|
 In
the classic Warner Brothers cartoon scene - Somewhere in the
American Southwest - the Coyote paints a picture of
a tunnel on the side of a mountain and snickers as the Roadrunner
approaches at top speed, ready to smash into the rock. Instead
the Roadrunner gives his "Beep–Beep"
and runs through the tunnel. Puzzled, the Coyote
studies his painting of the tunnel, and a truck roars out
of it and flattens him! So in which of those characters do
you see yourself? The audience's sympathy is always with the
Coyote of course, but he never gets the Roadrunner,
no matter what scheme he dreams up.
Yes, to
the Coyote's credit, he is persistent and keeps trying
in the face of adversity. But the Roadrunner is always
thinking ‘outside the box' while the Coyote is
locked into ‘cause and effect linear thinking'. I think
the Coyote is somewhat like the Pharisees, who paint
all those ‘law' pictures and Jesus cruises through them
at top speed. The Coyote-Pharisees end up being furious
with Jesus because he is breaking all their laws and they
can't catch him no matter what they do. So they finally figure
out a way to shut him up in a tomb and paint a rock in front
of it. But then on Easter - it's ‘beep-beep, I
am risen!'
In this
confusing, changing world sometimes a ‘logical, orderly,
Coyote church' with nicely painted rocks looks pretty
safe and sound. Until Easter comes and the trumpets sound
and we sing Christ is risen, he is risen indeed!
And then we hear that ‘beep-beep' and must
follow our Lord full speed through the painted tunnels ahead.
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