I Normally Read Through The Last Supper & Resurrection

I normally read all the way through the Last Supper and Resurrection. However, this is a very raw journal entry from events earlier in the week. I have tried to make minimal changes, primarily for the sake of clarity. Now it doesn’t have a heading, but it does have subheadings.

August 18, 2020, Tue, 3:10 pm

I’m trying to catch up to today from Sunday, and… I find myself in a moment with Christ.

I normally read through The Last Supper & Resurrection

Little did I know, this story would also be the Reading for Sunday service. So, Shelley counted the cups, and there were 41. Kate retrieved them during service, and we had communion for 2 weeks in a row. Afterwards 2 or 3 people said “Good one.”

This is the moment where I have been, reflecting on Christ’s Passion. Yesterday after a quiet walk reflecting on these matters, I was reminded some walks are more difficult than others.

In the Life Journal, I selected a Psalm first, then Jeremiah 22, and

I was surprised that John 18 was part of my Readings

I did not pass into John 20… but decided to remain at the crux of what I have been praying about. Other Readings factor into this post as well, but I’m chasing the theme of the Passion.

As normal, I opened Facebook to see if there was any new activity on Speaker Chatfield’s FB Business Page. I know the last picture of he and his wife on their page showed a picture of them in Mackinac Island [?], and for the first time I saw him wearing a straight navy and white Detroit Tigers hat and blue sweater, slacks, and brown 2-buckle shoes. I had also seen their anniversary picture, but last night I realized they were married on August 9th, I took a double-take at the date, really unable to believe my eyes. Anyway, I don’t know the year, but if it was 11 years, then it’s been 11 years since I preached my last sermon at EFCC [Echoes From Calvary Church] in Salinas, CA.

August 9th is difficult, but I looked at that date in this Life Journal, and one of the Readings is from John 11. Now tears are welling up in my eyes, because I see the faith of Thomas. What did he say after the Resurrection, Can I put my hand in your side (Ptr. Jared paraphrase)? Are we interpreting him correctly? I see his faith in John 11 and the declarations of Jesus, including the Resurrection and the Life I Am statement.

7:49 pm

So far I’ve read the last 2 days of readings in the Life Journal. I remember difficult conversations in Salinas. On those walks, leaders explored the crux of certain matters with me. The above reference to Speaker Chatfield may be a little off, however his anniversary is my birthday and the last day I preached on the Central Coast.

08:20 pm

Although I’m discussing the Passion, I’m not a tour guide for any particular walk that remembers Christ at Easter. We have a couple of these types of walks over in East Bay. I’m not going to write down conversations about Perry Stone, Nate Ingle, Bruce and Dad Ingle. Some of them are public and some are not.

What is real? I guess there is something to the Shroud of Turin that the church keeps under wraps, and then every once in awhile, independent teams examine it with no luck at deciphering the enigma.

Why the shroud?

Jesus says a, “generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Matt 16.4.b

The deeper people go underwater, it’s possible for the currents to spin and bubble up causing one’s face and body to turn white like the Shroud [something like this is possible although I’m not sure of the technical terminology], and being in the belly of a whale can do that.

Did Jonah look like himself, like the negative prints on the old film cameras, or possibly like the x-ray appearance of the Shroud?

Dad has always says it would take someone with a unique ministry to minister to Frisco, and that’s what I also believe about town. What if someone like Jonah walked into town after 3 days and 3 nights, according to the Yiddish [or Jewish] calendar looking like the Shroud? What if that someone understood deeply (pun intended) the Theology surrounding the Passion? I imagine people would listen.

We always want to pair the Passion with the Resurrection, and that is right. The rite of communion, in its most ancient formulations, points back to the cross and also forward to the marriage supper of the Lamb. As I write and re-write though, this question strikes me.