POST-EASTER SOUNDS OF LIFE

The Sounds of the Passion series we wrapped up yesterday made me in think about nuances of Christ's last week that I've never really considered before. In that series we tuned into sounds like:

The Sound of My Failure: The Clanging of Coins on the stone floor of the Temple as Judas returns the 30 pieces of silver he'd been paid to betray Jesus (Judas' failure), and the Rooster's Crow as Peter denied knowing Jesus three times, just as Jesus predicted he would before the cock crowed (Peter's failure).

The Sound of God's Love: The Crack of the Whip that lacerated our Lord's back, the Thud of the Hamer that drove the nails through His hands and feet, the Tearing of the Temple Veil symbolizing God's love bursting out upon humanity. All the sounds of the agony that Jesus went through on the cross remind us that everything He endured there He did because of His love for us.

The Sound of Life: The Rolling of the Stone from Christ's tomb which demonstrated Christ had conquered the grave through His resurrection and the Sound of My Name which is exemplified as the Risen Lord calls Mary Magdalene's name just after rising from the dead.

I've been thinking of all of these sounds, and many more that the Gospels allude to, in a very "micro" kind of way. But today, as we begin the week after Easter, I began to think of those sounds at a higher level, a more "macro" perspective.

The sounds of Christ's last week preceding Easter are sounds that point to sorrow, the sin for which He died, anxiety, the agony Jesus endured at the cross. But the sounds AFTER the resurrection are sounds of joy, restoration, relief, and life!

The week before Easter we call Holy Week, but the week after Easter is holy as well. Because this week we celebrate that all the sounds of Christ's passion before His resurrection lead us to all the sounds of praise afterward!

This week enjoy the SOUNDS OF LIFE! Because Jesus has risen, every sound we hear points to the reality that there is abundant life for His followers here, and eternal life to come!

THE WAY OF THE CROSS

A couple of years ago, while on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, I walked the "Way of the Cross" via the streets of Jerusalem. It's the likely path Jesus took on that first GOOD FRIDAY as He made His way to be crucified. As I re-read my journal entry from that day the memories flooded back.

Today that sacred path is lined with the hard, wall-to-wall stone roads of Jerusalem. The streets are tight and lined with shops; a few churches and apartments along the way. It's no small feat to maintain your focus with all the distractions around you. Rather than trying to ignore all the activity, I decided to embrace it.

I wondered if what I was seeing and hearing was anything like Jesus would have seen and heard. After all, it was early in the morning on that Friday, people would have been beginning their day in busy preparation for the Passover. On the way to the place of crucifixion, this is what I witnessed:

Children playing soccer in the streets. Their soccer ball was well-worn, their faces were tinged with dust, their black hair dishoveled, but their laughter contagious. Did Jesus walk past children playing, laughing, oblivious to the sacrifice He was making for them?

Shop-keepers calling for us to check out their wares. Some were persistent, one even angry as I walked by trying to remain prayerful in spirit. The shops must have been bustling on that Friday as Jesus carried our cross. Retailers interested in making a buck on the Passover, as He makes His way to pay the price for their sin.

Armed Israeli soldiers standing guard. They added to the tension one feels in Jerusalem due to the discord between Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Did tension fill the air as Jesus walked this way? Roman soldiers bearing swords, militant Hebrews plotting rebellion, His own followers...they all pressed around Jesus as He walked the path. How did the tension of Roman swords, lust for religious control, and women weeping affect Him? Could the never-ceasing tension in Jerusalem have made His cross that much heavier?

Masses crowding the streets, mainly tourists. It must have been crowded in Jerusalem as Jesus made His way to die. People from far and wide had come for the holy days. As Jesus carried the cross through the crowds, were they simply crowds to Him, or were they individual faces and names for whom He was about to die?

The thing that amazed me as I completed the "Way of the Cross" was how Jesus kept His focus. As children played, shop-keepers bartered, soldiers patrolled, and the masses moved through the streets, Jesus maintained focus on His mission. So much so that He could pray as He finally arrived at the place of crucifixion, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." He was not distracted, but determined to finish what He came to do...to save us from sin!

"Lord Jesus, on this Friday I praise You for that Friday on which you suffered step by step along the sacred way to Your crucifixion...all for my sin and the sin of the world!"