Acts 10:34, 37-43; Ps. 118;1-2, 16-17, 22-23; Col 3:1-4; Cor 5:6-8; John 20: 1-9

she seeks
the tomb
of her sorrow
only to find
stone rolled away
shroud fallen
she cries
“where have they
put my lord”
the empty tomb
answers all
for what God
has given
cannot be put
to death
Son of Man
doer of good
healer
frees the oppression
and rises
in flesh and spirit
above

compassionate judge
of the truth
in our hearts
we stretch
and reach
into the above
into the mind of God
and receive
the bread of life
his life appears
and we are with Him
in Glory

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!

How does the Risen Christ live in your life?

Gen : 1-1.1;Gen 1. 1-18;Exod 14.15-15.1; Isa 54 5-13;Isa 55.1-11;Ba3:9-15
Ba 3.32-4.4; Ezek 36.16-28; Romans 6: 3-11; Luke 24. 1-12

in our sorrow
we come to remember
who we are
made in goodness
made for goodness
we remember
the voice of God
whose desire is mercy
not sacrifice
who would save a son
and part the seas
whose enduring love
quenches
our desert thirst
from wisdom’s fountain
we remember
we are made
from eternal life
and light
entering
the darkness of His death
we arise anew
as sea of death
is parted
new heart
new spirit
we no longer seek
the living
among the dead
we live
as the one He loved

Do you remember who you are?
Have you risen with His love?

Before the Vigil

this day
of emptiness
confusion
and longing
His agony
turned
our own
no longer
to hear His voice
feel His touch
follow His step
where has love gone?

He was our Life
our hope
our light
our answer
and now
we are lost
who are we now?

our hearts on fire
with grief
who will
console us
there are no words
for this
our sorrow

to see Him
broken
bleeding
we cry
my God
why have you
forsaken us

this day
this Life
without Him
we cannot bear
day of poverty
when we are nothing
we have nothing
filled
with emptiness
for we have seen
all Love
and now
He is gone

wrapped in His tomb
embraced in darkness
we have died with him
no light
no thought
of life

Have you felt forsaken by God?

Why this cross?
this ornament of human suffering
in comfort and complacency
it can seem quite out of place
yet let one moment of tragedy
need or desperation come and
this cross is no longer a foreign land
but a shelter and home
a passage of power
and transformation–
is it magic?
some talisman?
so it would seem
as it is forged in gold
carved in wood
and fashioned in beads
strung on necks
and molded on rings
yet kneeling
silently
before the cross
I hear
the whispers
and struggle
of the world
as it wrestles with its horror
its daily news
of evil and death
cruelty and selfishness
politics and greed
ideological slaughter
and mass destruction
our grieving and loss
our starvation and calamities–
earths quake and worlds fall
within the cross
we are free to place our burden there
and leave as though it were some receptacle
some garbage pit or scapegoat
yet not for long
for His whispers
and movement and life
are too compelling
He calls
over and over
to visit
this strange
place of death
that leads to Life
entering the suffering
the solitude
the darkness
of his outstretched tomb
we answer his call
to pray
to trust
to stay
until wisdom
whispers
the promise
of new life
how long is
our suffering-
it is a moment
of grace—
then there is
no time
at all
no need-
we are completed
resurrected
in His love

Holy Thursday
At the Table

you are the one he loved
gathered in you followed
gathered round you shared
reclined at table you heard His voice
felt His breath
shared His laughter
received His touch
holding onto every word
you will remember
His cup
His heart
His wine
His love
He is every meal your nourishment
every meal your sustenance
all the miles walked upon this earth in time
are changed within His hands
each step renewed with His sacred touch
worn upon your feet he cleansed
to serve
to heal
to love

You are the one He loves.

Isaiah 50: 4-9; Psalm 69: 8-10; 21-22, 31-34; Matthew 26: 19-25

morning
after morning
He opens
our ears
that we may hear
do not let us
be lead astray
or desert Him
in time
of need
for He
has been
our help
in weakness
in thirst
and broken-heartedness
constant companion
living
and being
with Him
we are revived
we sing
a song
of life
and praise
God’s love for all

Do you feel God’s constant presence?
Has God given you a well trained tongue to speak to the weary?

Isaiah 49:1-6; Psalm 71:1-6, 15-17; John 13:21-33, 36-38

knowing
our hearts
our faithfulness
or our betrayal
still He gives
His life
His bread
for us
from a love
He knows
in God
that never fails
even as we might
one Love
one Purpose
one Refuge
from where
all Justice
flows
in mercy

Have you experienced betrayal in yourself or others?
How have you experienced God’s mercy?

Isaiah 42: 1-7; Psalm 27: 1-14; John 12: 1-11

His breath
His Spirit
His light
within us
whom should
we fear?
no enemy
no war
no chaos
no death
can overwhelm
our steadfast
Spirit
in Him
we place
our trust
in Him
we are
raised up
in Him
we live

Of whom or what are you afraid?
Where do you find consolation and hope?

Isaiah 50:4-7;Ps. 22:8-9,17-18,19-20,23-24; Phil 2:6-11; Mark 14:1-15:47)

the moment
of forsaken
the void
of abandon
no God
to save
doubt
of all ages
empty arms
broken body
broken heart
every
thing
gone
wrong
our poverty
stretched taut
we cry
why
have you
forsaken me?

Have you felt the forsaken moment?
What is your poverty?
In what do you hope?

Ezekiel 37: 21-28; Jeremiah 31: 10-13; John 11: 45-56

gathered
into One
we enter
a covenant
of peace
and love
as we turn
from our ignorance
challenged
to leave
behind the politics
of this world
that would destroy us
and enter
a kingdom
where justice-
God’s love of all
reigns
in abundance
providing
all we need
for ourselves
and others
raised
from death
our mourning
is turned
to joy

Where do you turn in your time of distress?
What brings you peace?