The Human Experience and Easter

So this is a big weekend for Christians. It is a weekend of remembering and recognizing the foundation of our faith. The weekend often begins on Thursday where we celebrate Maundy Thursday- which is a time of remembering the last supper Jesus had with his disciples. There are a lot of important conversations that are recorded in the Bible around that table. It was also the night that Jesus and the disciples shared communion.... the place where Jesus commanded them and us to take the bread representing his body to be broken and the wine- his blood to be poured out and to take, eat, and do it to remember Him. Friday marks the crucifixion. Good Friday. It is a time that churches often leave space for members to come and reflect... a place to confess sin and reflect on the pain Jesus endured for us. Our church is using Saturday as a day of outreach. We are doing the traditional easter egg hunt to draw in children and families from the community and hope they'll not only join us on Easter Sunday, but every Sunday... and every day... as we seek to live our lives for Christ. Finally, Sunday is the big celebration day- the day that marks our sin being cast away by Christ's resurrection from the grave. It marks His deep deep love for us.

A couple years ago David and I went to a special viewing of the film, The Human Experience. I randomly found it on Netflix's view it now and so I watched it again. So this movie is about 2 brothers who come from a broken family in New York and their desire to experience life in other cultures. First, they go to the streets of NY city in the winter and live among the homeless. Second, they go to Peru in a car and work at a place called the Lost Children of Peru. They work with children with physical and mental handicaps. The experience of working with the untouchables changes them and they grow a deep compassion for these innocent children. Finally, they travel to Ghana where they interact with 2 colonies- one for people with AIDS and one for Lepers. Once again, this experience really changes them. So the movie highlights the 3 major faiths, and leaves one with the impression that there is a God who is real and people who are suffering truly believe that. The movie also just really yanks out your heart for people who do suffer- both emotionally and physically. I enjoy it, but I like those mushy movies.

So as I think about Easter and I think about the Human Experience I can't help but tie the two together. The questions that the brothers pose throughout the film, "Who am I, and why am I here?" are fundamental questions that we all ask at one time or another. And I find the answers to be that we are created in the image of the living God (Genesis 1:27) and that our purpose is to do God's will.
So the big questions might start with: What is God's Will? Well, obviously to share the love of Christ and love people.

So here's where I go off in one of my rants. :)

The movie, The Human Experience allows you to catch a tiny tiny glimpse of the reality of pain and suffering that occurs... both in our own country and in this world. It brings up the discussion that having a sweet car and a big house doesn't bring happiness and certainly does nothing to alleviate suffering. It shows that people experience a deep loneliness. There is a scene in the clip on homelessness in New York where a woman describes 4 puppies who were next to her and all these people were calling friends and making sure that the dogs were taken in so they wouldn't have to bear the cold, but she was just left there. Read that again: It shows that people experience a deep loneliness. There is a scene in the clip on homelessness in New York where a woman describes 4 puppies who were next to her and all these people were calling friends and making sure that the dogs were taken in so they wouldn't have to bear the cold, but she was just left there. Why do we do this? Why are we neglecting people? Christ doesn't call us to care about people because they were screwed over and forget the people who messed up their own lives.... he called us to simply: care for people. We are not to decide who gets that care.... he clearly puts them in our lives.... and I'd argue sometimes our safety nets of picking the right neighborhood or job or church cuts us off from the very people Christ is begging us to love.
I'd hate for us to celebrate Easter on Sunday while forgetting about the VERY THING that Christ called us to do. He died for all of us.... and all of us our sinners... and we are hiding in our shells and not boasting about the truth of God's love... and that it heals. One of the greatest joys of being part of a church in inner city Detroit is being part of people's lives. We have a young single mom who used to sell her body. She has turned away from that life and has accepted a new life in Christ where her sin has been washed away and she stands white as snow. The pain that continues to deal with in letting go of her old life reminds me that there are so many others waiting to be freed from the chains of sin. We have stories of families who sold a lot, left their families, and moved into the inner city to simply do life. We have stories of men who have left lucrative life of selling drugs and are struggling to make ends meet as they work with dignity now.
So my challenge is to get out in your community and love on the suffering. How can you communicate the gospel to those people in a way that demonstrates compassion? Don't just go to church on Sunday and eat a big Easter dinner, but wrestle with the idea that the message you so love and proclaim is needed in your community.
At the same time, don't carry the burden of pain. Allow God to show you how can you relate to people in a way that allows Him to do HIS work. :)

And watch the movie if you get a chance. :)