Dear Ones,
Regardless of the outcome, I think the term Good Friday is all wrong. And I know all too well the temptation to skip straight to Sunday. Here’s a new poem I wrote for this brokenhearted day that I’ll be reading in a few hours at my church’s Good Friday service. I wanted to share it with you, too.
Crucifixion
I’d rather blink back the bright sunlight
eyes watering momentarily blinded
by the Creator’s glory revealed
than sit under the weight of this darkness
breathing the iron tinge of fresh spilled blood
Adrenaline cascades through my bloodstream
as soldiers shout their taunts
my pulse drums in raging triple beat
as the empire’s violence erupts
my whole body grows faint
Given the choice I would flee
and if not that, shield my eyes
stop my ears, shutter my heart
anything to avoid this horror
anything to escape this heartache
But today of all days
is the solitary day God demands
my presence at this crucifixion
the one day the Divine asks
me to bear the burden
of this innocent one’s execution
a suffering God should not endure alone
On any other day I would
comfort myself with a gleaming
empty cross gracing a sanctuary
celebrate the Easter story
emblazoned in stained glass
On any other day I would
finger the slim gold and silver
reminders of resurrection
dangling from delicate chains
around my neck
But today of all days
I am commanded to sit
in the pain and grief
of violence and loss at the very heart
of this faith that has transformed my life
And so, I will myself to open my eyes
to sink beneath the full weight
of the trauma inflicted by power
to turn toward instead of away
from anger, fear, and anguish
And in my decision
to imagine the unimaginable
I find that I am not alone
others have chosen
to bear the unbearable
Together we dare to stay
at the foot of this terrible cross
together we gasp out choking breaths
together we sorrow the ground
as our tears mingle with soil
bloodied by the crucified body
of God’s most beloved one
Together we learn to live
in the darkness
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