Wailing – grief shrieking into empty skies.
Protests and grumbles: ‘It’s too late now’
Shuffling and footsteps milling around in confusion
Pushing and shoving, wanting to see what He would do
Questions and puzzlement: ‘What’s He up to?’
A command: “Roll the stone away!”
We didn’t all hear that above the noise –
But then the heavy grinding, creaking
Of the stone rolling.
And a communal intake of breath.
Then there was this pause. This silence.
It may not have lasted long
But it felt like an eternity
And if you listened hard
You might have heard shock
And cynicism, and unbelief.
And “I told you so’
Or
You might have heard a burgeoning of hope
In the waiting.
A murmuring of faith
Like ripples arriving on the shore.
Where there should have been a stench
You might have smelt freshness in the silence.
All eyes were fixed on Jesus.
And then a cry: ‘Lazarus come forth!’
A loud cry, like the ‘It is finished!’ that came later –
The cry that had to be heard before resurrection could come.
And then this holding of breath.
The silence deepened.
Hope overcame doubt as shuffling was heard.
Shock echoed around the burial ground.
A final silence as Lazarus stood before us.
Oh, then there was noise!
Unbinding and freedom
Crying, rejoicing, laughing and hugging.
Processing we sang
As we danced home together to feast on the resurrection day.
So what is in my silence now?
Doubt? Hope?
Eyes fixed on Jesus.
As we have the sure knowledge
That again we will dance home together and feast on resurrection day.
writethelovesite 