On the way to resurrection hope...

Romans 5:10-11

For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Lord,
during this season of Lent,
we are on our way
to the cross of Calvary.
Through the cross of Christ,
you have reconciled us,
forgiven us, set us free.

But I am afraid too often
we have fixed our gaze
on the bloody badly beaten body on the cross
with a fixation on the horror and gore of your suffering.
Why are we fascinated
by such a bloody death
that we desire to see the gory detail?
Are we just feeding our addiction to violence?

The cross is an important part of the story,
but without the resurrection,
the cross is only a torturous death.
Easter day's empty tomb
is what saves us from sin and death,
emboldens us to tell your good news,
strengthens us to be faithful
in the face of
persecution, torture, suffering and death,
even death on a cross.

Yes, this Lent, Lord,
we take up our cross
and follow you
on the via Delarosa, the way of pain,
But only because the cross of Good Friday
and the mourning of Holy Saturday
lead us to the Halleluia of Easter Sunday.
We are reconciled through your dying on a cross,
but saved by your rising to new life!
Thanks be to God!
Amen.