04/13/2025
Houston We Have A Problem!
FROM THE PULPIT, April 13th, 2025, OOmaha World-Herald
Rev. Dr. CCynthia Ramirez Lindenmeyer Sacred Activism Community
The phrase “Houston, we have a problem” is often used when a serious, unexpected crisis occurs. The words were first uttered 55 years ago today in 1970, when the crew of Apollo 13 discovered an explosion occurred in the service module of their spacecraft when they were 200,000 miles from Earth! They were en route to the Moon on what was, for them, a sacred journey.
As the world watched and engineers at Mission Control worked tirelessly to bring the astronauts safely home, a greater truth emerged: sacred journeys encounter obstacles. The moment captivated humanity because it recognized that each of us has the capacity to rise, respond, and encompass hope when we remember who we really are.
Palm Sunday, marking the beginning of Holy Week, reminds us of this same truth through a metaphysical lens. Christianity often highlights the historical moment when Jesus enters Jerusalem to adoring crowds waving palms. Yet spiritually, the event symbolizes a profound sacred journey we all experience.
Jerusalem, which means city of peace, represents the center of spiritual consciousness within us. The Christ is the Divine Presence living in each of us: the higher Self, the Truth of our being. As Christ entered Jerusalem, we too are invited to allow the Christ Consciousness to enter our awareness and guide our steps.
Just as the crowds laid down palms in surrender and celebration, we are called to lay down the "palms" of fear and doubt. In doing so, we create space for the Divine Presence within us to surface in love and peace. Surrender is not giving up but allowing the greater intelligence that dwells within to engineer, navigate and guide us.
Like the Apollo 13 astronauts, we may feel far from the safety of the known, adrift in the vast unknown of our own lives. But the moment we turn inward and listen to the Christ within, our inner mission control system, we begin to realize that the sacred journey is not about avoiding problems, but awakening through them.
Holy Week takes us through a pattern we all experience: the Last Supper (intimacy and communion), the Crucifixion (loss and letting go), and Easter (renewal and resurrection). These are not just events in a story, they are movements of the soul. We are each invited to release what no longer serves us (old beliefs, pain, limitations) and resurrect into greater freedom and light.
Every time we meet fear with faith, replace despair with hope, or choose love over ego, we are participating in an innermost Easter. We are proving that the Christ within is greater than any outer crisis.
So the next time life announces, “Houston, we have a problem,” remember the solution isn’t just in fixing the problem on the outside, but in surrendering to the inner guide. The Christ Consciousness within you already knows how to navigate the way.