April 2, 2010 - Good Friday reflection, Year C (RCL)
Jesus is dead,
his blood shed
for our sake.
His body is in the tomb.
And the story could have ended there,
a footnote
in religious history.
But all that changed on Easter Day,
with the resurrection
of our Lord.
Yet in the book of Hebrews
it is not his resurrection that is at the core of our faith
but his death.
It is the death
that holds the power,
his death that brings us forgiveness
and breaks down, once and for all,
the barriers between us and God.
We hear that time and time again in Hebrews.
But now we’re at the end of the book, and after eleven chapters of theological exposition,
the writer finally says
what has probably been lurking in our minds all along.
“So what?”
Until now
it’s been mostly theory,
and we’ve had to work hard
to make connections with our own lives.
Now the writer gets explicit.
Therefore,
fix your eyes on Jesus.
Don’t get distracted,
Put aside the things that hold you back,
whether it’s the bad habits,
or the to-do-list that never ends,
or the relationships that you know are unhealthy,
put them aside
and focus on Jesus.
Because Jesus has gone before you.
He’s shown you the way.
And he’s done it all.
Jesus knows what it’s like to feel discouraged,
he knows what it’s like to be exhausted,
he knows what it’s like
to suffer.
Follow him.
His purpose
isn’t to hurt you,
to test you beyond what you can bear.
It’s to heal you, to make you whole,
and in the end
to bring you to the place
where you will celebrate with him for ever.
But now, now when it’s hard,
just fix your eyes on him,
and trust him
to go with you.
It reminds me
of that Simon and Garfunkel song,
When you're weary
Feeling small
When tears are in your eyes
I will dry them all
I'm on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Jesus could well have sung those words,
offering himself
as a bridge to God
over the chasm that our sin has made,
supporting us,
holding us up,
going ahead of us,
and yet also with us
all the way,
so that we can know the full richness
of life with God.
© Raewynne J. Whiteley 2010