Easter

harbarger theory: empty can be good!

This is one of my favorite Easter stories. In fact, I told it as the Children's Moments yesterday. Sorry, I didn't blog yesterday. With 3 service after a busy loooong weekend and fixing dinner for my parents (it turned out WONDERFULLY!), I was pooped.

So, here's my Easter post.

Mrs Adair, who was a Sunday School teacher, wanted to teach her kids about the meaning of Easter, so she gave each of the kids an empty plastic egg (a big one like the ones that L'Eggs pantyhose used to come in, remember?). She asked them to go outside and fill them with something ... anything that told the Easter story.

So, the kids stormed out of the building picking up various flotsam and jestam around the church yard. Mrs. Adair called the kids back into the Sunday School classroom and asked them to open their egg and share what they had found.

Millie opened her L'Egg and inside was a dandelion. Millie talked about how the flowers die every winter and rise again every spring. Mrs. Adair complimented her on how well she understood Easter.

Freddy opened his L'Egg and inside were some blades of grace. Freddy talked about how the grass goes brown and then, miraculously in the spring turns green again. Again, Mrs Adair showered Freddy with praise about how well he understood the Easter story.

Ling opened her L'Egg and insde was a rock. Ling shared about how the stone was rolled away from Jesus' tomb on Easter morning. Mrs. Adair was beaming over how well her class was understanding the Easter story.

And so it went around the room until they got the last kid. Craig had multiple learning deficits. He was in special classes at school and would never develop intelligence that would get past a 5 year old. He was a sweet kid, who loved everyone and everyone loved him back. But, he could be a distraction in a classroom of "normal" kids.

Finally Craig opened his L'Egg and inside was ... nothing. Nothing at all. Mrs. Adair was so concerned that Craig didn't understand his assignment, or that she should have gone with Craig to help him, or kept him with her so he wouldn't be embarassed, or ...

But, because Mrs. Adair trusted God and had an inordinate courage, she pressed ahead. "Craig," she said, "tell me about your Easter Egg."

Craig did. In his halting and child-like way, he shared. "My egg is empty," he started, "because it's Easter and Jesus' tomb was empty!" And he beamed the most beautiful smile you could imagine.

And Mrs. Adair cried grateful and joy-filled tears and hugged Craig with a fiercely loving hug.

harbarger theory: empty can be good!

Holy Saturday

harbarger theory: sometimes funny stuff is serious

When I was in seminary at Drew University Theological School in Madison New Jersey, I had (and still have, thanks to Facebook!) a good friend, Dave Jones. Dave was (and I suspect still is!) kind of unique fellow. Odd humor. Odd perspectives. Well, just odd. But a good friend.

On this day of the year, Holy Saturday ... the day between Good Friday and Easter when the church stops moving so fast (except for the saints prepping for Easter morning!). This is the day of Jesus' entombment.

Dave used to greet everybody on Holy Saturday (actually he would start sometime on Friday evening) with "Well, ... He's dead!"

Holy moley!!! That took me aback for the first couple times he said it. But, it stuck with me. He is dead. Jesus ... was ... dead!!

You know, as much as we would like to jump straight from Palm Sunday to Easter, we might acquiesce to jumping from Maundy Thursday to Easter or maybe even from Good Friday to Easter. But, it takes fortitude to trudge through Holy Saturday, doesn't it? After all, he's dead.

On Friday, he died, all day Saturday (the Jewish Sabbath), he's dead and on the third day (Sunday, the first day of the Jewish week), he's alive!!! But, let's stop here. Today ... he's dead.

Yea, Dave was funny. Dave is still funny. But, this time, Dave's humor was pretty serious. Because, ya know what? He's dead.

harbarger theory: sometimes funny stuff is serious

Maundy Thursday

harbarger theory: ya gotta do what ya gotta do!!

Today is Maundy Thursday, the day where we celebrate the very FIRST communion. The word Maundy comes from the Latin "mandatum", the first word of the phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" ("A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you"), the statement by Jesus in the Gospel of John (13:34) by which Jesus explained to the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet.

As a pastor, I LOVE serving communion, The Lord's Supper, Eucharist, what-have-you. It is a truly holy time. I remember a story where Martin Luther, while in the midst of his conflicts with the Church as a monk, was serving the Mass and while holding the elements, he had such a conflict because of his great unworthiness that he put the elements back down and ran out of the church because he was unworthy to even hold the elements of the communion. I've been there. Well, I've never actually run out of the church, but I have felt, oh, so unworthy.

But, that's the issue. It's not about my worthiness as a pastor or as a person. It's not about what I FEEL like doing. As a pastor, I serve the sacraments. It's part of my role in the Kingdom of God. As a person, sometimes I just gotta do what I gotta do. I don't have to enjoy it. I don't have to like it. Sometimes, I just have to do it. End of story.

It's part of being a grown up. Sometimes I just have to put on my adult underpants and do the thing. You know what I mean?

Jesus didn't want to die the way he did. But, he did what he had to do.

