Wrong place, wrong time - Station 5

 

If you're like me, there have been several instances in which you were at the wrong place at the wrong time.  In most cases you're frustrated, angry and regretting the choices that led you to that particular moment.  I remember when my brother Kelvin and I were in London, traveling with the family.  Kelvin and I were simply minding our business, being nice American tourists, but trying not to look too American.  My brother and I were on a bus.  I cannot recall where we were going, but we were running loose in the British capital.  While on the bus, a verbal argument between the bus driver and an irate patron began.  Shouts were tossed back and forth between the two men.  Our fellow bus traveler was trying to get me and Kelvin to side with him on his argument.  Kelvin and I just sat on the bus wondering what was going on? Why were we being dragged into this?  As verbal altercation was taking place, I realized that the bus was still moving.  After riding for about four blocks of non-stop bickering, the rowdy bus patron was kicked off the bus, with a huff of profanity.  My brother and I still laugh about this story very frequently.

I imagine that Simon of Cyrene felt the same way that Kelvin and I did.  Here was this man from North Africa in Jerusalem, observing Passover and just minding his own business and got caught up in the public spectacle of Jesus' execution.  Simon just popped up on the scene.  At this point on the Via Dolorosa, Jesus had already fallen under the weight of his cross.  In circumstances like this, the Roman executioners could order that someone else carry the cross beam for the condemned.  Simon unfortunately was the closet able bodied man and was forced to carry Jesus' cross.  I would imagine that Simon was confused as to what was going on and why he was being dragged into this.  He simply wanted to go to the temple and witness the Passover sacrifice.  I imagine that Simon was angry at himself for deciding to travel to the temple the route that he had chosen.  I personally don't think that Simon carried Jesus' cross out of the goodness of his heart, but coersion.  This does not make Simon a bad person, but rather a person that was inconvenienced in order to help a brother out. 

I often think that Jesus' disciples didn't get key messages the first time around and had to be reminded by Jesus several times.  Jesus told his disciples "Whoever wants to follow me must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."  Whether voluntarily or by force, Simon was a visual representation of what Jesus had told his disciples about taking up their cross and following him.  When they reached the place of crucifixion, nothing more is mentioned about Simon at Calvary's hill.  I wonder if he hung around and witnessed what would happen later.  Did Simon scamper off back into the city?  Did he retreat into hiding and grab a bite to eat?  What is the lesson to be learned from this?  Many times when we think that we're in the wrong place at the wrong time, we are exactly where God wants us to be, so that he might be glorified through our lives.

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus crucified, as we travel this journey of life with you at our side, there will be times that we feel as if we are in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Give us your all sufficient grace to realize that we are right where God has called us to be.  Amen.

Faithfully,
Karr

Mama - Station 4

I think that one of the most profound and life teaching pains is the pain that a parent, especially a mother experiences when a child dies either expectantly or unexpectedly.  Not to discredit any pain or anguish that fathers may experience, I think that this tragedy is particularly harder on women.  The societal norm is that children will bury their parents.  It seems so unnatural for a parent to grieve and mourn a life full of promise and potential, for reasons that are outside of our control.

So, here we are at Station 4.  Jesus meets his mother.  I'm sure that Mary, like my own Ma' Bevs was an extreme worrier.  Here we see a glimpse of an aged Mary who has been widowed and probably at her wits end.  Back in those days, Jesus, Peter and John couldn't shoot Mary a text to inform her of Jesus' trial and sentence.  They had no way of tweeting, facebooking or instagramming that which would soon ensue.  Nothing is mentioned in the gospels about where Mary was when she found out about what was happening to Jesus.  We do however know that she showed up, ready to support and console her child, as any mother would.  I could only imagine what Mary felt in her heart when some friend, relative or neighbor awakened her in the late hours of Passover saying, "Mary, Mary, They got Jesus!  Let's go find him!"

At this point, mother and son meet.  I'm sure that Mary is reluctantly recalling the words that she told to the angel Gabriel "Be it unto me according to your word."  But was this really what Mary envisioned as her baby was on his way to the cross?  In a fit of bitterness, Mary probably remembered the words of the prophets concerning the Messiah.  "A sword will pierce through your soul."  He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he not opened his mouth."  "He was like a lamb led to the slaughter."  Mary had compassion on her son.  The word compassion means shared suffering.  In essence, Jesus' pain and humiliation became hers, Jesus' cross became her cross.

Beloved, two things that I wish you to ponder are.  How and where do you see God in the midst of loss and anguish?  How do you partake in the shared sufferings of others as they bear their cross to Calvary?  I'm a teacher.  Remember that in the midst of your tests, the teacher is always present in the room, they just can't tell you the answers to get you through the test.

Prayer:
Holy Mother Mary, our sister in the faith, mother of our Lord Jesus crucified, grant us your grace that in the midst of our losses, anguish and trials we might be able to accept the will of God for us in our lives, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Faithfully,
Karr

Stumbling: Station 3

I have to admit that at times, I am a walking disaster.  Tripping over this, stumbling over that, stumping my toe on my bedpost, which is immediately followed by words that if my grandmother were to hear, would cause her grab her chest and clutch her pearls.  Oh, then there's my favorite, falling while traveling up a flight of stairs.  My immediate response to falling regardless of when or where the incident takes place, is to immediately look around and hope that no one witnessed my temporary lapse of dignity and balance.  If I'm not in any major pain, I'll quickly get up, dust myself off and keep it moving. Sometimes, I'm okay, but there are times when hours later my body would be reminded that I indeed fell and I can't bounce back as easily as I did in my younger years. 

In Station # 3, Jesus falls for the first time with his cross.  Remember that Roman crucifixion was a public spectacle.  Jesus had a live studio audience.  There were no take twos, no do overs, this was it.  I would imagine that Jesus, hadn't eaten since he broke bread with his disciples the evening before.  It is now mid morning; he's hungry.  I'm quite sure that the sanhedrin council did not offer him a continental breakfast with fig juice.  What they did offer was the most inhuman treatment that anyone could endure, and through it all, Jesus maintained majestic dignity.  By this time, the weight of the crown of thorns is causing his temples to throb, he's kicking rocks along the way, he's famished, thirsty, far beyond fatigued, and in deep agony.  The only nourishment that he would have is the dust of the air.  Suddenly the weight of the cross becomes too much for him and he falls.  Depending on the nature of his fall he might have suffered abrasions or gotten splinters from his cross.  After his fall, Jesus did what we all do when we fall, he got up. 

Grammy award winning gospel artist Donnie McClurkin produced the award winning song "We fall down" in 2000.  The words to the song are simple. 
         "We fall down but we get up.  For a saint is just a sinner who fell down and got up."
Beloved as Jesus got up from his fall, let us be mindful that because he got up, so can we.  Each and every day we will fall in some capacity.  It's okay to fall down, but at some point you've got to get up.

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus crucified, you fell so that we might get up renewed in your grace and glory.  As we fall along our life journey, keep us ever mindful that we will get back up again.  Help us to keep our eyes on the hills from where our help is to come.  Amen.

Faithfully,
Karr

Take up your cross and follow me - Station 2

The cross is the universal symbol of Christianity.  Whether tatooed on someone's body, dangling from the ears or adorned on a necklace, it is a visible expression of their faith, and for others it's nothing more than a blinged out accessory at the end of rosary beads that are worn, but rarely prayed. 

                             

In the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus says to his disciples "Take up your cross and follow me."  We often think of our modern day crosses as thankless jobs without any fulfillment or promise of elevation, physical infirmities, or some type of broken relationship.  However, to people living in the first century and ancient world, the cross represented death in the most horrific and painful way. 

In Roman execution, the condemned was often made to carry their cross.  In Station # 2, Jesus is given his cross to bear for crimes and accusations that were unfounded.  Imagine if you would, carrying 75 -125 pounds of wood on your shoulders in the heat of the day on a dusty road leading to Golgatha, after a night of being tried unfairly, beaten and mocked.  I think it strange that the very same people who were shouting "Hosanna" on Sunday were looking on in horror, fear and disbelief on Friday. 

Centuries later, the cross represents forgiveness, grace and love.  However the cross for us in the twenty-first century does not represent death.  What does it mean for a post-modern world Christian to take up their cross and follow Jesus?  Simply put, when we take up our cross and follow Jesus, we factor ourselves out of the equation.  We sometimes come to the realization that our hopes and dreams for ourselves, may not necessarily match what God is calling us to do.  Sometimes you may find that you have to speak out against an injustice when it would be much more convenient to remain silence in indifference.  The good news is that we don't have to bear our crosses alone.  The Holy Spirit along with our families and communities of faith are there to cheer us along, even though the road may be weary and long.

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus crucified, help us to look beyond ourselves in this moment and time and take up our cross to follow you.  Give us the grace to do it with love, hope and joy for the journey.  Amen.

Faithfully,
Karr

Guilty of Love - Station 1

I cannot believe that we are at the Lenten-midpoint.  Hang in there, saints.  I've been busily entrenched with work and Lent Madness 2013, that my BLOG has been screaming for attention.  What I want to do for the duration of Lent via Say on is to walk with Jesus and his seven last words from the cross.  In essence, we will walk with Jesus through the Via Dolorosa and his execution by means of the Stations of the Cross.

