Don't Get Stuck!
Ministerial Meandering
Don’t get stuck
There is a tendency - after we have arrived at a place - to want to remain there. It’s only natural; after all, we have travelled a long way, and it hasn’t been easy. We have had to fight some battles along the way, and give up certain pleasures and pastimes in order to achieve our goal.
But now we are here - Easter has arrived! Actually, it has been and gone, and we cannot rest on our laurels, having made it through Lent, and travelled the sweaty, bloody, and dusty road to the Cross with Jesus. Yes - it is the climax of the Christian year, but for Christ. Our work is only beginning.
Because I am a man who is in touch with his emotions, I find that I frequently stop short of the resurrection, and find myself still in the shaded moonlight of Gethsemane, watching Jesus struggle in his mental torment, hearing his whispered pleas to his Father - and watching him weep in desperation. Why do I get stuck there - and not further down the road - in the triumph of the Resurrection?
Perhaps because I frequently suffer from the ravages of a paralyzing depression that sees no way out, and so to stay in the darkness with a man facing his end seems more natural than bouncing around in the sunshine of the Resurrection. Make no mistake - I am thrilled by the Resurrection - but I find myself drawn to want to help the tortured Jesus, forgetting at times that he is now risen, free, and Lord.
For those of you who find it more normal to rest in the sun, I would urge you to do so - but only to a limited extent. Jesus gave us a job to do, and it would be not only the height of disdain, but also the epitome of mindless stupidity to ignore Jesus’ examples of human love and concern, which were the hallmarks of his earthly ministry - and which he commanded us to follow.
The work of a student or disciple of Jesus is not that of the pastor or priest alone; it is for all of us who dare to call ourselves Christians. Since we have a Saviour, let us try and make ourselves worthy of his sacrifice - after all, it cost him everything.
Philip+