Easter is tomorrow. Resurrection Day. Victory over eternal death. Joy, hope, triumph, health, and life abundant - here & hereafter. All because of Love. Not human love, but the love of the God of All Creation, seen and unseen. The High and Lofty One, Who inhabits Eternity, yet has chosen to dwell in us.
It's mind boggling; actually, pretty incomprehensible. I don't think we Christians, no matter how much education we have - seminary or otherwise - really grasp the love of God. No amount of study, theology, praying, or good works can help you wrap your mind around it. This kind of Love is not meant to be understood anyway; it just IS. All we need to do is receive it. Let it engulf you, wash over and through you.
In recognition and celebration of Easter, I'm posting pictures of banners that I was part of making many years ago. People still tell me that they miss them. They really did set a tone of majesty and grandeur when used in processionals. I was never able to get good pictures of them, so this posting really does not do them justice. Pictures really don't do any banner justice, no matter how well made. Banners need to move to be most effective. I've seen people wipe tears from their eyes or fall to their knees as the banners processed by them. Not in worship of the banners, which are just fabric and sequins, but from an overwhelming awareness of the majesty of the One the banners represent.
When I look at these pictures, I see the flaws and imperfections and wish I could go back and re-make them. Once again the camera has frozen something for all time, flaws and all. It makes me realize the joy of life in Christ: our flaws are not frozen in time. God does not even see them because He only sees Jesus. His shining perfection is so blinding that our imperfections are obliterated. His grace truly is amazing.
Blessings on you this Easter weekend.
Love --the Gypsy.
I thought it would NEVER come! Spring, that is. Finally there's been a break in the weather and we saw genuine blue sky and sunshine today. It has seemed like one long endless gray winter since around Nov '06. That was the beginning of weird circumstances and endless winter which was followed by the rainiest summer I can remember here. On and On and On. Prozac was my next move if something didn't change. If I'm coming across as a drama diva, truly it is the weather. Well, that and...ok, is it just me or has anyone else noticed that we slipped into an alternate universe some time back? Mmhmm. A few of you know what I'm talking about.
*sigh*...
Gypsy Girl has been busy lately. It's all good but there aren't enough hours in the day to do all the things I like, need, want, have to do. But in the course of taking pictures for a special project tonight, I took a few moments to play. I really like this shot.
Aren't cameras a wonderful invention? They capture everyday items & make them look more interesting or important than they are. Hmm...that's seeing the glass half full; such a flaw in my personality. OK, try again. Maybe, in the special framing of freezing an object in a cluster of pixels, cameras capture the importance of things that we take for granted. An interestingly composed or beautifully lit photo gives us a fresh perspective on the subject. We see it in a new way & appreciate it's value.
We do that with people, don't we? Loved ones, friends, co-workers. We see them every day and after a while, we don't really 'see' them at all. We know they're there; they're moving around in our lives, sometimes even getting in the way, but we get so busy we sometimes look past or right through them.
When's the last time you really looked at your special someone? Really, really studied them? Their smile, the line of their jaw, their hands. Take some time soon and try that. You'll fall in love all over again. Don't wait until all you have is what the camera captured.
