Not Offended

I have received a couple of emails from people who are afraid that they offended me today with their comments made in regards to my Easter posts. Well to clear the air, let me say I am saddened; I am not offended.

You see, I posted about my Easter experience. I enjoyed our worship services, and I am very okay with calling Easter a “special Sunday.” I simply posted about my overwhelming joy as I celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the grace and peace and love I find through Him. No one can take that away from me. My joy is in Jesus Christ, not in men. It is okay with me if you want to challenge that joy- my faith is solid and I find my hope in Him.

If you celebrated Easter at the Catholic Church, in your living room, at the Baptist Church, at the Church of Christ on the corner, at the local soup kitchen, or by offering a kind word to the lady in front of you at Wal-mart, I am thankful that you recognized the resurrection of Jesus in some way. I think that ANY time the world wants to pause and recognize Jesus; it is a VERY good thing. We all have our own beliefs, our own faiths, and our own ways of celebrating religious holidays. I wish you had all been at McKnight because we had a beautiful and honoring service remembering the miracle of Easter. Consider yourself invited next year! (But keep in mind that we are likely to have a solo or two, a few special readings, maybe some by women, and the topic will certainly be about the empty tomb….so if you find that offensive, please don’t come.)

I am somewhat troubled how Scripture was twisted and turned in some of the comments yesterday and today. But, I guess it all comes down to interpretation. In the past few years, I have learned that if I want to, I can make the Bible say pretty much whatever I want it to say. If I pick and choose verses, I can prove that slavery is okay, stoning someone for adultery is okay, instrumental music and dancing during worship are okay, (and not okay) and we all are sinning because we haven’t sold everything that we have to give it to the poor. God gave us a beautiful book. It is my choice to look at that book as an amazing love story, not a book of “do this or don’t do this… and if you do, or don’t, you are going to hell.”

I am thankful that I am a child of God’s and that I am saved by His mercy and grace.

So to answer your question, no, I am not offended.