Good Friday 55s

Although our beloved friend and host of Friday 55, G-man, is no longer with us I humbly offer my traditional good Friday 55s with this year's newest verse appearing as the last in the collection.

 

The Magdalene

I wandered
tormented, unclean, unwelcome.
He drove away my darkness,
restored me to a community.
I followed him,
served him gratefully.
Now I follow at a distance
witnessing his torment 
as darkness falls on him,
while the others turn away.
I watch where his body is laid.
So I may offer
my final loving act of service.


The Arimathean

I followed him secretly
since I was on the council which opposed him.
At His trial
I would not condemn him
though the others did.
What I could not do while He lived
I dared after He died.
I boldly asked Pilate
for the body,
prepared it for burial,
laid Him in my own tomb.    



The Governor

I found no fault
in the one brought before me.
My wife warned me.
Herod returned him to me.
I offered to release him
but the crowd demanded the murderer instead.
Lacking strength of conviction,
I yielded to the mob.
Water washed my hands
but could not cleanse my conscience
of an innocent man's blood.

The Disciple

I left my business and my home to follow him.

I sat at his feet,

swore my allegiance,

said I'd die with him.

drew my weapon in his defense.

When my test came

I cowered in the darkness,

denied we ever met,

and knew my love was nothing

as his poured out for faithless me.

The Cyrene

I came to Jerusalem for the Passover.

I heard the commotion,

saw the condemned paraded in the street.

One was barely alive.

I turned away until...

the Roman yanked me from the crowd,

laid the beam on my shoulders.

Only when I met the bloodied man's eyes

did I realize he endures the judgment

I deserve.

The Thief

Merciless sun blisters my skin as the crowd's unrelenting curses assault my ears.

The weight of my own guilt,

the pain of dislocated joints and bound limbs bear down so heavily

I can barely breathe.

I dangle between present agony and hopeless eternity until He tells me,

"Today you will be in Paradise with Me."

The Guard

I'm glad to follow my orders well.

It's like taking out the trash to rid the earth of the scum we execute here.

Today is different.

One never begged for mercy, never fought us.

He spoke mercy on us all.

For the first time I feel guilt.

I fall to my knees, confess His deity.

The Mother

We had to travel when my time was so near.

When the king was killing the little boys we had to flee for our lives.

I was panicked when we lost him in the city.

But nothing has pierced my heart

like watching the spikes enter his flesh

and the sword plunge into his side.

The Beloved

I am a son of thunder

And have asked him

To pour wrath upon the unrighteous.

I’ve witnessed his transfiguring divinity

On the mountaintop.

I’ve been promised a seat in his kingdom.

I watch him gasp for breath.

He entrusts his mother to my care

And I am struck by the humanity

Of a son.

Good Friday 55

*The first one is new this year but I am including the 55s from previous years as well.


The Magdalene

I wandered
tormented, unclean, unwelcome.
He drove away my darkness,
restored me to a community.
I followed him,
served him gratefully.
Now I follow at a distance
witnessing his torment 
as darkness falls on him,
while the others turn away.

I watch where his body is laid.
So I may offer
my final loving act of service.


The Arimathean

 I followed him secretly
since I was on the council which opposed him.
At His trial
I would not condemn him
though the others did.
What I could not do while He lived
I dared after He died.
I boldly asked Pilate
for the body,
prepared it for burial,
laid Him in my own tomb.    



The Governor


I found no fault
in the one brought before me.
My wife warned me.
Herod returned him to me.
I offered to release him
but the crowd demanded the murderer instead.
Lacking strength of conviction,
I yielded to the mob.
Water washed my hands
but could not cleanse my conscience
of an innocent man's blood.

The Disciple

I left my business and my home to follow him.

I sat at his feet,

swore my allegiance,

said I'd die with him.

drew my weapon in his defense.

When my test came

I cowered in the darkness,

denied we ever met,

and knew my love was nothing

as his poured out for faithless me.

The Cyrene

I came to Jerusalem for the Passover.

I heard the commotion,

saw the condemned paraded in the street.

One was barely alive.

I turned away until...

the Roman yanked me from the crowd,

laid the beam on my shoulders.

Only when I met the bloodied man's eyes

did I realize he endures the judgment

I deserve.

The Thief

Merciless sun blisters my skin as the crowd's unrelenting curses assault my ears.

The weight of my own guilt,

the pain of dislocated joints and bound limbs bear down so heavily

I can barely breathe.

