IN THE FACE OF DEATH & GOOD FRIDAY

 
WHERE IS MY HOPE?      (a reflection on Good Friday)

Where is my hope when sorry comes,
    When grief, heartbreak, and loss become too much to bear,
        When words cannot express my pain,
            When the wind is knocked out of my lungs,
In gasps and sighs too deep for tears to fall?
 
A gasp…………………..then silence.
 

The shadow of death draws nigh,
    And the reality of life’s fragile existence becomes

        Eminently closer than I care to admit.
            There is no stopping its march

Death is but a breath away.

 
Another gasp….then silence.
 
Waiting for the next breath to be taken.

    Hoping it will come for we are not ready to let go.
 
Another gasp…………then silence.
 
Was this for our sake? An answer to prayer?
    Or an inward struggle to cling to this world?
        

Another gasp…………………..then silence.
 

The involuntary muscles are fighting for oxygen but are losing the battle.
    The breath given by God is leaving with the spirit
        And only the material corpse will be left behind.
 
Another gasp…………………..then silence.
 
Was this the last?
    Are there more to follow?

Another gasp…………………..then silence.

  
Christ our Lord came to this hour,
    But not just to die, but to die a sinners death.

        He was rejected, scorned, beaten, bruised, tortured, and humiliated.

Another gasp…………………..then silence.
 

Satan threw everything he could at Him.
    And He bore it willingly for our sake.

Another gasp…………………..then silence.
  
God loved us so much and desired to have us with Him
    That He sent His only begotten Son (Jesus Christ)
        Into the world to pay the price for our sin, 

Another gasp…………………..then silence.

 

Jesus came to set us free from our slavery to sin.
    His death on the cross paid the price and the debt we owed. 

        

Another gasp…………………..then silence.

   
For two days Jesus Christ clung to life,
    Enduring floggings and punishment, humiliation and abuse. 
        And then… at just the right time…

Another gasp…………………..then silence..................
 
            He bowed His head and let go of life.
 
At that very moment when Satan started to cheer,
    The earth shook and Jesus turned the tables on him.
        Satan’s powerful hold on God’s creation had been destroyed.

What a foolish being, ..."Satan did you not know?"

    Death cannot hold a righteous God.

 
“Oh death, where is your sting?”
    “Oh grave, where is your victory?”

God has led us through the shadow of death

    And taken away our fear of it.
 
The breathing has stopped….  My friend is gone.
 
I will not see him again on this side of heaven.
    Will I carry on without him?
        Will my pain turn into joy?
            Will the void be filled?
 
His pain is gone.
    He is with the Lord.
        Someday I will join him there.

In the presence of Jesus Christ,
    Who gave up His life
        That we might have life eternal with Him.
 
My hope is in the Lord!
 
He replaces my mourning with peace,
    My sin with His righteousness, and fills me with His love.  
 
By Peter Keyes    -  2011