Hi everyone,
So for the first time in a looooong time, I was pulled over by a cop today. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what I did wrong when I saw the lights in my rear view mirror. I was driving safely, following the flow of traffic, and having a deep conversation with my kids. I guess the problem was that I was driving in an unfamiliar area and wasn’t sure what the rules were. Turns out, there was a rule that I broke.
I was speeding. I didn’t think I was, but I was. Because in that little stretch where I was driving, the speed limit went way down, and I had no idea.
The officer was nice enough, though. He was very polite and really, he was just doing his job. It’s just too bad for me that I was caught in the way of it. After checking my license and registration, he told me that today is a nice day and that he is more aware of speeders because there are more people walking around on the streets and so safety is more of a concern. I thanked him for the reminder and he just left… without giving me a ticket. He didn’t specify if he’s letting me off with a warning or not, he just left.
Now, I don’t know if I should expect a ticket in the mail or something, but for now I’m going to thank my lucky stars.
Here are the readings for next week:
Mark 11:1-11 (processional gospel)
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
Mark 14:1–15:47
These are a lot of readings, because of the extra Palm Sunday gospel. Also, these readings are long, because this is the last Sunday before Easter, and it’s bringing us up to speed on the story of Jesus. And there is a lot of story.
But as I went through them this time around, I noticed how much these readings are about humility, specifically the humility of Christ. How he was done dirty, but he didn’t retaliate in anger or vengeance. He had every right to smite every last one of his enemies, these perpetrators of sin, those who disliked him so much that they would rather he be dead. But he didn’t. And thank God he didn’t.
And it wasn’t because he wasn’t strong enough to fight back. It wasn’t because he was too broken and defeated to do anything about the situation. It wasn’t because he just letting us off with a warning. But it was because he forgave.
Forgave those who killed him. Forgave those who don’t know what they’re doing. Forgave all of us… for betraying him, denying him, and pushing him out of our lives.
It is humbling to think that we need this kind of forgiveness, but we do. It is humbling to think that we could be so unaware of our wrongs, but we can be. It is humbling to be in the presence of someone who is so great, like Jesus our Lord and Saviour, the humble King himself, but we completely and wholly are, now and always. And for that, we can thank our lucky stars.
Thanks be to God! Have a great week, everyone!
Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash