Saturday, March 30, 2013

Collections.and Connections


Hello Friends and Happy Easter.  Christ is RISEN!!

As you might guess I would like to give you and your peeps (your humans not the marshmallow chicks) a little Easter message.  The photos you will see of me in my bunny ears are from last year, my lawn is not that green yet.  And the photos of me in church are only a few hours old.  In my church instead of placing Easter Lilies around the altar we fill these bags with enough food to feed a family of 4 for 5 days.  And come Monday morning they will be delivered to people in need in our community.

Easter egg hunts have been in the news all week, both because of the controversy in the White House over the invitations that went out warning that the one on the White House lawn might need to be cancelled, as well as the refusal of some school districts to refer to “Easter eggs,” only as “Spring eggs.”  Come on.  Easter egg hunts.  They are part of many's most beloved childhood memories, even though they have very little to do with the real Easter.  Or do they?

Coloring eggs; that sweet smell of vinegar; getting those same six colors all over fingers, clothes, and counter-tops year after year. Then getting up early enough to compete against brothers and sisters to find the most eggs and goodies.  But while some of the traditions behind Easter egg hunts have remained the same, there has been one big change that has transformed large community-wide egg hunts, Sunday school class quests, and our own living room look-fors.

Let’s get real: people might still color and decorate real eggs.  But how many of those actual hard-boiled eggs get taken out of the fridge and hidden anymore? Real eggs have been replaced with plastic eggs. The realities of lurking bacteria and potential lawsuits have banished actual eggs from almost every “egg hunt.”  Instead, plastic eggs filled with store-bought candies have, for the sake of sanity and sanitation, replaced the hand-colored hard-boiled real egg.

That's what happens, not just when we've learned that eating eggs that have sat around at room temperature for several hours can lead to bad things. That is what happens when our culture is focused more on things, on collecting objects, than it is on people, celebrating life and connecting subjects.  We live in a culture of collections more than connections.  At the heart of the culture of death is the reduction of human beings to things which can be collected, bought or sold, used or not used, broken and then thrown away.

When the women set out at first light, they are on a death mission.  Having witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion, having shadowed Joseph of Arimathea to the site of Jesus’ tomb, and having spent their last hours before the Sabbath collecting the spices and concocting the ointments for anointing the dead, the only thing on the minds of these women on Easter morning is death, and on the things death requires. They are focused on the tomb. They fixate on the grave clothes. They savor the scents they are bringing to mask the stench of death.

These women are immersed in the culture of death. They are concerned only with “things” of death. They are preoccupied with those objects they can lay their hands on. They do not have any expectation of encountering a “someone,” of bumping up against a subject to connect to. They certainly do not anticipate encountering a completely new life and connection to the divine.

Easter morning is the moment when everything changes. A culture of death becomes a culture of life.  A culture of collections becomes a culture of connections.  Nothing less than the entire way the world was ordered is recreated and birthed anew. The tomb of death becomes the womb of life.  Jesus cannot be contained or collected in the cold stone of earth.  He is risen, a living connection, and has gone before us.  The expectation of death is unexpectedly replaced with the presence of life.  Instead of finding a dead body, the first visitors to what had been designated as Jesus’ tomb, find a living word, and embrace the promise of a living Lord.

Jesus Easter morning surprise moved the women who came to the tomb from a culture of death to a culture of life, from a world of objects — tombs and ointments, sadness and loss — to a world of subjects — where Jesus’ self-sacrifice was made a life altering, life atoning, life affirming option for everyone who “remembered” or heard the news of his defeat of death.

After Easter morning, none of us are objects waiting for death.  After Easter morning, all of us are subjects, children of God, invited to join in new life and to start eternal life now. The Resurrection of Jesus is the sudden declaration by God that we are someone and never just something.  You are a subject, not an object. And you are called to live in a culture of life, even amidst a culture of death.  With meaning to life coming from connections, not collections.

Blessings,
Goose

51 comments:

  1. I was looking forward to your Easter message, Goose. Thank you. I admire you greatly for sitting so nicely amongst all the bags. Well done. Happy Easter!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful Easter message and fabulous photos! Each one is so festive and you look so handsome sitting in them, Goose! Have a wonderful Easter!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you Goose... to you and your MOM for sharing your Easter message with us all. You have done an excellent job posing with all of the beautiful bags!! I am sure that those families will really appreciate the food that you have collected. Happy Easter! xo Chloe, LadyBug and Jeanne

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happy Easter to you and your mom Goose. Those food bags are so pretty and colorful. You are so good to be able to sit in the middle and not sneak a snack from any of the sacks (say that 10 times fast)!

