by Linda Troxell

The Crucifixion of the Christ

On trembling legs, He dragged the cross
To the hill where He would die.
He knew He’d been abandoned
Was not surprised He’d been denied.
They kicked Him and they beat Him
With murderous intent
He was Humiliated just for Sport
As the crowd cheered for His torment
Slowly, He moved up the hill
In response to the lashes’ painful urge.
His cries and moans became the music
For this unholy funeral dirge.
The Son of God could not be recognized,
Beneath bloodied face and swollen eyes.
As He was crucified with criminals,
On silhouetted crosses in the sky.

His disciples looked on in confusion
Because something wasn't right
Why did He hang there willingly
When He could break free without a fight?
They thought He’d come to wage Holy war;
They had believed He was the One.
But when He cried out, “It is finished.”
They knew their hopes and dreams were done.

They laid His tortured body down
In a borrowed tomb as cold as ice.
With heavy hearts and teary eyes,
They gazed upon the fallen Christ.
It seemed wrong to leave His body
His flesh bloody, bruised, and torn;
But it was Sabbath preparation day,
So, they had no time to mourn.
They all agreed to come back
When Sabbath was complete,
Said a prayer for protection,
And wrapped His body in a sheet.
With the sabbath hour upon them
They had to leave the Lord in haste.
So, overwhelmed by fatigue and grief
They rolled His tombstone into place

He Is Risen

In the morning, when she returned
Mary found the tomb with open door
Inside she found an angel
And some grave clothes on the floor.
The angel said, “He’s not here.
You should search for Him among the living."
"For, just as He told you it would happen,
Today the Son of God is risen.”

When the risen Christ appeared to her,
Mary’s heart swelled with love and fear.
She wondered if she'd gone mad with grief,
Or, was her Rabbi standing here?
When He saw that she was frightened,
He said, “Touch me, you’ll see that I’m a man.”
Then He said, “Tell my men to go to Galilee,”
“I’ll meet them there as planned.”

His resurrection brought a new covenant
Changed our salvation from law to grace.
No more need to earn redemption
And the sting of death was erased.
With all sin redeemed, His work was done,
So, Christ ascended to the Father.
He went to prepare a place for us
Where we’ll drink from living water.

We know not when God will call us;
Could be a hundred years or tomorrow.
But the day He finally calls us home
We’ll live eternally without sorrow.

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Linda Troxell is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who lives in a small town in Southern California where she writes devotionals and poetry to post on her personal blog. For over twenty years, she worked to help men and women struggling with substance abuse and adolescent boys in group homes struggling with family difficulties. She is now retired and spends most of her time doing what she loves best, writing about the Lord, and spending time with her grandchildren.