday cannot come too quickly.

And we plead and we pray

For a glimmer of day

As the night folds its wings and descends – Dan Fogelberg.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Holy Week 2012 – Wednesday: My Betrayal of Christ

Greetings Dear Reader,

Last year I spent all of Holy Week with Judas.  Today as I think about the traditional view of Judas I wonder why I think I would be any better.  To think that I would stand in the same places he fell is pride and arrogance.  I have betrayed Christ.  I have denied him, perhaps not overtly but in silence and in cowardice.

When I am silent and should speak, is that not betrayal?  What about when I see things upon which I should act?  What is it other than betrayal when we take Christ on to follow him then choose to turn away when our own reason or desires call us to do so?

Following Christ is not always an easy thing.  There will be accusations and contentions about our choice to follow.  We will see those we love abandon the journey and even encourage us to stop following.  We will fail and fall.  If I do not allow the grace of God to lift me back up and set me back on the path of following then I am betraying the vow I made to follow.  So I must follow even to the cross.

This is not a statement of pride.  Christ and him crucified is my only hope.  It was a long and hard battle to get to faith and I will not easily give it up.  Judas may have handed Christ over to those who killed him but it was my sin that made it necessary.  In that lies the only reason I need to follow.   

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."

Holy Week 2012 – Tuesday: The Ten Virgins

Greetings Dear Reader,

Mark 14:1-9

Another set of tales that are in contrast as we think through holy week are the anointing of Jesus in Bethany and the Parable of the Ten Virgins.  Jesus made it clear that the anointing was a preparation for his death.  The parable is message of preparation and hope.  As Christ moves toward the cross he reminds us to be aware that he is going away but that we must be vigilant regarding his return.

As I prepare my heart for celebration of the resurrection I examine my attention to the return of Christ.  I work on my attitude so that I always allow for the possibility that Christ’s return in imminent.

Matthew 25:1-13

I realized some years ago that I would only think about Christ retuning when in crisis.  I began to intentionally ponder Christ’s return when things were beautiful.  With Spring and life bursting all around me it is a good time to wonder how much more beautiful things will be when Christ makes all things new.  Anticipating his return is not just a wish for the removal of evil from the world.  It is the realization that he will make all things good again.

The betrayal, the beatings, and the death all get us to the place where we are allowed access to the life.  Christ the bridegroom will return for us.  I cannot imagine how I would continue without that hope. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."

Holy Week 2012 – Monday: Cursing Fig Trees and Cleansing Temples

Mark 11:12-26

Greetings Dear Reader,

As we move toward the cross together I often wonder why we focus so heavily on the resurrection and not the events leading up to it.  I realize how vital the resurrection is to our faith.  If I could work my own will Holy Week would be a time when all Christ Followers were free to prepare for that celebration free of work and other endeavors.  I cannot assure that they would but it would be a lovely thing to see.

In light of that I ponder why Christ chose the week of his death to curse the fig tree and cleanse the temple.  With Christ’s popularity so strong as he entered Jerusalem the priests must already have wanted his life.  The gospels tell that they had attempted to take him before but had failed.

I think that the underlying note between the two events is a form of preparation.  One of the commandments is to never carry the name of the Lord for a vain purpose.  Both the fig tree and the temple were not being what they were meant to be for God.  The fig tree claimed by its full leaves to have fruit.  It was not an “honest” plant.  Jesus made it clear that the temple was to be a house of prayer and that it had become a den of thieves. 

Perhaps the focus on these two events leads us to cleanse ourselves in preparation for the atonement.  This would also be in harmony with the idea that those in Jerusalem that week were to be preparing for Passover. 

So as I approach the pain and suffering of the cross and eventually the beauty of the resurrection I must first assure two things.  I must be who I am before God.  Pretense has no place in his service. I must also be sure that I follow for the proper purpose.  I must follow Christ for the sake of Christ, not for my own gain or benefit.  I am to be set apart to God so fully that I am fit to communicate with him.  I cannot do this without a purity of purpose.

Today is not just Monday.  It is the day I set aside for examining these things and hoping that I can become more the ideal and less the idea.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."

Holy Week 2012 – Palm Sunday

Greetings Dear Reader,

I will take a break from my series on My Prayer List for My Children to observe Holy Week.  Today is Palm Sunday.  I always wonder what it must have been like.  I always wish to be there hailing Christ as he makes his entry into Jerusalem.  I want to be part of that moment but I do not want to pay the price for being part of that moment.

To be a part of that would make me a part of the rest of it.  I would have to be a part of the change.  I would have to run when he was arrested.  I would have to deny him.  I would have to betray him.  What happened had to happen for us to know redemption from out sin. 

I wonder often if any of the shepherds who were in Bethlehem for the birth were in Jerusalem for Passover when Christ was crucified.  Did they hear about it and remember?  I wonder about those healed and fed and their reaction to the death of Christ.  As we remember the triumphant entry into Jerusalem we must also remember that he rides to his death.  The week will unfold into blood and horror.  It will end well but for now we must walk through the steps.  We must remember that these things matter. 

