Jesus, At-One

For Jesus, at-one-ment was not being at-one only with the glory of the stars, or the first daffodil in the spring, or a baby's laugh.  He was also at-one with all the pain and suffering that ever was, is, or will be.  On the cross Jesus was at-one with the young boy with cancer, the young mother hemorrhaging, the raped girl.  And perhaps the most terrible anguish came from being at-one with the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, the death chambers at Belsen, the horrors of radiation in the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  It came from being at-one with the megalomania of the terrorist, the coldness of heart of "good" people, or even the callous arrogance of the two men in criminal court.
 We can withdraw, even in our prayers, from the intensity of suffering.  Jesus, on the cross, experienced it all.  When I touch the small cross I wear, that, then, is the meaning of the symbol.
                                                   Glimpses of Grace - Madeleine L'Engle

Palm Sunday took our family out into the country to walk among a re-enactment of the Passover.  Beyond the big city, out into the open field, lays a vision of one woman.  It has been built and actors come from everywhere to participate.  Volunteers guide you through the Path of Plagues and Jerusalem Village. The Majestic Statue Garden walks you from the Garden of Eden, the Ark, Moses, David, the cross, and then to the empty tomb.  Along the paths are written scriptures.

We were all touched.  No words needed to be added.  As I stood within feet of each re-enactment my mind would quote scripture or sing a song.  We were rushed into a home with the door post covered in the blood of the passover lamb, so the angel of death would pass over.  To stand there as the actors cried out and you heard the terror outside the door, you felt the fear, and  yet, the peace of the shelter provided by the lamb.

Within the Jerusalem Village you were invited into a home to watch a Passover meal, meet Mary and a Martha and watch Judas give Christ over for 30 pieces of silver.  We watched the Roman guards collect taxes.  Jesus entered the streets and the children ran to him with excitement.  We climbed the stairs to the upper room.  Standing within feet of the final Passover meal, before the cross. we experienced the humanness of the moment.  Again, nothing needs to be said.

These are the pictures I captured as tears rolled down my cheeks, hidden by my sunglasses.  I needed the reminder.

This week I hope you too meet Him at the empty grave.  He is coming back!!  The victory is won.  That is why we look to heaven and not earth.  To be with Him in Glory.

Thank you to all people of  Passover Experience, who gave of their time and resources to re-enact the greatest story every told.  www.passoverexperience.com