Too Scary?
by Deborah Beach Giordano
© April 2, 2007
As they were nearing the Mount of Olives on their way to Jerusalem, Jesus sent two of his disciples on ahead. He said, "Just inside the next village you will find a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it to me. If anyone asks, ‘Why are you doing this?’ tell them ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back immediately.’"
The disciples brought the colt to Jesus and covered it with their cloaks, and he rode upon it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Those who walked in front and those who followed behind shouted, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"
....
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, "The King of the Jews." He was crucified alongside two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.
Those who passed by scoffed at him, shaking their heads and saying, "Hah! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days — if you’re such a miracle-worker, then save yourself, and come down from the cross!" The chief priests and the scribes sat together, making fun of Jesus, "He saved others; but he cannot save himself. Let this ‘Messiah’, ‘the King of Israel,’ come down from the cross this moment, so that we may see and believe." Even those who were crucified with him sneered at Jesus.
~ The Gospel according to Mark 11:1-10; 15:25-32
Several years ago a parishioner told me that she never attended Holy Week services because it was "too depressing." She found Palm/ Passion Sunday particularly troubling because the children — who led the congregation into the sanctuary with swaying palm branches — "had to hear that terrible story" of Jesus’ crucifixion.
It’s true: it is a terrible story. An innocent young man is falsely accused, arrested, unjustly convicted, tortured and executed. No one spoke up on his behalf, no mercy or compassion was shown to him, no sympathy was extended to him. Even as Jesus suffered on the cross passers-by sneered at him and others sat in their comfy parlors making jokes about him.
It is horrible, wrong, and wicked. It should never have happened — and it should never happen again.
But it did. And it does.
Our children shouldn’t have to grow up in a world where hatred, violence and corruption exist.
But they do.
We are horrified — rightly — by the brutality of the Crucifixion, yet we are often blind to the violence that permeates our culture. We avoid telling the little ones that our Lord was beaten and murdered — yet the evening news recites a litany of equally terrible events: robberies, shootings, murders and assaults. What passes for entertainment is worse: a constant stream of car crashes, gun battles, kidnapping, robberies, decapitations, and people eating live bugs. And then there are the commercials that try to convince us that a burglar is casing our home, a bogeyman is skulking in the parking lot, and we are at risk of being poisoned by the chemicals in our water or a hidden disease lurking in our bodies.
Our children are exposed to all of this — though we try to protect them. Their friends may discuss the programs, they may see advertisements, overhear grown-ups’ conversations ... the steady drone of violence and fear is heard in the classroom, on the playground, and in our living rooms.
And it isn’t only the children who suffer.
We are all exposed to this unending message — and it takes a toll on our hearts, our hopes, our beliefs. We grow ever-more watchful, wary, and suspicious. We distrust the outsider, we assume the stranger means to do us harm, we draw back from one another.
When we are afraid we can become angry, combative, poised for attack. Or we may respond by avoiding contact with others: shrinking away, narrowing our circle to a few friends or relations, hiding from the world "outside."
Fear makes us lonely: we become isolated; imprisoned inside our own imaginations.
Fear makes us deaf: we no longer hear our Lord’s call to compassion and care above the pounding of our hearts. The Christian’s mandate to love and to serve is drowned out by the worldly motto: "every man for himself."
Fear makes us forgetful: Jesus’ teachings slip from our minds and no longer inform our thoughts and deeds. We blame the poor for their poverty, the abused and the ill for their hurts; we ignore the sad and the lonely. We forget the Sermon on the Mount, and instead accept as gospel that "might makes right."
We no longer speak out when things are wrong. We no longer work for peace, justice, mercy, and compassion. We forget that our Lord said, "as you do to the least of these, so also do you do to Me" (Matthew 25:35-45).
Fear makes us stop behaving like Christians.
...
When I was a little girl I asked my Sunday School teacher, "Why didn’t somebody say something? Why didn’t one of Jesus’ disciples stand up for him? They all said they believed in Him."
And Mrs. Nelson, poor woman, could only reply, "They were afraid."
But I wonder.
What if ...
What if just one person had spoken out?
What if, instead of running away, James or John had stayed and testified on Jesus’ behalf? What if one of the scribes had said, "This man’s teachings are true!"? What if Peter had admitted that he was a follower of the Lord? What if, instead of washing his hands of the matter, Pilate had said, "This is wrong, and I will not condone it!"?
