Resurrection of the Body Campaign

As many of you know the season of Easter begins next week with Easter Sunday. And during Easter we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the victory over death.

What we sometimes forget is that Easter lasts not just one Sunday but for 50 DAYS. That's right...50 FULL DAYS! A few years ago, to celebrate the 50 days of Easter, I decided to "take on" something...sort of the opposite of "giving up" something for Lent. I decided that since we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus...the resurrection of the body...that I should spend the season of Easter trying to resurrect my body! So, I took on some exercise.

Well, I've decided that it's time to resurrect the RESURRECTION OF THE BODY CAMPAIGN. Won't you join me? Here's what's involved: For 50 Days beginning on Easter Sunday (March 23, 2008), add something to your life that will be good for your body. My plan is to add at least 30 minutes of exercise three times per week. I'm also considering giving up diet soda...that stuff can't be good for me.

I'm always more successful with these things if I have friends who are willing to join me. So, think about it....and let me know if you are willing to join in. Let me know how you will be resurrecting your body this Easter season. Will you take the dog on an extra long walk? Will you add a workout into your week? Will you watch less TV and get out more? Will you walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator? What will you do to join my campaign?

I am working on a calendar to hang in my house to track my workouts. If you'd like a copy, let me know. I can't wait to hear what kind of resurrecting you will be doing!

Fifth Sunday of Lent ~ U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name

One of the themes for the fifth Sunday of Lent is "God does a new thing." In other words, God is making all things new and the old ways of doing things pass away. Our criteria for measuring success are no longer based on earthly models, but on God. As I thought about this theme, I was reminded of a retreat that I participated in once. The theme of the retreat was Spiritual Formation through the Arts. During the primary presentation, our speaker was using themes from music to point to spiritual realities. He talked about the eschatological theme behind this U2 song. In certain areas of Ireland, he said, what street one lived on could say a lot about what camp the person falls into. Protestants live on certain streets and Catholics on others. So a person would be judged based on what street they were from. Bono's wish is for a place where the streets have no names, a place where these petty distinctions will no longer be used as criteria to decide who is in and who is out. This is the promised land that God is ushering in through the Messiah - a place where our differences are included but not used to discriminate. What a wonderful place that will be! So let us work together to "tear down the walls" that we have put up to divide ourselves.

Fourth Sunday of Lent ~ Indigo Girls - You and Me of the 10,000 Wars

The primary themes for the fourth Sunday of Lent are mercy and forgiveness. Of course, in a culture where we are not actually to blame for anything we do, what is the point of forgiveness? When we are not actually the cause of anything we do, where does mercy come in? The truth is that regardless of who is at fault, we are called to live in peace with one another. This requires forgiveness and mercy. When we see the pain in another's life, when we recognize our own participation in the sins around us, when we begin to discover the pain we carry with us from past hurts - this is where we find the need for mercy and forgiveness. It is difficult to start on the road to healing with obstacles in the way; mercy and forgiveness begin the process of clearing the road blocks that get in the way of our relationships with one another. This Indigo Girls song speaks well of both the fine line that we walk in our relationships with one another and the need for forgiveness. This song speaks to the constant flow of hurts - both big and small - that are a part of our relationships with one another - the 10,000 wars. But there in the midst of it all, we find recognition of mercy - the open arms inviting us back, even in the face of the wrongs we have done. So let us "sweep the ashes" away and enjoy the silence that comes when we cease to fight. "A moment of peace is worth every war behind us."

Third Sunday of Lent ~ Pet Shop Boys - It's A Sin

One of the primary themes for the third Sunday of Lent is repentance. Repentance involves a recognition of past wrong and a commitment to turning around and going a new direction. When we repent, we express our sorrow for our past sins and a desire to change for the better in the future. This melds perfectly with the lyrics to It's A Sin. The song recognizes that each of us is to blame for our own faults; if we have done wrong, we are the ones in the need of forgiveness. And through our recognition of our faults, we find the courage to seek that forgiveness from those we have wronged. The great news is that even when we try to do good and fail, God still offers us forgiveness. Even when we fail to learn from our mistakes, God's arms are open to welcome us back.

Second Sunday of Lent ~ The Pretenders - I'll Stand by You

The primary theme for the second Sunday of Lent is God's faithfulness. No matter how much we screw up, God keeps welcoming us back. God does not give up on us. While thinking of a song to represent this, I heard this Pretenders song on another CD I had put together years ago. If we put the words of this song into God's mouth, we can begin to get some idea of what Gods' faithfulness really means. It the midst of our pain and doubt, we can remember that God knows exactly what we are going through. In Jesus Christ, God became human and lived a life here on earth. He was born, he grew up, learned a trade, made friends, and dealt with love and loss. I am sure that along the way, Jesus also experienced guilt and shame and sadness. God walks with us, even when we don't know which way to go, and God will walk with us through the darkness (Psalm 23). So remember, when you are feeling overwhelmed, insignificant, and unworthy, God's arms are opened in welcome, and you hear God say, "nothin' you confess, could make me love you less."

First Sunday of Lent ~ Carl Thomas Gladstone - Just a Tempter

One of the themes for the first Sunday of Lent is the temptation of Jesus. The gospel lesson looks at the end of Jesus' forty day fast in the wilderness following his baptism. This was a time of preparation for Jesus to begin the ministry that God had called him to. It is also one of the primary stories that the Church has used to create the forty days of Lent. As his forty day fast comes to an end, Jesus finds himself in the presence of the tempter. The tempter tempts him to feed himself, to test God, and to take power for himself. Jesus is able to resist these temptations. We enter the forty days of Lent seeking to resist our own temptations. As I was thinking of a song to use for this day, I picked Carl Gladstone's "Just a Tempter" because he does such a good job of helping us to see the temptation of Christ in a contemporary setting. What are the temptations we have to deal with everday? I can't fully comprehend what it means to fast for forty days; I don't know what it would mean to be that hungry. But I have been tempted in other ways. By retelling the story in the way he does, Carl helps to make the story of Jesus' temptation real for me.

Ash Wednesday ~ Hoobastank - The Reason

Sometimes, trying to put Jesus in as the subject of a song is more than just a little bit cheesy (or maybe it always is). But in this case, I couldn't think of a better song for Ash Wednesday. The whole point of this song is recognizing our imperfection and the pain we have caused another. For those of us who are Christians, we recognize our imperfection in the face of Jesus and we know the pain that we cause others everyday, whether intentional or not. These others see our imperfections on a daily basis. But it is also through Jesus that we find the strength to change our lives. In Jesus, we are made new. Jesus is "The Reason" that we are able to become better people, for I think that those of us who have tried have recognized our own inability to create lasting change for ourselves. We need a reason, a model, a source of strength. Fortunately, Jesus is there for us. So, as we enter this season of penitence and renewal, I hope that you can hear this song and feel yourself thinking that you, too, have a reason for changing "who [you] used to be, a reason to start over new, ..a reason for all that [you] do."