I recently commenced studying for my Masters.  As part of this course I am undertaking what is referred to as Clinical Pastoral Education - it is learning by reflection in a Clinical Pastoral setting.  Hospital Chaplaincy.  I am learning that it is not about religion, but rather, it is about holding a person where they are at and supporting them in a crisis, or just supporting them.  There is a lot of tension in this course.  Not the kind that is negative - rather I am becoming conscious of tension in life in general.  I've always seen things in black and white before.  I mean - how can something be both black and white?  Or soft and hard?  And yet, while I am enjoying this course, there are aspects of it that are difficult and I don't particularly like!  But all of it means that I am learning and growing.  In my reflections of this, I started to think about the tension that God must have experienced.  It being Easter and all.  I mean, long before this world was created even, God's son made a promise that should these created humans, choose to sin, then He would take our place and die so that we might have the opportunity of living with Him in a perfect world one day.  It's easy to make a promise.  It can be harder to fulfill the promise.  Ever made a promise you didn't want to keep?  You didn't realise how hard it would be?  When my son was very young, we were mucking about the pool one day - he was swimming, I was teasing the dogs and making them bark while I was supervising my son.  I was dressed for work.  My dog thought I was falling in the pool and getting quite excited about it all.  My son caught the excitement and said "go on Mum.  I DARE YOU!"  I said to him "what do you dare?"  In a fit of confidence (well, I mean, what mother is going to jump in the pool, fully dressed and ready for work?) he said "I promise I'll give you my allowance for SIX MONTHS!"  I jumped in. 

He learned that day (and the following six months...) how hard it is to keep some promises.  And to be more careful in daring someone else!  But God knew exactly what He was promising.  He knew what separation from His Father meant - He knew the risk.  And yet, when it all boiled down, He kept His promise.  Despite the shame, the heartache, the pain, the separation - He kept His promise.  Talk about tension!  I'm so grateful that He kept His promise.  I'm grateful that He was victorious - because that means that He bought me with a price, and THAT means that He has adopted me.  I'm His daughter - with all the rights and privileges that a daughter of the Most High God has.  

The photos below are ones I took when visiting Jerusalem in 2007.  I thought you might like to visit them with me... 

The slab where the body was laid

The sign on the door

The garden tomb area.  A sacred place.

The garden tomb. 

We don't know if this was the actual site where Jesus was laid and was resurrected.  I like to think it was.  There are two "traditional" sites in Jerusalem, one being inside the Dome of the Rock, and the other being this one.