"Good" Friday?

It seems like months since my last post. I have been so busy. At least nobody has died in the last two weeks, I guess. That's a good thing.:-)
Holy Week is such an important time in the life of the church, and yet, it seems like such a stressful time, too. I couldn't get the youth to do their part in planning the Sunrise service, though their teacher insisted they would do the service-- and my secretary is overworked this week, even if she's only part-time. Thankfully she's a patient and kind person.

Thanks to last weekend's rain, we have had two make-up soccer games, one in 30-degree weather. Then there is the fact that the weather changed again, and it's now cold as Hades. What happened to Spring? I hate cold weather, even though others like it. It's deceptive, because it looks like it's warm outside, but then you go out, and freeze. ANd my 7-year-old wants to wear shorts even though he'll freeze, because it's "fashionable." Quite annoying, really. The weather should be much warmer when it's nearly easter, and tulips are blooming. That's my opinion.

I have worship services tonight, as well as last night, and two on Sunday. Saturday will be crazy, as my Puppet Ministry group (including my 11-year-old) performs while I am supposed to be at a meeting two suburbs away. ANd somewhere in their are two soccer games. At least it's currently physically impossible to be two places at once.

I found a good book I am trying to read to be motivated for this weekend-- not that remembering Christ's sacrifice for humanity isn't motivation in itself-- called The Last Week, by Marcus Borg, and John Dominic Crossan. It's pretty historically accurate, and interestingly like the info I got in seminary. I'm still not sure today is "good" Friday, though, but my devotional booklet suggests it may be a shortened version of "God's Friday," like "goodbye," is a shortened version of "God be with ye." When you cross seminary education with my liberal arts undergraduate classes (Western Civ, Introduction to Old Testament, etc) the cross-referencing of info is remarkable. Guess I learned more, and more is true than I realized.

I feel for those people who are in the corporate world-- managing full-time employees and jockeying with bosses is a big headache. I can see where many people burn out or turn to other escapes, like alcohol, drugs, etc. I pray for those loved ones and friends who face such big stresses. I guess the alternative would be quitting, or getting really angry. Both are not productive, though. Perhaps that's why I left the corporate world-- I heard other new ministers talking about how the stress of the church is the same but altogether different, last time I was in the RIM retreat. I think it's interesting.

It's more important to realize others feel the same way you do-- with the same loves, same dislikes and likes, and know that you aren't alone. Even on the day we commemorate Christ's crucifixion, and know how very alone he must have felt. He knew he wasn't alone, and I guess that's a lesson we ought to all take to heart, too.