scars #7 (John 20:27)

Your scars
moved an incredulous
thomas
from disbelief to
awe,
Lord.

Your scars
broke sin’s hold on us
along with
the death-power
it once had.

Lord, Your
scars
say of me: “should he
so choose…
he is a
forgiven-man…
clean
chosen by Me
to be alive forever
close
to Me.”

someday…
i want to follow thomas'
road...
i want to
touch
Your omnipotent
scars…
not to believe
but to taste a bit of
Your heart, Lord.

and to
worship.

scars #6 (John 20:27)

are people
themselves
ever scars, Lord?

are we Your
scars,
Lord?

when you look
at us
do You mostly see Your
pain
or
do You see our
story?

is grace so real
to You
that our
story
is what catches
Your eye, Lord?

scars #5 (John 20:27)

our scars…
Your scars, Lord,
are the script of our
hearts
writ large and visible
by the minutes of
our lives.

pity the man
the woman who have
none
at all…
for they have not
lived.

even more to be pitied
is the one who
runs
from things or
hearts
that would scar them…
for they
fear
to live.

most to be pitied
is the man
the woman
who would
erase
their scars completely…
for they would forget
what it means
to live.

You did NOT
live this way
nor did You
teach
us to live this way,
Lord.

not at all.

scars #4 (John 20:27)

why?

why, Lord?

why did You
let us get
to You?

you didn't have to...
i imagine that things
were probably going rather
well in heaven
without us,
Lord.

but...You noticed
us.
you took pity on us...
showing up
so much like us
that Your scars looked
just like ours.

except deeper...
each inscribed by love for
us...
none of them
a result of just looking
the wrong way...at
the wrong time.

love, grace & truth...
all & each
NEVER occur
here
accidentally...they
ALWAYS come from
a choice.

so i guess that means
You chose
freely
each one of Your scars...
didn't You,
Lord?

scars #3 (John 20:27)

are people themselves
ever
scars?

they do leave their
marks on
our bodies
our hearts
our histories.

are we Your
scars,
Lord?

when You look
at us...
do You think that?

when You look
at us...
do You mostly see
your pain
or
do You see
our story...
with You in it?

i think the latter,
to be the truest,
Lord.

scars #2 (John 20:27)

when You
look at the body
You lived in
for our sakes
so we could
see
You down here…
what do You
see?

remember?

do You
remember
the names
the ranks
the faces of Your
torturers?

do You
remember
the pain You
endured…for us?

after all, those scars
identify
you as the
ONE
Who is FULL
of grace
and
of truth.

scars #1 (John 20:27)

the marks on
our bodies
tell
our story in a way
nothing else
can.

past pain...
hurt,
cuts,
bruises,
bones broken,
burns & scrapes...
all
leave their mark...

am i right,
Lord?

what about
Your scars?

what do YOU
remember
about them,
Lord?

Poured Out (Ps. 22; Romans 8; John 15:20)

You were poured out,
Lord,
on an apathetic planet
by the God of All Mercy.

You
gave up all Your rights
as YaHWeH’s Son…
as YaHWeH-in-the-flesh…
to make a way
for us to be made
into a shape that looks
like You.
inside & out.

why then
are we surprised at
the pain that comes…even
shedding our own blood
as we follow
You?

Precious

Lord,
why is it that those You say
You love the most...
have
the biggest jobs?
pay
the biggest price?
endure
the most pain?

but then,
Your Own Abba called You:
"My well-loved Son"
just before He asked You to
willingly pick up all
our debts
and pay them for us.

does He indeed love us
so much?