Shadow Words

“And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover feast.”

There must have been some kind of spiritual blindfold on the disciples. Christ had been a miracle worker. But now the strangest things were going on. He told his disciples to go and find a colt, that the animal would be waiting for them. It was just like he’d said. Then he told Peter and John to go and prepare the Passover feast. They'd need a room. So he tells them, “When you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters.” Peter and John find it all to be true down to the smallest detail of the room being upstairs.

Jesus leads them to the upstairs staging area. He is in a reclining posture at the table. This will be his final moment of rest before the planet’s greatest battle of good and evil commences. He says, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then he takes his drinking cup, says a prayer over it, and shares it with them. “Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” He breaks off a piece of bread and passes it around to eat with the wine and tells them, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

When I saw The Greatest Story Ever Told as a kid, it was at this point that I said, “Run, people!” Even in my simplistic view of the story, it was obvious that Jesus was predicting his last meal on earth before he died. From the moment Mary poured oil on his feet to the last meal with his disciples, Jesus was preparing for his own death, predicting it to the most finite detail and yet no one caught on or tried to stop it.

Jesus isn’t just telling them he’s about to die—he knows who is going to hand him over to be executed; yet again, the disciples keep eating, thinking this is all about the food. And, in a greater way, it is. He uses the food as a metaphor for his body that is about to be mutilated. They have no idea that they are swallowing the first taste of redemption.

They continue to eat as Jesus continues to predict what will happen first and then next. They will eat again with him just like this, he tells them, but in a different and distant kingdom. Peter will betray him—his Rock. He quotes scriptures that have been a mystery until now and then finishes the equation in a strange interplay of shadowy metaphors.

Jesus had been escaping at the end of each day, withdrawing from the crowds and even the fellowship of his loyal circle of men to the Mount of Olives. He now led them all there to his secret place of fellowship with God, His Father. Little did they know that as they participated in this privileged circle of fellowship that they were entering into a blood pact to save the world.

Up until now, the Bible stories from Adam and Eve to the New Adam—Jesus the Son of God—we have all been distant observers. But it is at this point in the story that we enter in as participants because the story is becoming ours too.

The Show is Shutting Down

“Look, the world has gone after Him.”

--Pharisee

The offenses against Jesus were mounting. He had raised his friend Lazarus from the dead. Then he had the audacity to climb on a colt and ride it through Jerusalem while a large crowd and his disciples praised him like a god. His popularity was going to be the death of him.

A group of Greeks had come into town for the feast and had heard of Jesus. They found one of his disciples named Philip and asked if they could see Jesus. So Philip told Andrew and the two of them went and delivered the message to Jesus. But the traveling show was coming to an end and Jesus did not respond to the request. Instead he said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. Now my soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, Father, save Me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father glorify Your name.”

Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

Some of the people in the crowd thought they’d heard thunder while others had thought an angel had spoken to Jesus.

Jesus told them, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from this earth, will draw all men to Myself.” But he was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die.

There is a tendency in a mob to feel as if the spectacle belongs to them. They have gathered for the show. So dim the lights, pull back the curtain and entertain us. Once a teenager walked up to my husband following a service and said, "Where is the show? I don't get it." Centuries later people still gather and expect to be entertained.

The crowd had shown their affection for Christ so it was reasonable to them that they could summon him and ask him for Act Two. But he was not an entertainment act or even a rabble rouser as some had hoped. It was in this dialogue that Jesus once again was predicting his own death. But in this statement is more than a martyr’s final speech. He is using lofty language—the power to draw all people to himself is not the act of an earthly prophet; or the power to cast out “the ruler of this world—Satan”. Nor is the power to summon God the Father and then get a response from above the act of a mortal who is good with magic tricks. Jesus was not only identifying himself as the Messiah, but he was being identified by God—out loud.

It was right after this that Jesus went away and hid himself from them. In spite of his teaching authority and miracle working power, they still did not believe that he was God come to earth. But even in that disappointment he was fulfilling prophecy. He could not help himself.

A Meditation: Think about what Christ has done for you recently. Take a prayer walk and pray in a spirit of gratitude for the simplicity of the miracles in your life alone. Then open your eyes and "see" where God has placed you. Why did he do that?

Holy Week--Encountering God From the Cloud

Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a mountain. These were the same three he had taken out in a boat and showed them the miracle of the great catch of fish. Miracles were not new to Peter, James, and John. Jesus stood in front of these three guys and his clothes radiated light, turning so white “as no launderer on earth can whiten them.” Elijah appeared, a famous but very dead Jewish prophet, and then Moses. Both of these dead guys talked to Jesus.

Peter was so overwhelmed with the spectacle that he suggested they build three tabernacles right there on the spot where Jesus spoke to Elijah and Moses. He was shaken to his core, and said the only earthly response that came to mind—let’s build something here. Then a cloud overshadowed them and a voice thundered out of the cloud, “This is my Beloved Son, listen to Him!”

