Spring

Have you ever noticed that there is no more common and universal symbol of hope then a sunny day? On television sitcomes the cheerful music plays and the camera will span a sun drapped neighborhood. A feel good movie will end with that same music, and the same bright sunny sky. Even when the weather is nice we find ourselves smiling more, laughing more, and just more cheerful.

When I was in Seminary on just such days we would sit outside and smoke cigarettes and discuss the problems of the world, and debate our ingenious solutions. In college such discussions were had over a pack of Marlboros and Cans of Diet Coke. In late college they were discussed off campus over a scotch and a pack of Marlboro Lights. In grad school they were discussed over Vodka and Tonics and a pack of Marlboro Ultra Lights. (You'll note my smoking got healthier over time.) Regardless, we always thought we had all theh answers, and we talk about how our life of Ministry would be spent implimenting these ideas and making a difference in people's lives.

As a bartender I stand behind the bar and realize that I am no different then anybody else, as now I go to work and listen to everyone else sit at the bar covered in sunlight discuss the same issues. As the evening goes on and the lighting changes, the alcohol flows and the answers continue to come.

We talk alot. Weather it be all the social plans we make but never keep, or the brilliant ideas to change the world we will never follow through. Sometimes its the plans for the future that never happen quite as we expect.

I am so excited for the coming weekend, for many reasons, but particularly because it is the kick off of Holy Week, which in the Church tells the story of all our lives. It begins with great joy, moves through tragedy, betratal, and devestation...and ends with great joy and hope for tomorrow. On Palm Sunday Jesus enters Jerusalem and is greeted like a celebrity, celebrates a wonderful meal with his friends, and is then betrayed by one of them. He is tortured, and slaughtered on the cross. Of course, Easter morning, He is raised from the dead.

For centuries the ancient Jews preached to their families about the coming of a Messiah. This figure was almost to the Jews like one of those spoken but never fulfilled bar conversations. He was coming, he was coming, but never seemed to come. In Jesus, these seemingly empty words turn into action. The Messiah does come, and the bright shining sun of Easter morning over the empty grave reminds us of that hope that we feel at the end of those movies and sitcoms.

The words from the Preface of the Mass of Easter is appropriate; "The Joy of the Ressurection renews the whole world." Today is the first day of April, Easter is around the corner, Spring is finally begining to 'spring', restraunts are starting to put their tables outside, the days are getting longer and the nights shorter...This change of season is exactly the renewal that I needed. At times we could all use a boost. A reminder that all those un-fulfilled words can indeed one day come through, we just have to renew our drive to accomplish them, so we too can bask in the joy of our own "sunny days".