Light and Dark

It always seems that light shines brighter when it's dark. I don't know if the light is, in fact, brighter, or it's just our perception of it. Back in college (which seems like another lifetime!) I remember going running with a professor and group of runners on Spring mornings. We'd start in a neighborhood and then work our way out onto one of the main highways leading out of Manhattan (KS) and then up a 4x4 road to the top of a ridge. There and back was somewhere around 4.5 miles.

In early spring it was pitch dark when we began at 5:00 a.m. When we left the neighborhood, we were instantly swallowed by the pre-dawn blackness. Every once and awhile a car would pass, barreling down the highway with its headlights on. I could always see the car coming from quite a distance, but when it was about to pass, its lights were blinding! I'd see spots for the next minute as I attempted to stick to the shoulder of the road.

Many cars now come with Daytime Running Lights. I think it's a way of convincing people that not being able to shut their headlights off is a good thing. Is it safer? I don't know. Probably. My point? Headlights aren't any brighter at 5:00 a.m. than they are at noon on a sunny day. They give off the same illumination. It is our perspective that makes the difference.

This Easter, consider the glorious light of Christ's resurrection. Meditate upon God's power and love--so strong that not even death could defeat it! How has the power of Christ's resurrection shined in your life? Are you still blinded by Christ's presence, or have you gotten used to walking in his light? Is the world around you brighter because of Christ's presence with you?

Palm Sunday, etc.

Palm Sunday is coming up! It's one of my favorite celebrations of the Christian year. It's a time to do more than just 'regular' worship. The palms, the excitement, the anticipation of Easter morning. It's almost enough to make me forget about Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Almost.

Northside's Maundy Thursday service next week will be at 6pm in the Sanctuary. Session has agreed to serve communion, and I'm getting to choir to help with a tennenbrae type service. By the end, all the elements will have been removed from the chancel/sanctuary, and it will be left bare. Deserted. Just like our Lord in the tomb.

But that's next week. Right now we're preparing for the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem! It makes me realize that I'm just as fickle as the crowds who cheered Jesus' arrival one day and called for his crucifixion by the end of the week. It's like helping someone out in a move of genuine charity, and then getting pissed when someone causes you a minor inconvenience.

That's happened to me before. It'll probably happen again. I just pray that God would continue to work in me so that he can work through me.

Welcome!

This blog will be updated weekly with thoughts from Pastor Ben. It may be something he's reading at the time, a devotion for the week, or perhaps just perspective on Northside Presbyterian Church.

Check back every Tuesday for a little cyber time with Ben.