sojourn stories...

A Million Voices !!

Join the rally in Washington, DC on April 30th, 2006, 2:00 - 4:30 PM.

The Rally to Stop Genocide will feature leading voices in the effort to stop the genocide in Darfur, including a broad spectrum of prominent faith leaders, political figures, human rights activists, celebrities, and survivors of genocide.

Read the Fact Sheet for further information!

This is an important event, I am looking forward to attending with a group from my church and with two remarkable men, Angelo and Samuel, refugees, survivors... 2 of the lost boys of Sudan.

This rally is closely linked to the cause and plight of the Lost Boys of Sudan.  For the past year, i have had the privilege of getting to know a few of these men personally and of working with them to aid in forming a National Organization for the Lost Boys of Sudan.   We are currently planning a gathering in July 2006, for the purpose of reuniting many who have been resettled in the US and who long to return to their homeland to be part of the peace process and the rebuilding of Sudan. To learn more see:  Lost Boys: Found  A time of Reunion, visosn, Advocay & Hope for the Lost Boys of Sudan.

These "boys" are now grown men and they are victims of the lengthy Civil War in Southern Sudan, which contributed to the current crisis in Darfur, Sudan.  There are numerous links and interweavings between the current genocide and the slaughter of the families of the lost boys many years ago.  The complexities of the situation and how they relate to one another slowly unfolds as the lost boy share their stories... the images of their loved ones murdered before their eyes...memories of the 1000 mile, three month walk to safety, continual running and hiding from those who sought to kill them, some of the same people responsible for the current genocide in Darfur.  And their deep grief over the death of their leader John Garang.  Yet, in spite of the stark reality of their history, these men want to return to their country and be part of the process of ending the genocide,  of assuring that the peace is upheld and of restoring and rebuilding their homeland.   

There is much to be done!  And no one person can do it all, but we can each do SOMETHING!  We live in a time when Genocide is occuring...On Our Watch and with our knowledge... and we are responsible to do something... to raise our voices in opposition to the ongoing crisis, that continues on a daily basis even with the full knowlegde of the UN, the United States government, and more importantly, the people of the world.  We cannot turn our backs, we must do something... 

Via Crusis Grid Blog: Station 7: Jesus falls a second time.

The Stations, or Way of the Cross, is an ancient method of meditating upon Christ's Suffering and Death. Trace the path of Jesus from His condemnation to His body being laid in a tomb. Bring your senses, and most of all your heart, and walk the Way of the Cross. Take time to read, reflect, pray, and/or sing. Reflect on what Jesus' journey to the cross means for you, for all.

The way of the cross… rarely do we want to think about this.  The surrendered way, the way of laying down my life... I’d rather live in the “way of the resurrection,” the joy that comes after the weeping.

Yet, this week we pause, to remember, and to contemplate, the final steps of Jesus, way of the cross.  This week we are invited to the Stations of the Cross, to meditate on the Passion of Christ, stopping to meditate, to actually slow down and think about his movements from being condemned to being laid in the tomb.  We are tasked with traveling the Via Dolorosa, to walk with Jesus the road to Golgotha, the way of the cross...

We are invited to pause and mediate on those final steps of surrender and love.

I am participating in a Grid blog, at http://thecorner.typepad.com/via_crucis_2006/ where multiple people will be blogging on the various stations of the cross and linking to their blogs and other blogs.  This is a great idea, and a way for us to encounter  the way of the cross from a myriad of angles.  Please peruse the many posts and be sure to visit on of my favorite bloggers:  http://www.bestandworst.typepad.com/

Station 8:  Jesus falls again…

The humanity of Jesus is profound and glaring, as the Son of G-d, the performer of miracles, the One who walked on water, healed the blind, make the lame walk… stumbles and falls.. Bloody and beaten, he moves victoriously toward his death.  A death that is unjust, sacrificial and purposeful…the ultimate sacrifice.

It is in these moments that Christ is the most real to me, in the moments that reveal his human frailty and highlight his chosen, deliberate, and continued surrender.  When burdens weigh so heavy and weariness overcomes such that jesus falls for the second (or third) time.  And it is in these moments that I am confronted with my own stubborn human heart that doesn’t not want to stumble, fall, become bloodied in a sacrificial manner for the benefit of another, out of love for another, in the process of laying down my life, my reputation, my image…my anything… knowingly, purposefully, willingly and willfully…

This humanity of Jesus is compelling.  I want to bundle all that the cross required of Jesus into his deity and thereby render such a sacrifice out of my reach, beyond any ability of mine, even with the indwelling Holy Spirit.  But the way o the cross is filled with human moments, bringing into full relief the humanity of Jesus’ sacrifice and the willingness to surrender to the Father all that is within the human will and lay it down, willing to die to self for the sake of another…and I am haunted by the call to walk in these footsteps as well…in all my frail and fearful humanity.