So, here it is, a week before Good Friday. I was asked this week if I wanted to work on Good Friday. I stopped to think about it because you know, it’s Good Friday and I’m a believer. Church is a must is not? But over the years, I’ve become convinced that I don’t have to attend services on special days to show I’m a good Christian. That’s not me saying it’s not isn’t good to attend services on special days, only that it is not mandatory. And it’s hard sometimes right? Right now it’s a struggle to financially make ends meet.
Is that a good excuse to not attend Good Friday services? Not really. It’s part of the puzzle though. I asked hubbers what he thought I should do and he was good either way. He understood the bind, then extended the grace to see what I could figure. So when I saw the the word Blame I thought of how some would blame me for choosing finances over attending services, and would I accept that? Helping further make me feel alienated from God? Or would I see something different? A remembering of truth? Therefore, somehow, God led me to this poem “who can I blame?”
Who Can I Blame?
Who can I blame
myself or another
how can I make myself look good
in the eyes of this other?
Should I look good or
shall I accept fault?
What happens if the latter
My worries are fraught.
Is blame always negative,
that leads to some shame?
Or can it be a positive
What shall I name?
One took the fault for us
a time long now past
celebrated on Easter
same this year as last.
Believers remembered a
blame wrongly took
Can we persuade others
to come take a look?
See the darkness of Friday
of blame tightly held
Releasing three days later
darkness to light meld.
A father’s plan
a beloved son blamed
so the rest of this family
never be shamed.
I like the element of wrestling in your poem. We have the guidance of scripture but working it out in practice is a learning curve. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. May God bless your finances.
sometimes I think I am always learning. and never quite getting it.
“Blame held tightly releasing three days later” – wonderful! We have also struggled whether to take the trip to church or not … Each time I go to the Bible. I read the things Jesus and the apostles tell us to do. I pray. There should be no guilt in this decision. There should be no guilt in how much we give back to God. There should be no guilt in how, or why, or how often, or what we do in service to God. All those things are comparing one Jesus follower to another – and Jesus never did that. It’s a struggle! I do not believe we should do anything out of guilt, because there is no guilt. Jesus did away with all of that. Now there is only joy. Blessings!!
A good reminder for me Rachel. thank you.
I think what God is most interested in is the condition of our hearts.
Some people keep all the rules but their hearts are far from Him (Matthew 15:8).
P.S. Love your poem.
Thank you Sandra. I let God do the writing eh? And yes, God is most interested in our hearts. So much.
I think you hit on the problem of blame – it’s often tied to shame which is our failure to “look good”. I hope you’ll be at peace with God about your Good Friday decision. It’s hard when our workplaces continue as usual on our religious holidays, but that’s the way the world is these days. I felt a little bad declining to play on worship team for the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services, but I’m working both days and the kids are arriving on thursday evening so I’m happy with my decision. Visiting from FMF#16
we can’t always do it all can we Kym?
For a specific occasion, you wrote well about what so many feel in different areas and ways. We all worry about whether we are living up to what someone else thinks, though God is the only one whose opinion matters. As for Good Friday, I struggle with it. Good Friday is very much something that Christians have adapted or adopted, depending on how one views it. The church of Christ has never done special services or had traditions that were devoted to the day Christ died (that I have heard of) since it is His resurrection that is the declaration of life over death and the basis of our faith. I admire your struggle to consider the aspects of work on Good Friday. May you come to peace with your decisions.
Thank you Lori. Some of my thinking is generated by the church my mom goes to that holds ZERO special services. So no special Christmas, labour day, thanksgiving etc services and how much that benefits the pastor as well. And she agrees with the thinking AND YET she thinks it’s a shame if anyone has to work on those days as well. So it’s a hard balance. But it’s good to think and reconsider patterns raised with to see if they are indeed valid.
Hummm. Great food for thought here. I can understand what you’re saying though. Pausing to reflect on your words today.
FMF#15
happy pondering!