Nest day 1

This morning I found a nest in my window. It belongs to a couple of pigeons I think.

A thought on time - Exodus 12:1

Passover.  It is one of the appointed times.  One of the festivals that God appointed for the people of Israel to keep every year. It reminds me of a conversation that we had early this year while reading the weekly Torah portions.

It was Exodus 10-13. The story of the final plague and the exodus from Egypt. And at the beginning of chapter 12, God gives the people of Israel their first command. He realigns their calendars. 

Not the first time God talked about time, in the garden of Eden, the first thing God created was day and night, and on the fourth day, planets and moons to tell time, and in the seventh day he made time holy,  the only thing in creation to be made holy.

At the first passover they are commanded to re-align their calendar with God's. Restructure their week, their year, their festivals and celebrations and time is no longer to calibrated by the Egyptian gods, the Nile and it's cycles, but instead it is to be calibrated to the moon, the sun, the movement of the planet and seasons, the objects that God created with the purpose to tell time. 

Today, the concepts of time are varied. Fleeting, precious, valuable, something to just get through or simply something you never have enough of. 

There is a whole genres of literature and entertainment based on things like space- time dimensions, time-travel and the like. 

But what we rarely call time - holy. 

Why? 

Is it because it might demand more of us? In an age of quick, instant, fast paced and individual interests to set aside time is a costly demand.  We manage our time very carefully. We know how long it takes to get from here to there, how long can we sleep in, how many time can really press snooze and still get where I need to be on time. We know how to effectively accomplish things we need to. We count the hours we work, and calendars and day-planners are often not far away. 

I've encountered the idea going without time. At camp it happened a couple time while out-tripping that we wouldn't look at watches or the time and just take the day as it goes. It is freeing in a way, but if God created time and order, what if it isn't about getting away from keeping time - but rather about what we are keeping time for. 

"You're wasting my time...."  I have heard this phrase a lot. It is an attitude that I have found within myself. It goes hand in hand with "my time is valuable". The commonality - 'my time'.  

Who possesses time? 

Do I ultimately own the time that is given to me?  It is as if a kid is holding onto their allowance, buying candy and refusing to share it. As if they automatically forget where the money first came from. 

If time was the first thing that was called holy, is it not the most valuable gift that we can give back to God?  It is like the same lessons we use about money or possessions - that what we have is not really ours, but blessings from God for which we are called to be good stewards of.  

The difference - even if you don't have money - everyone has time. 

When God created the world - before the fight with evil even began - he ordained one of every 7 days to be holy. And in a world that struggles with evil constantly I struggle to give time, even part of the 7th back to God. 

And not giving as in hands off - do as you will with it time - but as time to stop, and rest. To remember that I did not create this time. It is not calibrated by my events or tasks. It doesn't bring attention things I think important, but rather, points to something, someone bigger.
It is a valuable blessing of which I am commanded and privileged to partaking, the time given to me, and the time given to those around me.  

Even in the time I 'give' to God, I find I can still be caught up in the busyness.  I let what I do define who I am, rather than seek to find who I am in Him. 

It is easy to point to the passage about worshiping God in every aspect of our lives. 

Yes, I believe we ought to do that. 

The word used for worship in Exodus is the same word for serve, or work, it is active or doing something. And just as the Hebrews left Egypt to go worship in the desert and once they were gone, there was no going back, the nature of our call to worship is life long. Paul changes the language and call us to be living sacrifices.
Yes, worship God in whatever you do - but do not do in order to take away from time with God. 

I can give money or things - I just let it go. But to really give time , it opens up a space in which something may happen. I may see something or hear something that I don't want to see.

 And so in a way I can see how that might be intimidating, but when we worship - it is not only what we give to God. 

When we open up that space, the time, the time that God has already declared holy, God is already there and although we might see something we don't want to, more than that, God meets us there because He has an undieing love and incredible faithfulness to those who He has chosen.

Easter in Jerusalem

So this is probably one of the busier weeks here in Jerusalem. The Jews are celebrating Passover or Pesach, the Western Christians are celebrating Easter Weekend and the Eastern Churches will be celebrating Easter Weekend this coming weekend.

There is always a long list of services or events to chose from in which to participate.

Thursday evening I joined Christ Church in their Maundy Thursday Service and walk to the Mount of Olives. On the way there we saw one of the Othodox groups going to the Church of all nations for a service. Their singing was beautiful!

Walking up to the Russian Orthodox Church's garden

The stars were bright 

Some flowers in their garden

Good Friday - I joined Christ Church again for their service. It was also the beginning of Pesach and our church does a Pesach Sedar.  This is a time to retell the story of the Exodus, and that is what we did. It is no coincidence that this holiday celebrating freedom comes at the same time as we celebrate Christ's victory over death.

