Originally posted April 2, 2021
———————————————
This morning I sat by the woodstove with a cup of tea, enjoying the signs of spring outside my living room window. Robins flitted about playfully, flaunting their bulging red bellies. Squirrels darted back and forth in their usual frantic way, always seeming as if they've had way too much caffeine. I noticed that the grass is turning greener, and the yellow petals of the forsythias and daffodils are blooming. It all seemed so perfect, peaceful, pure, and bright—what a beautiful world.
My gaze then turned to the crucifix that hung before me as I reflected on this morning's Good Friday readings. I wondered how perfect love could be stripped, mocked, beaten, and hung to die on the same Earth that I observed outside my window. The darkness of these gospel stories sheds light on the best and worst of humanity. We see and hear behaviors that are all too familiar — people mocking, judging, shouting, shaming, and laughing, as the fullness of love withers before them. Others howl in mourning, lacking the ability to stop this horrible injustice. They probably can't believe what's happening and hope that someone with power will come to their senses.
After this horrific scene, the Gospel of John reminds us that goodness and beauty remain. He shows us the bounteous life that the earth provides, even as humanity takes the most precious of all lives (John 19:38-42). Jesus' body is carried from the hands of humankind at Golgotha to a simple garden. In this place, new life abounds everywhere. Seeds, grass, blossoms, birds, and insects are all nourished by the water, air, and sunlight that the earth generates. We watch as Joseph of Arimathea tenderly wraps Jesus' corpse with burial cloths. We smell the fragrant spices, perfumes and notice the embalming plants that Joseph uses to provide a respectable and humane burial for Jesus.
My gaze returns to the room where I sit with the crucifix and the window before me — life and death — such polar opposites. Yet, it's always been this way and will continue to be. From the Garden of Eden to the Garden Tomb, we stand upon the same ground with a choice to cultivate life or death. Will we mock, judge, wound, and kill others and the world? Or will we provide care, honor, and respect? It all happens within the garden of our hearts. Each time we glance at the crucifix, let's show God that we see and understand by our choices and actions. Let's vow to live in a way that bears fruit (John 15:16) and adds to beauty, flourishing, and the abundant life (John 10:10) that God intends for us, others, and for the entire planet.