Easter

Easter week has always been a good time of year.  Lent it over, there are all kinds of ceremonies and traditions that keep that last week active as you remember that last week of Jesus's life.  I guess I am always rather struck by how incredibly strong Jesus was mentally and how completely in control of himself.  I like his sort of "Bring it on" attitude.  In the midst of all of the pain and suffering of those last days, he was still so aware of what the people around him needed from him.  The man is dying on a cross and he is concerned about who is going to be taking care of his mother!

I have a friend who was a Lutheran pastor who converted and became a Catholic priest.  He told me once that in his church is a large crucifix and when he is distributing communion he images Jesus up on the cross looking at the face of each person saying, "Worth it, worth it, worth it".

Another story he tells is of a couple of biologists out looking at a grassland fire.  They see it sweeping towards them and get in their truck to drive away before it reaches them.  Just as they are getting into the truck, they hear a prairie chicken calling.  They come back later after the fire has swept across the grassland and they find the body of the prairie chicken, scorched and burned.  One of the guys kicks the body over and under it are all her chicks, still alive.  She was calling them to her when she knew the fire was coming.  My friend says, that is what Jesus did.  He protected us with his own body knowing that the judgement was coming.

I can never think about the Easter season without recalling those two stories..how he took the fire and how he thinks we all were worth it.