Grace left this morning -- after we watched the sun come up on our porch -- for Chicago. Nate, her dad, has been up there working for about 7 months or so now. Grace's sister, Trinity, goes to North Park University in Chicago. And now her mom and youngest sister, Hope, are preparing to move up and join Nate. This weekend they are looking at houses, so Grace hopped in the car and took the weekend.
I was left here with Jude. Not that that is any sort of problem, it's just the first time in our married life that we've been apart for a few days and nights.
It's weird.
Today has been weird. Today felt just odd and out of place.
I read on a friend's facebook about a Good Friday service at our church -- I hesitate to say our because we are so incredibly inconsistent with going. But, I made the decision to go quite last minute (around 5:20 for a 6:00 service). Surprisingly, I was able to feed Jude, change him, dress him, take him outside for an Easter photo opp, get myself bathed and dressed, and still made it!
I arrived at church and walked into a very somber environment. I was given a nail from a can and told to quietly sit down. There was no frill. No mess. Just a pretty simple PowerPoint presentation with music behind it. The topic: the final 7 sayings of Christ at His death. It was a moving piece. What stuck out most to me was the part on Christ saying to the Father: "Why have You forsaken me?"
Christ felt forsaken because he had experienced 33 years of continual communion with God. And at that moment, He was just like the rest of us. It was such a sobering moment. I have heard this statement or type of statement before, but seeing it here really resonated. Just like I am frustrated to no end with my job, just like I am lonely without Grace, just like I am upset with living paycheck to paycheck, Christ has felt this, too. He has felt these same feelings of strain and crying out to God. It was just a surreal moment. We then proceeded to take communion, and on the way up, we each nailed our nail to a cross. The sound of nails being hammered into the wood really shook everyone up. The pastor and his wife went up first, and the echo was so great. Then it was incessant pounding for about 25 minutes (until the several hundred had finished).
What a moment.
What a God we have.
Christ felt forsaken because he had experienced 33 years of continual communion with God. And at that moment, He was just like the rest of us. It was such a sobering moment. I have heard this statement or type of statement before, but seeing it here really resonated. Just like I am frustrated to no end with my job, just like I am lonely without Grace, just like I am upset with living paycheck to paycheck, Christ has felt this, too. He has felt these same feelings of strain and crying out to God. It was just a surreal moment. We then proceeded to take communion, and on the way up, we each nailed our nail to a cross. The sound of nails being hammered into the wood really shook everyone up. The pastor and his wife went up first, and the echo was so great. Then it was incessant pounding for about 25 minutes (until the several hundred had finished).
What a moment.
What a God we have.
Might I also mention today is our 6 year anniversary of being together. Whoa.