    Millie

    ReplyDelete
  5. Happy Easter to you and your Mom. You do look adorable in your ears. I am just glad, my Mommy doesn't have any of those. How wonderful that all those hungry people will be getting food. Have a wonderful day

    Loveys Sasha

    ReplyDelete
  6. Amen and Happy Easter Eggs to you. Spring eggs...forget that!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wonderful message and post, as always Goose!! :-D What an awesome idea of collecting food for families in need, instead of buying poisonous lilies! Those photos are beautiful, old and new! :-) I hope that you and your Mom have an absolutely wonderful Easter (hahaha, "spring eggs!")!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. happy, happy easter goose and goose's mom! fantastic post as always. seems to me being politically correct is getting completely out of control. next thing you know the easter bunny will become the spring bunny.
    my mom tried to find bunny ears for me but she couldn't find any small enough, haha.
    happy wags, bailey

    ReplyDelete
  9. My, your political correct nit-twits are as bad as ours. They ruin so many good things. Fabulous to collet food for the hungry. Great post today Goose & Mum.
    We wish you all a Happy Easter. We hope the Easter Bunny hops by with lots of treats. Enjoy.
    Best wishes Molly

    ReplyDelete
  10. fantastic idea to do the food bags. i have seen it at Christmas and Thanksgiving but never Easter. have a blessed Easter.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hari Om and HAPPY EASTER Dear Goose and 'Mom'.
    This was the perfect message and you, Goose, are a most engaging messenger. Did you know, I always taught my Sunday School class that the eggs we were colouring and then rolling down the hill (that's the Scottish tradition), was to represent the rolling away of The Stone?

    It's amazing too that so many of us survived eating such hazardous materials, what? Hugs and wags, YAM-aunty

    ReplyDelete
  12. Woof! Woof! Beautiful Message. Mom is looking forward to go to Easter mass. Happy a wonderful Easter. Lots of Golden Woofs, Sugar

    ReplyDelete
  13. When our Lady was little she coloured eggs and they were never allowed to eat them. She also searched for jelly beans and not eggs.

    We hope you have a wonderful Easter Goose.

    Lee and Phod

    ReplyDelete
  14. Easter egg hunts are just one more victim of our PC society ...And it's such a shame...i made it through many years of hunting hardboiled eggs and I'm still here...sometimes I feel sorry for today's children...They miss so much fun..Your food distirbution is a wonderful idea and will bring such happiness...Your heart is truly is the right place Goose...Gizmo & Beth wish you all a joyous Easter

    ReplyDelete
  15. That's such a beautiful post, Goose! You sure got the best Easter celebration here in blogger ville. Happy Easter from all of us!

    Love,
    Piappies Fudgie, Princess, Frappie, Mocha, Sugar, Wai-Max, Wai-Pai & Forgie

    ReplyDelete
  16. Have a blessed Easter goose ...thank you for such a wonderful message

    ReplyDelete
  17. Goose, you and your Mom are pawsome! We couldn't wait to get over here to read your blog this morning. In fact, we've been waiting all week for it. And you did NOT disappoint! Thanks for sharing the stories with all of us. Beautiful!!

    We love how you fill up bags of food for those who are in need. It's a shame to see so many of them tho. We so wish that everyone could be as blessed as us.

    Happy, Happy Easter to you and your Mom. We love you and think you are both so very special.

    Hugs,
    Lily Belle & Muffin

    ReplyDelete
  18. We just knew you would have a wonderful and meaningful message for us today, Goose and Mom. We hope Easter brings many blessings your way. Our family is celebrating the welcoming into our faith our human brother-in-law who was a candidate last night for induction into our church. Our family is filled with great joy.

    Easter blessings to all.

    Woos- Phantom, Thunder, Ciare, and Lightning

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh thank you Goose, you have made my Easter day. That was such a terrific post. I love those words, 'celebrating life'. There isn't anything more important.

    We also think that you and your Mom are very special to us. We are so so glad we found you. A very Happy Easter to all of you.

    ReplyDelete
  20. What a wonderful post, thanks a lot Goose :o)You must be the king of all egs, I never saw such a lot of easter eggs. We had "real" colored eggs today - but they had no chocolate inside...
    Have a wonderful Easter Sunday :o)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Your post made momma cry then say Hallelujah! So very well said, Brother Goose. :)

    Shelle, Milo, Dixie and Newby,
    http://simpaticodreams.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  22. Goose and Mom Happy Happy Easter and what a wonderful message
    We love the idea of filling bags full of food to be distributed to families.