Perhaps the Time of Fullest Blessings would have begun on that very day.
Maybe, instead of having to await our Second Chance — which the Beloved has graciously extended to us — God’s Kingdom would have been revealed in full glory right then and there.
I wonder.
If those people had not been ruled by fear; what might have happened? How might their world have changed?
Jesus was never afraid of anything: his confidence in God’s love was absolute. Our Lord came to lead us to abundant life here and eternal life hereafter. He showed us how to be fully human, and gloriously alive — and taught us to share that joy and courage and love with everyone we meet. As Christians, we have promised to follow Him.
And so I wonder.
If we were not ruled by fear; what might happen? How might our world change?
What if we had faith enough to look past the horror stories, warnings, and threats that come at us from every direction — to see the Promise and the Life? What if we honestly believed what Jesus taught us: that there is another Way, a better Way, that brings hope and healing and joy? What if we lived our lives as if the Gospel is true — with compassion and love and generosity?
Perhaps the Kingdom of Heaven would appear in our midst. Maybe only a little bit at a time, in a few places at a time. But it could happen. If only we dared to truly believe.
Virtual hugs and real-time blessings,
Deborah +
This Week’s Suggested Spiritual Exercise: Take note of how much our culture focuses on fear. Count the ways in which television programs, films, commercials, and advertisements try to "scare" you. If they can convince you to be afraid — what is the result? Will you buy a product or service? Will you become angrier, closed-down, closed in? Will you start to hate a person, a group, a nation? Will your walk with Christ be at risk?
The Lord told his followers, "Do not be afraid" at least 15 times in the gospels. He must have thought it was important.
If you cast fear out of your life, how will things change? What will you do differently?
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JOIN OUR LIST: If you would like the weekly Reflection to be sent directly to your email address, you may join our list for free by emailing dbgiordano@comcast.net with the word "Reflections" in the subject or body of the email. The Reflections mailing list is NOT used for any other purpose.
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This took me years to work out!
I am sure you have all heard the saying, "Like Attracts Like." "Well if that statement is true and like attracts like then your probably thinking then "why did I bring to me such a terrible relationship?" Then the next thing people get resentful and angry, because what they are thinking in that is that "It's not my fault, I am not bad, so why did bad things happen to me?"
Well let me explain: I am going to share with you the biggest secret of all, one that took me years to work out! The secret is that there is no point going over and over thinking about what you're thinking that's causing your problems, that's right, no self analysis, no rehashing the past, no self analyzing!
Everything in your world is the direct result of your thinking, what you have been imagining, what you have been afraid of, what you want, what you don't want. What you spend your day thinking about is what you create! So just for a minute STOP! Grab the nearest piece of paper and write down a snapshot list of the things you have thought about this morning. Yes quick, do it now without thinking about it. I dare you!
When people generally look at the process of their thinking, and then read this next paragraph, it's like the lights go on in their life.
If you have spent all day thinking things like this:
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Nothing good ever happens to me
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I don't want that crap in my life
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I hate my job, I want to find a new one
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He is a b........
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She is just a b............
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Life sucks
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I will never have the money to do that so why bother
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No one likes me because............
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This wont work because I have tried before
If these are like the thoughts going round in your head, then of course your life is a constant battle the mere fact you are pushing out that energy into the universe is enough to keep on giving it power to create more of the same!
"FAR OUT!" - You may be thinking, how on earth am I going to change the way I think about my life? I don't have any money, and I do hate my job, and, and, and.................
This is where it takes vigilance, effort and energy, if you want to change your life; you have to make changes, you have to simply CHOOSE and in choosing refocus your thinking to manifest what you want.
Right now you may not have the perfect life you dream of, but if you deep down in your core, your heart believe you will never have a good life - then you will never have a good life. Its that simple.
People are lucky in love and lucky in life simply because they think in ways of luck and love, they constantly reinforce how lucky they are in the way they think about everything that happens, and do you know what, they keep on being lucky because they think thoughts to reinforce the universe to keep bringing that sort of experience right to their door every day of their lives.
