Three Men on the Hill

(Good Friday)

(Matthew 27:38, Mark 15:27-28, Luke 23:33, John 19:18)

Three men went up the hill

to receive what

the Law 

had dealt them.

When they reached

the top,

the Law

applied their

 pain bombs

upon them.

Then

 left them

hanging

on their trees

to die.

And the one

on the

left

was like

any of us.

And when

 he stared at

the cross

next to him

and saw 

Truth,

he 

(like any of us)

 screamed,

"GET ME THE FUCK 

OFF THIS CROSS!"

But the one

on the

right

was a 

con-man.

And when

 he stared at

the cross

next to him

and saw 

Truth,

he

knew 

exactly

what it was.

The pure

200-proof

incorruptible

substance

he could not

fool or deceive.

So,

for the first time

in his life,

he spoke 

from his 

heart

and not his lips,

and said,

"Take me with You."

Rock of Ages

Rock Of Ages

Luke 19:39-40 /Mark 12:10

O Lord!

If we could 

be your disciples!

We would struggle

against those

who want to

use us

in their cause of

justice.

We would praise You

as a brother -

the mistakenly, rejected 

cornerstone.

Use us.

Transform 

the rock

of Easter

into an 

altar in 

Your Kingdom. 

Good Friday Meditation

Luke 23:34

Which is more

incredible?

That we

murdered 

God?

Or

He

dropped 

the charges

against us?

No Experience Required

Mt 20:1-16 /Luke 15:28-30

In His economy 

there are

always

these rehires.

And with Him

there 

is no

such thing as a

probation period.

Full pay

and

benefits

from

day one.

And we

who never left

the reservation,

understand

this principle.

Although

like the eldest son

we

silently long 

for a

closed shop.

Reflection on the Beatitudes

MT 5:1-12

Blessed are the poor in spirit.

    Lord, break my spirit.

Blessed are those who mourn.

    Lord, forgive my sins, 

that cause pain to You and others

Blessed are the meek.

    Lord, I need to take myself 

less seriously, 

and 

You more seriously.

  

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

    Lord, help me avoid the temptation of indifference.

  

Blessed are the merciful.

    Lord, may the grace you grant me, 

be shared with all.

Blessed are the pure in heart.

    Lord, mold me into a person of integrity. 

Blessed are the peacemakers.

    Lord, give me the wisdom to know Your way.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness.

    Lord, give me courage when I am afraid. 

It is often easier to fight for a principle than to live up to it (Wisdom 2)

12: "Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training. 13: He professes to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord. 14: He became to us a reproof of our thoughts; 15: the very sight of him is a burden to us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange. 16: We are considered by him as something base, and he avoids our ways as unclean; he calls the last end of the righteous happy, and boasts that God is his father. 17: Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life; 18: for if the righteous man is God's son, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries. 19: Let us test him with insult and torture, that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance. 20: Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected."  Book of Wisdom 2:12-20


How can I hear
this inconvenient Truth? 

Who says my way
is not the Way He taught?

Who says the those
who do not take
personal responsibility
will be experience His joy?

Who says He is 
the Messiah,
the Christ,
God’s Son?

There is only one solution: 
A public death.

We will test him
with pain and derision
and afterwards
clean up
by placing Him
in a tomb
that God only knows 
its location. 

Meditation on Matthew 6:12

And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us. 
Anglican Book of Common Prayer, 1662

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Matthew 6:12 (KJV)

Forgive us our trespasses,
Sounds like we wandered
on someone's
property.
"Oh, my bad"


As we forgive them that trespass against us.
As we tell others
to get off our front lawn.

But we live in
a debt ridden
world.

A world of
In God we trust
all others pay cash.
A world of big winners
in their swimming pools
and losers
drowning in their underwater
mortgages.

Imagine in
corporate worship
asking
God
and
each other
to forget the debts
between us.

To be forgiven
with all the paperwork
not to be put back
in the filing cabinet.

Not to placed in a box
to be sent to Iron Mountain.

But
watching it all
being placed in
the shredder
of grace.

A free fresh start.