Then the lights and thunder show was over and it was just Jesus again in front of them. On the climb down, Jesus told them to tell no one what they had seen, “until the Son of Man rose from the dead.” The men talked among themselves wondering what it meant to rise from the dead. Then they asked their Lord questions about Elijah and how he figured into the equation. They did not realize His time was short on the earth and that rising from the dead meant that first he had to die.

When they got to the bottom of the mountain a crowd had formed. Jesus performed another miracle and cast an evil spirit out of a boy, a task that the disciples had not been able to perform. Then he began to teach his disciples again saying, “The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, he will rise three days later.” But they did not understand his statement and were afraid to ask him.

Their response? The disciples got into a debate about who was the greatest among them. They had witnessed God in the body of a man (incarnate), and then the prediction of his own death. But they chose to focus on very small matters—who among us is great. They stood in the shadow of greatness but could not comprehend it. They stood in the valley of the shadow of death but did not recognize the signs.

It makes us wonder what we are seeing right now and not comprehending. What clouds overshadow us and cause us to concentrate on the cloud rather than the One who is standing beside us, teaching us His way; but we become sidetracked on the small things that cause us to lose focus. We can’t comprehend that we are in the shadow of greatness when shadows come. We want to know when we’ll be elevated, when we’ll rise from the shadows and have our moment in the sun. We seek elevation. But we can too quickly forget that God has walked us down to the low places to remind us that elevation belongs to him.

Holy Week Exercise: Find a place to get alone and ponder what cloud overshadows your life. Write down whatever comes to mind and then write down what God is saying to you from the cloud. Then vocalize your gratitude for your personal encounter with God.

Saturday Book Give Winners at Words to Go

The gentle tone of this week's postings has lightened my load for certain. Joseph Bentz's ceramic chicken story will be in my thoughts for a long time as I continue to learn the practice of waiting on God. Marlo Schalesky's tradition that she practices with her kids reminds us that the journey to the cross was a sacrifice for Christ but a process for us. Gail Martin reminds us of the joy of sharing our faith practices and the lessons we learn in corporate worship. And then we revisited my years as I shared my story as a recovering cantata addict. While there is no condemnation in the lessons we learn, there is joy and freedom as we reap the benefits of a life lived in surrender.

Here are the names pulled from this week's blog feedback:

When God Takes Too Long by Joseph Bentz--winner is Karen Harrington

A Son Comes Home by Joseph Bentz-- winner is Jennifer Eckert

Any Patricia Hickman novel in stock--winner is Connie Sue Larson

Thank you so much, my friends for visiting Words to Go. Next week is a week that Christ-followers set aside to commemorate one perfect life and our gratitude for His sacrifice. Join us next week for the Crosswalk--In the Shadow of Redemption.

Foreshadowing the Cross Walk

The days leading up to Christ's laying down his body on a splintery cross was full of foreshadowing. He is saying a lot and his words are very telling, but no one is listening.

Have you ever had a check inside you, like a warning? But you discounted it because you did not want to believe it, or else thought your mind was misfiring?

I'm sure that is how the disciples felt when they saw their leader strung up like a sacrificial lamb and their group scattered into hiding. Suddenly the last words that were said from their Lord must have gone off like a giant church bell in their souls.

In the coming days, Words to Go will open up Christ's final days and hours for discussion. While Joseph Bentz's books and a book of the reader's choice will be given away for Saturday's give, next week will will be very spare, a week set aside for the practice of introspection and meditation, things that lead to a renewed heart that is full of gratitude.

If you have a favorite "last hour" story, please put it up as I'm making a list and don't want to leave out something.

"He said to them, 'My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.'" Matt. 20:23

Coming after Easter Week, "The Simple Life" with some of today's best selling authors.

Finding Easter

My journey of faith includes some memorable and then forgettable experiences regarding Easter or the holy season as I now like to refer to this commemorative season for believers. I’d like to forget that I participated in them; but that’s not to disparage their importance to some, only that having seen certain practices from the tender under belly of life as a pastor’s wife, I’d like to confess that for many years the Easter season was a drudgery.

I’ve led holiday events, for lack of a better word; I was in charge of pageants and oversaw the productions, especially for children. And I’ve got a bit of acting talent, so as soon as I had finished the Christmas production season, I was being roped into the perennial Easter cantata.

The rehearsals for a big church production began six months prior to the event. I’m not talking about those sweet little plays we put our children into with dishrags for a costume. I’ve directed musical productions with some high price tags including special effects that rivaled some of the community theaters going on at the same time. But there is a tension and pressure within the core of that type of event that began to dissatisfy me.