From this moment on, how would it be if you could have everything you want! We are talking about constructive thinking where you reframe your perception of life. Constructive thinking which empowers your life, and draws to you positive experiences little by little until you master the simple fact of focusing on happy productive and healthy thoughts! I will give you a simple example; a couple is thinking about buying a home, they have been through a hard time and neither of them has very much money saved. One says to the other, "S.... is selling his house its just what we want but he wants $380 thousand for it, that means we'd have to have 10% deposit and that's $35 thousand. We don't have that so there is no point looking!" he looks miserable with the internal thoughts of, "were never going to get on top and own our own home, were getting too old, life is crap." His partner however is working on changing her thinking to attract more opportunity to her life, her reply is bright and cheery, "It won't hurt to have a look, we may not have $35thousand this week, but who knows what tomorrow may bring. So let's have a look hey?"
Do you see how simple it is the husband constantly in his thinking and in the way her verbalizes, reinforces lack and that life will not bring him opportunities, where the woman, is open and optimistic, really believing that anything is possible and everything is probable. She is working with reframing every moment of her life to bring happiness, abundance and opportunities.
Like attracts like, what we think grows like seeds in a garden, it is that simple.
I woke up this morning thinking what a wonderful day, its Sunday and I don't have to go into the clinic to work, the sun is shining, my husband is about to cook me a wonderful breakfast as he does every Sunday, and I feel fantastic. I reframe my thinking constantly to reaffirm that yes, good things are happening to me, and yes opportunities abound, and yes anything is possible and yes life is happening and its all good. Even the bad is good, because it pushes me to grow it pushes me to change, it makes me confront my limits and I get stronger every day, and happier.
In the beginning it takes focus, it takes effort and it takes a whole lot of self awareness, to start the change and reframe your thinking habits. It's so easy for the negative thought patterns to just slip into gear without us knowing they even happened, like; Oh God I am tired, I don't want to go to work, I am so angry with.........., she is a bitch and she is out to get me, good things never happen to me, I am fat, I am getting old, I feel miserable....etc.
See how easy the negative can be to creep into your head and push everything you want out the window.
Reframing your thought process at first will mean you have to pull yourself up and create positive ways to change sentence structure around. As I said in my first article, if you haven't already read my little book "Starting Over," it's packed full of insight about how to change our reality from negative to positive.
The eternal truth of life is that like attracts like, look around you at your circumstances, they are the manifestation of the majority of your thoughts!
So its time to take control, and in your mind begin by creating the energy of what you want your life to be. Things to avoid and things to cultivate
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Look for the good in everyone - be a Pollyanna - decide to not have an opinion on things or people that will take your energy down. (if you cant say something good, don't say anything!)
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Identify what you like about yourself, and your personality, focus upon what you like, and how you can improve upon things that make you feel uncomfortable.
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Be aware of negative talk, and simply make the choice not to join in those conversations.
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Don't dwell on the past - let it go its finished its done and its over
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Allow you're self to imagine - day dream - create a visualization of you living your life how you want to be.
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Give up thinking in ways of lack - in the universe there is more than enough for everyone!
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Instead of thinking about how much you hate your job, remember how you felt on that first day you were employed, what a buz you had full of enthusiasm, and get that thinking back on line -----what you can achieve - what you enjoy about what your doing
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Wear your favorite perfume or cologne
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Wear your favorite clothes - give yourself permission to feel good!
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Make that little bit of effort put a smile on your face and a sparkle in your eyes
Remember the energy you emanate from your thinking will draw to it more of the same. My mother always had a saying, "Misery begets misery!" and she was perfectly right.
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If you hang around with alcoholic drug taking misfits then = guess what you will become!
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If you hang out with people who are happy with goals and integrity = guess what you become!
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If you think all day about what you don't want in your life = you will only get more of what you don't want!
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If you spend your day thinking about all the positive things in your life = you will get more of the same!
So my friends that's enough for you to think about for this article. Watch out for the next episode;
Thoughts Change Lives.
Cheers for now Lesley ~ TRUITY.
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Remember!
by Deborah Beach Giordano
© March 26, 2007
Moses told the people, "Remember this day always. You have come away from Egypt, away from slavery, because the Holy One drew you out. Because God's strength alone saved you, no leavened bread shall be eaten. Today, in the month of Abib, you are going forth.
