Good Friday: A Reflection on the Earth in this Most Sacred Moment

 

Good Friday draws us once again into the powerful and intimate last moments of our gentle, kind, and peaceful Lord and Savior Jesus. The eyes of all human kind are about to be opened wide – the breath of human kind about to be taken away and replaced with the Breath of the Spirit – death is being replaced with life – suffering with peace – darkness with light.

 

Reflect in a different way as we embrace this most sacred moment. Reflect and hear the dynamic healing and welcoming voices of the Earth as she prepares to welcome and embrace the Prince of Peace – the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.

 

Let us listen to the wood as she bears the mighty King.

 

Let us listen to the wind as she cools the pains of the crucified Lord.

 

Let us listen to the ground as she feels the footsteps of the Savior – The ground as she feels the warmth of the blood of Jesus as It falls upon the earth.

 

Let us listen as the sky groans and prepares to erupt with anger, distaste, turmoil, only to welcome the decisive moment and prepare the way as Earth prepares for the reunion of Jesus and Abba and finally,

 

Listen to the groans and power of the first to know of the Resurrection –the first to feel the eruption, the evolution, the beginning, the Resurrection of Jesus – the first to know, feel, and experience Humankind being saved! –  The mighty stone as she is rolled away from the tomb.

 

The tree says: how proud I am to carry the Son of God – how humbled I am to bear the One who is forgiveness and so filled with kindness.  How willing I am to suffer as my Lord falls and suffers the humiliation of bouncing on the ground only to be picked up again by One so holy – how energized am I as I feel His sweat and blood upon my bark; and, how I struggle to accept the nails from His hands and feet into my bark as I work to support him who is innocent, loving, patient, and a healer

 

            Now, embrace the wind – the gentle, calm, breeze that helps the Son of God to breath. She gently, intimately, passionately surrounds the Body of Jesus; she seeks to console the weeping and grief stricken Mother of Jesus, Mary; this gentle breeze that causes a chill around and through His executioners; and this wind that calls all of creation to this sacred place – she moves throughout the earth carrying the breath of Jesus, the sighs of Jesus, the courage and conviction of Jesus, the belief of Jesus that soon this will be over and all will be encapsulated into the Breath of the Spirit, the wind of the Spirit, the breeze, the wind of the Spirit all the way into Eternity and for all time – One Breath for All.

 

Look now to the ground – to the earth. This ground is often taken for granted – she is all around us and many times ignored, taken for granted but this day, the earth, the ground feels the steps of the Savior – she can feel how He is struggling – slow steps – difficult steps – pounding into the earth saying please accept my struggle and lift me up.

 

This ground feels the great pressure of the Lord’s body against it as he falls; feels his sweaty, blood wrenched body; but this earth, this ground feels the amazing warmth of his blood as drops from his body.

 

This blood gives life and strength to the ground this day – it feels like a beginning is happening, not an ending; it feels warmth, power, peacefulness, something different – what would be an end feels like a beginning, feels like a great energy, something new, something is evolving, something about this man who is walking on the earth this day which brings renewed energy even though the crowds are jeering, yelling, shouting at Him.

This ground feels the tears of His friends, the sweat of him who helps him with his Cross-, the bang of the Cross-as it is bounced into its final resting place on the hill, the final drops of vinegar, water, blood and all things human but clearly with a feeling and energy of the Divine.

 

Then a powerful prayer signals salvation. The moment is coming when the evolution of all humankind is about to occur – there is a strong jolt! There is a powerful cry! There is a call for all of the earth to come together to help in this turbulent moment when storms occur, rains begin, clouds gather, lightning clashes, thunder explodes, the sky shows her might – she calls to the heavens – she purges the earth of the blood of this innocent man whose only crime was to love, to heal, to forgive, to speak of His love for His Abba!

 

Into your hands I commend my Spirit – the sky darkens, the flowers weep, the birds stop chirping, the earth dries up for a moment and all of creation says together – My Lord and my God.

 

And then there is silence – quiet – trembling – the earth is grieving and mourning for their Lord who has crossed from life to death – His pain is over – now is the time, now is the moment, now salvation has begun – Once for all! Embraced by the Creator – wrapped in Mystery – but now Freedom!

 

Finally, the Great Stone – the bearer of silence, she that blocks the sun from shining – the protector of the remains – the powerful and gentle protector of Jesus – and slowly this stone is rolled across the resting place.

 

But this stone knows there is something powerful going on – there is an urgency, a great tremor, an explosion of creation waiting to happen – the stone will be the first to feel the warmth of new life, the first to see the messengers, the first to experience the new life in this Jesus – here in this resting place, this place of silence, this place of tranquility and the place of salvation, she knows that she is about to be witness to something amazing.

 

Miraculously she will be rolled away, with great gentleness, this stone will feel the warmth of new life, the warmth of His Gentle Spirit alive, this amazing transition which is about to unfold – it is not the end because the Great Stone knows it is now the beginning!

 

But now it is time for silence – time for prayer – time for all of the earth to absorb this tremendous Mystery – Greater Love No One has but to lay down one’s Life for One’s Friends – all of this in the name of the Creator who is Mother and Father to us all … and now we say… AMEN!