Easter

Happy Birthday, Your Majesty!

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April 21 – Her Majesty, The Queen’s Birthday

Today marks Queen Elizabeth’s 88th birthday.  While her official birthday celebration occurs in June each year with the Trooping of the Colour, she will continue on with her Easter Court entertaining at Windsor Castle through the end of April.  Also marking this day is the unveiling of her latest photograph taken by renown photographer, David Bailey!  This magnificent capture of her vivacious spirit was taken at Buckingham Palace last month.  A new year in the life of this Monarch begins!

Birthday Portrait Of Queen Elizabeth II By David Bailey

Birthday Portrait Of Queen Elizabeth II By David Bailey via royalcentral.com

New beginnings and rebirth also mark today, Easter Monday

The egg is a universal symbol for Easter, almost more so than the Cross these days.  A symbol chosen as it represents new birth, new beginnings, and a fresh start.  This is just what Jesus accomplished on the first Easter morning with the Resurrection.  He rose from the dead in a fully healed body from the tortures and death three days prior.  This Risen Lord is the One who allows us the same new life!  John 3:16 says it most succinctly, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  He repeats this theme in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John precedes this quote of Jesus by telling what you will find by following Him (Jesus), His way.  “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.  In my Father’s house there are many rooms; if it were not so I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.” (John 14:1-4)

Jesus sets the example, the way, to live on earth as fully human and resurrected.  He showed himself to the disciples after the resurrection to not only prove himself as the One Messiah foretold in scripture and in person to them, but also to instruct them to get out there and tell the rest of the world!  In other words, Jesus was telling the disciples to also live “resurrected lives” a certain way.  A resurrected life is how one decides to live like Jesus, and as instructed by Jesus (his way/the way), after meeting and accepting Jesus as Lord.  It is not the life one lives just on Easter Sunday, looking like the model Christian sitting in the church pew flanked by her beautifully appointed family members.  As our rector said at the conclusion of his Easter sermon, it is the resurrected life you decide to live on Monday after Easter, and Tuesday, and so on that matters.

How do you live a resurrected life?

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Ask yourself if you are living life your way, or Jesus’ Way.

2. When you get that nudge, funny feeling in the pit of your stomach, or cannot stop thinking about the person you just heard is in the hospital or in need, GO visit him or her!  And, in the name of the Resurrection, please deliver a meaningful message.

3. Start your day a little earlier to create, or extend your quiet time with God.  Even 15 minutes toward this goal will cause new life for the rest of your days, weeks and months.  Journal what changes occur to this new daily beginning.  Share your growth and change with another.  It will almost always encourage another to do the same.

4. Seek to enrich the life of another on a regular basis.  Choose your regularity (daily, weekly, monthly), make the appointment with the agency or person you aim to enrich, mark your calendar, and DO IT.  Think of it as a doctor’s appointment that took months to schedule.  You would never break this appointment.  Treat your resurrected life changes as unbreakable appointments.

mow the lawn, or pull the weeds from the garden of an elderly neighbor

take dinner and/or flowers to a widow, elderly person, someone lonely or a family with a new baby

call a local elementary school to ask to be a regular reading buddy for struggling students

join a new service committee at your church and serve with gusto

offer to take the altar flowers to hospitalized parishioners on set Sunday afternoons

start a Bible study in your neighborhood or community

5. As you enrich others, ask God to give you the words He would have you say to those you are helping.  As He directs, speak His Word. (“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.” John 1:1 Jesus is the Word.)  It can be as simple as saying, “Jesus loves you, and I do, too.”

Here’s to celebrating Resurrected Living Today!

