Life Interrupted – 4

I am not as upset as I should be about being unable to go to church over Easter. While these services are always great, this year, I have enjoyed the quiet contemplation of Jesus’s life, death and resurrection at home. On my own.

The experience for me was deeper and more meaningful; communion was with what I had on hand a hot cross bun and cup of tea, I was awake early and saw the sunrise. I read the story of the women who were the first to preach the good news and deeply felt their confusion, sorrow and joy.

I often think about the women in Jesus’s life. Mostly because when I was growing up we never talked about them, it was always Peter running to the tomb, Jesus appearing to the twelve, Thomas the doubter, the walk to Emmaus. But right there in print (and in all four gospels) – the women who went to the tomb early on Sunday morning to anoint Jesus’s body and found the stone rolled away. They ran and told the disciples and became the first people to tell of Jesus’s resurrection.

In the world of Judah 2000 years ago, the women who followed Jesus must have be remarkable but we know almost nothing about them. A few are named but you only heat more about three of them Mary his mother, Martha and her sister Mary Magdalene (my biblical hero) who once sat at Jesus’s feet to hear him teach rather than serving him.

I wonder what attracted them to Jesus. Maybe they knew him through brothers or husbands and joined his movement this way. Or maybe, I’m speculating here, they threw away conventions because they saw the same thing in Jesus as I do 2000 years later and wanted to follow him.

My Jesus is deeply human – laughing readily, crying just as much; he was a loner even though surrounded by friends, he felt the pains and sorrows of others and just wanted to love them until it was better. If hugging was a thing, he would have been great at it, with just the right amount of arms and enfolding (think David Tennant in Doctor Who).

He also had an edge, a sense of power about him that could silence the most unruly mob with a look; he was unconventional, hanging out with outsiders. I love that he was a  nuisance to people in authority and didn’t hold back telling them what he thought or when they were wrong, which may or may not be my inspiration to do the same.

In an isolated pandemic world, where there are so many sorrows, the Jesus who wept over Jerusalem and was so distressed before his arrest that he sweated tears of blood is the message I need right now. That Jesus is so human that he completely understands where the world is and wants to sit with us, hold our hands and tell us it will be alright.

The Jesus I encountered this Easter is less about sin and more about radical love and compassion. Less about eternal life and more about using whatever talents I have to work towards the transformation of this world. For all the hardships in this current situation, I wouldn’t exchange this gift for all the church services in the world.

 

 

 

Life interrupted – 3

The subtitle to this edition is: nice things during self-isolation.

As a single person you kind of get used to your own company, but in the first week of self-isolation it was a struggle, I didn’t know how I was going to do this for months on end. Now, I’m kind of loving the peace and quiet and the more gentle pace of life. It feels like a gift and a time out of time to pause, reflect and just be.

I’m lucky though, I live somewhere with a bit of space around me. I’ve got a backyard and right opposite my house is a wetlands area with walking paths, frogs and birds. Side note: anyone else noticed the quiet and how lovely that is?

Like most people, I’ve been trying to do nice things to help get through the difficulties. Nice things for me make me smile or laugh, give me soul a little lift and remind me we are all in this together. I’m grateful to all the people who are lending their talents to entertain and ease my anxieties during this time.

So here’s a list of things, I’m finding that is bringing me joy during these hard days. (Will periodically add to this list as I come across things).

  1. I can’t go to the Ballet at the moment but I can stream it, thanks to The Australian Ballet streaming their productions for free.
  2. Samuel West is reading me poetry every night. He has a soothing voice and I am loving the ability poetry has to capture a moment, a feeling, to give hope and  perspective on the world. (Who’s Samuel West I hear you ask? – Mr Elliot in Persuasion and a bunch of other stuff too)
  3. Patrick Stewart is reading Shakespeare’s Sonnets and I can’t tell you how much I love this, it’s unedited, he makes mistakes and starts again and it’s completely delightful. You can find that on all the socials.
  4. During an afternoon work break, I sat in my reading chair and rubbed Heminway’s tummy for ages. He was enraptured and so I was.
  5. #ThorntonThursday – rewatching North and South with a bunch of likeminded humans on Twitter. I’m aiming for Wentworth Wednesday at some point too.
  6. Getting to make a pot of tea and drink out a tea cup every morning. Usually reserved only for weekends, I now have the time to make a pot of tea with leaves and drink it from a tea cup.
  7. Mozart – always
  8. Marigolds they are stunning with their orange and burnt umber flowers.
  9. Meeting some new trees in my neighbourhood
  10. Watching families together out for walks on my estate
  11. Having time to read
  12. Jigsaws – it feels very much like we have gone back in time and it’s utterly charming
  13. The place I bought roses sent me their brochure and can I just say I’m going to need more roses in my life.
  14. (New nice thing) Anyone notice how beautiful the autumn leaves are this year. Particularly loving the claret ash and their magnificent colours.
  15. (New nice thing) Households putting soft toys and rainbow drawings in windows and on pavements to let little people know that it will be alright. If there was a stronger symbol that we are all united and in this together I don’t know if I could find one.
  16. (New nice thing) Going to church in my pyjamas and doing Communion with whatever you have on hand. I’ve done it with a cup of tea, hot cross buns, oat cakes and water.
  17. (New nice thing) Some married friends are making funny videos of their self-isolation world, includes K-pop dancing, meat BBQing and it has a level of irony and snark that I need.
  18. (New nice thing) Seeing the cobwebs glistening on the grass on an autumn afternoon.
  19. (New nice thing) Watching Fitzgerald stalk cabbage moths and hide in the garden beds

So that’s it for now… I know this time is extremely worrying  and I’m in a very privileged position, there is much to be anxious about but I hope like me you are finding time for a few things that make you happy too.

Take care, stay home and breathe.