Sojournal article for April

GOT CHANGE?

“Got any change, Mister?”

This is what the ragged fellow asked me as I walked by.
“Change? Of course I’ve got change. Change is what I have most.”

We live in a world where everything seems to be changing. The only thing that is constant is the change. Someone once said, “Change is inevitable – except from a vending machine.”

But change can be good. Without change we could not improve ourselves, have a better life or even grow. Change is the main component of our conversion experience. When Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again,” he was telling him he needed a complete makeover. Start over, do it again, change completely.

Easter is about change: a caterpillar to a butterfly, an egg to a chick, pain to joy, the earthly to the spiritual.

Everything changed for Jesus and his disciples during Easter week. The ecstatic joy of Palm Sunday, the deep emotion of clearing the sellers from the Temple, The intimacy of a meal together in the upper room, the arrest, trial, crucifixion, burial, and, ultimately, the resurrection. What a week. You can find every emotion possible expressed at some point during that week. Change is emotional.

What changed? Jesus showed us that a life controlled by God brings new life; that change, in God’s hands, is for the good.

Did I give the beggar my change? To attend to his needs I had to change my immediate plans. I bought him a meal. We ate together. He shared his life; I shared my life.

The Easter story demonstrates a world begging for change, and our Lord who changed everything for us.

Wishing you a life changing Holy Week!