 Sunday Morning - Catching the sunrise on my way to the Garden Tomb

I think this is one of the bigger gatherings on Easter Morning. 6:30am Sunrise service at the Garden Tomb.  Good worship and celebration time.

The trees catching the rising the sun.

The message was given by Rev. Simon Ponsonby from Oxford. 

We celebrated at school with an Easter BBQ - games, food and finished with worship together. 

But most importantly,

His is not here. 

He is Risen!

Palm Sunday

Celebrating Holy Week in Jerusalem

We joined hundreds of Christians in the procession down the Mount of Olives on Palm Sunday, remembering Jesus' entrance into the city on a donkey.

It is amazing to hear so many languages and songs all together.

Cloudy with a chance of mud...

The warm weather from the weekend didn't stick around too long....

A sand storm (Hamsin) blew in, very fine sand the makes everything hazy.

Plus a little bit of rain this afternoon... the fine dust is stuck to everything, like mud.

Now it is very windy.

I'm glad we got out to see the almond blossoms at Sataf this past weekend.

The flowers are very delicate and the petals probably won't last in the wind.

Snow in Jerusalem

Snow happens here only a couple days a year at the most. 
It is beautiful! 
Great snowman building snow, and when you live in a place that only gets snow a few days... impromptu snowballs fights with complete strangers seems to be more acceptable :)

Grace for a Man like Barabbas

Matthew 27:26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

This story has been on my mind lately. A group of people that prefer to have a murder released to them in exchange to have teacher, the Messiah crucified. 

I realize for a long time I have seen this story as an example of how twisted and lost the people were, that they would be capable of asking for the release of a murder and exchange for Jesus. All the while I held to the knowledge that God is sovereign and this was all part of His plan to redeem His people, I glanced over the idea that maybe this story is also a picture of God's grace as well. 

From the story it appears that that Jesus and Barabbas were in the same place at the same time. Being presented to the people. Pilate, trying to convince them to let this innocent man free, chooses the worst of the criminals that he has available and offers a choice to the people.  

Jesus and Barabbas standing next to each other.  If there was a limit to God's grace - if there was one thing that Christ didn't die for - it would probably be this. Inciting protests and murder, setting the stage for continued violence and tensions between the ruling power and the people. (And although the specifics are different - I wonder if the current tensions in Israel and Jerusalem  may communicate some of the same emotions and tensions that existed then)
Jesus didn't say a word. Being the son of God he had every right to say something. To use this platform, to announce his purpose, to lay out the stipulation and details of the covenant he had come to renew. But he didn't say anything. 

If Barabbas was beyond Jesus' grace I imagine he would have said something. He could have said something like - "Ok, I came to offer grace to all people, but you, you have destroyed the lives and families of hundreds of people, you have disturbed the peace, at least you must realize the gravity of you actions before I extend my grace." or "My grace is for all - except the worst ones."  or even "Pilate - did you really have to go this far to bring out the worst?! I can extend grace to thieves and tax collectors, prostitutes and sinners - but this guy! he has murdered and probably doesn't even regret it!"

But Jesus didn't say anything. Maybe he didn't say anything, because the worst of sinner, the most despicable criminal is still within the limits of God's grace. Everyone, who  still has breath in their lungs is within those limits. Both the thieves on the crosses and the man name Barabbas in Pilate's court were enough for Jesus to go to the cross. 

I find that it is easy for me to say these things, to know in my head that God's grace is for all, no matter to what 'degree' of sinner they are (if there really is such a thing). But when it comes to real life it is much harder to wrestle with. In the past month there has been a string of attacks in Jerusalem carried out by Palestinian extremists.  Recent conversations have been around how sever ought their punishment be or what type of justice is needed. Most often the attacker has been killed so the punishment is against their family, who often celebrate the martyrdom of their family member.  

Justice is needed, if we want a  civil world, we can't just dismiss it  in the name of grace and pretend like it is all OK. But the question remains with me, how ought we act or respond in ways that recognize that the grace we received is also showed to the worst of us.  If we are it image bearers of God, how do we show the God's grace is also to them? We are the messengers of God's grace, simply carriers, we do not have the authority to change or alter the contents of the message we carry. We do not have the authority to place limits on it,  or fences to Barabbas' out. If we start to place limits on grace, we better be careful, because with our tendency to portray our lives better than they really are, likeliness is that the limits we place on it would exclude ourselves. 

I don't have answers yet, but I don't want to fall into the trap of using terms and language that clump all Palestinians or Arabs into the same group as the extremists, and on the hand I don't want to become so skeptical as to avoid the truth. Maybe it is the fine balance of speaking the truth in love and Paul talks about in Ephesians.  I haven't figured it out, and I feel that it may be a lengthy journey,  but by God's grace, may we learn how to show love to the Barabbas's.