Lord,
    in a garden 
    you felt abandoned by all who knew you.

In that beautiful place, 
    you felt disconnected from your friends, 
    and confused by your feelings.

You wanted to run, 
        hide, 
        and avoid your fate.

And yet you still sought a way to do your father’s will.

The next day, 
    surrounded by many people, 
        you walked in loneliness to your death.  

What was it like, 
    to be God, 
        human, 
        and still lonely?

What was it like to be innocent,  
            and sentenced to death 
            by part of your own creation?

Your only proof of your real place among us 
                    came two mornings later 
                            when you lifted yourself 
                                    out of our hands, 
                                    out of our confusion, 
                                    and 
                                    beyond our comprehension. 
You rose from the dead.
        showing us a world beyond our understanding, 
        and power beyond our experience.  

You gave us a friend we could no longer kill, 
                a God who will never leave us.  

You continue to show up in our lives unexpectedly, 
                        joining us in our loneliness, 
                        clarifying our confusion, 
                        and healing our rejections.

Two mornings after your worst tragedy 
                and humanity’s worst sin, 
                    you showed us life we never knew existed, 
                    and love we never thought possible.

Now in my struggles, 
    my hurt, 
    my rejections, 
    and especially in my loneliness, 
        I continue to live in your promise 
        that, with you as my friend,  
        I too am never more than two mornings away 
                            from your life
                            and your love.