Gentle Footsteps

Gentle footsteps, slowly walking, stopping not upon the way

ere the dawning of the sun

gentle footsteps softly come

to the place where Jesus lay.

Gentle footsteps, walking onward, see the women on their way

toward the garden of the dead

wrapped in cloths now stained blood red.

T’was the place where Jesus lay.

Gentle footsteps, gentle ladies, walking to their master's side.

with the task that lay before them

bearing spices to embalm Him

so they walked and sadly cried.

As they walked along, they wondered who would roll away the stone.

With the dawning of the sun

gentle footsteps softly come

toward the Christ of flesh and bone.

At a distance footsteps halted - what is it our eyes betray?

Is the scene that has arisen

just a shadow or a vision?

Has the stone been rolled away?

Gentle footsteps running onward to the tomb that Joseph gave.

As they stopped and looked within,

sitting where their Lord had been

was an angel in the cave.

His appearance was like lightening and his clothes a snowy hue.

Then he told them “Have no fear.

He is risen!   He's not here,

and in time you'll see it's true.”

Gentle footsteps, still and silent as they heard the angel's plea.

Quickly go and tell the others.

He has risen, tell his brothers.

He'll see them in Galilee.

Gentle footsteps of the women walked away as in a dream.

With the angel’s words replaying

words of hope they would be saying

when they told of what they’d seen.

                                                                                                                  

And they told the others – Jesus has Risen!

He is risen indeed!

He is Risen!

The Lamb was the sacrifice. 

He suffered.  He died.  

He is risen! 

On the throne of the universe sits a Lamb

slain for His love of sinful man;

a Lamb whose blood covered my disgrace

who suffered, who died, who bled in my place.

Pure, without blemish, was that Lamb

unknown in this world of sinful man.

Never has lived a one of man's race

who could suffer, could die, could stand in my place.

All the love of the Godhead is the Lamb

brought to our earth

the Great IAM

to be born, to live,

to die in my place,

for no sin was His, no guilt on his face.

Someday he'll come on a cloud -

The Great Lamb,

to reign,

and to rule,

and to judge sinful man.

We know not the hour

that on clouds made of lace

he'll arrive in the air

‘cross the sky He will race.

We know not when

in all time and all space.

He’ll arrive in a twinkling

and we'll see his dear face.

On the throne of the universe still sits the Lamb.

In The Garden - They Missed so Much

They walked in the garden together.  The day was winding down.  Night was closing in, and they were tired.  But Jesus asked his friends to wait where they were while He went ahead to spend some time talking to his Father.  He didn’t just ask them to wait, but to pray while they were waiting.

He said to them, "Watch and pray this night with me.”

Do you think they wondered why?

And as He walked the path ahead

they settled down,

relaxed a bit,

and slept,

while His heart bled.

"My father" Jesus cried " Please take this cup away. 

I'm so sad because I know the price I’ll have to pay.

But, my Father, God, you know, though I hurt so much inside,

it is only by your will I want to now abide."

After a while He rose and went back to the disciples.

And when He found his friends asleep

the hurt in His voice should have cut them deep.

"Couldn't you watch and pray one hour? Didn't your flesh have a little power?"

"Please watch and pray", again He said, and walked a little way ahead.

Again, He fell before the King.

He grieved – His heart was shattering.

He prayed and sweat with drops like blood.

He prayed to the ever-loving God.

He said, "Not my will be done, but thine."

And His friends slept on in this darkest time.

                                              

They missed so much.  They had no idea what Jesus suffered for them.

We will miss much as well if we don't listen to what Jesus suffered, even in the garden, for us. 

Easter - In these times

We’re living in perilous times – a virus is killing thousands of people on the earth.  Few of us are immune to its poison.  The people of the world are fearful.  They fear the disease.  They fear death.  They fear loss of savings, of income, of going without what they see as necessities.  Many are isolated, alone in this world full of people.

People want to be assured that all will be well.  They want someone to “fix it!”  We turn to family, to friends, to the government.  But the world has no “magic bullet” to kill this plague.  So where do we go?

In times like these we know that life’s uncertain.

Control we thought we had, has left our grasp.

In times like these we find our strength has failed us.

