Saturday, April 11, 2009

Jesus At The Starting Gate


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I’ve noticed it, have you? My writing lately has taken on spiritual undertones. I have no apologies for it, instead I delight in it. Why? Because it means that is what I’m thinking about. I’ve vowed to write this blog based on what I’m thinking and lately my writing has been laced with ideas of faith. Whoopee!

I don’t know if this trend will continue. I won’t lie, I hope in some form and fashion it does, again because it’s an indicator of my thoughts.

So, you know The Apostles’ Creed? I’ve been thinking of three lines over the last few days.

“He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.”

I imagine because we are approaching Easter these thoughts have surfaced. I can’t seem to shake the image of Jesus as a horse. Stay with me here. It would be the mere (mare, ha) opposite of anthropomorphism (attributing human characteristics to nonhuman things, animals, etc.). Or at least it would be a mixed up version of it, really I just love the word and wanted to use it so badly. But it kind of fits in flipped form. Keep with me. Jesus, fully God and fully man--as a horse. Why a horse? Read the second line of the Apostles’ Creed above. He descended into hell. I don’t think any of us spend a lot of time thinking too deeply on that one.

I think of Jesus as a horse at the starting gate there in hell, ready for the call, “and they’re off” to race back up to heaven to sit at the right hand of his Father where he belonged. I think of him posed to get back home. Mentally I see the horse, the nostrils blowing out air, the hoof stamping, all the typical expressions of a horse eager and anxious to run and it makes me think of Jesus on this “in between” day so many years ago, the day he hadn’t yet risen.

I’m not a Bible scholar, so I’m not claiming any perfect truth about what I’ve just written, but a thought was planted, that image of the horse at the starting gate and I couldn’t shut it out of my mind. Jesus, who once said he was the gate, stood still waiting for his Father to open up the gate so he could return, so he could run and do what he was made to do…deliver himself home.

And that’s not the end. Because he endured what he did, made the sacrifice he did, Jesus becomes the gate once again, “I am the gate, whoever enters through me will be saved.” ~ John 10:9. I can just see both Jesus and God seated together, giving high fives, cheering, preparing to call out and celebrate as we contemplate and receive Jesus as our Savior. I hear the trumpets heralding, the race ready to begin. I can just see them cupping their hands to their mouths ready to holler out, “Any they’re off.”


2 comments:

  1. Wonderful............really made me think. You are so talented! Love, M

    ReplyDelete
  2. I hope you had a wonderful Easter and thank you for visiting us!

    ReplyDelete

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