Crown of Thorns

On this Good Friday, sharp thorns communicate the themes of suffering, pain and death. It's tempting to try to make Christianity into a "follow these rules and you'll have health and wealth and the admiration of all" religion. This dark day is an annual reminder of the cost of following the path of Jesus.

An occasional thorn bush rises amidst the tall grass prairie at Homestead National Monument of America in Beatrice, Nebraska. It's a setting where beauty must be sought, where--for much of the year--the divine color palatte is restricted to shades of brown.

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