Day 83: March 30, 2006 8:51 a.m. Church Office

Total miles walked so far: 836

I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday. I earned something. I was the only guy in the place.
That is not exactly right, there were a couple of stockers and a little boy named Matthew who looked like he would rather be any where in the world than at Hobby Lobby. I was there on very important business. I had to buy black cloth for the sheds on the path. Preparation for Path to the Cross has officially kicked into high gear for me. For the church, it is a week of rest before the controlled mania begins.

The lady in fabric was wonderful. I told her I knew nothing about fabric. I hoped she would argue a little and tell me I probably knew more than I thought. She just nodded and began to assist me. I explained that I needed black cloth. That was easy. I then told her I needed purple cloth for lowering Jesus from the cross. She said that she was from 1st Baptist Church, Slidell, Louisiana. She showed me the type of cloth they used at her church. It was what she said next that moved me. She said: ‘Let’s pick the right cloth, they are lowering Jesus with this cloth.’

And so we looked and chose. We chose cloth carefully. This cloth would not lower Mark Janoschak the actor; this cloth would lower the lifeless body of Christ. If you don’t know what I mean by lower, you will have to come to Path to the Cross. It is a beautiful way of removing the body from the cross.

When I worked in a shoe store in seminary, a lady came to buy shoes for her mother’s funeral. The young clerk asked what type of shoes she wanted. She replied: ‘These are not for me, they are for my mother.’ The young clerk responded foolishly, ‘They won’t see her feet in the casket.’ That is when I assumed responsibility for the customer. This lady wanted everything to be perfect; even the shoes that no one would see. It was her way of showing respect.

I have often wondered how prepared Joseph of Arimethea was for the burial of Christ. Was it a last minute decision? Did he scramble to find anything, even rags? We know Joseph was a rich man, but the question remains; how prepared was he for a proper burial?

The first thing the women closest to Christ did was head to the tomb. They headed out when it was still dark, and they were not empty handed. They headed to the tomb with embalming spices. They wanted to make sure that the job that was started by Joseph and Nicodemus on Friday was finished on Sunday. Strict Sabbath laws kept them away on Saturday. Like a woman buying shoes for her deceased mother, details and respect go hand in hand.

That is why picking out the right cloth is appropriate. This is not just any cloth, this is cloth that will touch the body of Christ.

Some of you might be saying to yourselves: This is just a play. Poor old Ed has lost perspective. Maybe, maybe not. We are telling the greatest story ever told. We are remembering the death of Christ. Details matter, because respect matters.

I remember the ‘Song of Mary’ from the musical Celebrate Life. The lyrics went this way: ‘Carry Him gently my baby, Carry Him gently my Lord.’ There is great tenderness and respect in those words; the same respect and tenderness that we should show when we portray the death of The King.