There’s a passage in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, where the people of Narnia lament that it is
“Always winter, but never Christmas”
I took these pictures of our back garden on Saturday morning, when it was snowing – the snow kept falling all day – and I thought
“It seems to be always winter, but never Easter!”
Then I was looking at the Patchwork book I had borrowed from the library and found something which cause me to ponder some more.
This book was originally written in Norwegian. This Christmas apron pictures a little Chad-like snowman peeping over a wall [if you don’t know who Chad is, check him out here]
He is asking “og jula varer helt til påske?” which can be translated as
“and Christmas lasts until Easter?”
I thought this was a fascinating question
At Christmas, we celebrated the joy of Incarnation – that Jesus left the glory of heaven to be born as a man, and walk this earth for 33 years. Over the last 3 months, Bob has been preaching a series of sermons using the words of Jesus from the Gospels. He has challenged us with the question “What if Jesus really meant what He said? – How would that shape our life as part of his Kingdom?” These sermons have really helped me focus on the idea of the way Jesus spoke and lived as he shared our humanity – and how that should impact the way that I speak and live.
But now we move into Holy Week – remembering the end of Jesus’ time of earth – and next Sunday will be Easter, celebrating salvation, resurrection, grace…Christmas Incarnation Joy is wonderful – but even that joy is eclipsed by the joy of Easter.
I was looking at Easter Cards in a shop once, when the woman next to me complained that too many of them were ‘religious’
“I am celebrating Jesus is alive” I said “What are you celebrating at Easter, then?” [she looked embarrassed and scuttled away…]
Your Pauses have always succinctly summed up an interesting & though provoking point...what I'd like mine to say but never do. Thank you for your posts.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if she spent any time thinking about what you had said.
ReplyDeleteLovely blog ,very interesting .
ReplyDeleteI love that pinny
It always sounds like Bob preaches good sermons. Those certainly sound challenging.
ReplyDeleteI love the Narnia quote, and it certainly seems apt this year. I agree that the joy of Christmas is quite overshadowed by the joy of Easter - maybe because of all that has come inbetween. At Christmas there is wonder, and the possibility of something happening and the Joy comes from that. But at Easter there is so much more - we know now who the babe is, have seen what he does, have heard him teach, have been challenged, have been personally called, have seen the suffering of Good Friday, so the joy of resurrection and the assurance of all it brings are so much more. Christmas is possibility, Easter is real.
The episode with the lady in the store is too funny!
ReplyDeleteJane x
Unbelievable that someone should think Easter cards are too religious.Sadly Angela I am not surprised.Its akin to someone saying what has Christmas got to do with Jesus.
ReplyDelete"...and Christmas lasts until Easter?" How delightful and I've wondered the same. We seem to "celebrate" Christmas with the massive spending of $$$ most of us don't have and then...Jan comes and...nothing much except ennui until Lent. If we celebrate Lent, which I don't because I wasn't raised to celebrate Lent. Christmas is wonderful but Easter, ah...Easter is the reason for all of Christendom. And Sunday...not Friday.
ReplyDeleteAs to the ignorant woman in the store; how abysmally sad! Unless she changes her ways, that will be the last time you'll ever see her.
A thought provoking post.
ReplyDeleteHow sad that is! Did nobody ever tell her about what Easter meant! Well done for pointing it out! I'd love to hear Bob's sermons!!!
ReplyDeleteSee my reply to Frances below...
DeleteI think Bob's question about Jesus is one of the most important questions there is. Good for him for asking! He should post his sermons online.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, A!
xofrances
He does!
DeleteYou can find the podcasts of Bobs sermons on the church website
http://www.kirbyfree.org/wordpress/