Lord help me to be faithful, even when I don't want to do it!!!

harbarger theory: ya gotta do what ya gotta do!!

Holy Wednesday

harbarger theory: it is i!

In today's gospel reading from John 13:21-32 (that you can read here) we hear the whole controversy and discussion about who is going to betray Jesus. This, of course, spurs the questioning, "Is it I?" Only one knew that he had already planned to do so (Judas), but the rest weren't sure. Hmmmm.

How sure are we of our fidelity? I enjoy watching NCIS where Mark Harmon plays Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, a retired Gunnery Sergeant in the Marine Corps where he was Marine Recon and a Sniper. He's a tough so-and-so who expects a lot from Marines and offers them much respect. Of course, their motto is ... what?? Yes, very good there in the back of the room .... Semper Fidelis or "Always faithful."

Are we? Are we Semper Fidelis to our God. Well, maybe you don't have the foibles and lack of restraint that I do. I can't answer for you, but my answer is a "NO!" said with my head bowed and a blush on my cheeks. I'm embarassed to say that I am NOT always (usually?) faithful to God. I go my own way, do what I want, etc, etc, etc, WAAAAYYY too often. How about you?

Today is the day that we repent of our unfaithfulness and come back home (from however far away we have wandered). Today is the day that we re-establish our relationship with God.

Today is the day that I admit, "It is I, Lord! It is I who have betrayed you!" I betrayed you for a candy bar. I betrayed you for a second look at that woman who is not my wonderful wife. I betrayed you for the trappings of acceptance and being liked for a moment. It is I who betrayed you. I am sorry and want to be always faithful ... forever faithful ... always holding you first in my heart.

harbarger theory: it is i!

Holy Tuesday

harbarger theory: sometimes we ARE called to the hard stuff.


The gospel reading for today is John 12:20-36. You can find it here. Jesus is offering a powerful teaching about suffering and destiny. In it, he says, ""Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!"


It reminds me of that "Name it and claim it" garbage that is part and parcel of the Prosperity Gospel heresy. There is a strain of thought in the church that if we are faithful, then God will give us an easier time. What a load of hooey! If JESUS didn't get an easier time, then why should I? Why should you?


Nope. Here's the truth. We are faithful because we love God. We do what is needed ... because it's needed. It's not about me. It's not about you. It's about God. It's about my neighbor (both next door and across the globe). It's about having a servant's heart. It's about being like Jesus. It's about serving; about loving; about being selfless; about being like Jesus.


My friends, let's be willing servants!!! Let the world know that Christ changes us!!!


harbarger theory: sometimes we ARE called to the hard stuff.

Holy Monday

harbarger theory: the poor need nard



I'm gonna try to post each day this week. This is Holy Week (the week just before Easter) and it's a powerful week. Of course we celebrate the big days like Maundy Thursday (the first communion service ... ever!), Good Friday (the day of the crucifixion) and the REALLY big day, Easter (the day of the resurrection), but the other days are powerful as well.



Today, the bible reading is John 12:1-11. Here is a link to it on Bible Gateway. It's about the instance where the woman breaks into a dinner party and pours an obscenely expensive jar of ointment on Jesus' feet. Nard, in Jesus' day, was the kind of ointment that only vastly wealthy women could afford to use. We don't know how this woman got it (some scholars suggest that she was a high-priced hooker ... but we don't know). But, she extravagantly shared this expensive potion on someone that she felt was worth it!



Judas (who is described as dipping his greedy little fingers into the Disciples' money bag) complained that this Nard could have been sold for a whole bunch and the money given to the poor. Jesus responded that we'd always have the poor, but they would only have him for a little longer. Not surprisingly, he was right. Jesus indeed left them when he died (and then resurrected, of course, and at that point didn't need freshening up!).



So, the question stands in my mind ... What do the poor need with Nard? Do the unwashed need some scent-management? Do the hungry need a little beauty treatment?



Here's what I think. We need to give Nard to the poor. You see, so often, when we have a food drive, we reach into the back of their cupboard and pull out some can of bizarre/out-of-date/unwanted stuff and give it to the poor and feel so good about ourselves. When we have a clothing drive, we give away the stuff we're too fat/too thin/too fashion-forward to wear anymore (our unwanted items) and we give it to the poor and feel so good about ourselves.



What if ... we gave them the Nard? What if we gave them the GOOD stuff? What if we found a way to effectively "anoint the poor with Nard?" What if we gave them good food, real jobs, decent clothing, genuine respect, actual eye contact, true compassion? What if we treated them like Jesus did? What if we treated them as if they were Jesus? What would that look like?



Yea, yea, yea ... we need to be good stewards of our resources. We need to stretch out dollars to meet as many needs as possible. I know all that. But ... is there a way to be a good steward AND treat the poor as if they were Jesus? I think so. I'd love to spend time in conversation and THEN action trying to do exactly that!!



What if we started a Nard Initiative where we acted like Christians toward the poor? Hmmmm

harbarger theory: the poor need nard