    Goose you look gorgeous surrounded by colorful eggs.
    Hugs madi your bFFF

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hi Y'all,

    Hope y'all have a blessed Easter. Love the picture where the gifts and the church windows are reflected on the floor in front of you, Goose.

    My Human says she wishes she lived in your neighborhood and we could go to your church...and I wish you, me and Bert and all your friends could play together.

    Y'all come back now,
    Hawk aka BrownDog

    ReplyDelete
  24. A happy & blessed Easter to both you and your mom!
    Wally & Sammy

    ReplyDelete
  25. Happy Easter Goose and MOM!! This message was beautiful, thanks for sharing. Hopefully we'll be back to regular blogging later this week.

    ReplyDelete
  26. What a great Easter message, Goose! Thank you so much to you and your MOM for taking the time to share it. We appreciate your ministry very much!
    Luv,
    Dave
    PS: Indeed, He is rise!!! WOOOOOO!!!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Resurrection blessings to you and your Mom Goose! Praise Him for His endless work in us. I love that your church gives out food to those in need. May He bless you and mightily provide all your needs.
    With love and gratitude for all you do.
    Noreen & Hunter

    ReplyDelete
  28. Great message and so true. If he didnt die, we wouldnt have eternal life!! His is risen!!!
    Thats so cool that you pack food to feed families, what a great idea!!

    Hoppy Easter
    wags
    Jazzi and Addi

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hey Goose, I really admire your patience in posin' in and amongst all those bags! I think it's a FABulous idea in givin' (purty bags, I might add) instead of spendin' the money on flowers that won't last...a full tummy will ~ on so many levels.
    Happy Happy Easter to you and your Moms!!
    Kisses,
    Ruby

    ReplyDelete
  30. Goose tell Mom thanks for those words, with better understand comes the excitement of a renewal of life each year!

    Looking good there bubby!

    Your Pals
    The Mad Scots & Shadow

    ReplyDelete
  31. Howdy Goose, Happy Easter to you and your mum. We love the idea of collecting food bags for those in need. Hugs to you both. No worries, and love, Stella and Rory

    ReplyDelete
  32. Happy Easter! I love the idea of food bags at the alter. And you look adorable in bunny ears :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Goose, you always give the bestest messages! We love the colorful photos. Since we could not go to church today with our pawrents, they told us about the food baskets. We are proud that one of them was from me and Stanley!

    Happy Easter!!

    Your Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

    ReplyDelete
  34. Beautiful post! Happy Easter Goose and mom!!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Your church looks lovely with the food donation bags. Happy Easter Goose.
    Sweet William The Scot

    ReplyDelete
  36. Beautiful post Goose! My mom loves that instead of flowers y'all did bags for those in need! Such a great idea!!

    Happy Easter!!

    ~Higgins

    ReplyDelete
  37. Dear Goose and Mom, thank you for your beautiful Easter message. the bags of food!! what a pawsome idea.
    Happy Easter to you and MOM
    love
    Bailey, Hazel & Greta

    ReplyDelete
  38. You look so cute. Happy Easter

    ReplyDelete
  39. Amen, what a wonderful message. :)

    ReplyDelete
  40. Happy Easter Goose!! Wesa hope it was super blessed for you and your mama.
    Much Luvums,
    The Slimmer Puggums
    George, Gracie, Toby, Lily, & Mimi

    ReplyDelete
  41. Beautiful message and so inspired how you have gathered baskets to share. Thank you for your example.

    ReplyDelete
  42. What a beautiful way to celebrate Easter. Thank you for the wonderful message! Happy Easter my freind!

    Licks,
    Ruthie

    ReplyDelete
  43. Happy Easter dearest friend,

    Oh Goose!! Thank you so much for this lovely post. It's message is so true.

    We've missed all of you so much. We think our computer is fixed now so maybew we can start visiting again.

    Mona, Weenie & the Mommy too!!

    PS......love the jesus and bunny post too!!

    ReplyDelete
  44. Very Eloquent! Thanks for reminding us of what Easter Really means!
    Kisses
    Nellie

    ReplyDelete
  45. What a wonderful post. Happy Easter to you!

    ReplyDelete
  46. This is so beautiful. Of course, the picture of eggs and seeing beautiful resonated with us. Such memories from a year passing by. It's also a beautiful reminder that we've been given a gift to celebrate the life of Jesus each year we come to Easter here on earth. It's a very special gift we've been given. One in which we see so much beautiful in Him.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Happy belated Easter! Love the pics of you in your blue ears!

    ReplyDelete