In times like these we look for something that will last

What better time to look upon our Savior 

as anxiousness and fear would take its toll?

What better time to ponder  

all HE did

to end the curse of sin 

and break the chains of death and make us whole?

While on the cross with holy body broken

our Jesus heard the mocking crowd.

He heard the guards laugh out in cold derision.  

Bur From that cross 

He loved

the haughty and the proud.

Jesus planned to suffer, die, and free us from our lost condition.

He planned, 

with love, 

to pay the price of sin. 

He planned a life, eternal, perfect, joined with Him in heaven.

He died that all who come to God are welcomed in.

So, in these times of peril let us look upon our Savior.

Let’s look to Him, the one who can control

the world He made. 

and what we fear. - the pain and loss 

He will control with love -

the perfect love that sent him to the cross. 

He took the fear of death. 

He took uncertainty.

He took our want and loss,

and gave eternity.

Luke 23:33 – 49 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” . . . 

“The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 3and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” . . . 

It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,  for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.  Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away.  But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

They saw, but did they really see the meaning of it all?  Did they see the love flowing from that rugged cross?  I pray that in these times we’ll be assured by the picture of God loving us so much that He gave His own life for ours.

Dear friends, 

With all that’s going on in our world these days, particularly with the Virus, we hear that we should maintain our distance from others to prevent its spread. That is good and wise advice to follow for the most part in this situation, but separation hurts.  Some of us - particularly those who live alone, hunger for the touch, the nearness and support of our loved ones.  

Today, I’d like to ask us all to think of that word - separation - in terms of the separation that Christ must have felt when He bore our sins on the cross.  Do you think He felt the loneliness we do when we lose that closeness with the ones we love the most? 

Here’s a poem that may help us to look at what God (The Father and the Son) suffered for us on that day. 

Separation 

“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” 

The cry was heard from Calvary's tree. 

And as the cry rang out from Calvary's knoll, 

it was heard in heaven  

and broke the heart 

of the one that loved that pain wracked soul. 

When that cry rang out, oh the pain it brought 

to the Father who loved the Son he begot. 

But He could have stopped it. 

He could have released  

His Son from the suffering, 

– the pain could have ceased.  

He could have held that soul in His arms 

protecting Him from this terrible harm. 

It could have been that Christ felt Him there 

easing the burden, the sins he would bear. 

But the answer was "no" –  

release wouldn't pay, the price was still due - 

the price for salvation for me and for you. 

The only price that could save the lost  

was the separation of God on the cross 

from God in His heaven - the Father and Son 

to be torn from each other - a tearing of one. 

That day on the earth, the darkness that reigned, 

came not from the soldiers, came not from the pain. 

It came from God's heart tearing in two 

hurting much more than any could do. 

Loving so much, that it broke His own heart, 

The Son on the cross and the Father apart. 

Separation, 

The price that was due 

as God hung on the cross 

paying ransom for you. 

Diane Gruchow 

Revised Feb 2020 

The Trial - Easter

Dear Friends, this poem may be a bit unsettling to some of us, but I believe with all my heart that when we ignore or deny our Savior, we're no different than the ones that shouted "CRUCIFY!"  

But always remember that He died for each one of them, and Jesus died that we all might be forgiven, even for something like this.

            "What will you have me do with Jesus?" Pontius Pilot asked that day.

"What will you have me do with him?

I find no earthly fault in him.

What would you have me do with Jesus?"

The crowd cried out.

What words they shout.

They wanted blood.

CRUCIFY!

         

 As he washed his hands before the crowd.. Pilot gave an apt reply,  

I wash my hands of this man’s blood.  

I’ll not shed his innocent blood.  

It’s up to you to see him die.  

The crowd cried out.  

What hate they shout.  

They wanted death.  

CRUCIFY!  

And in the courtyard

          "Are you not a friend of Jesus?" the woman at the fire cried.

“Haven't you taught and worked with him?

And in the garden before you ran,     

I saw you as you walking by His side.”  

The man cried out

They heard him shout

"I know him not"?

CRUCIFY!  

   What will you do today with Jesus as now along life's road you trod?

Will you wash your hands of him?

Will you deny your love for him?

Will you ignore the Son of God?  

If we love Him not

If we serve Him not

If we deny His name

CRUCIFY!