Easter is something to be lived out daily. It means intentional devotion and being active in ones faith community. The whole Sunday’s coming thing is meaningless if one doesn’t practice what they believe the other six days of the week.
For those of other faith traditions being active and engaged in your communities can only make the world a better place.
Today is Good Friday, the Friday before Easter Sunday, on which the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ is commemorated in the Christian Church. It is traditionally a day of fasting and penance.
On this day I am remembering the sacrifice that Jesus made for humanity. One embraced by many. To give ones life for the cause of love is a noble one. Today I remember that act. Jesus did so much in a short amount of time that made people whole and brought people together. He was a carpenter so he built community and offered justice to the oppressed. To those who followed him he gave them a life of opportunity to do amazing things. May all of us find ways to emulate the works Jesus in our own way.
A selfie with the Episcopal Bishop of East Tennessee Rt. Rev. Brian Cole. He is a cool guy who does a good service.
Coffee at church on a Sunday morning at St. Peter’s Episcopal in #Chattanooga
We worry about the goodness to come in the afterlife that we fail to make things good in the life we live day-to-day. In my mind it’s really selfish to want the glory of heaven/paradise when there is much to be done to live the best life you can in the here and now. Death is a part of life, it’s the conclusion of ones earthly existence but ones story does continue to be written I think when we continue to be a part of that stream of consciousness and existence in the heavenly places. Our higher power, our creator gave us the gifts of people, places, things to sustain us while here on this planet created for life. We owe it to the ones we love to be there for them and to vigorously embrace them in a profound way. Until we are called to the company of saints then we still have much living to do. It would be a shame to leave this place worse than we found it in our birth.
I have been thinking about my place in the story of Jesus and its one of wanting to share his love in an inclusive and open way. The tradition of Christ being a big tent guy is one that I fully embrace. No one should be excluded from the opportunity to be loved and to love. There is too much gate keeping, wall building, exclusion of those who are not like us in this world today.
Yes, we live in very troubled times and we are all in need of comfort and grace so without doubt we need to keep God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit from being boxed in by our own fears and issues. It is my belief that without a God of inclusion, love, compassion and yes even occasional sternness I don’t know if this would want to be a part of his community.
My fear is too many people are being shut out and told that because they are this or that there is no room at the Inn for them. We need peace, freedom from conflict and freedom of being who we are and how God created us people of many colors and many orientations. I am thankful for The Episcopal Church and before that the United Methodist Church for informing me its good to be a believer who is open to new things and to question when needed.
Thanks be to God.
The Tony Burgess Blog 