Jesus fell off his Cross!

My daughter texted me yesterday from her car with this picture and message:

“Jesus fell off his cross! I need a new one!”

And what would the proper response be to such a statement?

“So sorry to hear the news” or “Well done Jesus!”

but instead I said,

“So where did he land?”

“In the console” she replied.

“Is he ok?” I asked.

“Not really. He broke his arm in the fall.”

This was accompanied by another photo:

 

“So can you re-attach his arm?”

I said.

“I’ve tried that before Mom. He just doesn’t seem to want to stay put. 

Once when I was driving along, I looked down and saw him looking up at me on my leg.

So I glued him back on. But now that his arm is broken, I don’t think that’s going to work.”

As my head filled with the theological implications of Jesus not remaining on the cross,

or of replacing a broken Jesus who was broken for us on said cross,

or of Jesus not desiring to ‘stay put’, even with glue applied,

I considered the worthiness of turning this into yet another one

of my spiritual analogies about God’s desire to draw closer to my daughter.

I thought back over all the years of my telling Jesus stories to my kids and their less than enthusiastic response,

and decided not to read too much into it.

“So what do you think Mom?” she asked.

“I think Jesus wants you to SLOW DOWN. You can’t be sure that he didn’t just try to JUMP to safety.”

Celebrate St. Francis Day

 

 

During group this morning we looked at the following prayer

from the book, "Prayers for Healing"  edited by Maggie Oman

 and since this is the Feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi let us

remember all the creatures, both past and present,

that God has so lovingly created. 

Let us also remember and be thankful for all who devote

their lives to caring for our friends, the animals.

 

"Hear our humble prayer, O God,

for our friends the animals,

thy creatures.

We pray especially for all that are suffering in any way;

for the overworked and underfed,

the hunted, lost or hungry;

for all in captivity or ill-treated,

and for those who must be put to death.

 

We entreat for them Thy mercy and pity;

and for those who deal with them we ask

a heart of compassion,

gentle hands and kindly words.

 

Make us all to be true friends to animals."

 

- Christian, date unknown

 

Here is the link for the Humane Society website in the

picture above.