good friday: broken and blessed

O how broken this world
that it would take God's
impalement to redeem it.

O how stunning that God
would submit to that death
to heal it
rather than walking
away and letting it spin to its own
extinction, destroying itself
with every revolution, choking
on its own pride.

God's deep love was too strong
and could not
let it die...
even now His love prevails
over all His reasons to
walk
away.

Blessed be the name of the 
LORD.

one last meal

I tried to envision being in the room, in a corner, like a reporter, taking down notes and impressions during Jesus' last meal with his inner circle. I wrote this as part of a theater piece staged for a Good Friday service.  The stage was lit with what seemed like a thousand candles. But now imagine a lamplit Middle Eastern room from two millenia past, looking nothing like we in the West have imagined. Imagine being there in that moment, and reflecting on what you were seeing and hearing.

one last meal

with the noise of the throng
still pulsing in your brain
you pulled together your people
your inner circle
and took them
away

away from the melee and the white hot spotlight
away from the conspiracies in dark corners
the plots to kill
the intrigue the betrayal

away

away to breathe
to gather around a simple table
as brothers
as friends
for one
last
meal

as the night closed in
you bent down
and poured water over their feet
washed them clean
broke open bread and poured out wine

you blew their minds

your words rang so cryptic in their ears
they could hardly hear
through their fear

look at me--

look at me
keep your focus, you said
it will get dark
darker than this
darker than the blackest night
but trust what i've said
in the light

you know far more than you think you do
you are not abandoned
i will come for you
stay together
do not cave to fear
there is so much more here than meets the eye
your gasping pain will turn to joy

look at me
focus
stay as one
don't split up, don't scatter
when it all comes down
one thing matters

one thing you must remember

when my blood spills

when my body's cracked in two...

it's for you

what i wouldn't give (a forgotten verse 2)

Some good friends did some archaeological excavation to find and salvage charts for this song, and in so doing a second verse turned up...  I had forgotten about it... ahhh yeah... it all comes back to me now..


imagine letting go
of everything a king deserves
and kneeling down to serve
that's what I've gladly done for you

I'll serve you all the way
to a cross upon a hill
where My royal blood will spill
that's what I choose to do

what more could I give
to know we'll be together
forever and forever
through all eternity

the time is drawing near
when you'll know Who I am
you'll finally understand
at last you'll know
there's nothing I wouldn't give

what i wouldn't give

Years ago, Rory Noland and I wrote a piece of music theater called The Choice, based on the final week of Jesus’ life on earth.  There was a scene depicting the Last Supper--Jesus trying to explain to his protégés what was about to happen in the violent days to come.  It was beyond their comprehension, and He must have felt so alone.  This lyric is from a song played as this action was taking place on stage, as I tried to envision Jesus’ thoughts and emotions in that last moment with his mystified students. 

what I wouldn’t give

to help you understand

the beauty of the plan

designed to set you free

what I wouldn't give

if you only knew

what I’m about to do for you

and what you mean to me     

what I wouldn't give

to know we’ll be together

forever and forever

through all eternity   

I’m longing for the day

when you’ll see who I am

you’ll finally understand

at last you’ll know

there’s nothing I wouldn't give

Jesus, I realize that most of the time You walked on this planet, You were misunderstood.  That must have been so hard on Your spirit.  Two millenia later, I don't want to miss the point.. the nature of who You are, what You came to earth to do and to teach.  I want to focus, to listen, key in... make every effort to get inside Your head...and Your heart.  

help for the cells

This is a prayer for a loved one to be put back together.  I'm digging for every resource of trust and inner imagination I have, trying to focus them, and place them into God's hands. The war between faith and fear is fierce.

I believe

I say it again

I believe

that right now

with the deepest of mercy

your timeless eyes
look upon her as she sleeps

and you are moved to heal.

you see every cell

every organ

you know her bloodstream

her history

the complex of neural highways

your expert eyes identify 

every miscue

every misfire

the misunderstandings between systems

the shocks and toxins

the warring factions

the accumulated insults

but

one whisper of a command from you

and all systems 

surrender

and the healing begins.

your purifying

clarifying

light

is coarsing through her

now.

perfection and grace

doing their corrective work

flowing down every pathway

every cell and every control. 

all things fall into line,

into cooperation

at your command-

at your reassurance. 

inner tides restore their balance,

their clockwork symmetry.

her breathing unlabors

her synapses cool down

alarms relax 

and flight responses let go

life and light

clarity, serenity

perfect rhythm

perfect peace

a dance in synchronicity.

the work of belief has taken hold--

renewal complete. 

exhale.  sigh. 

restoration.

thank

you

beyond

words.