Easter Travels

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British Royals’ Easter Travel

Many will have travel plans and various ways of observing Easter this weekend.  The Cambridge family of three will still be Down Under, Queen Elizabeth will participate in the Maundy Thursday service at Blackburn Cathedral in Lancashire, while the rest of the Royal family will head to Windsor Castle to greet The Queen when she arrives from Blackburn for her month-long stay for Easter Court.  The word “Maundy” is from the Latin word mandatum, meaning commandment, and refers to the Last Supper when Jesus gave His disciples a new commandment, “Love one another”.  So, in Blackburn, The Queen will keep the 13th century tradition of Edward I, and the spirit of the great commandment, by having alms (money) given to senior citizens.    Until 1689, the Kings and Queens of England would also wash the feet of the poor at Westminster Abbey to demonstrate what Jesus, the King of Kings, did for His disciples at the Last Supper.

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A month of Easter Court at Windsor Castle http://www.royalcentral.co.uk

 

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The Queen will observe Maundy Thursday at Blackburn Cathedral http://www.royalcentral.co.uk

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The alms pouches are in the platter on the yeoman’s head yeomanoftheguard.com

The Yeoman of the Guard will give out pouches of money to 88 men and 88 women, the same number as her age.  Each senior will receive a red pouch of money intended for food and clothing and a commemorative coin, probably to celebrate the birth of Prince George.  The white pouch will have 88pence, a nod to her age.

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alms pouches wikipedia.org

Jesus’ Easter Travel

Prior to the Passover, Jesus was in Ephraim taking cover from those who wished to kill Him.  Six days before Passover He came closer to Jerusalem and stayed in Bethany (a ‘suburb’ of Jerusalem), where He raised Lazarus.  Then, He made His way into Jerusalem for His final days.  Even in the city, at the dark of night, He traveled quite a bit, going from a Last Supper loft for the first communion, feet washing, final instructions and prayers, to the Mount of Olives to pray some more and be arrested, then to Annas’ house, Caiaphas’ house, and Pilate’s palace for questioning, then to the Governor’s city house for torture by the soldiers, to Golgotha for mocking and crucifixion, and finally to a new tomb.  As discussed in the previous post, Jesus was meticulous in carrying out God’s plan, which included all of this torture-filled travel.  God designed His itinerary in order to fulfill Old Testament scripture about sacrifice, atonement, Passover, and Messiah.  Everything, every event, every word, and every action had significance.

The most significant event of all is, of course, the Resurrection.  The guards kept watch, Mary Magdalene came in respect, love and grief, and an angel was present to explain and direct her about the miracle of all miracles.  The disciples were grieving in town, fearful of what would happen next.  Then, Mary Magdalene finds the disciples to tell them the Good (unbelievable) News, and Jesus was not far behind her to show the boys the Good News Himself.  He tells them, “Peace be with you!  As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”  (John 20:21)  Matthew quotes Jesus as saying, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”  (Matthew 28:19)  That is quite an itinerary for all who follow Him!

Your Easter Travels

Tradition will dictate what most families will do this weekend.  Will your travels take you to the Easter bunny more often than to the Cross?  Will the tradition you pass on to the next generation be about the contents of plastic eggs, or the empty tomb?  No matter if you travel on a plane, in a car across town, or barefoot to the backyard, how will you make your Easter travels significant? Here are five suggestions for your itinerary:

Immerse yourself in the worship service offerings this week. (Maundy Thursday service, Good Friday service, Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday)  Truly transport your mind to Jerusalem as scripture is read and actively interpreted.

Read all four Gospel passage accounts of The Last Supper through the Resurrection.  Note details amplified by each gospel writer, how harmonious they are, and decide which one makes the scene most clear to you. (Matthew 26-28, Mark 14-16, Luke 22-24, John 13-21)

Identify who you say Jesus is.  He spent three years teaching and demonstrating who He is.  He spent His last three days, not only continuing this pattern, but also paying the full cost of the sins of the world for all time.  Make a list of who you identify Jesus as, and compare this list to what the Bible says.

