Tag: freedom

Good Friday Thoughts

18th April 2025

see also last year’s reflection- https://greentau.org/2024/03/29/prayers-for-creation-good-friday/

During Holy Week, but especially so on Good Friday, we are encouraged to ‘walk in the way of the cross, sharing its weight.’ 

Where does the way of the cross begin? Is it, as in the experience of Bilbo and Frodo, that endless road that passes by your front door? You’re not sure where the road started nor or you  sure where it is going, but once you set out on it, it takes you with it. For Jesus, did the way start in the synagogue in Nazareth? There he opens the scroll and reads:

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
        to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to let the oppressed go free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’

Jesus knows this is his destiny. This is the road he must travel, bringing the good news to the poor. Yet this proclamation comes from the writing of Isaiah. It is a road that that was already marked out as way travel some five centuries before. And even them it was echoing a message already contained in the Pentateuch. It is perhaps a road that back to the beginning of time.

So when we are invited to ‘walk in the way of the cross’, we are stepping out onto a road that stretches way, way back in time. But it is perhaps a road that is most clearly visible to us during that time when Jesus travelled back and forth between Galilee and Jerusalem, proclaiming the good news to the poor, to the captive, to the sick and to the oppressed. To proclaim that message Jesus had to be aware of those who were poor, captive, sick and oppressed. He had to find ways of getting along side them, ways of listening to and understanding them. 

So if we are called to follow the way of the cross, we too are invited to be aware of, to be alongside, to listen to and understand those who are poor, captive, sick and oppressed. We are called to be aware of the pain, suffering and injustice that exists in the world, and not to shy away from it. And as Jesus did, we will find opportunities when we can show genuine love and compassion. And we will find opportunities when we can transform situations. And as Jesus did, we will find ways of speaking out, of telling the truth to power, of challenging injustice, of pinpointing that which oppresses – both individuals and systems.

And sometimes and for some people, the road may lead into dark and dangerous places.   Jesus’s last – long – night in the garden of Gethsemane and in the courts of those who  imprisoned him, can make for tough but empathetic reading. 

But we may not feel we have the strength that Jesus had. We may question whether we can ceaselessly absorb the pain of  even just paying attention to the pain and suffering of the world in which we live. Like Peter, and the other disciples, we may want to hang back, run away, hide in an upstairs room.

The way of the cross is undoubtably not easy, not straightforward. But if we recall how Jesus walked it, he did take time out to be alone with God, going into the wild parts of the natural world. He did take time out to be alone with his companions. He did take time out to relax and share meals with friends. He did accept that he couldn’t heal each and every person, but knew that the message he had was the means of creating an expanding chain of events that was the process of heralding in the kingdom – the rule and reign – of God, that will bring healing, peace and justice for everyone.

The way of the cross is the way of faith. It is, I believe, about walking each day just that day’s journey – whether it is that day about the care of the poor or about rest and regeneration. It is, I believe, about walking each day trusting that God knows better than I how far I can walk and what I can achieve. It is, I believe, about trusting that – come what may vis a vis human wilfulness and wickedness – God’s mercy is ever present and everlasting. And it is trusting in the journey even if we cannot see what comes next or even where we may end up. It was that trust that carried Jesus through his journey and will do so for each of us.

Lent Reflection

Linden Autumn Fall Color Bright Yellow Linde http://www.maxpixel

The lime or linden tree – tilia – europaea – is native to Britain. It grows to a height of 25m. Its blossom – providing nectar for bees and other insects – has a sweet smell that can be enjoyed in July. The finely trained white wood is very suitable for carving as it doesn’t warp, and it is also used to make sounding boards and keys for pianos. The bark can be used to make ropes and its flowers for tisanes.  

The lime tree’s heart shaped leaves gives rise to its association with virtues such as love, peace and truth. In some European countries lime trees were planted to celebrate the winning of liberty. 

For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. Nelson Mandela 

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. Galatians 5:13

Lent Reflection

Ocean Tree Nature Cliff Outside Sea Greek Juniper http://www.maxpixel

Juniper – juniper us communis – is a shrub-like tree growing up to a height of 10m but with a life span of 200 years. Its berries provide food for birds, as well as for cooking – and for flavouring gin. Traditionally juniper was used to ward of evil spirits. In Renaissance art, juniper represented chastity. In the Book of Kings, Elijah, when fleeing from Queen Jezebel, finds a place of sleep under a juniper bush and is waited upon by an angel.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free… Luke 4:18

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. J Lubbock