Reflecting
upon the Lenten season and particularly upon the sacrificial death of our dear
Lord, I am struck by my own ability to slip into a strange and dangerous sort
of devotional dormancy at times. Late winter can be just such a season.
But
how can this be, in light of the remarkable grace and love of the King of
Kings? How is it possible for a living human soul to forget even for a moment
the majesty of God and the miraculous mercy that drove Him to the worst kind of
death in our place?
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| 19th Century artwork - public domain |
Good Friday is good.
We
shudder at the brutality and suffering our Savior endured on our behalf. We
understand that He did it to rescue us from sin and from evil and from death
and from ourselves. We know this dark day in history paves the way to eternal glory.
So we call the day “good.”
Do
we also realize that Good Friday is also good because this highest of holy
occasions reminds us of the unimaginable cost of Calvary?
The Lord of the universe
gave His very self for us. That cost Him everything.
Pause,
and let that sink in for a moment. Can we carry that truth in our hearts?
Often,
exquisite God-gifted art can point us back to the truth. Here’s an example.
This Good Friday poem stabs me right in the heart.
British
Victorian writer Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) is one of my all-time favorite poets.
I simply love her poetry. My Rossetti favorites include:
- “A Better
Resurrection,”
- “A Daughter of Eve,”
- “Consider the Lilies
of the Field,”
- “Fata Morgana,”
- “Good Friday,”
- “In the Bleak
Midwinter,”
- “My Dream,”
- “Remember,”
- “She Sat and Sang,” and
- “Uphill.”
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| Christina Rossetti - public domain artwork |
Rossetti’s
poems display a depth of devotion and thought that strikes me to the soul.
Perhaps her insights came in part from enduring three failed engagements (over
matters of faith) and remaining single lifelong, devoted only to God.
Good Friday
By Christina Rossetti
Am I a stone
and not a sheep
That I can
stand, O Christ, beneath Thy Cross,
To number drop
by drop Thy Blood's slow loss,
And yet not
weep?
Not so those
women loved
Who with
exceeding grief lamented Thee;
Not so fallen
Peter weeping bitterly;
Not so the
thief was moved;
Not so the Sun
and Moon
Which hid their
faces in a starless sky,
A horror of
great darkness at broad noon—
I, only I.
Yet give not
o'er,
But seek Thy
sheep, true Shepherd of the flock;
Greater than
Moses, turn and look once more
And smite a
rock.
As
much as I love them, these lines make my heart hurt.
I wonder: Am I a stone or
a sheep? Do I look to the Lord, or do I stand stoically by?
A
biblical witness is not merely a neutral onlooker. We are called to be active participants in the Gospel of Christ. If I truly believe the very Son of God took on human flesh to bleed
for me, then I will not merely watch, but I will also weep. I will mourn for my
own misgivings. I will bear remorse and repent. Then I will rise and follow
where He leads me.
In
Numbers 20, the Bible tells how, in the Desert of Zin, the people thirsted, but
there was no water to be found. The Lord instructed Moses to speak to a certain
rock, and He promised to gush water from the stone. Moses struck the rock, and the Almighty One
brought forth water from it. Although Moses overdid it, hitting the stone
instead of following God’s specific instructions, the Lord did a mighty
miracle.
God is in the business of
changing stony hearts.
Consider
this word of the Lord to His people, spoken through the Old Testament prophet
Ezekiel:
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| Ezekiel 36:25-28 graphic created by this user on poster generator. |
“I will sprinkle
clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your
impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and
put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give
you a heart of flesh. And
I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to
keep my laws. Then you
will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will
be your God.” (Ezekiel 36:25-28, NIV)
Soften
my heart, Lord. Carve out callousness, and sweep away senseless scars. Keep my
soul ever tender for you. Draw me nearer to the heart of God, and let my eyes
and words flow with grace and gratitude for all You have done for me.
Image:
Created by this user with online generator
