"Yet dare I almost be glad I do not see
That spectacle of too much weight for me.
Who sees God's face, that is self life, must die;
What a death were it then to see God die?
It made His own lieutenant, Nature, shrink;
It made His footstool crack, and the sun wink.
Could I behold those hands which span the poles,
And tune all spheres at once, pierced with those holes?:

--John Donne, from "Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward," Verses 15-22.

When I took a class my senior year on John Milton and the Metaphysical poets, I really thought I was going to hate it. I was an English major in college, but not because of my deep and abiding love for poetry. Yet I always liked John Donne. He writes some of the most vivid love poetry in the English language, partly because he always brings the sacred into it. As a member of the clergy, he also wrote many religious poems. Part of the impact for me of this particular poem, written on Good Friday, lies in the line, "What a death were it then to see God die?" It really does, for me, capture the darkness of the crucifixion.

It is Good Friday, a time for reflection. The lectionary for today is:

Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Psalm 22
Hebrews 10:16-25 or 4:14-16; 5:7-9
John 18:1-19:42

For those of you who haven't seen the "Jesus Loves Feminists" t-shirts that NNPCW sells, one of our top ten reasons why Jesus loves feminists is because "they were there until the end." Indeed, John 19:25 mentions three different Marys present standing near the cross during the crucifixion. Women have always been faithful, from the beginning of Jesus' ministry to today, where we make up the majority of most churches. Live in that faithfulness, knowing that on today of all days you celebrate God's powerful love for you. Have a wonderful Easter holiday.

"When Jesus had received the wine, he said, 'It is finished.' Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." --John 19:30.

Kelsey