Shade Tree Wisdom 4/19/11

No jacket needed for the morning stroll. Nice.

And you already know that Easter is the second largest holiday candy sale day, followed by Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Halloween.

We have sung our Hallelujah’s on Palm Sunday with the crowds, Now we are walking along in Holy Week, the going is slow, because we know the ending here. It is terrible, trial, mockery, lashings, and crucifixion. And the cry, “Into Your hands I commend my Spirit”.

But before that another word cried was “It is finished”. The work He had been sent by the Father was fully and completely done, no loose ends, no need to go back and do it over, it was Telestathai, finished.

That means our salvation is complete.

One disciple who acts that we would and often do is Thomas. During His life when Jesus told them He was going “to prepare a place for you”. Thomas said, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, and how can we know the way?” John 14,5, and Jesus told Him, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the life, no mancomes to the Father but by Me.” V,.6.

This is the disciple we know as the “Doubting Thomas”. That comes from the incident after Jesus had risen from the grave and appeared to the disciples when Thomas was absent. And doubted. So when Jesus came again He told Thomas to “reach hither thy finger and behold my hands, my side” John 20,27. Thomas said, “My Lord, and my God”. And Jesus said this beatitude, “Blessed are
they who have not seen and yet believe.”

Generations of believers since that hour have not been able to Reach hither thy hand and put it into my wounds”. They fall under that word, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

That is the way the Christian faith works,. is it not. St Anselm said, “I believe so that I may understand”.

If you believe, you will see. And that faith grows, and deepens and is enriched through the years because we believe. I pray that is true for you and that this Holy Week will strengthen it further in His Name.

GPD 4/19/11