Holy Week Musings

Weekend musings ...

I've never understood why this day is called "Good Friday" ... it should be called "Dark Day" ... or "Hell's Victory," or "When We Killed Jesus because We Didn't Like What He Said or Did."

Everything that goes wrong in our time, went wrong in the last week of Jesus' life ... using imagery from "Something Wicked This Way Comes," the Carnival won ... or from "Ready Player One," the corporate machine won ... in both of these provocative stories, it's the children who are at risk.

I suppose we'd rather not be confronted with all of this, so we dress it up a wee bit, make it a little more palatable ... we call it "Good Friday," and hurry over it, and hurry through Waiting Saturday, the time in between (when no one was certain of anything), to get to the bunnies and bonnets. Whoopee Ding Dang, ain't it grand!

We don't have to live in a state of constant apology for being snotty, snooty, and selfish, but we do need to spend some time pondering how clever we are with avoiding the truth ... so that we can keep on being snotty, snooty and selfish and not feel so bad.

We need to stand at the foot of the cross, with some realization of the the dark materials in our times, and in our lives, and say, "Yup, I did this, too. I waved my palm branches on parade day, but, in the end, Barabas seemed the better deal when I weighed it all up."

Tomorrow, Holy Saturday, we wait ... because we're simply not sure what God will do with all the junk.

As for Sunday, well, God willing, we'll see ya' there ... but let's remember, it was the Resurrection that turned a whole lot of the world upside down, and folks weren't too happy about that, either, and when we see the Stone rolled away, the Stone of political power, the Stone of religious stubbornness, the Stone of wealth, the Stone of the status quo, the Stone of pride and bigotry, the Stone I use to control things and keep things in hand, manageable and tame ... my Stone, your Stone, and should God mess with our Stone, we all get a little nervous.

The challenge for us is to be mindful ... serious when needed (much of the time) and playful, too (when elements of joy and hope and peace seem so real, so close at hand, we can touch them) ... we keep on keepin' on, because what else should we do?

I believe, but LORD help my unbelief ... on this Dark Day, and with Tomorrow's uneasy waiting, and the Light of a Tomb that holds the energy of both death and life, life anew, and God said, "Let there be light."

And so it goes ... in this world of cabbages and kings ...

Holy Saturday Prayer

Holy Saturday Prayer, 2017

Now what, dear God?

Now what?

Pilate has retreated to his palace.

The soldiers to their barracks, except for a few:

Guards at the tomb.

Sealed with a stone.

Where they buried my LORD.

Yes, my LORD; that’s what I said.

Can it get any worse?

My LORD, I said.

My LORD: I cried.

It’s what I believed.

It was my hope.

He was my prayer.

So, there they stand.

In their rough and ready gear.

Hardened soldiers in a troubled land:

Palestine. Filled with fear.

There they stand, relaxed, mostly.

They have a job to do.

They’re ready for it.

They can handle it.

These soldiers do their duty.

A thousand days before, and more to come, they know.

They’ve killed plenty along the way, and they know they’ll kill again.

They know how to do it, swift and hard. These Palestinians are nothing.

It’s been a long night for them.

Chilly and damp. 

They’re tired. Me, too, O God.

My heart reeks with weariness.

Now what, dear God?

Now what?

Good Friday Miracle

Psalm 148
Praise for God’s Universal Glory
1 Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his host!
3 Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for he commanded and they were created.
6 He established them forever and ever;
he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
7 Praise the LORD from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling his command!
9 Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Wild animals and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and women alike,
old and young together!
13 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the LORD!

Today is Good Friday ... when a miracle occurred: The Lamb of God took away the sins of the world!

He did it with a cross ... there was no other way to pry loose the death grip of sin on the soul of the world. There was no other way but utter sacrifice - the perfect Lamb of God - without fault or failing, neither sin nor the stain of sin marred His life - the pure love of God wiping the slate clean and giving everyone of us a fresh start!

It took a few days ... "He descended into hell" ... not even God could snap His fingers and make it go away. How different creation. All God needed to do was say a word, and it came to pass. But sin was something else. It took everything God had and then some.

And when those few anguished days were done, the Son who descended into hell rose from the dead and gave life to the world.

Amen and Amen!

~ Pastor Tom, Good Friday, 2008