Dear Friends,
What really happened?
A few summers ago, my family and I were on vacation in Texas. Something I had always wanted to see was Dealey Plaza, the site where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. It was a day that stunned the world. Those who were old enough at the time to understand what was happening would never forget where they were when they first heard the news. The authorities quickly zeroed in on Lee Harvey Oswald, a lone gunman who fired the fatal shots from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository.
Touring the site was moving and meaningful. What I was not prepared for were the unofficial “tour guides” in the vicinity who were offering their alternative versions of what really happened. Conspiracy theories abound. Harvey could not have acted alone, they claim. It was a vast collaboration between Cuba, the Soviets, the C.I.A., and organized crime. A second shooter fired from the grassy knoll. Despite numerous, exhaustive investigations beginning with the Warren Commission, the conspiracy theories persist, to the point where it is hard to answer the question: what really happened?
My point today is not to delve into the last days of Kennedy’s life, but rather to draw a comparison with the last days of Jesus’ life. A week ago we began a Lenten Sunday Forum series that examines the crucial events leading up to Jesus’ death and resurrection. What really happened? It is a question worth asking, not only from the standpoint of faith, but also from history because the world would not be the same after these things had come to pass. As you might imagine, the alternate, even conspiracy theories began almost immediately, so early in fact, that some of them are even addressed in the Gospels. On March 9, the Rev. James Morton helped us look at Palm Sunday. This week the Rev. Harry Krauss will take us to the room in Jerusalem where Jesus and his disciples ate the Passover meal – the Last Supper. In subsequent weeks we will ask what really happened on Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and finally Easter Day.
This Lent, make a point of travelling toward Easter by digging into the events of Holy Week. What really happened? Join us at 10 am in the reception room for coffee, breakfast treats, and a fresh look at the week that changes everything.
See you in church,
Don