Easter 2012

He is risen!
He is risen indeed!
These words echo
Through the centuries.
The words of resurrection.
The words of Easter.
The heartbeat of Christianity.

Photo by hoyameg

We cannot speak in platitudes
Of spiritual resurrection.
All four gospels leave no doubt.
This was the resurrection of the body,
Not some nebulous spirit,
Not some wished belief.
The disciples, lost and grieving,
Change in one day.
Soon they will spread the news
Throughout the world
For they know the truth:
Death has been conquered,
Christ is alive.
We celebrate his resurrection
And his promise
That all who care
Shall have eternal life.
He is risen.
He is risen today.

The Missing Day

On this day,
The apostles are absent

From the gospels.
This missing day.
Jesus is dead
His disciples believe.
Their world is ashes.
Their grief is immense.
They fear for their lives.
They hide in the upper room.
Only the women dare to go out.
Jerusalem is strangely quiescent.

Pilate places a guard by the tomb.

This day Christ's body lies undisturbed.
Tomorrow the disciples' world

Will come alive
But not today.
We must remember

That missing day
When sorrow fills us,
When we tremble in fear,
When we hide from the world.
Those that knew our Savior best
Did not escape their human frailty,
Neither can we.
We know that with the morrow
Came relief and jubilation.
We have the risen Christ
Not the missing day.

Why Good Friday?

  By lepianda

Why is it called Good Friday?

I have heard many answers.

None satisfy.

Jesus, the Word made flesh, God incarnate,

Died on Friday.
The day before he shared the Passover meal
With those that believed in him.

Fully human.

So human that he suffered agony

Nailed to a cross
After a brutal flogging.

We recoil in horror

At his death

And think it took so long.

Six hours.

Most crucified took days to die
Unless they were flogged.

Fully God

Who had never known death.

All God's creation past had drunk

Of that bitter cup,

But God had not.

God died on the first Good Friday,

As much of God

As could exist in human form.

His body was laid in a tomb

As his mother wept.

All creation waited.

Maunday Thursday 2012

Maundy Thursday.

The Thursday before Easter.

The day before the crucifixion.

The day that Jesus washed his disciples feet

Even though he knew

His death was at hand.

The day Jesus and his disciples
Ate their Passover meal
In an upper room.
There Jesus instituted Communion,

The Lord's Supper,
Christians practice today.

There Judas shared bread with Jesus

Before he left to betray him.

Today many will gather for Communion.

Where believers partake of this sacrament
The Holy Spirit joins them.
Bread and wine,
Flesh and blood.

Remember the man. 

Remember the Word made flesh.
Remember God kneeling before each disciple.

Remember Jesus' patience.

Remember his sacrifice.

Spy Wednesday

Judas and Peter

Spy Wednesday,

Holy Wednesday,

The Wednesday before the Crucifixion.

The day that Judas Iscariot

Went to the High Priests.

For thirty pieces of silver

Judas would hand Christ over to them.

In the time that follows.
Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss.

Peter denies Jesus thrice.
Judas dies by his own hand.
Peter dies Christ's servant

Many years later.
What is the difference?
Judas never knew forgiveness

In this world.
Peter knew forgiveness

From the risen Christ.
Why was one desolate onto death 

And the other emboldened for life?
Because Judas acted
While Peter waited?
Is that the answer?
When all is clothed in darkness,
We must wait

For divine guidance,
Not act on impulse.

In this Easter season,
Give us the strength

To wait for God's whisper.

Jerusalem: City of Faith

Jerusalem, City of Faith.

Three great religions

Honor your streets.

After three years of ministry,

Jesus chose to come

To Jerusalem

Where he knew death waited.

Why?

We can only speculate.

To atone?

To experience death?

To fulfill prophecy?

To teach us

What?
We know with certainty
The choice was his.
We know with certainty
He knew what was to come.

When we follow Christ,
We must not turn from
The challenges of life
Nor ignore the death
That always lurks in our future.
His example leads us forward
Through life and beyond.

Palm Sunday 2012

In Christian churches today,

Children carried palm fronds down the aisles

In memory of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. 
On that day so long ago

The crowd spread their cloaks and palm leaves

Before his donkey's feet.

Hosannas filled the air.

In one week, 
Christ would 

Be arrested,

Condemned

And

Crucified.

His body placed in a tomb

And

Resurrected.

Did Jesus know what was to come

As he rode into Jerusalem?

I think he did.

And still he came to Jerusalem.