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| The original von Trapp family |
The von Trapps were Catholics, and their story is not only about their musical journey, but their spiritual journey as well. As you read the book you can see them developing in that area and by the end of the story, there is no doubt that they truly were saved by the blood of Jesus. Yes, they made mistakes, but don't we all? :)
What stood out to me, however, is the way they celebrated Easter. They would go to church on Friday very solemn and sad. The church would be in darkness and the usual tools of ceremony (the cup, candlesticks, etc.) would all be knocked over in disarray. The only thing left standing was the cross, and people would take it in turns all weekend long, so that Christ might not be alone. Needless to say, everything was rejoicing again on Sunday.
This made me think. They acted as though Jesus died every year, and - what a relief! - He rose again on the Sunday. I can only imagine the sorrow and the stress they put themselves through to mentally crucify Christ every Easter. It doesn't have to be that way, and Father God never intended it to be that way.
And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before,
“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. (Hebrews 10:11-18)
If Jesus had to die more than once for salvation, we would never be quite sure that we were saved. Also, it just wouldn't have worked, because if it didn't work the first time, it wasn't sufficient at all.
I think this is the reason Jesus Himself gave us such a simple way to remember His death. The Lord's supper was intended to show us the way in which we can quietly and meaningfully remember the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ and thank Him for it.
Because we have communion, we don't need all the fancy rituals and the signs and sadness and gloom (not that there's anything wrong with adding more to it, it just isn't necessary.) Christ said, "...do this in rememberence of me." We do it to remember Him, and it is all we need, because He has died once and for all and is living with and inside us today.
I think it is good to remember just how terrible it was that he died. Sometimes people don't seem to think about that part much and only that we are saved and forgiven, which is wonderful, but I think we need to also remember how terrible it was for the disciples and Jesus. But maybe not to that extent.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you, and I didn't mean to take anything away from the terrible pain and agony Jesus went through for us. My main point was that He has done it once and for all and that we can remember with hope because He is risen again! Praise the Lord!!! :)
DeleteVery good thoughts, Emily. :) Thankyou for sharing them. True, it pays to remember Christ's suffering for us, as it can sometimes be numbed down over time, yet the important thing to remember is that He rose. Makes me think of Aaron C.'s communion message yesterday. :)
ReplyDeleteFunny that, because I had already been thinking about this before communion yesterday! By the way, do you remember the poet's name that he talked about? It was something something Flint...
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