Bishop Matthew Thomas's Blog

I write this on Good Friday,.  I have been reading, remembering, meditating and praying throughout the day.  “Jesus Paid It All” is more than a song on this day.  It is difficult to consolidate the events of that wonderfully tragic day about 2,000 years ago.  Marlene and I will join friends at a service this evening to center our thoughts and express our deep gratitude to God for His marvelous gift.  We will no doubt focus on the cross, perhaps be reminded of the 7 last words from the cross and I understand this year we will receive the Lord’s Supper.

Easter is around the corner.  It is my favorite celebration of the year- much better than birthdays and Hallmark holidays.  The world changed on Easter.  I cannot help but weep as I experience the joy and victory associated with the empty tomb.  Death’s days are numbered.  Easter is proof.  Those who live by faith have this as an anchor of hope.

Then there is the day between Good Friday and Easter- Saturday.  Unlike Good Friday and Easter which are always called Good Friday and Easter in every culture, the Saturday between is called by different names around the world by different groups and has been throughout history.  It is Holy Saturday, Great Saturday, Great Sabbath, Black Saturday, Joyous Saturday, Easter Eve and The Saturday of Light.  The name depends upon your tradition and what you think happened on that day.  You can see from the names that one group refers to it as Black while another refers to it as Light and still another as Joyous- a contrast indeed.  One tradition uses a religious term that does not describe anything specific about it (Holy Saturday) while another tradition only names it in proximity to Easter (Easter Eve).  With the Scriptures being somewhat silent on the matter [Yes, I am aware of conjecture on Jesus preaching (1 Peter 3:19) and dungeons and hell and captives and separation from the Father and even much needed sleep.]  Truth is, we do not know much about the day or even the reason for the space between Good Friday and Easter.  Why not just move from one to the other without a day between?

Some have conjectured that the reason for the break was for Jesus to do some unfinished redemptive business in other places.  One creed has Him descending into hell for an undisclosed period of time.  Another thought is that a full day between would be necessary to cement the notion that this was not a “mostly dead” scenario, but that Jesus was in the grave long enough to be “all dead.”  Still others speculate that Jesus was with the Father on Saturday and thus unrecognizable to at least a few after the resurrection on Sunday even though he had the marks on his body of the crucifixion.  In some traditions, Holy Saturday is a day to rest and reflect.  In others, it is a day to go to the cemetery and be reminded of the state of the body before resurrection.  In others, Holy Saturday is not celebrated at all.

For those who have read thus far waiting for me to disclose the real reason, the real activity and the real value of Great Saturday, I am guaranteed to disappoint.  It could be that most of the above took place.  Even if it did, it was all unseen to the public and therefore not scientifically verifiable.  It could be that not much at all happened that day.  The varied names and interpretations can leave everyone wondering.  But, one thing is without doubt- this was one of the biggest and most suspenseful pauses in human history.

That’s right.  If nothing else, it was a divine pause between death and life.  Perhaps that is the point.  Perhaps death is so severe and solemn that one needs to pause.  You can’t just move on or even focus when the death of a loved one leaves you numb.  I certainly needed a pause after our son, Mitchell, passed.  In fact, I was speechless and out of breath.  I needed time to grieve, weep, hope, anticipate, appreciate and thank.  Perhaps after Good Friday, the only proper purpose for the next day was to pause to allow everyone who cared to cry and mourn.

Similarly, before something great in life takes place, a pause is the common experience of those watching and waiting in eager anticipation.  Right before the sunrise, people freeze.  Right before the birth of the child, everything stops, everyone (except the mother and doctor) freezes, waiting for the first sight and first cry.  Right before a person proposes to the love of his/her life, there is a pause- a gulp, a brief period of quiet when the person is mentally rehearsing the right words and waiting for the right moment to pop the question.  The night before the big game, the athlete often lays quietly in bed, pausing even without sleep.  Before most big events in life, there is a pause.  Perhaps right before Easter, the only proper purpose for the day before would be to reflect before the great crescendo and all heaven and earth breaks forth in song.

