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April 13, 2006
For Good Friday and Easter
Here is an old-school poem of mine and a reflection. I think I might have had Sandi Patty's "Was it a Morning Like This" in my mind when I wrote this or Calvin Miller's The Singer. Old school, indeed. The language (including the sexist "men") and meter are archaic. The sentiment still rings true.
He Is
The one who hangs in dark and rain
With wounds cut deep from scorn and hate
Looks up in love through tears of pain
To softly plead "Forgive.."
The grave mocks bold, "His life was vain!"
The Anointed One in death lies still
Cold walls chant deep the dirge refrain
That echoes back "Despair
The Sabbath sun on sorrow sets
And hearts of love bleed still in pain
His promise drowned by Death's damned voice,
"The temple razed, will rise again.."
The garden bathes in dew for dawn
But what of dawn when hope is dead
The author of the morning song
Lies silent, cold in walls of stone.
But be still,
There is a noise,
A crisp clear note that rings in song
The melody now peals out loud
Crescendo of the voice of God
To resurrect and shake the ground.
Who once sang out in timeless void
To fashion naught and bring forth being
Sings strong again creation's song
Restoring Love to human form
The promise made was not vain
The temple razed, is built again.
Rejoice O men the and join the song.
Joy has risen to embrace the morn.
The Holy One who formed the earth
Died for man and rose again
Yesterday, today, forever,
HE IS
_____________________________________
Tis mystery all! The immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more
So penned Charles Wesley about the mystery of the atonement. "Tis mystery all! The immortal dies." The immortal dies! Once again we are met with one of the paradoxes at the heart of Christianity. And at the heart of the atonement another paradox lies closely related, the working of the Trinity. We see God working throughout history from the creation of the universe through the incarnation, life, death and resurrection of Jesus to the end of time in terms of Trinity. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews described the mystery in as clear terms as possible writing, "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" The book of Revelation speaks of the throne of God and of the Lamb as being one throne. Paradoxes do not prove that Christianity is false, but only show that there is truth beyond the comprehension of our temporal minds.
Getting back to the atonement, our language must be careful in describing what the mind cannot comprehend, but quite simply what occurs at the cross is God taking on Himself the punishment we deserve. It is the eternal God, stooping low so that we could be lifted to life with him. Really, then, what our focus should be on is the second exclamation in the Wesley stanza above, "Tis mercy all!," for we may never understand all the mysteries but we can surely understand the grace and mercy offered to us in that wondrous, loving act of God.
Ache for Eternity | By jackdas | 8:29 PM
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