I dangle between present agony and hopeless eternity until He tells me,

"Today you will be in Paradise with Me."

The Guard

I'm glad to follow my orders well.

It's like taking out the trash to rid the earth of the scum we execute here.

Today is different.

One never begged for mercy, never fought us.

He spoke mercy on us all.

For the first time I feel guilt.

I fall to my knees, confess His deity.

The Mother

We had to travel when my time was so near.

When the king was killing the little boys we had to flee for our lives.

I was panicked when we lost him in the city.

But nothing has pierced my heart

like watching the spikes enter his flesh

and the sword plunge into his side.

Spiritual Debridement

Debridement is the process of removing dead (necrotic) tissue or foreign material from and around a wound to expose healthy tissue.~surgeryencyclopedia.com.



It's Sunday.  My family is flung in different directions.  I am not obligated in any way to go to the church I have attended for the last 18 years.  Whereas I'd normally lay in bed until the last possible moment wanting to avoid another week of being bullied from the pulpit I get out of bed with a sense of interest and hope.  I'm going elsewhere this morning.*

I pull into the parking lot and find my way to the entrance.  I am a few minutes late but I am welcomed and I quietly enter the back of the sanctuary with another couple who is also late.  I find a seat in the back and orient myself as the minister finishes morning announcements.

I have met this man in another context and he has impressed me with his gentle spirit, his inclination to engage deeply in a conversation with people who would normally be overlooked, his sincere attention to and value of people's individuality.  It's why I've decided to take a chance here this morning.  What I have seen of his character stands in stark contrast to the man who has led my congregation.

The service begins.  The soloist and her accompanist lead, followed by a hymn.  I am reminded by the hymn of where I stand, what has made my participation possible.  A unison prayer follows and though sometimes such things can become rote the phrases contained in the prayer peel away a layer of self-protection, expose my heart.  I feel a tear well up.  A speaker stands and shares the origin of the very phrase.  Another layer is revealed.  Another tear falls.

It is time for the passing of peace.  I quickly wipe my eyes.  I am offered a hand and a smile.  Peace be with you.  I receive the gifts.  I return my hand, and a damp-cheeked smile.  And also with you.  There is another hymn, my grandfather's favorite.  He always wept as he sang it.  Now it's my turn.  I can feel something....I feel.  That all by itself is an almost forgotten sensation in a sanctuary.  For so long I have had to erect defenses before walking in on a Sunday morning lest I be blindsided by an arrogant man who berates his flock.  I thought somehow I could still manage to worship around it but it has become impossible.  Until now, I didn't realize how impossible.

The hymn concludes, the congregation sits, the readings begin.  Next the pastor rises.  He smiles, exits from behind the lectern and begins his message.  There is no belligerence.  There is no attempt at manipulation.  There is no indication that he is the beginning and the end of wisdom.  There is acknowledgement of the pain that exists in the world, a reminder that we are called and empowered to be facilitators of healing, and an exhortation to do so with grace and gentleness for the wounded are already weakened.  He warns us that we may be wounded in the process ourselves.  My own wounds are throbbing now, not because I've received new ones, rather the ones inflicted in the past are exposed and cleansed with gently spoken truth.

The message concludes.  During the final hymn I am able to sing every word by heart and mean them.  The blessing is given and we are dismissed in peace.  Go in peace, heal in grace, speak truth in love.  I remember being able to do that once upon a time.  For the first time in longer than I care to recall I feel hopeful that it may be possible again in time...now that I've gone to have my own wounds washed and found a way to start the healing process.

*Yes, I know I am never obligated since it's a free country and it's absurd to tolerate some of what I've tolerated.  It's complicated and I tried to make it work but I'm finally moving on.

How Great

I hope all my male readers who are fathers or who have been a good influence on a child or young person enjoyed a nice Father's Day yesterday. Good dads are a treasure and I'm grateful for each of you who endeavor to be the kind of dad your kids need and for those who take the time to mentor children who are not their own.

Now for today's reflection on a man who helped guide me and the boy Mr. Lime and I are guiding to adulthood...

