Religious Person - Christian Person

Are they one and the same? This question was asked of me only yesterday. It seems to be something that comes up quite often when people know you attend a faith community of any kind. No, I am not religious - yes, I am a Christian. Religion in it's many guises has corrupted so many through the ages. Every religion feels they are the 'right' religion and set out to destroy the enemy, which means noone survives in the end. Religious people attend a church on Sunday and yet how many of them do not emulate Christ in their day to day lives? And why is it, when people talk to you about religion, they inevitably tell you a tale of someone they know, went to church every Sunday, and did this totally unChristian type thing ....you know the scenario. Well, I have to say that NO, a religious person and a Christian person are sometimes but not always one and the same. When one is devout to a particular faith, it is the faith they have chosen, and not necessarily the Lord. When they attend a particular Church, it is the Church they have chosen, and not necessarily the Lord.

Being Christian means, to me, that you have taken up the Cross and are carrying it for Christ. It means you have accepted Christ as the Saviour He is, having taken upon Himself the sins of the world.......meaning your sin and mine, so that we may come home to our Father in Heaven when we die.

What about spirit filled people? That's another question that comes up. Well, you can be filled with the spirit, and still not attempt to emulate Christ in your actions, thoughts, and deeds. Being a spiritual person does not make you a Christian - a follower of Christ - it means many good things on many levels generally speaking, but not that you are a Christian. Oprah is a spirit filled person, but never has she declared herself as a Christian, as an example. She opens herself to the Universe. This is a wonderful trait, but it doesn't get you into Heaven.

Whether you attend a faith community, a church, or follow a religion. It is not the name or the place that defines your existence. It is simply whether you have or have not accepted Christ as your all in all. His Grace shines upon those that have taken Him into their hearts and accepted the Holy Spirit as living inside. His Grace is bestowed upon you because you can say at Easter, He Is Risen.....and understand and know why He died, and why He rose again. It's all about HIM, this being a Christian. Not the Church, and not the name of a particular religion. It's simply HIM. If His Grace has brought you to Him and He is the greatest love of all for you above all else, then you will be lifted up when you are down, and taken home, when you draw your last breathe. That promise is good enough for me.

How Sweet It Is

How Sweet It is to be entrusted with the well-being of a grandchild.

THE WONDER OF DISCOVERING A LADYBUG

ALL READY FOR A FRIEND'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

BUT HAVE TO CHECK THE HORIZON FIRST.................

Currently Listening Prayer: A Windham Hill Collection see related

Alleluia

 Christ the Lord is Risen Today!

Currently Listening Easter Parade: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack see related

HE IS RISEN

HE IS RISEN INDEED

I spent a couple of hours this morning, writing about the then and now of it and upon hitting 'enter' the whole thing self destructed. I hardly know where to begin again. Perhaps it was a reminder that we have to stay in the 'now' of it. However, I just have to comment on the fact that 50 years ago, Easter was such a w'holy' different thing that it's hard to recognize it to-day.

Preparation for Easter began with the usual familiar Christian beginnings along with the purchase of an Easter hat.  The Easter hat was usually made of straw, and had some flowers, and was tied on with a pastel coloured grosgrain (didn't know I still knew that word) ribbon if you were under the age of 10. It was very exciting to know you would be wearing this hat on Easter Sunday for that was the day everyone arrived at church in their finery. It was either purchased, gifted, or just plain washed up and starched, but it felt brand new. It was not just a 'dressing up' but it was a celebratory action that said WE are brand new. WE have been forgiven at the Cross. HE IS RISEN - HALLELUJAH.....and as children, we recognized that.

Palm Sunday was another very special event. Palms were given out, and that palm usually sat propped up, or pinned to a curtain until the next year. It was the beginning of understanding that our Lord was determined to reach the Cross because it was His job to do so in order that we be saved from our sins through His forgiveness. It was a simple message. We accepted it. We moved forward to Good Friday with that understanding, and again, stood together in our place of worship, side by side, feeling the pain of this wondrous gift we were about to receive. .

Saturday was spent together painting as many as two dozen eggs, for the Easter egg hunt we knew would come after church on Sunday. There was no thought of fancy candy, buying stuffed animals, but a joy in colouring our special eggs and creating something beautiful to be hidden by our parents, and refound at the hunt. .

Easter Sunday dawned, and we gathered together to Praise God. HE IS RISEN - HE IS RISEN INDEED rang from mouth to mouth outside the church. The church was a glorious gift to God. We dressed not to show off to our neighbour, but to show God we celebrated wholly together in His presence and Honoured Him with special care on this day. .

After church, main street was full of people parading together as a family, to see and be seen, to greet each other with, "HE IS RISEN" and the answer resounding back "HE IS RISEN INDEED". Then home for the Easter egg hunt, a hardy lunch, and our dad reading to us of the rising of Christ from the grave and telling us that is what it means to be a Christian, a follower of Christ - to know our most grievous sins have been forgiven in His name and Praise the Lord. CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TO-DAY HALLELUJAH , we sang together with someone at the family piano. Yes, those were the days my friends, we thought would never end, and here we are with nothing but the memory.

Attending a service at a local church on Sunday brought all this to mind as I listened to a sermon from Matthew that had nothing to do with Palm Sunday. That led to the writing of this blog. How is it for you? How was it for you? Do you wish you, too, could go shopping for an Easter Bonnet? Or are you happy to put on your jeans and head to church without having to think about what to put on. I believe we elders are richer for our history. I mourn the loss of it for our children and grandbabies. God's blessings be upon you.....

Currently Reading Prayer: A History By Philip Zaleski, Carol Zaleski see related

A Quarter Of A Year

A quarter of a year has passed since I last visited my own blog. I follow a few but somehow don't get around to writing myself. Since my grandbabies came back from Egypt, it seems Facebook has taken over. Try as I will, it's bewildering to me. Definitely for the young and adventuresome. Here I thought I was "with it" when I mastered some parts of Xanga. No sooner was I feeling a little competent, when something new overshadows that accomplishment. I think life is like that in general. Don't you?

No sooner do we fall into a comfortable feeling about something, then we are met with yet another challenge. It's like God watches and thinks, "Uh Oh! Complacency has set in with this one. Time to upset the apple cart just a little to open up yet another adventure while she is still on My earth!"

I have created my own little adventure of late by moving to a small town about an hour away from Victoria, up-island, as "they" say and what a fine move it is. If I had a million dollars, I couldn't do better than the wonderful view I have of a small bay, a saw mill, a ferry dock, a little town that turned itself into a tourist mecca by painting huge murals on the sides of all the buildings. It's called " The Little Town That Did". And what fun it is. The murals are totally awesome and depict the history of B.C. and the First Nations peoples as well as the Asian people that came to this country to produce the grounding as in railways, roads, waterways that we have come to enjoy and that makes our Province one of the best loved ones in our Country.

And so, each day now, I wake to the sunrise as I face east, enjoy a full day of blessed light through the south facing windows, and revel in the reflection of the sunset over the vista of islands in front of me. Sound ideal? Well, it is, and only 10 minutes from one of my daughters and her family. I'm settled in this little piece of heaven on earth and giving thanks to the Lord for His blessings. Now, if I can just entice friends and family to head up this way and join me for a visit life will be complete. It's so easy to fall into our ho-hum existence and not realize we need to venture out or in this case, venture UP across the Malahat to visit "The Little Town That Could/Did (well, one of those words).

May the glory of the Lord shine upon you this day, and all days.