Until a couple of months ago the top grossing film of all time was “Titanic”. Does that strike you odd? I mean of all the movies that have been made in the past 75 years “Titanic” is the one in which we ALL know the ending. The ship sinks. Everyone knows that. And yet a gajillion people spent like a billion dollars going to see it? How does that make any sense?
I was thinking about this yesterday as I was heading out to Tenebrae. Quite honestly I’m really not “into” Lent this year… I don’t know why, but my heart isn’t overtaken with grief and emotionally I’m rather stable. In fact I found myself a little bored. “I know how it ends”, I mentioned to people sitting next to me noticing my lethargic attitude. I do know how the story of Jesus’ Passion ends. He dies and rises again. And because of that I too will die and rise. That is awesome! That is a spectacle to behold! I think working at a church sometimes depletes the emotional side of my faith. I go to church not to hear the Word and receive the sacrament, but rather to sing and preach and make sure the microphones are on… it kind of sterilizes the experiential aspect of a relationship with Jesus. It doesn’t mean that I believe any less, nor does it imply that I am any less taken aback by the unfathomable love it took to put my Savior on the cross; it just means that in this particular Lenten season I’m a little more cerebral than I am emotional.
“Titanic” made all that money because people loved the love story and sacrifice that it put on the screen. I think that is why our churches are packed on Good Friday and Easter. We are in awe of Jesus’ love and are truly amazed at the sacrifice that He made on the tree. Unlike “Titanic”, however, we know that the ending is happy. In mere hours I get to help bring in the Easter joy to the good folks of BLC. While the sleep is still in many of our eyes, we sit with them wide-open at the empty tomb, just trying to comprehend the amazing victory over sin, death, and hell that the risen Jesus brings. We might get a little tired of the motions that our human ceremonies and traditions bring, but may God grant us a child-like faith when it comes to knowing that our salvation was made sure when Christ rolled away that stone. May that fact never become stale or old, may it always be as sweet as the candy we put in our baskets to celebrate this wonderful holiday.
No comments:
Post a Comment