Holy Week Thoughts

Were you there... when they crucified our Lord?  I was.  I was there.  Disappointed and frustrated that Jesus hadn't done what I would've had him do, I cried out, "Crucify Him." Yes, crucify him for deceiving those of us who counted on him. Crucify him for giving us false hope when we were so vulnerable; crucify him for getting himself killed when so many of us needed him so desperately.  He had good intentions and a heart for people. I still believe this much. He also had the instincts that men of justice need- interceding for women on several occasions- and, God knows, he had courage.  It took courage to speak truth to power; it took courage to touch the lepers; and it took courage to dine with Pharisees. I loved him, but kings don't hang on trees. So, I screamed "Crucify Him," and watched him die. 

Were you there... with the women... when they stood at his empty tomb?  I was.  I was there, expecting to do little more than take in the sadness.  I've walked through many  graveyards in my life and it's always the same.  We walk in between the tombs of strangers, until we reach the grave we're seeking.  Sometimes it's a grave that's been dug; sometimes, it's a crematorium; sometimes, it's a cave with a heavy stone protecting the entrance... but there's always a dead body, or the remains of the one we loved. We never expect anything more than a dead body because graves are for the dead, and we only go to weep and show our respect.  You've been there. And the women were there, looking only to express their love for him.  It would be foolish-insane- to expect to meet the living in a cemetery, but Mary heard his voice. "Miriam," he called, and she knew his voice at once.  Have you ever been overwhelmed with something that surprised you? Have you ever been in a place of darkness and heard his voice? Has God ever asked you the question he asked the women at the tomb: why do you seek the living among the dead?  Have you ever encountered God in the graveyard? Have you ever been there... when he called your name? 

I was in the garden when the morning broke.  I recognized him.  Praise God, I recognized His voice (to my own surprise), and like Mary, reached for him.  "O my dearest Lord, I am so very glad to see you!  My tongue is tied because my heart is in my throat and I so badly want to wrap my arms around you."  I bet Mary thought something like this... but he said: "Noli me, tangere.  Don't cling to me." I'm going to my "abba," he said... but YOU have work to do." You have a story to tell. Hurry now and tell the others! Tell'em that death is not the victor.  Tell'em that sin is not their master!  Tell'em that I live and that because I live, they also will live- fully, abundantly, purposefully, eternally!  Run and tell them! Show them, Mary, Ken, and Christian- that you have a joy that cannot be squelched and a peace that passes all circumstance because I am alive.

O, dear child, you who felt so unworthy, have found your worth in me.  You who were so sure that death and darkness had carried the day, have seen that the day belongs to God!  You who sought love and life in the wrong places, have found the essence of both in me. Now, get going and tell them.  Tell them all that I live.  Tell them that I have carried their sin to the cross and I have risen in victory over death! Tell them that I have forgiven them- even those who cried out, "Crucify Him." Grace has triumphed and that alone makes life worth the living!  Tell'em that.  Amen.