From Palms to Passion

This is a transitional piece I will use at the end of our mostly Palm Sunday service tomorrow.

Today is a curious sort of day. A day which began with an exciting parade and children singing praises to the Lord. It's a day of wonder as we remember that Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumph with all the pomp and circumstance of a beloved king.

And it is tempting to just stay at the Palm glory and give little thought to what will happen next. For Thursday brings a last meal with treasured friends. And a new covenant of love and forgiveness. But it also brings betrayal and denial.

And then it's Friday. A day of accusation and fear. A day of wrenching torment and brutal death. All too quickly the shouts of "Hosanna!" will give way to the call to "Crucify him! Crucify him!"
As you make your way through this holiest of weeks I would invite you to follow the way of the cross. Let yourself be caught up in this most wonderful of all stories. Hear the words as if it was the first time. For there is always more to discover on this holy journey.
Let yourself be transformed by the passionate love of Christ.
Our postlude for this morning is based on the hymn "O Sacred Head Now Wounded." And I encourage you not to leave with the dismissal today. But instead, stay and listen to the postlude. Take a moment for meditation and prayer. And consider all that our Lord has done for us. For he chose the path which led to pain before joy- the cross before glory. May the cross be planted in our hearts this day, so that in its power and love we may come at last to joy and glory.

The Bug Man's Wrist Hurts

For the last 18 months, the Bug Man has been complaining that his wrist hurts. Now don't get me wrong. I try to be a sympathetic wife, but when someone complains about something every other day, you get numb.

He broke his wrist in July 2005 while trying to get rid of some wasps. (It's his job, don't you know.) The wasps weren't mad or anything. It was the ladder that was not cooperating and the Man fell off and landed all wrong. He put the ladder back on the truck, said goodbye to his client, and drove himself to the hospital. This was no small feat what with the truck having a manual transmission. The doctor reset the wrist and he was in a cast for six weeks. Six long weeks. The only thing that kept us all from killing each other was a subscription to MLB.com. The Bug Man watched a lot of Cardinals games on the computer to the frustration of Soda Chicky who couldn't use the computer as much as she might like.

After feeling sore and achey for over a year, the Man went back to the doctor. After doing an MRI and seeing a specialist, it has been determined that he has a torn ligament and the bones did not heal correctly. The ligament may well have been torn the entire time. This only shows up on an MRI which they didn't do at the time. So at the end of April he will have surgery.
They'll repair the ligament and put a plate and a screw in as well. If they need to, they will take bone chips from his hip to fill in the gaps. This is all out-patient surgery.

I asked my mother-in-law if she wanted to come take care of him. She said, and I quote, "Hell, no." This is very strong language from the MIL and indicates what a delightful patient her son is.

I am thankful that we will be into baseball season come the end of April. I am thankful that we know that some of this pain will be ended. I am not thankful that the Bug Man will be miserable for some time to come. And I am praying for patience for the Chick and I! Sigh....

Friday Five... How Time Flies By!

At the RevGalBlogPals, Mother Laura writes:

Our Lent is almost over, while our Orthodox sisters and brothers, whose liturgical year follows the older Julian calendar, are just starting theirs. Nicholas did a recent book report on George Washington, and we were surprised to find out that our first President's birthday was originally Feb. 11, since he was born just before the change to the Gregorian calendar. Apparently the change almost caused rioting, as some indignant people were sure that they were being cheated out of eleven days of their lives! To help you adjust--and enjoy the process--here's a Friday Five about time and transitions....

1. If you could travel to any historical time period, which would it be, and why? I would like to go to a time with indoor plumbing.... I think it would be interesting to wander around in the 1920's. Can't remember all the plumbing details, but there was so much happening before the crash.
2. What futuristic/science fiction development would you most like to see? Beam me up, Scottie!
3. Which do you enjoy more: remembering the past, or dreaming for the future? I love to hear stories. "Mom tell us a story about when you were little?" was always my request on long car trips.
4. What do you find most memorable about this year's Lent? I've preached for four weeks in a row. Haven't done that in years! It's rare that a person doing supply gets to fill in for five weeks in a row at the same church. It will be a little bittersweet to say goodbye this coming Sunday.
5. How will you spend your time during this upcoming Holy Week? What part do you look forward to most? Since I don't serve a traditional parish, my week will not look like most pastors. I have a new employee that I'm training. I have a shorter work week. I'm the "go to girl" when someone doesn't show up to read, lead or acolyte at church this week. I am looking forward to worshipping in my home congregation. I haven't worshipped there in almost two months. It will be nice to be home.