THE WAY OF THE CROSS
 
“Come down from the cross!”
The angry crowd roared.
In vain angels waited,
To rescue their Lord.
 
“Forgive them my Father,
They don’t know what they do,
Who they are, where they’re going,
What consequences ensue.”
 
“My Brother, I love you,
Take care of your Mother.
Father, I am coming,
It is finished, I am yours”
 
Our cross is a path,
Which we ourselves choose,
Not knowing in advance
What consequences ensue.
 
Will we find the power,
To come down from the cross,
Or the greater strength needed,
To stay the course?
 
To drink the dregs of the cup,
We share with each other,
Stripped naked and beaten,
Suffering shame and torture?
 
Accused by our enemies
Betrayed by our friends
Yet in Christ’s love united
With the others who suffer
With the Spirit who binds us
With our heavenly Father 

 
By Joel Burnell
Easter 2017