Have you ever stopped to think that in the eyes of the interpreters and scribes of Jewish law that Jesus was a criminal?  I know it's hard to imagine that our savior, redeemer and liberator had a falsified rap sheet that could give Bonnie and Clyde, Frank Lucas, Al Capone and Don Corleone a run for their money.

Whenever someone takes a stand for righteousness and challenge authority, they become hated by the group of oppressors.  At the time of Jesus' arrest, the Romans ruled the day.  You know they say "When in Rome or Jerusalem, do as the Romans do."  Although Jesus was Jewish, the Jews did not have the authority to execute him.  They could try them in the Jewish court system, but they would have to get permission from Pilate to carry out the execution.

After what I'm sure was an exhausting evening of going from court to trial, bounced back and forth from Romans to Jews, Jesus was sentenced to death.  As Jesus stood before the legal authorities, he kept it classy.  He maintained majestic dignity, even though he was in the right.  Often when we are falsely accused, we want to immediately right the wrong, become defensive and even combative.  At times when we're putting others in their place, we become as culpable as our accusers.  My mom used to always tell me that "Two wrongs don't make a right."  

His crime was simply, LOVE.  Jesus came to show humanity how to love, and ultimately draw humanity together.  As Jesus walked the green mile to Calvary, his eminent death would open the door to salvation that might come to all who believe.  There was a popular song in the 90s by Kenneth Baby Face Edmonds entitled "It's no crime."  The hook of the song is simple it just says "If I'm guilty of love, then let me do my time."  I imagine that as Jesus stood at the cusp of mockery and death, that he stared in eternity past and present, saw us and our ancestors and simply wanted to "do his time" and fulfill God's mission.  Have you recently been charged with loving someone to life?

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus crucified, as you stared at death and your accusers, help us to maintain majestic dignity in our lives and not be quick to react to life, but let your ultimate truth arise and our enemies be scattered.  Thank you for your gift of peace and love.  Amen.

Faithfully,
Karr

Lent #5

 

Happy Ash Wednesday!  Oh, wait.   Lent is not a happy season, but rather a penitent season.  Oops, my bad.  Holy Lent!   I don’t have anything of significant insight to share today.  Even though I’m penitent, in the midst of that penitence, there is joy unspeakable, so yes, I am happy.  I have two very close friends who love lent.  I mean really love lent.  Although I’m more of an Advent/Christmas and Ordinary Times fellow, their love and appreciation for lent has actually rubbed off on me.  Thank you, Hershey and Elizabeth.

Lent # 5?  You may think that to be a strange title for today’s blog post.  Sounds like it could be some new fragrance waiting to be pimped out by the church.  It’s like this, if someone asks me what I want to get from #Lent2K13.  There are five things that immediately come to mind (as well as others).

1.      Revival: 

Revive the dormant talents and gifts that lie within you.

2.      Reconciliation: 

Reconcile yourself to God and others.

3.      Rest: 

Rest and recharge your battery during this time of reflection.

4.      Reclaim: 

Reclaim that which has been taken away from you.

5.      Reciprocate: 

Reciprocate the blessings and love of God in your life.

Those of you who are giving up or taking on additional practices as a part of your Lenten discipline, I wish you much dedication and joy for the journey.  If you have a slip-up, don’t beat yourself up, just brush off the dust and keep it moving.  Even in this penitent season of reflection, remember that you are blessed to be a blessing to others.  Wishing you a Holy Lent!

Peace,
Karsten

Who are you?

Who are you?  That’s a question that we’re not asked very often, because one would assume that we know who we are.  I am Karsten.  But who is Karsten?  I was listening to a podcast which featured Iyanla Vanzant, a very prominent spiritual guide.  In this podcast she stated “When we don’t know who we are, we don’t know what we want.” 

Everything that we desire and hope for can be traced back to us.  What is it that makes you uniquely you?  After everything is said and done, who are you?  Who is the person staring at you in the mirror?  What do you want from life?  Who are you?  When the dust settles, and we remove all the superficial and material things, jobs and profession, housing, clothing, significant or insignificant others, the cares of life: What’s left?  Who are you?

It’s hard not to know who you are, if you don’t realize whose you are.  But in case you’ve forgotten, let me remind you whose you are and to whom you belong.  You are a child of the light, made and fashioned in the image of the Almighty, you were born to live at this moment and in this time.  You are the salt of the earth, you are what gives your immediate environment its savor.  You are an instrument of peace, although you may be marred and broken hearted.  Beloved, you are you and only you can be the best YOU that you can be.  Embrace you, celebrate you, love you.   Who are you?

Peace,
Karsten