Today, you and I are invited by the artist to take a look into an old, familiar scene. “Look in past the flowing curtains”, he says. And there we see Jesus on a stage. All of creation is invited to see him. "Come and ponder this scene of one of the darkest hours in history."
As you and I look in, we see Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. In anguish, he’s looking upon what appears to be a cosmic clock, and it reads not but just a few hours before the end of his life. And as you gaze upon this clock, you can hear the ticking. Every second the gears grind past each other --click.. click.. click. Every second, death creeps closer and closer, and all he can do is pray, “If possible, Father, let this cup pass from me!”
In the meantime, the flowing curtains suggest that this current scene can easily be changed to another. In fact, with curtains any play is readily available to close on one act and open to another. These curtains can close on this Gethsemane scene and open to reveal a new scene with a new person. the truth is that this cosmic stage can open back up to reveal even your own life.
This stage can open up to show everything you’re facing today. Every stressful situation at work. All your fights at home between spouse and children. It can reveal the difficulties you face in taking care of aging parents. This stage can open up show someone struggling to make end's meat for their family. It can show you feeling isolated and alone. And it could even open to you or a family member who’s lying in the hospital bed and slowly dying from cancer. The end is near, and the clock just keeps on ticking.
The sign at the bottom tells us that there’s a common refrain among all of these scenes. The refrain remains constant through all these scenes. And it’s the prayer of the faithful resounding, “Let this cup pass from me!” It’s a prayer for deliverance, and it holds the theme of this horrifying play.
However, the peculiar aspect of this art piece comes along from noticing that the sign of the refrain just simply hangs there. It hangs on but two, simple hooks. There are no ties involved. There’s no locks, nails, screws, or knots that hold the sign up. It just hangs there as if it could just as easily be removed and replaced by another.
Dear friends, it's that truth of detail that makes this art piece so beautiful for you and me. Because the reality is that is exactly what will happen. Indeed, the cup you face will eventually pass from you. And the prayer that runs throughout this play will certainly, once-and-for-all be replaced with a prayer of praise. Down with the sign asking for deliverance and up will go a sign of praise and rejoicing! God Himself will remove this old sign from us, and He will replace it with a song of praise. For He has conquered the grave, and through baptism He has claimed that you will be forever rejoicing with him in paradise. There's a time coming where there will be no more pain, nor sorrows, nor tears because He has wiped every tear from your eye. May our eyes that are focused on our present situation and the ticking along of these dreadful hours be reminded to look beyond to the new creation.
That same cosmic clock that's ticking away your life --that same clock that is bringing all of these awful catastrophes-- is the same clock that's ticking closer to the final reconciliation of the world. This same clock that reminds you of death, also reminds us that Jesus is coming again to make all things new.