Easter Greetings from Japan. It is Tuesday night of Holy Week
as I write this. I received the following poem from an American
woman who is married to a Japanese and lives in a nearby town.
She has really been going through some difficult times, with numerous
health problems in addition to a difficult family situation. She
is in the hospital now and wrote this poem early this morning
when she awoke in pain and couldn't go back to sleep. You would
never suspect such a beautiful poem could come from a hospital
bed in the middle of the night because of pains that made sleep
impossible. But that in itself is symbolic of this season when
we remember the suffering Jesus went through on our behalf in
order to bring about the beauty of resurrection. Please do remember
Susan in your prayers that she may be healed and regain her health.
It is almost Easter
By Susan Hasumi
April 2003
It is almost Easter
Spring is in the air
The tulip and the daffodil
The pansy are standing
In colorful parade
Throughout gardens
And along pathways and walks,
Golden yellow, bright red,
And purple banners upon their
Stems and stalks.
Each year the flowers and the
Trees celebrate resurrection
From winter’s barren season
With bright colors abounding
That seem to shout as they come out
Be still and contemplate the
Mysteries of life and death,
Of winter and the spring,
The miracle of every little thing
That meets one's gaze.
It takes away my breath
To see such extravagance
Of the flowering tree and bush,
The heart of God wide open
It would seem to me
Is within them all.
Touching the bark or petal,
The tiny opening leaves
Of brightest newest green,
One of the most
Beautiful things I have ever seen.
In the spring the heart
Of God wept in a garden,
And then the heart of God was
Broken upon a tree between earth and sky,
So that we could pass from death to life
And enter the season of eternity
Not really understanding the reason or the why.
We cannot fully understand what God did
That day, the sacrifice of Jesus.
We can only embrace it in faith and let it
Do its work in us, the work of redemption
Of change and growth, of learning to love
God and others.
Jesus sprang forth to new life from the
Garden tomb, the firstfruit of that eternal Spring.
Did he sit awhile in all his glory
To look upon the blossoms
As if he had never seen them before
With new eyes?
Did he hear the songs of the birds that dawn
As if he had never heard them before
With new ears?
I wish I could have seen that early
Dawn in spring, to see the stone rolled
Away on the fear of death,
And the angels sitting there
Waiting, waiting to tell the women that
Jesus was alive, to see those words
Take away their breath
As they are the first to know
What God has planned for us.
The resurrection and Eastertide
Are not just a rememberance of
What happened long ago.
It is a foretaste of what God has
Planned for those who embrace the gift
Of God's life and love.
So as you dress in bright colors
And celebrate this season
With family and friends
Remember life is eternal
That it never ends...
And think about the reason
Why, God's heart was broken
On a tree between earth and sky
So long ago outside Jerusalem.
This Easter as we celebrate
In church and home
As we color our eggs, and hide them
To be found, as we look upon the
White lilies in the Easter flowers
Upon the altar, and listen to the story
Once again...As we sing the hymns and
Reinact the drama
Let us pray for peace in the Middle East.
For there are people, blinded, and maimed
Who will not see a lily again, or hear a song,
Or jump and run to hunt for something hidden.
And some will not see a loved one again
Until they enter eternal spring.
For both friend and enemy alike
Our hearts should break today.
How long will God's heart break for us,
Is not for me to know or say.
But it is broken anew I think
As I contemplate the pansy and the pink
Of the dogwood overhead
I wonder when we will embrace
As one human race, with one Father?
When will division cease?
When will there be complete universal peace?
It is almost Easter.