Later, when the Holy One brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which God promised your ancestors would be given to you — a land flowing with milk and honey — mark this date. For seven days eat unleavened bread, and on the last day hold a celebration to God. Eat only unleavened bread for seven days — don't keep any other bread in your house, not even the ingredients.
And when they ask, tell the children, 'I do this because of what the Holy One did for me when I came out of Egypt.' Like a string around your finger, or a tap on the shoulder, this will remind you of God's teachings; for it was God's power that drew you out of Egypt. Remember this day always."
~ The story of Exodus 13:3-10,
as interpreted by Deborah
~ The story of Exodus 13:3-10,
as interpreted by Deborah
The other week a friend of my husband's dropped by John's office to take him to lunch. Paul was chatting merrily when he suddenly stopped mid-sentence and put his hand to his throat. His eyes widened and his face went deathly pale. John said he was reaching for the phone to call 9-1-1 when Paul croaked, "Oh my God! Today is my anniversary!"
Thanks to the miracles of modern technology, Paul was able to save his bacon. A couple of phone calls, a charge account number, the payment of a "rush order" charge, and a lovely bouquet was delivered to his wife's office before the day was out. All's well that ends well. But it was a close thing.
It would have been better if Paul had remembered sooner — a lot easier on his nerves, and probably cheaper, too. But that kind of thing can happen to the best of us. Haven't there been times when you've wondered what day of the week it was? What the date is?
Our days are filled with routines — that are useful for getting things done. We get up, get dressed, go to work ... we drive along the same roads, listen to the same radio programs, eat lunch at the same time, talk to the same people... One day blends into the next.
And then we forget our anniversary. Or a loved one's birthday. It isn't that we don't care — it is that it the business/busy-ness of living makes it hard to separate one day out of all of the other days. It is hard to tell which day is a special day.
.....
"Why is this night different from all other nights?" the youngest child asks at the Seder dinner: "What's so special about today?" Our Jewish cousins have taken Moses' teachings to heart: they understand that Passover is a special time.
Things are clearly different. No one can miss noticing that all traces of leaven have been removed from the house, that special prayers have been said, special foods have been prepared, and the family has gathered together. The celebration was designed to provoke questions, to encourage storytelling, to remind the Hebrew people of something important.
And one memory leads to another. The name for the festival, "Peschach" comes from the Hebrew word meaning to pass through, to pass over, to exempt or to spare.
That single word is a reminder of the many ways in which the Holy One has guided and protected the People of Israel: when the angel of death passed over the homes of the Hebrew slaves while they were in Egypt; the parting of the Reed Sea; the way the Holy One faithfully led the Israelites through the desert. It is a reminder that our God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love (Psalm 118; Isaiah 63:7; Jonah 4:2; etc.).
That is something worth remembering.
But sometimes we forget. Sometimes we get busy, we get stressed, we get sick, people we love get sick; we begin to feel isolated, alone, and afraid. Sometimes, in the midst of our busy lives, we forget about God.
But the Beloved never forgets about us. Just as in ancient times, the Holy One continues to protect us; to safely guide us as we pass through this world.
...
I wonder if there is something that could keep the Good News fresh in our memory. Not just for a day or a season — but every day.
How can we remember that our God is ever-faithful, and cares for us tenderly? That we have been set free from slavery to sin and death; that we are forgiven, and loved beyond our imagining. What could remind us that the Beloved is with us in good times and bad — today, tomorrow, and always — and will never let us go?
Is there something we can do? Is there a word we can say?
I wonder.
As we draw ever-nearer to the holiest Day of the Christian year, let us pray for the grace to truly understand that every day is a holy and blessed day. And that we are a holy and blessed people.
Virtual hugs and real-time blessings,
Deborah +
This Week's Suggested Spiritual Exercise: What would help you to remember that you are a beloved Child of God? A string around your finger? a magnet on the refrigerator? a note pinned on the rear view mirror? Once you've decided what will be most effective, start using this reminder, and retain it until after the Easter vigil.
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Some of those in the crowd asked about the Galileans who were murdered in the sanctuary while they were at worship.
Jesus asked, "Do you think that because they suffered this death these Galileans were worse than all others? No, I tell you; but unless you change your life, you will all perish as they did.
Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them — do you think that they were worse sinners than everyone else in Jerusalem? Certainly not! But I tell you: unless you change your life, you will all perish just as they did." ~ The Gospel according to Luke 13:1-5
There is something about "the numbers game" that is very attractive. Compiling statistics, accumulating data ... It brings us comfort — by keeping things at a safe distance; making death and danger seem foreign and unreal. Gee, did you hear that eighteen people were crushed when the Siloam wall collapsed? That 32 people died when a car bomb exploded? That hundreds have died from domestic violence?
We may be horrified to learn that people were killed, but it is theoretical, the whole thing happened elsewhere — in some far-distant, unimaginable realm. It leaves us open to speculate as to what happened: to wonder why those people were where they were, and why it happened to them.
Fifteen or fifty, three hundred or three thousand, it makes no difference. The numbers — the multitude — cushions us from reality. The anonymity keeps "them" at a safe distance. What ever went on has nothing to do with us.
40-year-old Tanya McCall was gunned down in the parking lot of Acts Full Gospel Church in Oakland just before the 8 a.m. service on Sunday. But then we hear a name, an age, a home town ... all at once it changes. All at once the theoretical becomes personal.
After the shooting, other parishioners rushed to McCall's side, praying over her as paramedics arrived from a fire station adjacent to the church.... The manager of the office where she worked broke down in tears upon learning of McCall's death, recalling that she was a "very sweet person, a very professional lady."
Suddenly these "many" are no longer distant or unfamiliar, but easily recognizable. They did the same things we do; went to the same places we do; had jobs like ours; lived in neighborhoods like ours; had likes and dislikes, hopes and dreams — just like we do. These were warm and vibrant spirits whose lives have been cut off. Friends and family members mourn them: spouses, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends and coworkers ... many hearts are hurting. Hearts just like ours.
And now the cause of these things is no longer an itch of curiosity, but an ache in our souls. The "why" behind it is a question we must have answered.
Were these deaths "justified"? Was Tanya and those sitting in the shade of the wall at Siloam such bad people that they deserved to be killed? Was it punishment from on High: God exacting revenge for sins or shortcomings? Do we need to live in fear of our Creator?
Jesus answers all these with a resounding "No!" Of course not. Those who suffer are not condemned by God; those who die have not been abandoned by our Lord.
We do not need to be afraid of the Beloved, who is merciful and loving. Nor is there any cause to avoid those who are in pain — their misfortune is not "contagious." They are not sinners whose company we ought to shun. They are our sisters and brothers, whom we are called to love and care for. (Luke 6:20-26; Mt 5:1-12)
Those who experience trials and tragedies are just like us: one people, one God, one family. Children of the Beloved, our lives are intertwined: we must rely on one another in order to survive in a world that can be dangerous, in a culture that can be unkind — even vindictive — to those who are "less fortunate." In the face of a worldview that says, "Every man for himself!" Our Lord commands us to "love one another" (John 13:34-35; 15:12; 15:17).
Jesus’ response to concerns about death and suffering is directed to the community. He doesn’t speak to "you" — singular; but he tells the crowd that, unless we change our ways, you-all will perish. Our hearts have already told us what we know to be true. There are no lone wolf Christians: we are called to nurture and encourage and support one another. Our lives are interconnected: even our salvation is bound up in each other.
Jesus came to call us to a new life: to guide us on a holy and healing Path of love and mercy, peace and compassion. If we do not seek to change — if we allow the values of grasping and greed, of violence and exploitation to rule this world — many more Tanyas will die. A thousand, perhaps. Perhaps millions.
If we do not seek to change — ourselves and our world — how many more hearts will be broken? How much more suffering will spread across the planet? How much longer will the earth groan in anxious longing as it awaits God’s Children to reveal ourselves? (Romans 8:19-23)
On Sunday morning at a little before 8 a.m., the death toll from gun related violence increased by one.
Just one.
But that one mattered. Tremendously.
Every one of us matters — frantically, desperately — to our Creator. Every one of us is beloved of God; every life is precious, every soul is sought-after as if it was the only one (Mt 10:29-31; Luke 12:6-7). And we are all in this together.
Virtual hugs and real-time blessings,
Deborah +
This Week’s Suggested Spiritual Exercise:What one thing can you do this week to help heal the world?
"We can do no great things — only small things with great love."
~ Mother Teresa of Calcutta
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