A Good Friday message.

Before all this we had hope.  Not too long ago there was something to look forward to. Finally, it seemed, a savior of the people had come.

Glory to God the angels proclaimed!
This is my Son, the heavenly voice named.
We know who you are, the unclean spirits blamed.

The divine had spoken.
We had begun to believe.

Look at the disciples.

They –
Followed,
Questioned,
Argued,
Tested,
Walked,
Wondered,
Learned.

Slowly, ever so slowly,
Their faith grew.

And the miracles!
We watched –

Wine made,
Thousands fed,
Storms calmed,
Vision restored,
Hearing returned,
Lepers cleansed.
Dead raised.

With those grand displays,
slowly, ever so slowly,
Our faith grew too.

And the stories!
We heard tales of –

Rich fools,
Lost sheep,
Wedding feasts,
Mustard seeds,
Crooked managers,
Persistent widows,
Good Samaritans.

In them –
the other was always lifted up.
the great always brought down.

His parables challenged us.
They made us yearn for more.

We celebrated with him at –

Grand gatherings,
breaking bread,
sharing wine, amid
joy,
laughter,
sorrow.

It was community.
And it was good.

And the parade!
Complete with –
donkey ridden,
joyous crowds,
cloaks offered,
palms waved,
Hosannah! shouts,
triumphant entries,
all of it fit for a King.

We were sure this man could wear the title well.
We were certain more change would soon come.

Signs, signs everywhere there’s signs.

Then,
a kiss,
a betrayal,
an arrest.

What was going on?

Next,
one denial,
then two,
and three.

From a disciple?

Soon,
a trial,
a flogging,
an angry mob.

Where were his followers?
Had they abandoned him too?

With –
a purple robe,
a crown of thorns,
taunts of Hail, King of the Jews!

He was mocked.

Where were those who loved him?

Finally,
a cross,
torn flesh,
three last words.

It is finished.

And that, seemingly, was that.

Had we read the signs wrong?

The disciples, the crowds, the healings?
The sermons, the parables, the great escapes?
The promise of a new kingdom, here on earth?

Had it all been for naught?
Hope has left us.

We can’t help but grieve.
We carry the trauma.
We carry unexpected loss.
We don’t want this to be the end.

We mourn someone who once said, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

Some of us laughed at him for this. Many believed there was no way a massive building could be rebuilt in such short time.

Could those words mean more?

We have little to go on.
Our search for clues begins. Amen.