Easter Reflections

Monday, April 05, 2010

As we come to the end of this Easter season, I have come to reflect on many things this year. First, this was our first major holiday that we were not with our families. While I was feeling homesick over the weekend, I realized that Blake and I have truly made our family. While it is small it is not lacking in love or fun and we enjoyed new traditions together. We attended a small Bible study service on Thursday night, where we took communion together. I don’t know why I didn’t know this before, but I found that Eucharist means grateful or thankful, it gave me a whole new meaning of the Holy communion that we shared together as a couple. There are many, many things that we have to be thankful for, and for Christians, we are more reminded of them during Easter.
On Friday evening we watched The Passion of Christ; however, we both remembered why we said we would never watch it again after the first time we watched it. The things that Jesus Christ endured for US are very hard to grasp and fully understand, and for Jesus to say at the end, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”, shows exactly how he feels about each one of us. What a blessing it is to serve a Lord who forgives with so much love.
As for our work in Rwanda, this week is considered the week of mourning, as the memory of the 1994 Genocide remains in people’s minds and families are remembered in hearts. Many banks, government buildings, and stores are closed beginning Wednesday for the rest of the week; flags have been moved to half-mast and the need for the love of Christ is extremely strong this time of year. Let me share with you a story that we were just told this week that shows the kind of faith many have, but the need for love and forgiveness that many may not yet have or may not yet have given, as this week begins:

This is the story told by the son of a genocide victim…as this gentleman was crossing down a road, he was stopped and asked to provide his identification card (showing weather he was Tutsi or Hutu) when he refused, he was told, it does not matter, your refusal to show us your identity proves who you are and which side you are on. As he was shown a gun, he asked if he could first pray, and his request was granted. As he bent to his knees he said a short pray, “Father, forgive them, in many years when they seek for forgiveness for their actions, please let it be known to them, that I have already forgiven them.” These were his last words, and his last prayer. How many people in Rwanda are seeking forgiveness? How many need to forgive someone? There are probably more than we can imagine, but with the help of the church, the process of forgiveness and reconciliation will continue. As more computer labs are set up, and more pastors are trained, more and more people will come to the Lord, seeking love and forgiveness. Will you pray for Rwanda, specifically this week during the genocide mourning week?