Sunday, April 5, 2015

There's a Resurrection underway...or the essence of Peter

I've been thinking about Peter's story for awhile....it's one I relate to in my own journey of following Christ...I so often go back and forth between bold proclamations of undying devotion and bitter denial...I think in some ways we all do...it is the constancy of the struggle we have to push beyond the flesh we want to leave behind....anyway I thought I would share a new piece and find it appropriate to do so on this wonderful Easter Sunday...


It started with the fish and a spirit crying out
longing to be filled with revolution and redemption
We'd read the prophets and followed John in the desert
we could sense something was coming
and then He was there calling to us
asking us to follow Him
We left our nets there on the beach
and wandered off into a new adventure

Three years in and things have been a whirlwind
so many wonders these eyes have seen
and I couldn't even begin to tell you them all
I sometimes scarce believe them myself
and yet I know deep within that everything He's taught
is the embodiment of truth and righteousness
It strikes me in those moments
The divinity of my Lord
and I wonder when He will finally reveal Himself
to everyone and purge our land of these oppressors

Tonight there's an uncertainty hanging in the air
covering our somber meal while He talks about his impending death
There is mention of betrayal, abandonment
but surely He can't mean me
yet He tells me of the onrushing denial
three times and the rooster song
Steadfast I hold to my proclamation
and we retire to the evening prayer

Roused from our unexpected dreams
greeted by the forewarned betrayal
by one of our own
anger and rage welling up within me
and my sword lashes out
to protect my Lord
yet He will not have it
He continues to proclaim events
are unfolding as they must
and we all scatter in fear and disbelief
bringing our dinner conversation
into the light

I cannot let this lie
circling back in the shadows
to watch as they take Him
into the proverbial lion's den
where hungry jackals wait
to pick his bones with the teeth
of their envy
Faces coming into view
questioning me while I try to remain apart
marking me as one of His men
I deny each one more fervently than the last
and on the third I see His eyes upon me
as the rooster song fills my ears
His words thundering in my mind
Turning away at a dead run
molten torrents of tears
carving down my face as my body
is wracked with bitter sobs

The day drags on and the crowds have gathered
covering Golgotha to see this execution
My disbelief can hardly be contained
Why has my Lord allowed this to happen?
I can hear the pounding hammer and the throaty screams
the result of nails piercing flesh and bone
and they raise Him up
hanging on this tree between two thieves
breathing prayers of forgiveness to the very last
Confusion clouds my thoughts
and we run

Three days in and things look bleak
none of us know what comes next
our world is shattered
our Lord is gone
When Mary burst in with incredible news
I could hardly believe it
We ran to the tomb
He was nowhere to be found
and His words flooded in
He is risen...could it be?

Back to the fishing nets, to what I know
maybe the adventure was just for a little while
but the fish will always be there
even if none appear to be available for the catch
Yet someone calls from the shore
"Throw your nets to the other side"
resulting in more fish than can be hauled
and I know my Lord is there
swimming for my life
in a rush to greet Him
A meal prepared to share
as was always our way
and He asks me of my love and devotion
Three times I answer
and feel the warmth of restoration

So many years have passed since then
so many trials we've faced and miracles we've seen
The revolution we craved but never really understood
is now engulfing the world
A revolution of the heart and mind
A rebellion against the power of eternal death
which forever lost its grip that black Calvary day
our Lord Jesus reclaimed the keys
and restored creation to its rightful path
I am old now and the oppressors have finally
pronounced my sentence
They are leading me now to that place
and I see the instrument of my demise
wooden crossbeams gnarled and splintered
tied and stretched out
yet I will not let them set me upright
I am not worthy to die like my Lord

hang me upside down

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