Easter’s Transforming Love

 What must Barabbas have thought, Lord,
 that convicted criminal whose place You took
 on the hard wood of the cross?  Did he ponder? 
 Did he wonder? Did he feel unworthy? Was 
 his life changed by Your sacrifice? Could it 
 have been transformed?  Did he rejoice?
    What an exorbitant price you paid for Barabbas,
 Lord; what an extravagant price you paid for us all.
 How can we turn our faces away from that?
 Surely not even Barabbas the thief could remain 
 unaffected by innocence put to death and evil freed.
 Not an option is repayment, Lord; it can’t be done.
    Priceless is salvation, timeless Your gift to us.
 And yet…in gratitude we can give you all of ourselves, 
 not half, not three-quarters, but every single bit of
 ourselves, from the hairs on our head to the skin
 on our toes. Committing ourselves anew to Your
 service, we can bless those who curse us, pray
 for those who abuse us, offer a coat to one who steals
 our jacket, give to everyone who comes to us begging
 and make no attempt to recover goods stolen from us. 
    A hard life is this, Lord; the human desire for revenge
 is strong in us.  And yet…Your gift of salvation is
 happening now. Not a one-time event, Your gift 
 calls us to serve You continually with love and humility.
 As You were dying on the cross, Lord, You gave us
 the perfect example of submission to Your Father’s
 will.  Death itself was put to death; life triumphed.
 In Your glorious resurrection, You showed us
 the immeasurable power of Your Father’s love. 
    We are all Barabbas, Lord, saved by grace. 
 We cannot think we are deserving of Your love. 
 And yet… if You thought we were worth dying for,
 who are we to say it is not so?      

Copyright © by Peggy Eastman, 2021