The King rides into the city named the “teaching of peace” where he will be treated with violence.  He could destroy them all with a thought.  He could end it all and leave us to our destruction.  He instead will hold his peace and die for us; for me.  The journey of Holy Week begins with the peaceful arrival of the King of Peace to the City of Peace.  What a beautiful thing it is.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."

My Prayer List for My Children – Boldness

Greetings Dear Reader,

Every time I read this in the list I hesitate.  Boldness is a good quality but only when tempered with humility.  My Sons are both bold in their own way.  Their mother used to always say that I was bold.  When I pray for them about this I pray that they are only bold about the right things.

I have been bold about good and bad things.  I try tempering my boldness so that I only take risks when they are founded in faith.  I need to only have this kind of courage in matters of following Christ.  I am sure I need more boldness in some of these areas.

There are times when I need more boldness but my fear of the results freezes me.  Having failed at times to temper my boldness with enough humility and love I do not want to repeat those failures.  I must be bold about the things Christ is bold about.  I pray that I never lose this balance.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store”

My Prayer List for My Children – Reverence

Greetings Dear Reader,

I remember watching my Grandfather plane a large piece of tiger oak in his earthy basement woodshop.  After every stroke of the plane he would step back and examine the effect.  He explained to me that the wood had a beautiful pattern in it and he wished to take off enough of the surface to bring out that pattern.  He went on to explain that this piece of wood was taken from the land he owned on a lake.  A lightning strike had felled the tree. He had counted the rings at seventy three years, most of them good ones. 

He was preparing the large piece of wood to be the replacement top of a dresser for family member.  I can still remember the smell of the wood.  I can still recall the beauty of the shavings as the fell to red clay basement floor.

What I remember the most about that day was the reverence with which my Grandfather treated the wood.  His ongoing conversation with me as I sat on the steps and watched him was also punctuated with an ongoing conversation with God as well.  He would remark to God how beautiful a certain line of grain was.  He would thank God for allowing him to find the downed tree and remark how well the mill had fashioned the boards from it for him.  As he made each stroke he would whisper for God to guide his hand. 

The piece looked beautiful once it was finished and mounted on the dresser.  The beauty that remained in my spirit was my Grandfather’s reverence for God and God’s creation.  It is one of those things that seem fading and rare in our world.  I pray that I revere the things I should and am a good example of this to my Children.  I pray that they hold a reverence for God that surpasses even my Grandfather’s.   

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store

My Prayer List for My Children – Discernment

Greetings Dear Reader,

I think that this is one of those things that is a sharp and effective weapon.  The problem is that it dulls quickly when not used.  It seems to me that discernment is one of those gifts that is very subject to the will.  Along with wisdom it easily fades when rejected or avoided.

I know there are times I have chosen to ignore that voice inside that urged me to choose other than what I was doing.  I know that I have often said that I knew better.  Discernment functions well but in our falleness we ignore it.  It is in that ignorance that discernment dies.

Wisdom and discernment must be fellows.  They must walk together in the heart if I am to follow Christ as closely as I wish.  I pray that I listen and discern.  I pray the same for my Children. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store

My Prayer List for My Children – Wisdom

Greetings Dear Reader,

I think I could write for days just on this topic.  It seems in many ways that wisdom is a dwindling attribute in our society.  I pray for wisdom almost daily.  Some days every hour it seems I need more.  I pray for my children to have wisdom in their choices.  I pray for wisdom in how I approach them when I disagree with what they do.

Wisdom seems so simple but no matter how much I know I sometimes run right past the proper application of that knowledge.  It interests me that the desire for wisdom was once used as a temptation.  It seems that now so many abandon wisdom because it leads to the knowledge that what they are doing is unwise.

Solomon wrote that a reverence for God is the beginning of wisdom.  I pray that I always remember this and apply it.  I guess that is the seedbed of wisdom; to know the truth and apply.  It grieves me greatly when I fail at this and when those I love forget it.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."

My Prayer List for My Children – Zeal

Greetings Dear Reader,

I must say that my Children have this is abundance.  I know that I do too. When we purse things with the heart our zeal is impossible to mask.  We give our time and energy to them.  I watch my eldest with his Son and now Sons and see how determined he is to be a good father.  He gives his heart and energy to something that truly matters.

I must measure the things I am zealous about in light of who Christ calls me to be as his follower.  As I trade each moment of life for something I need to be aware if I am getting real value for that moment.  Am I zealous in my following of Christ?  Am I trading the life he gave me for things that matter to him?  If I am not then I cannot hope for those moments to matter in the long term.

I ask that God directs my zeal to the things that please him.  That he does the same for my children is vital to me.  Getting our passions in line with the passions of Christ is vital to a life that reaches beyond the mortal.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."