Good Friday Reflection 2: It is Finished

As the cry, “It is finished!” is heard from the cross, I am remembering Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus. He had dinner at the home of Zacchaeus and at the end of this ‘short’ story, Jesus says, “Today salvation has come to this house…For the Son of Man came to seek out and save the lost.” Luke 19:9, 10. As he cries from the cross, “It is finished”, I am remembering the parable of the lost sheep and Jesus says, “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost…” Luke 15:4. In that same chapter, the woman rejoices over the lost coin that she found and a lost son is reunited with his family and the father said, “…we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.” Luke 15:32. It is finished! “The prophet says, “…And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6

From the Hebrew text, we know about the ritual of the ‘scapegoat’. “Then Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and sending it away into the wilderness.” Leviticus 16:21. It is finished! “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6. Jesus the Lamb of God. Jesus the scapegoat for our iniquities. Jesus has come for the lost and hopeless, the rejected and the shunned. He comes for shepherds and kings, a prophetess and a priest. The blind see, the lame walk, and the lepers are restored to wholeness. The lost have been found and the dead have been raised to new life. Jesus comes for you and for me. His body is sacrificed on the Cross of our sins and it bears the ‘iniquities of us all’. “Father, remove this cup from me; not my will but your be done” Luke 22:42. God’s will is done. God’s plan is complete. It is finished! And darkness falls over all the earth.

Prayer:  

Thank you God! Your will is done. I am humbled. Be my strength and never permit me to forget what you have done to return me to your fold. It is finished! Thank you God!

Good Friday Reflection 1: "Woman, here is your son!"

The Crucifixion, El Greco, painted 1596-1600

It would seem that everyone else abandoned Jesus. There were some woman and the disciple, ‘the one whom Jesus loved’  who remained. How terrible it is to lose a child, especially through a government sponsored execution such as the crucifixion.  I wonder what Mary was thinking? Was she remembering the day that Jesus was born – that day when the angels sang, the rich and the poor gathered at his manger – the day God shone a heavenly spotlight on that night when, for a moment, all the world knew peace. Perhaps she  remembered the blessing of Simeon on Jesus' dedication day, “…For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel” Luke 2:30-32. Could it be that Simeon’s troubling comment to Mary and Joseph was finally make sense to her? He said, “This child is destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel…a sword will pierce your own soul too.” Luke 2:34, 2:35. Could this moment be sword that pierced the soul of Mary, the mother of Jesus?

Here, in this moment, when Mary was trying to understand all that had come to past, her son was thinking about her. In the midst of his suffering, his ridicule and his humiliation,  Jesus makes accommodations for his mother. “Woman, here is your son…”  It is hard to know who this ‘one’ is, the ‘one whom Jesus loved’, but it must have been someone Jesus could trust enough to protect his mother. He was, after all, the only disciple who remained – all the others had disappeared into the shadows of the night. “Here is your mother…” Here at the foot of cross, Jesus provided a safe place for his mother to remember the memories that she long ago, pondered in her heart. Even as he neared his last breath, Jesus was thinking of the people he loved and making sure that all the details of living were taken care of in these final hours. 

Where is your heart today? What,  in your life,  must you attend to in these days? The day is far spent, the night will soon come. What business remains unfinished for you? Will your faith be strong enough to endure the night? What about tomorrow? There is still time to attend to the things that remain unfinished. Even as Jesus hung dying on the cross, he attended to those whom he loved. He will attend to you too. Open your hearts and receive God’s grace, for God is still working miracles in our lives. May it be so with you today?

Prayer: 

God be present with me. Help me prioritize those things that matter and try not to be distracted by the things that do no matter. Help me through this dark and lonely day. Amen. 

Drifting Grace

I was at the edge of the patio with a bucket of bird seed in my hand and I looked across the backyard, knowing that I had to cross the 2 to 3 foot drifts in order to fill the feeder that day. The wind was still blowing and it was pretty cold, but I knew that the birds at the edge of the woods would be looking forward to the food I held tightly in my gloved hand. As I set out to do my kind deed, providing a little food for hungry birds on a cold and blustery day, I paused before stepping into the drift and enjoyed God’s creative handiwork.  The snow continued to drift.  It was still cold and windy outside and I knew that once I stepped into the drift, snow would fill my socks and boots. In addition, I also knew that my footsteps would disrupt the snow sculpture that God so carefully planned for me to enjoy that day. I stood at the edge of the patio because I wanted to enjoy the beauty for the moment, and so I embraced the wind and the cold as God’s creation blew to completion.  

These are sacred moments that only the spirit within us can know and appreciate.At this time of year, we are tired of winter, the snow, the blowing wind, and the short nights, but sometimes we just need to let go and let God be God, finding beauty and joy even in the bleak mid-winter. One day the sun will shine and the temperatures will be warm enough to turn our snow paintings into water and each droplet will find its way into the earth and nourish the creation that God so carefully designed for us to enjoy.  So, at the edge of patio with a bucket of birdseed in my hand, I paused to worship the beauty of God’s earth and for a moment and I was at one with God’s creation. In a moment the designs in the drifting snow would change, never to be seen again. It was if God was creating that moment just for me. O Lord, my Lord, how majestic is your name in all the world. 

I soon stepped into the drifting snow, but not before taking a couple of photographs. My footprints to the bird feeder can still be seen, but God continues to create something new for me to enjoy. As I stepped through the drifting snow, I got to thinking about the ridges that added texture and design to the drifting snow.  The ridges that gave uniqueness to the drifts were created by millions, perhaps tens of millions of tiny snowflakes blowing in the wind. One small, miniscule droplet of frozen water, piling one upon the other, creating beautiful drifts that would take a bulldozer to move. As I thought some more about the tiny, frozen droplets of water, I thought about how the Church of Jesus Christ is like the three foot drifts around my house. 

  

It is the Apostle Paul who writes, “For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.” Romans 12:4-5. At this time of year, it may be appropriate to see ourselves as one small, droplet of frozen water that build up the snow-drifts that surround our homes. Each one of us may see ourselves as tiny and insignificant, but in the greater scope of life, we are each important and each are needed to do great and beautiful things for God.  A snow-drift only grows when hundreds of millions of tiny droplets come together to be a snow-drift. A snow-drift is only beautiful because each unique droplet of frozen water uses its shape and its gifts to add beauty, texture, and character to the drifting snow. And so it is with us. Let us in this time, not see ourselves as a meaningless snow-flake blowing, haplessly in the wind. Instead, let us see what we can offer to our church that can add beauty, texture, and the uniqueness to our faith family. This is the gift that God gives us today.