and they call this friday good

few of us are inclined to recount the most
wretched times in our lives
rather we seek to transcend or move beyond
the moments of shame of embarassment
of darkness
we'd rather not go there

why then do christians make it a point
to acknowledge the degradation
suffered by the one known to us as jesus?

is it simply a way of using religious analogy?
by exalting the cross
indeed venerating the cross
are we ignoring our own pain
and dealing with it indirectly
as if to say well i can't deal with my pain
but i can kneel at this cross
and hope jesus can deal with my pain
now that he's dealing so dramatically with his own

good friday highlights the necessity
of not escaping from human discomfort
the way beyond is the way in
this is different than finding ways
to achieve inner peace or to
face the world with calmness
after hours of meditation

while i believe it is possible to
discuss the drama of this day
in terms of "catharsis" there is no
guarantee that relief will come about
by merely attending to the ritual

something else is at work here

the awareness is at once accessible and
so mysterious as to evade simple explanation

christians down through the centuries have been adamant
that the locus of meaning for living in christ
is inescapably linked to the denegration of crucifixion
christ's death (and thus all death) takes on a new meaning
what appears to be a normal day in roman affairs
in maintaining law and order in palestine
actually becomes a day of inexpressible hope

for those who believe
the resolve of christ to go forth to this death
marks the hurdle the locked door the ever-widening gulf
--these now being challenges we can move beyond
only by stumbling over the hurdle
by pounding tearfully at the locked door
by diving headlong into the gulf

the idea of god stating in a new way:
i will not write for you new laws
but i will enter into the experience of the worst
human inhumanity and there i will establish my throne
i will be consecrated with a crown of thorns
i will rule from the place of degradation
i will be in the darkness of the darkest human soul
i will submit to death

in order to prove what?

even my prayer often rises with
indignity and cynical doubt

christians today follow the narrative
of a god who enters into the deepest despair
known to human living
a story of a king who shows himself willing to die
for his subjects

we may well ask:
is this what the world needs?
does anyone need this?

he did not deem equality with god
something to be grasped at
yet by carrying the cross
he displays an attitude we so often miss
the divine attitude of a willingness
to suffer to passionately strive to be one
with the worst we have to offer
the willingness to face directly the gaping bloody wounds
of a still broken humanity
and thereby redeeming those willing to be
honest about their need
and just maybe redeeming those who don't even know their need
or find themselves unwilling or unable to address the pain of life
in an honest way

this day is meant to highlight the injustices
the inexplicable suffering
the living hells of peoples' lives

blessed are those who know their need
for this kind of medicine
who find themselves willing to have this
cross erected in the dark regions of the heart
upon the golgotha of human minds
those who know year after year that
this friday is indeed

good

when jesus wept
the falling tear in mercy flowed
beyond all bound;
when jesus groaned
a trembling fear seized
all the guilty world around

- from the new england psalm singer, 1770