My Park

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”.  And God created people, beloved people, to walk with him and talk with him, and to care for and rule over the earth.  But through arrogance and deception the rule of man was corrupted and intimacy with the creator was broken.  That which was light became dark.  That which was right became wrong.  Balance became imbalance and down became up.  Dominion of the world was taken by those who held the most power, those often most unfit to rule.

Throughout mankind’s history, God would try to reach his people, try to restore relationship with them.  To heal their wounds and right their wrongs.  But the human heart is stubborn and prideful, slow to offer and even slower to receive forgiveness.

Yet, this is not a story of chaos and rebellion. For God is a great God, clothed in majesty and splendor, holiness and justice; perfect in love and mercy; worthy of every song and all praise.  He would not let his creation destroy itself.  So when the fullness of time came, he took on the form of a slave and, being made in the likeness of men, joined with humanity.

He came to man bringing the good news that the kingdom of God was near, but he didn’t just bring the news - he lived the news.  He befriended prostitutes and tax-collectors, and extended a loving hand to those shunned by society.  He came to bring light into the darkness and to turn the world upside down so that it could once again be right side up.

But the world is a circle with as many centres as men, and those who were invested in the Old Way became threatened by the Light of the new kingdom.  The religious leaders who had grown fat off the sacrifices of the people and proud from the authority they commanded formed a plot that would blow out the flame of the “so-called” Son of God.

A treacherous kiss from a beloved friend would set into motion an execution that was as horrific and devastating as it was poetic and prophetic, for with every bloody lash this humble teacher and prophet known as Jesus became the sacrificial lamb of God who would bear the sins of the world and overcome death.

This is the story of Easter.  It is the story that God has been writing since the sun’s first light touched our planet; since man’s first breath filled his lungs.  It is the story of a God who will not give up on us, but will pursue us right into the grave so that we may rise again; a heavenly Jerusalem built from the fragments of Babylon the destroyed.

On Friday a thief
On Sunday a King
Laid down in grief
But awoke with the keys
Of Hell on that day
The first born of the slain
The Man Jesus Christ
Laid death in his grave.

(Lyrics from "Death In His Grace" by John Mark McMillan).