Personally, I was full of pride and arrogance over what we had done and then, worse, was left with all energy expended, useless to God and the work to which I was truly called. So Easter would pass and it would have been nothing for me but an exhaustive production that brought no fruit to the kingdom. I remember the tension of the altar call. The pastor would come forward and invite guests who had otherwise not shadowed the church doors all year long to come forward and accept Christ. We all sat in breathless expectation. Then Joe the Church Character would get up and break the spell and come and accept Christ—again.

But then we would quickly put aside the fact that our four and five months of work and financial output had not brought exactly what we had hoped it might. We would go down to the fellowship hall for the cast party where we swapped kudos and hugs. There is a certain amount of self worth that can be gained for a laity that is made star for a day. And we did bond and I loved that part of the experience. Unfortunately the stage, for some, is a heady experience. It’s like writers who get good reviews and then begin to believe our own fictions.

When Jessica died, I was emptied of baggage because I just couldn’t carry it all any more. I had to choose carefully what I carried. And I needed the power of resurrection in my hollowed out shell. I retreated and sought answers in solitude. There was not any person who claimed to have “power” who could lay hands on me and fix my paralysis. Only Christ has the power to heal and bring a soul back from the brink. In all of the histrionics that we had made of Easter, our dramas about miracles and children being raised from the dead, I will confess, that while some of what we did elevated interest in the Easter story, our high priced pageants still could not match the power that Resurrection Sunday represents.

So I now seek resurrection power at the power source found only in the person of Christ. I will admit that he is still a great mystery. But that is why I have his Word to shine light on my dark soul and illuminate the story that makes every day Easter in my heart.

I thank you for allowing me this moment of musing. Bloggers leaving feedback each day will have your name entered in The Big Straw Hat for book gives this Saturday. For today's blog post, I will give away a book too, this week, a reader’s pick from whatever I have in my stock. Thanks for stopping by Words to Go.

How Others Celebrate the Holy Season-- Novelist Gail Martin Shares What Easter Means to Her

I was a bus ministry kid. My mother took my sister and me to many churches for Easter so I became a connoisseur of Easter services. The plays were regionalized by southern accents and old guys in horn-rimmed glasses quoting disciples and ranting in fits when Jesus came down the church aisle riding the pastor's cousins' pinto pony. But, nonetheless, it was an interpretation that was expressed through the resources available.

As an adult, I have more than a curiosity about how others practice their faith. I learn from others how they express faith and that there are as many ways to express gratitude for what Christ has done as there are believers. Today, my friend, novelist Gail Martin is sharing with us about how her family approaches the holy season. This is her second visit, so you may read her other chat with me by visiting the WtG archives. Welcome, Gail, to Words to Go.

GAIL: Thanks, Patty. Happy Easter!

PATTY: And to you, Gail! The one practice that somehow eluded my childhood was the practice of Lent. But this is something near and dear to your heart, isn't it?

GAIL: Easter begins with Lent, forty days of repentance and contemplation on the greatest gift given to man. Sunday's are always "little Easters" but during the week, the focus is upon what the Lord has done for us. We worship each Wednesday with a theme that reminds us of Jesus suffering and death.

PATTY: Could you explain the themes?

GAIL:Palm Sunday, our worship begins with a palm procession as each person carries a palm branch --sometimes outside or inside the building. We sing hymns and the focus is on Jesus' kingship, with his royal entry into Jerusalem to celebrate the passover and later in the week face whips and scorns.

PATTY: My husband did introduce this practice and we use children from the children's church. It's so much fun and the kids look forward to it every year.

GAIL: Maundy Thursday, we contemplate the day the Lord instituted the blessing of the Eucharist, the betrayal by Judas, His own disciple, Jesus anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the whips and thorns of his trial. In worship, we experience foot-washing and the stripping away paraments. The service ends in silence.

PATTY: That is amazing. And really so fitting considering what was probably going on in heaven--I can imagine the hush as the angels watch pensively, swords ready in case God changes his mind. But he didn't.

GAIL: Good Friday is our tenebrae service as we meditate on God's sacrifice by giving His Son to die for our sins. We remember the Lord's willingness to give His life and our service lowers to darkness with a loud slam, reminding us of the Lord's death.

PATTY: What I like about this is the simplicity and power of nothing but the use of the slamming noise and the darkened sanctuary. Much of the quiet power of Christ simply laying down his life is more about the inner battle; that can be lost in pageantry. The way you describe it allows everyone to participate.

GAIL:Easter is jubilant with joyful music, handbells, uplifting songs, and a message of triumph and beauty. The Easter story is never old. We are reminded of the sacrifice made for our eternal life in heaven.

PATTY: Gail, you are a Lutheran.

GAIL: Yes.

PATTY: Thank you so much for sharing your passion for God's passion for us. Gail has written over 40 books and has over a million books in print.