HIGH ON A HILL

It's What Love Does

This month we spent four Deep South days with my visiting sisters, Joy, Percy and Joy’s three-year-old son. Conceived naturally, divinely after years of barrenness, Bear more than filled his daddy and mommy’s life with the joy of a precious child to love.

Curly brown haired, bright eyed, Bear has cheeks that are just so kissy plump. Though 25th percentile in growth, he can run away from us like a Kenyan sprinter. With his hands as scoops he shovels food in as fast as my ravenous hobbit, Buddy.

As for speech, Bear reminds me of Bud--only the sources of their challenges diverge. One can barely make out the suture to Bear’s slightly cleaved palate. Bear’s hearing health was also damaged by water. Thank God for specialists that work alongside parents for relevant therapies and solutions.

In quiet moments soft words emerge from Bear’s lips, miracle lyrics to his parent’s ears and to caring bystanders’ as well. In Vesuvius moments Bear's wails burst and arms flail from not being able enunciate felt needs. Since his daddy couldn’t make the trip, we all pitched in at those times, when his weary mom let us.

Our final night together, his mom got to verbally unwind. She and her beloved traipse the parenting road that MBH and I once trod with Bud, that road of ups and downs, bumps and twists, a road God only knows too well.

This Holy Week all Christendom again ponders that bumpy road God set his only begotten Son on, its miracles and stumbles that led Jesus to Mount Calvary.

My sister prompted me to think about Mount Calvary, the very name of our best church in the universe. I learned that the King James Bible translator had tweaked the Latin Vulgate term “calvaria” into Luke’s Good Friday observation:

“And when they came to the place, which is called Calvary,

there they crucified him.” Luke 23:33 kjv

There translates as "Calvaria" in Latin, "Golgotha" in Greek, and "Bare Skull" in English.  Scholars note Mount Calvary was more a barren mound, perhaps eighteen feet above the surrounding area just outside Jerusalem’s walls.

High on a hill, a special begotten Son died. High on Mount Calvary, Love in the flesh bore the death penalty of our selfishness, our sins.

What kind of love would cover all that sin? 

Only love, that Holy love that finds joy in relationship with you, his precious child.
Give your Holy Parent that joy this Easter and come to worship.