The April Fool

I haven't thought much of April Fools in recent years, but when I was young, my friends and I always tried to come up with different pranks. Back then, we didn't have caller ID, so we could call a friend or a friend's parent and pretend to have bad or silly news. And in the few cases where people didn't know we were joking, it was such fun to yell out, "April Fools!"

When a friend's daughter was 4, she had just discovered the concept of April Fools. She would point to my head and say, "Manda, there's a monster on your head!" And I would play along, "Aaaaaah! Get it off!" It was such a delight to hear her squeal "April Fools!" and dissolve into giggles.

Given the beginning of our Gospel reading for this Sunday, it seems rather appropriate for April Fools Day: When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately'" (Mark 11:1-3).

Can you imagine? You walk out to your car and see that there's someone trying to break in. "What are you doing?" you ask. And the reply: "Oh, the Lord just needs to borrow it for a while." Would you let them go? Would you think maybe it was an elaborate joke? Or something more serious?

On Palm Sunday, the story of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem plays out like an elaborate April Fools joke - but who is the butt of the joke? It might appear to be Jesus, who is praised by the crowds in this moment but will be mocked and crucified the next. But the real joke is on the powers that be - on the Roman leaders who believe they are gods, on the religious leaders who think they have a monopoly on the truth, on Jesus's followers who believe that the Messiah will lead a military coup.

April Fools! The tables are about to be turned. The Anointed One will win by losing. The powers that be will lose by winning. This Sunday, join us as we seek to follow the one who became the April Fool in order to reveal a greater truth.

And a special invitation to young adults - join us tonight at my home (106 Northview Rd.) for dinner and conversation about the nature of Jesus and what it means to follow him.

Blessings,
Manda

The Challenge of the Cross

According to the Gospels, Jesus said a lot of things. Many of them are inspiring and heartwarming:

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find."

"Yes, I am with you always, even to the end of time."

"Peace be with you."

"Do not be afraid."

"Your faith has saved you."

But if we look at the whole of Jesus' words and witness, we will find that while yes, Jesus wanted us to know that we are deeply loved and cared for, he also challenged us to be transformed, so that we can transform the world. This week's Gospel reading contains questions and statements that make us stop and think, to consider what it really means to be followers of Christ:

"Who do you say that I am?"

"Get behind me, Satan!"

"Take up your cross and follow me."

"Those who want to save their life will lose it."

What do we do with these words? I'll admit that they scare me a little - if I want to save my life, I have to lose it? Do I have to become a prophet, so driven by a quest for justice that I might be killed for it?

We know that the cross is not the end of the story - ultimately, there's an empty tomb. But as we journey together in the season of Lent, I hope we can all wrestle together with these questions and the challenge of the cross. What does it mean to be the Body of Christ in the world today? And ultimately, who do you say Jesus is? Join us on Sunday as we continue the struggle and proclaim Christ's presence among us in communion.

AND: Join us tonight for a prayer service in the chapel at 6pm, followed by a soup supper at 6:30. You are also invited to join us for worship with the Protestant Community at Ithaca College on Sunday evening at 6pm in their chapel. Hope to see you soon!

Blessings and peace,
Manda

Texts for Sunday worship:
Psalm 22:23-31
Mark 8:27-38

Other lectionary texts for Sunday:
Romans 4:13-25
Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

We Belong Together

 This week, we've been working on getting tee-shirts for Feed My Starving Children - so many choices: designs, colors, sizes, 100% cotton or 50/50? And then, there's the pricing and order size, etc. But, one thing is certain, when we get our tee-shirts, don them and march in the Ithaca Festival Parade, all of the onlookers will know that we're a group - we belong together, we're a family of folks who want to make a difference!

Tee-shirts have become a universal sign of belonging. They may indicate you belong to the same family, like the folks in this photo, or to the same sports team. They may show you belong with others who care about a cause, like working to end breast cancer or to save the earth. They may even show you belong to a group who likes the same beer.

On Sunday, we'll ponder the baptism of Jesus and we'll commission all of the people in our church who have committed to providing us with leadership over the coming year. I'm sure John didn't give Jesus a tee-shirt after his baptism and we won't be giving out tee-shirts on Sunday. But, we will have water - the sign of our belonging to God and to each other. Water is the sign of our love. The old camp song says, "They'll know we are Christians by our love," not by our tee-shirts. Ohhh, down the road, we may have fabulous FCC tee-shirts, but in the end, it's our loving that indicates we belong to the family of Christ.

Come to worship on Sunday. You won't be given a tee-shirt, but you will certainly know you belong!
Blessings, Laura Lee


Scriptures for Sunday:
+Genesis 9:8-17
Psalm 25:1-10
1 Peter 3:18-22
*Mark 1:9-15