In short, maybe there was nothing else that made sense between Good Friday and Easter than to pause and reflect, pause and wait, think about faith and see if it is still intact.  I will pause tomorrow because of what happened today and what will happen on Easter.

In music, the “tacet” is when nothing is happening, the “fermata” is when everything is on hold.  They are two of the most dynamic parts of orchestration.  Dozens of things are happening simultaneously often with the end of the song still to come and suddenly everything stops or the instruments hold their notes.  These pauses give value and distinction to everything before and after them.  Pauses very useful in communication, before making a serious decision, to build up courage, to look back with profound gratitude.  Peace shows up in the pause.  Revelation comes in the pause.  In fact, many times pause is the only proper response.  So, today I will weep and remember.  On Easter, I will break forth in song with great joy.  Tomorrow, I will let all of it sink in and pause, something most of us are terrible at doing.  My friends in Asia are already there.

I am so thankful now after nearly 50 years that some friends long ago thought enough of me to share the good news of salvation provided by Jesus Christ.  They explained what Jesus did.  They told me how their lives were impacted and shaped by God.  They helped me see that some of my choices were not getting me where I wanted and needed to go.  They lovingly shared not only information, but themselves.  I can never thank them enough for living and telling the good news.  In fact, that is the title of a FreeMo book I wrote:  “Living and Telling the Good News”.

Since that time, I have tried to do what Jesus called us all to do- to love God, love people and make disciples.  One way of expressing all three is to tell and show people the good news.  When done well, it comes from a heart of love for God.  It is expressed because we love people enough to share what is of utmost importance for eternity.  And, we do it because the only way to make a disciple is to help them start on that journey.  I love sharing the good news.  I think most people do.  But, it is becoming less and less of a practice for many.  Many are reluctant to share.  Hence many churches survive year after year without experiencing the lost being found.

There are reasons for such reluctance.  I list them in order of the frequency I hear or see them.  First, many are afraid of getting the information wrong.  “I don’t know what to say” is a common response when I ask if someone is sharing their faith with others.  Certainly, we don’t want to doll out bad information or incorrect theology.  Second, people are afraid of rejection.  I hear often, “I don’t believe they would receive it well.”  Or, “That is not part of my relationship with them.”  Third, many people feel like faith is very personal, comparable to talking about sex, money or politics- we just shouldn’t “go there”.  It is an imposition in a person’s personal life is the argument.  Fourth, some people believe that it just doesn’t make a difference.  The good news is good, but not great.  In other words, some mistakenly believe that everyone goes to heaven anyway (which is not in accord with Scripture), or, they don’t really believe that salvation is relevant to day to day living.  Perhaps you relate to one of these.

Reluctance in sharing faith is generally centered on one or more of those reasons.  But, every person I have ever seen come to faith always applaud people who were bold enough, cared enough and loved enough to help point them in the right direction.  I often ask Christians (many are reading this blog now), “who has had the biggest impact in your life?” and “What did they do that was so impactful?”  It is often a family member.  Sometimes it is a teacher or coworker.  But generally, it is someone who cared deeply about them and spoke truth to them when it was uncomfortable for all concerned.  They lived sacrificially.  They backed up their loving life with loving words.  Very few say, “the most influential person never ruffled my feathers or spoke to me an uncomfortable truth.”  Many say, “they told me what I needed to hear but did not want to at the time.”

I invite you to overcome reluctance by diving in and expressing your love for God by loving someone who needs him and telling them about it.  I invite you to pray that God will help you make disciples of people who are not even sure what that means.  I invite you to love in ways that might be a tad frightening but bear fruit for God.  Pray that God helps you overcome your reluctance about speaking his name to those who need to hear it.  I have found that overcoming reluctance in that area leads to overcoming many things in life.  Start living and telling the good news.  Or, if you already are, invite others to join you.