Tell someone the Gospel Easter account as you know it through scripture.  “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” John 20:21 says it all!  Or, “Just do it”, says Nike.  This final commandment is your proverbial “next trip” as you continue in your Christian journey.  The Christian who simply gains knowledge about God, and does not share it with others, is essentially staying home.  To truly be a Christian, one must “be sent out” as John says.   You are sent out as Jesus was sent out, to teach and show who He is to “all nations”, i.e. everyone.

Reflect on your Christian “travels”.   Think about where you first learned about Jesus, how God has helped you to grow, what you have learned about the Cross, and what does God want you to do next.

Use tradition as a vehicle to go to a new place God has for you to experience this Easter.  Add to your tradition something(s) that will take your love of the Lord with all your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength (the first commandment) to travel closer to loving your neighbor as yourself (the second commandment) by being sent out (the Great Commission).

May your heart and soul travel far this weekend, and may God give you your next itinerary.

images

fineartamerica.com

Happy Easter!

Traveling Royally

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The Royal Windsors traveled to New Zealand on Monday

This week we see the Royals have made it Down Under safely on their commercial flight from London to Dubai, then to Sydney for an Air Force transfer to Wellington, New Zealand.  Across all of those miles and hours in a steel canister, Prince George came out as the perfect smiling baby in his mother’s arms!  Well done!  Today, Tuesday, the family has a day to rest before continuing their adventures in hiking, yacht racing, visiting hospitals, and taking tea, to name a few activities during their three week journey.  Their priorities as parents will be evident as they return early each afternoon to spend time George.

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(Photo: Danny Martindale, WireImage)

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(Photo: Danny Martindale, WireImage)

 

The King of Kings travels to Jerusalem on Sunday

This Sunday, Palm Sunday, we mark the day Jesus traveled to Jerusalem on a donkey as prophesied in Zechariah 9:9, “see your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”  Jesus, as described in Matthew 21:5, allowed two disciples and a villager near Jerusalem to participate in this fulfillment of prophecy.  The very large crowd saw Jesus riding into town on this donkey (not a stallion, but a dinky donkey!) and immediately responded to Him as His royal subjects in reverence, awe, and enthusiasm.  I wonder how many in this large crowd traveled distances to come see this King of Kings parade down the dusty road to Jerusalem. Two years ago I traveled 5000 miles to stand in a crowd to see Queen Elizabeth II and her family parade down the Mall for her Diamond Jubilee.  I understand the desire to get a glimpse of Royalty!

Jesus’ priority was consistent with how He lived His life on earth: He came to do the work His Father had for Him to do, i.e. “for God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:17.  This Son has been talked about, and read about through the prophets since as early as 700 B.C. by Isaiah, and is referenced in Genesis as co-creator with God as Genesis 1:26 uses the plural pronoun “us” in identifying the creators of man.  (That is an interesting lesson of tying the Old and New Testaments together in consistent harmony.)  Isaiah uses titles such as a child is born, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, a shoot from Jesse.  Isaiah 35 indicates actions this Messiah will take, like opening the eyes of the blind (John 9), unstopping the ears of the deaf (Mt. 11:14-15), and causing the lame to leap (Mt. 9:1-8).  All of these miracles were really signs to alert the prophecy educated public that this is the One, let your eyes be opened!

Jesus was meticulous in carrying out the Father’s plan.  In so doing, He accomplished all things in love.  He carefully created relationships, and maintained them faithfully.  We see how He called His disciples out of boats, an outcast woman at the well, a paralyzed man from his mat, a blind man to wash in the Pool of Siloam, and even a tax collector to be changed and follow Him.  They all were changed, and did follow Him!  As they followed Jesus, their relationship with Him grew because Jesus intentionally and continuously instructed, loved and prayed with them.  Not only was He an example to follow, but He interacted with them as The Example.

How are you being an example to those around you?  How are you intentionally interacting to deepen and grow your relationships?  What titles might be used to describe you, and what actions have you taken that mimic the One you follow?  As you travel the road to your church this Sunday, ask yourself why are you drawn there this Sunday, and what will you continue to do the next week, and the next?  The first century followers of Christ quickly abandoned Him after He entered the City.  How will you maintain your relationship with the One who came to save the world even after Easter Sunday, the easiest day to show your title as “Christian”?

