GOOD FRIDAY
At the beginning of Good Friday service, Father Rob mentioned that we would be spending several minutes in silent adoration of the cross, and that during that time we were invited to sit, stand, or kneel as we felt able. At first I thought I might just stand, but as the time drew closer I thought, "For heaven's sake!! Jesus carried a cross and was crucified on it! I can certainly kneel on the concrete for 3 or 4 minutes!" And so I did. My first prayer as I knelt and beheld the cross was, "Please dear Lord let me be able to get back up!" but my prayer soon turned into a litany of why I was kneeling. Here is my rather small attempt to describe what was happening in my heart during that time:
Because…
You prayed and wept in the garden… I kneel
You were stripped, and struck, and ridiculed… I kneel
You wore a crown of thorns… I kneel
You carried a cross… I kneel
You hung on the cross… I kneel
You offered mercy and forgiveness to those who nailed you there… I kneel
Your mother wept at the foot of that cross … I kneel
You tell us we are “blessed,” and “salt,” and “light” … I kneel
You forgive us before we even ask… I kneel
You heal us of our “afflictions”… I kneel
You show us what real love looks like… I kneel
You have given us this beautiful community of faith… I kneel
You rose from the grave… I RISE to my feet…wrap a towel around my waist to “wash the feet” of others, serve “the least of these,” and love whomever I encounter each day. On my own, I cannot do it, but YOU, Jesus, the one who conquered death can surely use a broken vessel like me to continue to pour out your love into the world. Amen.