 

I love Advent.  It is the grandest celebration of God’s most visible presence on earth.  When Jesus came, the Creator entered his own creation in the most intimate of ways.  Things have not been the same since.  He left, but his Spirit remains.  God has always been active and present in his creation.  But, the first Advent was the most personal engagement.  The word “advent” notably means- “arrival of a special person”.  God as Creator fully identified with the creation in the advent, assuming all of our troubles and our enormous, unsolvable dilemma in full force.  While he was here, he proclaimed peace and authored a solution in his own flesh (the cross, death and resurrection) from which we and all creation benefit both now and throughout eternity.  And, it all started with the adventure that was launched in Bethlehem.

Many songs try to recreate that first night and day.  Away in a Manger, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, See in Yonder Manger Low, O Holy Night, What Child is This, and Silent Night all try to give us a full appreciation of the events of that very first night or morning when Jesus drew his first breaths.  They are attempts to recreate the event itself.  They set the atmosphere or try to recreate it.

One of the most common atmospheric conveyances is calm.  All of these songs conjure up a serene setting.  We know from history that in all reality it was somewhat chaotic in a chaotic time.  Mary and Joseph were not locals and not welcomed.  There was no place for them.  And, since it was a time of census, Mary and Joseph were not the only people on the move and displaced.  Mary was not likely the only pregnant woman on the road.  We also know that King Herod was paranoid at best.  His paranoia coupled with unrestrained power would later result in an attempt to end the life of Jesus.  Instead, it led to the deaths of many children.  Though some of those troubling realities might not have invaded the stillness of that particular night, it was not likely the serene setting we like to imagine.

Having said that, I know why we picture the scene with tranquility like we do.  It was, after all, nighttime when the angels appeared to the shepherds.  Night is generally quiet.  And, the event itself was the beginning of calm that marked Jesus’ aim for the world and personality while he was in it.  Our most reverent moments find us quiet in the presence of the Almighty.  That fits the quietness and serenity we picture for that night.  The message that launched there was one of “peace.” Peace by nature, brings stillness.  I still like to sing the songs with a picture of serenity in my mind.  With no disrespect to Sandra Bullock, the night Jesus was born would make a much better movie titled, “While You Were Sleeping.”

This year, however, something else is simultaneously at play in my mind.  I am watching violence against Jesus’ people at an all-time fevered pitch.  I cannot mention some of the countries where the violent attacks are occurring.  But, the persecution by paranoid governments are still in play as they were 2,000 years ago.  In fact, I have not seen anything like this in my 40 years of ministry.  Many of the people who are being persecuted, abused and imprisoned are my friends.  I know them very well.  We have laughed and cried and prayed together.  We have eaten dinner and shared our dreams and hopes together.  I know their families.  They will be spending Christmas apart or abused.  I will not mention the countries where they live in order to keep the authorities who might read this from having more fodder to hurt my friends.  But, it is a shame.  It is a blight upon humanity.

The one who came to bring peace on earth brought it.  His people are carriers of that peace.  Yet, his people are being harassed with a level of violence that is a shame to humanity.  The ones who are doing the most good are receiving the worst harm.  The ones who are praying for their leaders are being harassed by them.  The ones who are bringing nothing but good news to those who need it most are being treated with nothing but bad news with evil intent.  I weep for my friends as our globe is in significant distress.  I weep as paranoid and angry people are taking out their vengeance upon the people who are working hardest to bring peace and purpose.

But, I am still going to sing all of those songs this Christmas time.  I am going to picture a peaceful setting.  I am going to herald the Prince of Peace.  I will imagine a still night that was and one that is coming.  I will reflect on the child who came inconspicuously to bring a calming salvation to the world and his rest that will last forever.  I will be singing Silent Night on a night that will likely contain unspeakable violence.  And, as I sing, I will be singing it as a prayer.  Please join me.