Jesus shows His priority clearly in fulfilling God’s plan to save the world from sin.  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge show their priority as a strong, devoted family in keeping George not only close, but apart of their day, unlike past generations in their travels.  What are your priorities, and how would anyone know by seeing your actions?

May your road to Jerusalem this week reveal the King on the prophesied donkey, and your response to Him.

“Your attitude should be that of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:5

 

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wikipedia.org

PS for some New York travel, restaurant, and photo ideas, see my new page, Regal Travel.

The fun may be over….

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Indulgence was the word yesterday, today it is repentance!  With Ash Wednesday brings the beginning of the 40 days of Lent.  Does this mean we roam around in somber, depressed solitude?  No.  In fact, we are instructed by Jesus to do quite the opposite, “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.”  (Matthew 6:16, NIV)  We are instructed to pray in solitude (Matthew 6:5), do good things for others with notice (Matthew 6:1), fast without advertisement (Matthew 6:16), store up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20), don’t worry (Matthew 6:25), don’t judge others (Matthew 7:1), pray some more (Matthew 7:7), and the list continues.  In short, we are to live for this season, not get through it.

Live for Lent, instead of trying to get through it

The above list of instructions does, indeed, seem endless.  There is a common denominator to make all of them achievable: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)

Love God

Spend time daily with God in prayer.

List His attributes (love, powerful, almighty, creator), thank Him for blessings, ask forgiveness for your sins, and ask for His help.

Select something to give up (chocolate, carbonated drinks, bread, gossip), and abstain from it until Easter.  Do this without letting on that you are “working” on this little exercise.  In other words, self control, the tenth fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22)  You will master self control for abstaining, and from running your mouth and complaining about it.

Love others

Pray for other people before you pray for yourself.

As you pray for those close to you, identify one to bless in some way, anonymously, or not.  In certain situations the blessing may be only meaningful if your identity is known.

“Pay it forward” for someone at Starbucks!

Gather canned goods and toilettries on your next trip to the grocery store to take them to your local food pantry.

Serve at a food pantry.

Take time to be one on one with your child in a new way.

Listen to your spouse carefully to learn something you can do to show your love and attention to him or her.

Prepare for the Party!

Smile!  Although Lent is a season of repentance, it is also a time of preparation for a celebration.  When you prepare for a party, I hope you do the work necessary for the event in joy and excitement.  Lent can be viewed much the same way.  We are preparing ourselves, our hearts, for the celebration of Easter, the Resurrection.  Reflecting on the days preceding the Crucifixion are truly painful, and must be considered this way.  In this pain we also now know the forgiveness available to us because of the pain He endured.  For this grace we may rejoice!  Here are some ways to prepare yourself:

Read scripture daily.  “Daily Office” (scripture prescribed for most Protestant churches): http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/bcp/

Add an edifying habit to your routine. Read a good book, start a new exercise method, read a scripture passage to you family at breakfast each morning, park in the farthest parking spot and walk!  It doesn’t have to Pulitzer Prize-worthy, just something good.

Ask God to change your will to be His will.  This is the hardest one to do because you really have to mean it, and mean to be changed.  Once you start asking God what He thinks, what is His will, how He wants you do do things, instead of giving Him a list to complete for you, you will notice a change not only in yourself, but how you see, and feel about everything around you.

The fun may be over in the life you lead before today.  The new ways to experience the life you lead in the future will have a label much better than “fun”.

Live for Lent, instead of trying to get through it.

