Holy Week Thoughts

 A poem prompted by Maundy Thursday commemorating the Last Supper (Luke 22)

Ordinary Men On Their Way to Supper

Long before Passover Feast, something lingers in the air

Something mysterious, foreboding, and yet prophetic

Philip, hears, Follow Me

Andrew, James, Thomas, and Bartholomew desert their nets

Matthew, tax collector, finishes, with no misgivings

Jude leaves the fields with a sense of urgency--get to Jerusalem

James experiences grief and, yet, joy without understanding

Simon, his arguments now inconsequential, quiets, seeks out his brothers

Peter and John go into the city to seek a man carrying a water jar

A man who knows of a large upper room, already furnished

Judas, prompted by Satan, grows restless

Ordinary men, already deeply spiritual

Not knowing their feet would be washed by the promised Messiah

Not yet grasping the sacredness of shared bread and wine

Not knowing they would argue over who was the greatest

Not knowing one of them would deny his Master

Not knowing Judas would betray their Savior with a kiss

Not comprehending the magnitude of their commission

Ordinary men coming face-to-face with the Glory of God

 

 

Ready, Set, Go...

 Track is a little like life. In this sport, we know where the race starts and where the race ends. Life differs in that we know where we started, but the finish line remains a mystery.

With track, everything is laid out: the lanes, put one foot in front of the other, keep going, the finish line. No surprises here....

With life, there are no lanes painted on an all-weather track. We don't know what's around the curve or where the finish line lies. It seems to be more of a roller coaster ride--scary, adventurous, messy--to places we've never even imaged or wanted to.... Hurdles, stumbles, quicksand--and it goes on and on.

There is no end to the "ready, set, go".  A new job, another baby, a relationship challenge, a financial or health issue. There are periods of time when each morning seems a "ready, set, go."

The use of the word "go" is used many times in the Bible, from when the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you." To the verse in Matthew, "Go forth and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Some things don't change a lot. The sport of track being one of them.
Some things in life don't change a lot. From generation to generation to generation, it's been a "ready, set, go" kind of routine.

Someday, that will all change. There will be a finish line. A permanent finish line, a glorious finish line. Knowing that, let us remember Timothy's words, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

                                         Ready, set, go...