I was at church the other night for a confessional service. (Let's leave it at that.) Those usually sort of freak me out, but are really cool timeouts to consider your faults and (more importantly) consider the forgiveness that is there for you. It really is awesome, cuz I'm bad at that kind of stuff. If I think about how much of a sinner I am on my own, I get really down on myself.. then I realize that a lot of being forgiven is forgiving yourself.. that is so true. Right, so anyway, I was at church. The lights were dimmed for the service, and most light was from candles, white lights on the Christmas trees, and a few lights left on by the altar. This brought a cool effect, even though there was one thing that diconcerted me at first--the crucifix had a shadow over it. Usually there are lights shining right at it, quite appropriately since Jesus is the Light and the focal point of the church. But it was quite dark. I stared at it for a while, trying to decide what to make of it. I arrived on this point:

Jesus lowered Himself from the very beginning so to save us. He was born in a barn, surrounded by animals and his parents--a carpenter and a peasant girl who had become pregnant before marriage. Just imagine that, especially in those times. But what's more than His physical humbleness, think of what He did for us. He took on our sin--He embodied sin--He who had no sin--He bore this weight for us. He beat death for us. He even endured the shadows for us. His own Father had to forsake Him because of the sin He had become to free us. He cried out in the darkness that covered the land during mid-day, and He died for us.

Wow... so this shadow struck me as amazing on this occassion. What better way to make a person realize that they are truly forgiven than to make them really see the pains that were taken in order to free them from that same burden? I hope that others in the congregation took that to mind and to heart--and I wanted to share it with you.

And I can't get off this sky kick. The clouds, the colors, that can't just randomly happen. Yeah, I think the sky is God's personal doodle-pad. Awesome stuff. The other day I was riding down Springfield Road (you would not believe how open the sky is around there!) and it was so great--a huge cross in the sky. You know the little trails made by unseen little aircraft? Wow, a cross bordered by the sunset, the birds soaring across. I don't know of any earthly thing that can incite as much inspiration (or fear) than that familiar old roof over our heads. You've just go to look up and see it--be it light or dark. You've got to see your sin to ask forgiveness; you've got to see the Light and believe to be forgiven.

Beth