Friday, April 14, 2017

Five Minute Friday: EMPTY




This is another Five Minute Friday post. The word for this week is EMPTY.
 

*****************


Good Friday

It is finished.

Jesus is dead.

The wind has risen, and thick, ominous clouds race across the dark sky. Rain begins to whip our faces.

The soldiers take Jesus' limp body down, leaving the cross empty.

All along we were clinging to a slender thread of hope: that God would open the eyes of those who'd condemned Jesus to death so unjustly.

That an angel, wielding a golden sword, would swoop down and lift Jesus out of this degradation and show God's power.

But none of that happened, and now it is over.

An empty tomb is waiting for His dead body.

And our hearts are empty: broken by sorrow, split apart with shock, disbelief, remorse.

Jesus, where are You? 

Father, where were You? 

Don't leave us alone. 

Give us a glimmer of hope that this aching emptiness is not the end.

*************************

15 comments:

  1. I love this post. In the Spirit of Good Friday you have focused on the feelings of that day. I am so thankful for what was to come!!! I'm visiting from FMF :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am so thankful that we know the rest of the story that His followers did not know that day. Thank you for sharing what it felt like to be a follower of Jesus on the first Good Friday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your kind words and I appreciate your taking the time to read and comment.

      Delete
  3. Thanks for sharing this beautiful reflection, Jeannie. Because we know the end of the story it's easy to jump ahead to that but this really captures the hopelessness Jesus' friends and family must have felt, not knowing how things were going to turn out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Lesley. I think we need to avoid rushing ahead to the "good stuff," but take the time to ponder what that day would really have been like. That's what I tried to do here.

      Delete
  4. Amen! And all the yeses! We can't get to Easter without experiencing Good Friday. I'm in the 43 spot today!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tara - yes, I think we need to experience both. It is easier to avoid Friday and Saturday and just celebrate on Sunday, but I think we really miss out if we do that.

      Delete
  5. Brought tears to my eyes :'-(

    ReplyDelete
  6. He is risen indeed!

    Have a wonderful Easter celebration, Jeannie ...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yes! I'm sure that's what they were saying. I'm so glad we know 'the rest of the story!' You are a good storyteller, Jeannie.
    Shauna (visiting from #66 today)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Shauna - I appreciate your kind words!

      Delete
  8. That sounds wonderful, Stephanie. I appreciate your comment, too.

    ReplyDelete

Please leave a comment; I love to hear from readers. (And tell me who you are if you're comfortable doing that -- sometimes the comment form defaults to Anonymous.)