By the Rev. Mark Wendland, First Lutheran, Glenville

So, what did you think of the movie?

Too graphic? Too brutal?

Powerful? Disturbing? Didn’t really do too much for you?

These are a number of the responses that I have heard to the very frequently asked question about what people thought of the movie, &uot;The Passion of the Christ.&uot; I know everyone is talking about it, and it may be getting a little over done, but as we enter the Easter season once again, we can’t help but wonder, &uot;Was it really like that?

Did Christ really suffer in this way?

What does all this really mean?&uot;

From my experience and study, I would have to say that the movie was probably not too far off.

Maybe there were liberties taken at times, but that comes with any interpretation turned into a movie that is not strictly a narrative.

What we saw in the movie was the brutality of the Roman culture, and the kind of life people led in those days.

It may be hard for us in our day and age to fathom such a lifestyle and acts of brutality toward others, and thankfully so.

But likely, that was what life was like then and what our Lord went through on his way to the cross.

Of course, everyone will have their own take on things, but what struck me was the way our Lord overcame all the sin and evil and never wavered from doing what he was called to do.

When I try to put myself in that position, it is very hard to believe that I could have done what Jesus did.

I believe I would have chickened out in the Garden of Gethsemane, just like all the rest of the disciples.

But our Lord would have none of it, and in his love for the Father and for all of us, went the arduous way of the cross so that we might know true life, even in the midst of our admitted weakness and sinfulness.

This act of love leaves a person speechless and awe-struck.

To think that God sees you and me that way is something that can’t help but affect us and transform our lives and inspire us to follow our Lord’s call to be agents of love in our world today.

Eventually, the power and fervor of the movie will wear off.

We will go back to our everyday lives with our everyday challenges and struggles.

But as we enter another Easter season, in which we have heard that familiar story of our Lord’s suffering and death, may we be reminded of the awesome love our God has for all of us on that glorious Easter morning.

May our hearts and our minds be transformed from the perils of sin and evil to the bounteous joy of everlasting life.

Just as God’s tear fell to the earth when His Son died on the cross, may our emotions be stirred by the power of God’s love for us &045; a love that provides victory over sin, evil, and death itself, and gives us everlasting hope and joy!

&uot;From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.&uot; Matthew 16:21