Grief

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Sometimes the news comes quick. Sometimes the news comes slow. No matter how or when it comes, grief travels in the wake of the news. Grief is heavy, weighty, a burden, especially when it involves someone deeply loved. Grief is not meant to be carried alone. It’s too heavy and may last a while—and that’s ok. That’s what family and friends are for, to share the load. Jesus stood outside the tomb of his friend and wept but He did not weep alone. It was a deep, human moment. “ Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted ” (Matt 5:4). If anyone knows how we feel in grief, it’s Him. But His grief did not linger long, as at the mention of his name, Lazarus came forth. We are not meant to dwell in grief, but should leave room enough for it. Let it run its course. Like the song says, “ Every Storm Runs Out Of Rain .” Another song says, “ The storm We will dance as it breaks The storm It will give as it takes And all of our pain is washed away Don't cry or be afraid Some things...

April Fools Origins

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Nobody is sure who, where or when the custom of playing tricks on this day actually began, but there are a few interesting possibilities:

The French claim that Francois Rabelais (16th century) chose the Royal Family as the mark for a daring prank that nearly cost him his very life! The story is he left a bag of brick dust labeled as poison to be discovered. When the truth was revealed (and his life was spared), but the Royal Family remained to be called the “un poisson d’avril.”

The Italian version of April Fools Day is “pesce d’ aprile!” (April fish). This reference goes back a little further into the Middle Ages where references are made to the arrest and trial of Jesus, being sent back and forth from Pilate to Herod then back again, from Herod to Pilate. The “pesce d’ aprile” involves sending people on senseless errands as diversion to set up a prank, or as the trick itself.

Isn’t it interesting that Eta Piscium is the brightest star seen in the constellation Pisces (the Fish) between February and April? Early Christians were called “pisces” (Latin) and “ichthues” (Greek) because of the fish symbol they used to identify themselves. 

 And can you imagine what the fisher-disciples must have been thinking when Jesus told the catchless crew to cast their nets on the other side of the boat? “You gotta be kidding me, Jesus!” But they did.

The first trick was played by that great deceiver, the devil himself, in the Garden of Eden and his trick was not designed for laughter but for harm. Satan schemed to ruin man by deception and the plan would have worked had God not intervened and sent His Son to bear the sins of mankind.

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