"Rabboni!"

John 20:1-18
- As Mary comes to the garden that morning what thoughts and emotions are filling her?
- All that she hoped for, expected, and dreamed about has been destroyed...all that is left is a body.
-Coming to the tomb, she finds even that has been taken from her.
-She calls to others who ponder the mystery for a short time and then return to their routine.
- Mary however, does not. She remains, standing before the tomb, lost in her grief.
- She looks inside the tomb and sees something the others did not; two men dressed in white.
- They speak to her, acknowledging her emotion. "Woman, why are you crying?" Her tears reveal her broken, frantic heart.
- Her answer: "They have taken my Lord away and I do not know where they have put Him." Her honest reply speaks of her desire to find the body...all that she had left...to hold on to the shattered, decaying remains of her dreams.
-Then, she turns and sees the desire of her heart for which she is searching, but she does not recognize him.
- The same question is asked, "Woman, why are you crying?" and then, "Who are you looking for?"
- Still distracted by her grief and the desire to find the body...all that remains...she answers. "If you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him and I will go and get him". The answer is one filled with emotional grief...the fact that she was contemplating going to get a dead body speaks to her desparateness. Dead bodies were unclean and how could she, a woman, possibly transport it? And where would she put it? None of this matters...the only thing that matters to her is that she hold onto the only thing she has left.
- JESUS however, cuts through her distraction, grief, and emotional frenzy with one word- her name. "Mary".
- Then, SHE TURNS TOWARD HIM and RECOGNIZES who is before her...the desire of her heart. Not the dead body, but a resurrected, living, loving Lord!
- Her shattered dream is lost in the overwhelming Reality of who now stands before her. She lets go and embraces the Truth.
- "Rabboni!" What incredible love, joy, and worship that word must have conveyed.
- Again Jesus speaks, "Do not hold on to me...instead, go and tell my brothers..." Don't hold on to the moment and refuse to let go...go and tell what has happened and how the Reality is so much better than could ever have been imagined...spread the good news you have been entrusted with.
- Mary is faithful. She tells the disciples, "I have seen the Lord!"



This story came alive to me this weekend. I wanted to share it from the viewpoint in which I saw it. What a beautiful truth it contains; when we let go of the things that we hold on to most tightly...even if they were good and beautiful...we can recognize that Jesus stands before us and is all that we need. "Woman, who are you looking for?" In the joy filled and painful moments of my life, my desire is that my only answer be, "Rabboni!". Like Mary, my Lord has spoken to me and I can say, "I have seen him!"

Last Tuesday was election day. The voting for my precinct was in the local Boy Scout office. I found myself, therefore, at 6:30 am, standing in line to vote in a hall with giant banners displaying the Boy Scout virtues. As I stood there, thinking about the direction our country is headed, my attention was drawn to the words on the banners. As I read the words, I started to think about what it would be like to have the opportunity to vote for someone who lived with these virtues. I have been a fan of the boyscouts for a long time, but especially since last Tuesday, I have been reminded of the great need in our nation for Men who live like this...in whatever position in life they find themselves.

Scout Oath (or Promise)
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight

Scout Law
TRUSTWORTHY
A Scout tells the truth. He keeps his promises. Honesty is part of his code of conduct. People can depend on him.
LOYAL
A Scout is true to his family, Scout leaders, friends, school, and nation.
HELPFUL
A Scout is concerned about other people. He does things willingly for others without pay or reward.
FRIENDLY
A Scout is a friend to all. He is a brother to other Scouts. He seeks to understand others. He respects those with ideas and customs other than his own.
COURTEOUS
A Scout is polite to everyone regardless of age or position. He knows good manners make it easier for people to get along together.
KIND
A Scout understands there is strength in being gentle. He treats others as he wants to be treated. He does not hurt or kill harmless things without reason.
OBEDIENT
A Scout follows the rules of his family, school, and troop. He obeys the laws of his community and country. If he thinks these rules and laws are unfair, he tries to have them changed in an orderly manner rather than disobey them.
CHEERFUL
A Scout looks for the bright side of things. He cheerfully does tasks that come his way. He tries to make others happy.
THRIFTY
A Scout works to pay his way and to help others. He saves for unforeseen needs. He protects and conserves natural resources. He carefully uses time and property.
BRAVE
A Scout can face danger even if he is afraid. He has the courage to stand for what he thinks is right even if others laugh at or threaten him.
CLEAN
A Scout keeps his body and mind fit and clean. He goes around with those who believe in living by these same ideals. He helps keep his home and community clean.
REVERENT
A Scout is reverent toward God. He is faithful in his religious duties. He respects the beliefs of others.

Scout Motto
Be Prepared

I hope my boys like camping, tying knots, and wearing uniforms...cause they're going to be boyscouts! :)

The Business of Heaven

We Must Choose:

Why is God landing in this enemy-occupied world in disguise and starting a sort of secret society to undermine the Devil? Why is He not landing in force, invading it? Is it that He is not strong enough? Well, Christians think He is going to land in force; we do not know when. But we can guess why He is delaying. He wants to give us the chance of joining His side freely. I do not suppose you and I would have thought much of a Frenchman who waited till the Allies were marching into Germany and then announced he was on our side. God will invade. But I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realize what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks onto the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right; but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else- something it never entered your head to conceive- comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing: it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realized it or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last for ever. We must take it or leave it.

C.S. Lewis

2 Peter 3:3-10

Fearfully and Wonderfully

I saw the most beautiful thing I have ever seen yesterday. Black and white, it was a small image; only 2-3 inches big on the monitor. I stood in the darkened room and tried not to cry. The nurse practitioner on the other side of the exam table turned the screen so that the patient could see. "do you see him?" she asked. "That's your baby".
My clinicals this semester are at a small women's clinic that does pregnancy tests, STD checks, Pap smears, and ultrasonography. Their main emphasis is on counseling, recognizing that their patients need a lot more than just a solution to their crisis.
This baby was unexpected and the single mother did not want to be pregnant. She thought that she might be 5 or 6 weeks along; as it turned out she was 12. I stood by her side, watching the little tiny figure as it bounced up and down, waving its arms, stretching its legs and generally protesting our pushing and prodding with the ultrasound probe. The fuzzy image was so captivating and yet so very vulnerable.
I cried out to God as I stood there. He is the only one that know the days of this child's life. He is the only one that knows their name. All their days are written down and the end will not take Him by surprise, although it may grieve his heart. Just like the babe though, he loves that Mother as well. He knows her heart, her thoughts, her fears; he has been there the whole time. He knows what to speak to her heart; he knows that she is created for His purpose. He Loves her.
He knows all of them...every single person broken by the lies of this world. Hurt, crying out, betrayed and confused. He loves them.
Father, send out workers into your harvest field! The harvest is ripe and plentiful- and so very fragile.