Out of Chaos
By Becky Lindsay
The Passion façade of the Sagrada Familia (Temple of the Holy Family) in Barcelona, Spain. Statues are by the sculptor, Josep Maria Subirachs.
Who could have predicted
That out of the chaos that was the Passion—
The incident of betrayal by a brother,
The apathy of somnolent friends,
Denial and desertion by those dearest,
The iterations of humiliations and hatred,
The multiple occasions of accusations,
The repetitions of rough-handling,
Flailings, floggings with the nine-tailed cat,
The occurrences of piercing by thorn, nail, spear,
And ten-thousand agonizing instances
Of hanging in the fierce sun—
Who could have predicted
That out of this violent chaos
There would emerge a pattern of grace?
Rebecca Lindsay is a member of Community of Faith Presbyterian Church in Covington, Kentucky, where she served the past ten years as Clerk of Session. She has also served as Moderator and Chair of Council for the Presbytery of Cincinnati and as Elder Commissioner to General Assembly in 2004.
Permission is granted for use of the poem in worship or programs. Please give credit to the author and blog. For permission to reprint, please contact the author at loisterms@fuse.net.