Posts Tagged With: sacrifice

Why We are going to the Mosque on Good Friday

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It is Holy Week. We remember all that Jesus did for us when he went to the cross, died for our sins, was buried, and on the third day rose again. The very depths and heights of our faith. My husband and my calling to follow Jesus in loving those outside our own faith community compels us to go to our local Mosque this Friday night. Don’t get me wrong, I love Good Friday services. The somber reflections of the ultimate sacrifice Christ paid moves me deeply.

 

This friday is especially important that we go to the Mosque. For many years of our adult lives we  have lived in Central Asia, first in Northwest China, then in Kazakhstan. We lived and worked among many different ethnic groups – Chinese, Russian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, but especially Uyghurs. Our Uyghur friends and neighbors taught us deeply about many things, hospitality, faithful loyalty to family, respect for elders, love of music, dancing and food, to name a few. These very ones who sowed richly into our lives are now struggling for their own lives in their homeland. The government of China is attempting to wipe out their culture and possibly existence by incarcerating over a million people in concentration camps where people are dying daily. They are seperating children from parents and mercilessly controlling every aspect of their lives through extreme measures. We are teaming up with our local Mosque this Good Friday to lend our voices to the voiceless. We are speaking up together to say No to this horrific act of violence.

 

What better way to fight the evil of dehumanization then to join with our Muslim brothers and sisters from around the world. We will not be manipulated into divided camps, but stand together and with one voice cry out to God to deliver the Uyghur people from their oppressors.

Categories: Faith, God, Good Friday, lament, Lent, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lenten Post #3

 

My amazing daughter and her wonderful husband came from Omaha for a quick visit this weekend.  They had a wedding to be a part of in Bellingham.  We were delighted!  It was another chance to be with them.  We happily picked them up at the airport and drove them where they needed to go.  We were even invited to the wedding because my daughter has always been a great sharer of her friends.  When they left in the wee hours of Sunday morning, they thanked us for everything.  It was like thanking my lungs for breathing or my hands for feeding me.  Of course!   I love you!  I love being with you!

 

This was over-laid in my mind with our scripture reading and sermon topic for the second Sunday of Lent.  John 13 where Jesus washed His disciples feet.  “What you will never wash my feet!”  Peter impulsively shouts out.  Jesus loved his disciples to the full extent.  God loves the world to the full extent.  Washing his disciples feet was not so hard for Jesus because he loved them.  A greater and much harder sacrifice lay just ahead.  Even though he agonized over it more than we can imagine in the garden, love won and Jesus picked up his cross and headed for the hill.  “For the joy set before him he endured the cross.”  We are his joy.

Categories: Faith, God, Lent, Love | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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