If you're going to have a religious experience...

...being at church is appropriate, no?

We watched Passion of the Christ this evening after Good Friday service. I had not seen the movie yet - and was not certain that I was ready for it, based on reports from others. However, I felt it was important to see it, and that perhaps it was time.

Yes, I cried during the beatings. How could one man possibly have withstood all that? That wasn't what really affected me, though. Just as the actual crucifixion began, right as the earthquake hit, a massive thunder- and hailstorm broke outside. The lightning flashes were visible through the curtains of the room where we sat, as the temple was devastated. The rain was so heavy, it obscured the security lights in the parking lot outside. At the very end of the film, as Jesus is portrayed rising from the dead, the rain let up and the lights outside were once more visible.

Now, I realize that Texas weather is freaky at the best of times, but this shook me...and made me ponder the passion story a bit more than I have in recent years. It is possible to become jaded with your religion and to let your faith slide into "comfortable". Perhaps it is time to shake it up a little.

God's peace to you.