Jesus, the Holy One, God’s only Son,
It had all been done, but not yet complete.
Not enthroned with the Father, on His mercy seat
But still hanging, what seemed like defeat, blood pumping pain through his body with every beat.
As each breath comes as painful sigh, out of the corner of his eye he sees…Mother.
Not like any other, so much more than a brother, because family had become more.
More than names, and DNA pumping through veins
More than strained awkward moments of gathering at holiday tables
More than Cain and Abel, or filling empty stables
Because “Family”, Jesus said, shares more than a home – they share God
So even though it seems odd to not give the nod to those who share a name, Mary doesn’t complain
Because she’s come to believe, started to realize and see with new eyes
That God has a pretty big picture in mind, and it doesn’t even stop at human-kind
But for all of creation, the offer of “NEW”
So much bigger than fitting into the hearts of me and you
But not so big that he overlooks the least – the bullied, the voiceless, the powerless and freaks
The orphans and widows, are for whom his heart still beats, and so he reaches out again
In love to a friend
But so much more than a friendly other, a beloved brother, and introduces them for the first time
as Son and mother.
Saying much more than words in one simple introduction, like an induction to a new way of living
a way of giving up what we thought we knew for something capital “T” for True
And upon further review we hear something for us to do too.
You see our painful lives tend to blur those around, like headphones, shutting out the sound and letting us drown in oceans of self absorption, and having our portion, we’re content to pray for our needs
But even as he bleeds, the God-man leads us to old ways made new, challenging us to change our view and have hearts transformed, to let go of the norm.
To shed our obsession with self, and see with God’s eyes, and to be surprised by the people and things
Right outside our door, way outside our walls, or maybe. Even. Inside.
So what happens when we let go of self, and reduce our emphasis on wealth or even health
Because true health won’t come from drugs and regiments to follow,
not having more surgeries or more pills to swallow
And true family doesn’t happen simply by being born
As we look out on a procreating nation, still torn
Truth only comes as we fix our eyes on Christ. And allow the author and perfecter of our lives
To speak His words that cause mountains to move, and holding palms open, having nothing to prove
To the King of All, to follow his way,
and like those who were near heard him say, as he was crucified on that day,
Words that came as a flood of love to obey
And living this way without caution, this situation offered no other option,
than the first Christ-centered adoption.
As new mother and new son saw each other and smiled
They realized they were both actually his child…