The splendor of the King, clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice
All the earth rejoice

He wraps himself in Light, and darkness tries to hide
And trembles at His voice
Trembles at His voice

How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God

Fourteen year old Isaac and I are in my van, which died a few days ago. We thought it was something awful and expensive like the head gasket. Mercifully, it only required a major tune-up. Three hundred-fifty dollars is a big dent in the wallet but it was manageable. A new car or engine would not have been. It's also just two days after Calypso has been released from the hospital after an ER run because she had stopped eating and drinking with a particularly hideous case of mono. Isaac has his Ipod hooked up to portable speakers so we can both hear the music and this song has just started. He likes to rank many different things in his life. He tells me on his Christian Music List this is his #1. I smile. It's a good song. The chorus reminds me of the hymn my grandfather would have called his #1 (yes, that would have been his favored version).

Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook and feel the gentle breeze

Then sings my soul my Saviour God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art?
Then sings my soul my Saviour God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art?

I am fourteen and in church with Mom-mom and Pop-pop, standing between them as we share two hymnals between the three of us. I have not grown up going to church but I've been attending with my grandparents for a couple of years now. I am here of my own accord. Pop-pop drives 10 miles out of his way each Sunday to come get me so I can be in church. I often feel very ignorant of the things everyone else here seems to know. Sometimes I am too shy to ask questions for fear of being thought stupid. I have a great sense of my smallness in the world because of how I've grown up, because of my perceived ignorance, because of the grandeur of this architecture and the adornments of the sanctuary. But I do find sanctuary here between my grandparents. I do know there is a God out there who is immeasurably great and that He reached down toward me.

I ponder the words I am singing when Mom-mom whispers to me, "This is your grandfather's favorite." I think about the night sky and how vast it is, but God is vaster still. I think about being in the mountains with my other grandparents and how calming the walks in the woods are, how the stream cools my feet on a hot day, how Grampop calls the birds in to eat from his hands, how God made all of that. My thoughts turn back to Pop-pop and I think about how he is a man of the earth. He may be a diesel mechanic and an oil delivery man by trade but he's a farmer at heart. He knows how to read the sky and the weather. He knows how to coax the best vegetables and fruits from the large garden. He knows how to take care of the pigs and chickens with a minimum of fuss and he helps the local dairy farmers. He's not a demonstrative sort but I can tell he is happiest when he is turning soil with a hoe, sharing his bounty with those who need and appreciate it, or tending to the animals (even sharing a sandwich with the barn cats). I turn to look at Pop-pop. His eyes are closed as he sings with strength and conviction.

Oh, and when I think that God, his Son not sparing
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
That on that cross my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin

When Christ shall come with shout of Acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart?
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim my God how great Thou art?

Then sings my soul my Saviour God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art?
Then sings my soul my Saviour God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art?

I am holding a hymnal with one hand as we continue to sing, Mom-mom on one side, Pop-pop on the other. I am grateful they help me get here each week and not just on Sunday. They come pick me up on Wednesdays so I can attend youth group too. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to go because the rule is parents have to help in some way for kids to be allowed to attend. I knew better than to even ask Dad. Mom said I could go as long as she didn't have to do anything. Mom-mom and Pop-pop asked the pastor if their service would be accepted on my behalf. They are only required to help one a month but they do a lot more. The whole youth group has dinner together at "family group" tables meaning we are assigned to sit with the same leaders and kids each week. My grandparents are not in the greatest health and could easily just be table parents but instead they work in the kitchen preparing meals for and cleaning up after over a hundred people. I'm singing the hymn and yes, I am thinking about the sacrifice God made but my mind also goes to the one my grandparents make for me. Out of the corner of my eye I see Pop-pop dabbing his eyes without shame as the final chorus swells. He straightens his back when we sing the Amen.

Age to age He stands
And time is in His hands
Beginning and the end
Beginning and the end

The Godhead Three in One
Father Spirit Son
The Lion and the Lamb
The Lion and the Lamb

Name above all names
Worthy of all praise
My heart will sing
How great is our God

How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God

I hear Isaac singing his #1 song. I join him and think how this boy of mine who towers over me is becoming a man. I think of the man Pop-pop was and wonder what he'd think of his great grandson's #1. I wonder what he'd think of his great grandson. I'm sure he'd be pleased to know Isaac is a gentle person who likes to share things he enjoys with those around him. I know he'd be as glad as I am that Isaac would be happy to sit down and have a talk with an older man, that he looks at the world around him and finds amazing things, that he looks in awe at the greatness of God. I wonder what sorts of conversations Pop-pop and Isaac might have had. I wish my grandfather could have known and shared such things with my son. Isaac and I sing the final line. I realize my cheeks are damp but I smile knowing one day they'll have a chance to share in the presence of their great God. How great...