Word: Unexpected

A mourning dove in quiet grey before the dawn already cries for me as consciousness returns. I shake off drowsiness of broken sleep, and memories attach themselves like heavy stone.

A heavy stone.

How will we even tend to him?

She meets me in the heavy grey. Wordlessly, and barely seeing in the grey of dawn, we make our way along the path: chilly, sad, but not alone at least – not like he was. Spices in our hands: one final act of kindness to our friend.

Others stirring now – lighting fires, preparing for the day, and we, my friend and I, exchange a sad and wondering glance: “Do they not know? Have they not heard?” The one we set our hopes upon lies cold. Body battered, broken, bruised. Rejected. Why? What had he done? Ever, always, only did us good.

We look away and weep and walk, my friend and I. Drawn to go, not knowing even what we’ll do when we arrive. That heavy stone that makes our footsteps slow. And yet. There is an eagerness to see. To be near him.

The sun begins to warm our backs but not our hearts. And other birds begin to greet this day. Why cheerful song upon this morn? Do they not know? Have they not heard?

And then, another sound, not from the air but from the ground: a shaking of the earth (and us!). The heavy stone has moved. A man in brilliant clothes of brightest white sits atop and laughing says, “Fear not”. And yet we do. But not without a rising in the chest – what is it? Hope? The stone is shifting for us too? Not afraid of him. Afraid to hope, perhaps.

“I know it’s Jesus who you seek” he says with fiery, laughing eyes. “He was crucified but is not here. This is no place for living, breathing men. He is risen as he said.

Come and see!

Now go and tell.”

The news rings true. It touches what we know but had not words to bring into the realm of conscious thought. So we believe. It’s true. It is a knowing from before the dawn of this bright day; beyond the dawn of time.

We turn. We run to go and tell, undoing all the bleakness and the blindness of our journey here, and all in tune with birds and brightness of this new, new day. Our hearts hold more than we had hoped to hope so we must go and tell.

And there he is.

Before there’s even time for words, there we are once more at that familiar place of love, unnecessary spices fallen from our hands so we can clasp his feet.

“Fear not,” he says and we are not afraid. For we have seen and we have heard. He has renewed our strength, and like our Risen One, we too mount up with eagles’ wings.

Now we run and do not faint.
We are not weary.
But breathless, bearing news to other friends….

Peter. Go to Galilee. There’s Someone you will see.

for B