Fat Tuesday=Mardi Gras=Carnival, which all lead to Lent

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Royalty goes to new levels when Mardi Gras season hits. We have Mardi Gras Kings, Queens, Princesses and Duchesses crowned in festivals across the former Confederate States annually, as well as the grand Carnival celebrations in Europe and Latin America.  Today is “Fat Tuesday”, the eve of the Mardi Gras, and the beginning of Lent in the Church calendar.  How do all of these labels coincide?  Here is a list of definitions:

Lent is the Christian season of preparation prior to Easter Sunday.  The 40 day preparation includes reflection, repentance, fasting, and discipline for the purpose of identifying with, giving thanks for, and submitting to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as our Savior.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent.  Many “give up” eating certain comfort foods, or doing certain “extravagant” activities in order to penitentially identify with Christ and His sacrifice.

Fat Tuesday is the last day (day before Ash Wednesday) to live it up before giving up your creature comforts!

Mardi Gras is the French literal translation for Fat Tuesday.

Shrove Tuesday is also another term for Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras.  Shrove is past tense for Shrive, meaning to hear confession, assign penance, and absolve from sin.  In other words, Shrove Tuesday reminds the Christian that he or she is entering a season of repentance.

Pancake Day is ALSO the same meaning for infamous Tuesday in question!  The contents of pancakes (fat, butter and eggs) were all forbidden foods during Lent.  Great Britain marks Mardi Gras with big plates of pancakes instead of parades and society balls.  But, they are the model for Royalty after all!

Carnival is Latin for “farewell to the flesh”.

Now that we have our definitions in place, let’s explore a few of the celebrations on this Fat Tuesday!

Mardi Gras in New Orleans was a rolling celebration by the 1730’s, with eight elegant society balls established by the then Governor to mark the season.  It was decades later when the colorful parades began in the streets of New Orleans.  Mobile, Alabama hosted the first Mardi Gras in America in 1703.

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2014 Carnival Court, Rex Organization
rexorganization.com

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2014 King and Queen of Carnival
rexorganization.com

Mardi Gras in Galveston began prior to the Lenten season 1867, just two years after the Civil War.  Young ladies from across the South were invited to be apart of the “royal court” in celebration of the King and Queen of Frivolity for the Krewe, the Knights of Momus.  World War II brought a halt to celebrations across our nation, and even the end of the war could not successfully revive the merriment of Galveston Mardi Gras.  An attempt to bring back the regal Coronations of King Frivolous occurred in the late 1940’s, but the practice would sleep for a few more decades.  In the early 1980’s a small group of men revived the Knights of Momus, and society’s daughters were once again invited be presented in a royal court wearing gowns fit for a queen.  In fact, John Spencer, one of the men who brought life back to the Knights of Momus, arranged for Queen Elizabeth II’s (yes, the real Queen) dress maker to create the elaborate gowns for the first court of the new Galveston Mardi Gras era in 1984 at the historic Galveston Opera House.

King Frivolous XXV, Mr. Harry Black, and his Queen, Miss Margie Beth Spiller, 1949 http://rosenberg-library-museum.org

King Frivolous XXV, Mr. Harry Black, and his Queen, Miss Margie Beth Spiller, 1949
http://rosenberg-library-museum.org

Gown for Margie Beth Spiller, the “Queen of Galveston’s last Mardi Gras” in 1949 http://rosenberg-library-museum.org

Gown for Margie Beth Spiller, the “Queen of Galveston’s last Mardi Gras” in 1949
http://rosenberg-library-museum.org

2012 King and Queen for the Knights of Momus www.houston.culturemap.com

2012 King and Queen for the Knights of Momus
http://www.houston.culturemap.com

2012 Duchesses in the Knights of Momus Coronation Court houston.culturemap.com

2012 Duchesses in the Knights of Momus Coronation Court
houston.culturemap.com

Across Europe, throughout the Southern United States, and permeating Latin America, Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday/Carnival will be celebrated in elaborate, frivolous style tonight, while Great Britain will celebrate with pancakes.  How will you mark the beginning of the Christian season of Lent?  More importantly, how will you mark the next 40 days in preparation for observing Easter?

Laissez les bons temps rouler!  (At least until tomorrow morning!)