Easter is coming
But for many of us, this is not the ultimate reality
There is too much pain and suffering in the world today.
Death has the last word.
It would therefore be foolish to say that the life and death of a first century Jew named Jesus makes a difference.
Why? Might makes right, Power is superior to compassion, and Despair is stronger than hope.
So I refuse to believe a man can come back from the dead.
Sometimes the most important facts are the hardest to accept.
Resurrection is a false hope.
How can you say an empty tomb changes everything.
Don’t you see “God loves the world” is a lie.
“Money is God” and “The one dies with the most toys wins.”
I will tell you what I tell my children
There is no more to this world that what you can see, hold, and buy.
There is no mystery in everyday life and there is nothing sacred about ordinary things and people.
Many of us simply do not believe that God can give life to the dead, bring light from darkness, and create something out of nothing.
But what if the testimony of the woman at the tomb was true?
Then God can give life to the dead, bring light from darkness, and create something out of nothing.
Many of us simply do not believe that there is nothing sacred about ordinary things and people,
there is no mystery in everyday life and there is no more to this world that what you can see, hold, and buy.
I will tell you what I tell my children. “The one dies with the most toys wins.” and “Money is God” is a lie. God loves the world.
Don’t you see an empty tomb changes everything. How can you say Resurrection is a false hope? Sometimes the most important facts are the hardest to accept. A man can come back from the dead.
So I refuse to believe despair is stronger than hope, power is superior to compassion and might makes right. Why?
The life and death of a first century Jew named Jesus makes a difference.
It would therefore be foolish to say Death has the last word.
There is too much pain and suffering in the world today.
But for many of us, this is not the ultimate reality
Easter is coming
Text: David Loose
My first job after active duty in the Navy was with a technology company in Northern Virginia. Initially I was assigned to work on a project for NavSea 07, the submarine programs office. My first supervisor was a good man named Michael. One day I walked into Mike’s office to ask a technical question. He was at his desk reading and as he stared down at the document on his desk, he was rather oddly turning his head to and fro from side to side. It was almost as though he were trying to read one page with only one eye. I asked him why he was doing that and he looked at me as though I was the harbinger of bad news. “You know everyone has a blind spot, so I was just adjusting to be able to read around my blind spot, but you know….” and his voice trailed off. 
“While he was praying …” (Luke 9:27) During my time in Kenya, one of my friends was missioned in Guatemala among the Quechua people. That is a part of the country where people are poor, easily overwhelmed by the authorities in Guatemala City and the provinces, the maze of governmental forms and foreign laws of another culture. 
1 Filled with the holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert 2 for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” 5 Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. 6 The devil said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and their glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. 7 All this will be yours, if you worship me.” 8 Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.’” 9 Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ 11 and: ‘With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” 12 Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’” 13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time. 
I hope you are reading or getting ready to start reading the parish Christmas present to you, the book Rediscover Jesus – in fact, take a look in our 
The gospel this week is the second half of Jesus’ presence in his hometown synagogue of Nazareth. Do you remember last week when Jesus is reading from the prophet Isaiah and says: ““The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” 20 Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. 21 He said to them, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
“Are you Jesus?” It is a question I get asked on occasion, most often because of the Franciscan habit that I wear. Lots of times the question comes from small children. Their picture books show Jesus in his robes and then they see me. I suspect the question is more about my Franciscan robes. Maybe on my good days it is about me. Maybe, just maybe there was a moment when I was Jesus for them.
friarmusings 