What Changed Your World

 

I am writing this on Monday, April 17, 2023. Today is the 10th Anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing. By the time I finish this article, the race will be over, and the winner will be decided. I am sure there will be events to memorialize the people who died that day and the hundreds of others who were injured. 

There are dates we memorialize. They are significant enough to stop our busyness and remember what happened and how it touched us that day. 

Some of those memories are happy: weddings, graduations, work and vocational milestones, etc. Others are very solemn occasions. These are the days you remember where you were and exactly what you were doing when you heard the news. These are events from the assassination of JFK to the murder of John Lennon, to the death of Elvis, 9-11, the first Moon Walk, the Challenger Disaster, the fall of the Berlin Wall, Woodstock, and others. 

Some of these events are times when the whole planet stopped in shock and was still. We take a moment and think about the unfairness of some things in life. We think of lives cut short. We wonder where our loved ones are and if they are safe. We may not know anyone directly involved with the event, but, somehow, the scope of the tragedy makes us a victim anyway.

I did not know a single person who was killed or injured on 9-11. Still, my family was forever changed because of the events of that day. My oldest son spent 12 years in the Marine Corps based on the events of that day. His younger brother originally considered that a dumb decision, but ended up pleading and fighting to enlist because he was blackballed. He ended up spending 4 years serving his country in the Marine Corps as well.

It is important to celebrate the joyous events of life. It is equally important to take a moment on those solemn occasions and remember, to be quiet in respect, to say a prayer, to recognize how a few seconds of our life changed the rest of our life. Maybe the day that impacts you the most is not on the list above. Maybe it is something much closer to home, something more personal. It did not make the national news, but it still changed your life. It is worth a moment, so stop, shed a tear if you need, say a prayer, give thanks for the days that were shared, even if they seem to have been cut short, recognize how a person, gone so long, still impacts your life. Then, when you start back with the rest of your day, be that kind of person that will leave footprints behind so people will see the trail you took when you walked through their life.

Craig C. Krueger

A Promise to Keep

 

I tried to find some statistics on what percentage of married people wear wedding bands. It turns out, nobody really knows. I received my ring June 14, 1997, and, and it has never been off. There are many other people can say the same.

The traditional vows, with regards to the exchange of wedding rings, have changed a little over the years in the Book of Common Worship of the PCUSA:

From 1928: With this ring I thee wed, and with all my worldly goods I endow, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,

From 1946: I do promise and covenant; Before God and these witnesses; to be thy loving and faithful (wife or husband); In plenty and want; In joy and in sorrow; In sickness and health as long as we both shall live.

From 2018: By your blessing, O God, may these rings be symbols of unending love and faithfulness and signs of the covenant they have made this day, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

There have been some changes in the last one hundred years. The commitments are more nebulous, the promises leave room for interpretation, and the vows are more hopeful than restrictive. However, we still make promises to one another. We still exchange some symbol of our commitment, but what I want to call to your attention most is the ring on your hand, if you wear one, is not a reminder of your commitment. It is a reminder that there is someone who committed to you! It is a symbol that someone has a claim in you, and that they are counting on you.

Earthly marriages can fail. At times people lose sight of the promises they made. Something, or someone, is more interesting. At times we find we just do not know how to live out those lofty ideals we had on that special day. The commitment can be challenging work.

Despite our failures in our relationships, the favorite Biblical illustration of our relationship with God is still that of a marriage. The Church is often called the Bride of Christ, and Baptism is that “ring” that reminds us that someone now has a claim on us. God is the perfect spouse. He is forgiving. He is steadfast. He will stand by you through all things, for better or worse, in sickness and health, through this life and beyond. When things are difficult, remember your Baptism. Yes, it can be a sign of your promises to God, but beyond that, it is your reminder that God has a claim on you that will not fade.

Craig C. Krueger

 

What is Tenebrae

 The purpose of the Tenebrae service is to connect with those people who experienced the loss of Jesus Christ firsthand. As the sanctuary darkens, we experience some of the darkness that has overtaken our world and our life. When we see the Christ candle leave the sanctuary, we may feel a moment of hopelessness and helplessness. There is nothing to celebrate in this service. Our one hope that we might indeed be reunited to our Creator is dead and buried.

 

I have pastoral colleagues who will not observe a Tenebrae service because they say we live in a post – Easter church. We cannot be without hope because hope has already been raised. Yes, fortunately, that is partly true. However, the disciples lived, for a few days, knowing that Christ would never again walk with them, teach them, and show them the power of God in their midst. We live knowing that the power of God is always with us, alive in us through the person of the Holy Spirit.  

 

Yet we live in a society that, even as it is able to allow us to connect in more ways than any other society in the history of the world, is more fractured than any society prior to it. We can call, text, E-mail, FaceBook, tweet, chat, etc, but we still know less and less about one another. We lose compassion, never really gaining understanding of our brother or sister in Christ.

 

Tenebrae reminds us of that brokenness. It tells us that we need restoration.

 

When the disciples had community, what was its center, its focal point? The community of faith centered itself around the person of Jesus Christ. It did not divide up over mode of baptism or style of music. It cared nothing about pre-millennialism, post-millennialism, or amillenialism. It was immediate because the need for restoration was immediate. We were broken and there was no better time to fix our brokenness than right now. We were too busy evangelizing the world to worry that one of our group should be hated as a tax collector, another was a blue collar fisherman, another was an anarchist, and another, even though he stole from the group, was allowed to stay a part of the community as long as he was willing.

 

Today we divide over politics, race, worship styles, marriage issues, nationality, and many other things. In so many ways we seem more lost than they ever were. Yes, indeed, the darkness of the Tenebrae seems overwhelming at this point. We would indeed despair if we did not already know how the story ends!

 

Craig C. Krueger