On the Cusp of Easter   Our Lenten Journey is almost at its conclusion - Easter Day! But we've got some distance to go yet, and some of this last bit is hard, and it will require ALL of our attention to make it through this part if we want to rightly prepare to truly celebrate the Resurrection.   First, during Holy Week, we consider Maundy Thursday - a strangely named day if ever there was one.  As some are, I'm sure, growing weary of hearing me say, the word Maundy comes from the Latin phrase, mandatum novum, that is, "new commandment."  It is from one of the primary lessons for the Maundy Thursday service, John 13: 34-35: Jesus said, "I give you a new commandment (a mandatum novum!), that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."   This focuses our minds and hearts on forgiveness, on developing deep empathy for one another - that is, on understanding one another's pain, on our relationships (or lack of them!), and even on our life direction. It's going to be a long sermon! Just kidding (no, I'm not...).   The other great scriptural emphasis for the day focuses directly on US. Jesus said, "This is my body... this is my blood... poured out... FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS."  We are directed, then, to look inward in self-examination, finding out what WE are doing that is damaging, warping us at our core, and what is damaging to our primary relationships in life. And notice that this doesn't just address sins we have committed - it just says, "...for the forgiveness of sins." Anyone's - committed by us or against us. We are NOT to live in anger or fear or hurt, but are charged to face the problems and work for, if possible, reconciliation and healing. If we carry our own or others' sins around with us, it is like carrying so much extra weight around with us in life. It slows us down, keeps us from living freely and prevents us from experiencing the joy, peace and love that God intends for us. Wow! This is important stuff!!!   The final step of our Lenten Journey is Good Friday - Yet another oddly named day. How can a day recalling the events of such a horrendous death be in ANY way "good"?  It really is a fair question, for in the events of that day we see all of the worst of humanity focused on one man. We see the greed, corruption, cowardice, fear, self-centeredness, prejudice, all manner of vicious and cruel behavior, brought to bear on that one man who did not deserve it - and, it was all "legally done"! How sad that our societies have a way of legalizing such treatment against others. Not much has changed, has it? Or is there movement... ?   So, we enter into this last great day of our Journey with some trepidation - we don't want to face these things - because we see them in ourselves. And that's why this is called "Good Friday," because the events HAD to take place so that our sin could be confronted, so that our punishment could be paid by another, so that our healing could finally begin.   Blessings on this last part of the Lenten Journey.  Easter is Coming!   Pastor Larry