Hope

Jesus' final words from the cross, "It is finished;" was not an ending, but a beginning filled with hope for each of us.

As I read an Easter Meditation this week, I was impressed with James Tissot's definition of sin. "Sin isn't pretty or petty. Our world dresses it up as cleverness, as happiness, as fulfillment. But despite its many deceitful faces, sin at its root is about asserting power. It is rebellion against God's authority, an undermining of His Kingdom. Sin is turning up our nose at God and doing what we want in spite of what he says-- and there's nothing pretty about that...

"Our sins demanded that Jesus to break away from his Holy Father, for holiness cannot cohabitate with sin."

We have been so desensitized by the media that bombards our lives daily that it's easy to see the crucifixion and resurrection as just another movie... another news report.

Then we become like Pilate, who spinelessly sacrificed Jesus to the crowd. It was easy to turn his back and avoid his responsibility. Sadly, I'm seeing this happening today as people chose to ignore CDC recommendations. Their assertion of power through their self-centeredness endangers others. People, that is sin. That is separating oneself from the Creator. I cannot focus on the hope without the reality of how much it is needed today, right now. 

Today we focus on the resurrection and can miss the first miracle. The hearing of the curtain at the entrance of the Holy of Holies chamber of the temple, which was reserved for the presence of God and could be entered only by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. It was a barrier between God and man. At the moment Christ died that barrier was torn down, giving us direct access to the Father!

The earth shook...tombs broke open and saints were raised to life. Signs of hope from God that all was as planned. Can you imagine the terror of the Roman soldiers guarding the sealed tomb? To allow Jesus' body to be stolen meant death. So seeing that huge boulder roll away from the burial tomb entrance by a glowing being dressed in white... They couldn't fight or flee as they were probably paralyzed by fear.

Enter, the women, who experienced fear then great joy!

We, too, as followers of the Risen Lord have much to celebrate! 

Jesus died... was buried... rose...

But that's not the end. He was seen! Touched! Ate breakfast with the disciples! 

"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." (NLT)

Blessed Easter,

Connie

May the power of the Christmas story overwhelm you in a new way this year.

with child

a gasp, a cry

an exhausted mother's sigh

a father's teardrops

a heavenly umbilical cord cut and tied

a sweet aroma of fresh hay

a tiny gurgle as rosebud lips find milk

a whispered prayer

a naming as God commanded

a squeak of rafters as birds and mice gather

a gentle breeze to fan the fire

a clip and clop of a donkey's feet

a quiet baa-aa and a gentle moo

a ray of starlight

a flutter of angel wings

a silence

a moment realizing God's sacrifice- His only Son

a yip of a sheepdog on the hillside

an owl's hoot as he hunts

a rowdy laugh from the inn

a braying camel on the dusty road

a mother and babe sleep

a father watches

an angel guards

a world waits

                               ~ Constance Gilbert

Obama: a Book Review

Book Review: The Faith of Barak Obama
by Stephen Mansfield
Thomas Nelson Publishing, 2008

Mansfield offers an understanding of the Religious Right vs. the Religious Left, a comparison of Hillary Clinton and former Presidents' personal religious influences, and the basis for Barack Obama's faith.

He contends that Obama has gone through a journey of self-discovery, which was complicated due to being biracial and the conflicting religious upbringing by his parents and grandmother. A man with intellectual curiosity and doubts, but “dedicated to discovering his (God's) truth.”

Looking for a “vessel” for his beliefs, praying to “take stock of himself,” and “battling a lifestyle of detachment,” Obama finds religious commitment and an affirmation of his African heritage through Reverend Wright's mentoring and church. Thus, Obama states that he is “unashamedly black and unapologetically Christian.”

At the end of the book, Mansfield discusses the healing of our nation saying that Obama can distance himself from our country's history that affects the previous generations. But Obama's words that Christianity is “but one religion tree” and that he cannot impose his religious views on another, cause me to question, as others have, whether this is the “required religious dance” of all politicians or not.

For Barack Obama, or anyone in leadership, the knowledge of other belief systems in order to function within the world's diversity, is commendable and wise. But Obama's search for a vessel for his beliefs vs being a willing vessel for God poses more questions for me. I wonder whether St. Augustine's words are still unfulfilled in the life of Barack Obama: “You (God) have formed us for Yourself, and our heart's are restless till they find their rest in You.”

The Faith of Barack Obama is a worthwhile read in that I am able to articulate my concerns better. However, I didn't find the answers I was seeking. Maybe, you will.