A MEDITATION.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume 26, Issue 7, 1 July 1935, Page 4

A MEDITATION.

(By Rev. C. G. G. Salt.)

S. John xx., 27.: Reach hither thy finger and behold my hands; reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side; and be not faithless but believing. This evening let us try to think of the risen Lord. Try to picture yourself as one of His disciples m that upper room, sitting there with all the others m fear — afraid that the Jews, knowing you to be one of His disciples, may come at any moment to deliver you to be scourged and crucified, even as they had delivered Jesus to Pilate. Try to imagine yourself for one moment as one of those disciples waiting there m fear; but also m expectation. You have heard that Jesus has risen. You have heard ;that wonderful news, and it is too good to be true. Whoever heard of one rising from the dead? And so you and all these other disciples of Jesus are sitting there m this supper room with

the door locked for fear of the Jews, but at the same time the whole atmosphere is tense with excitement. For you have all heard that Jesus has risen. There is no light m the room, except the faint light of the fading day, for it is evening. The room grows darker and darker, and you are afraid to light a candle — for fear of the Jews — and so you all sit still m the gathering gloom and silence. You try to pray, but as soon as you begin you wonder. Is it any good? Jesus is crucified, dead and buried — what is the use of praying? But yet there is this, strang^ rumou\r th;at Jesus is risen. You would like to pray, the whole atmosphere is so tense, and there is such a weird feeling m the air. You would like to pray, but everything is so strange, everything, since Jesus was crucified, seems out of joint. You long to see His dear face again. He was always so strong, so calm, so quietly confident. But now He is gone, and you feel all ill at ease. So you sit and wait m fear and expectancy. Then into the room there seems, to come a new soft light. It grows stronger and stronger, and, suddenly, ir the midst of the room, you see Jesus standing. The silent manner of His coming, and that mysterious light around Him, terrifies you. You know the door is locked, and it is an upstair room, He could not have come m through the window. Yet here He Is. You can see Him standing m the midst of you all, and there is light all around Him. You are terrified, until you hear His voice, the same voice you have learned to love, and it says m the same quiet, comforting tones, "Be not afraid, it is I." Still you can hardly believe, and He turns to you with the same sad smile you have seen so often before, and says, "Reach hither your finger and behold My hands, and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into My side." And as He speaks He draws His shining raiment aside so that you can see where the cruel spear was thrust m. And yet there is ndthing ghastly about that wound now, nor about the wounds m His hands and feet. They are there, but no longer ghastly, now they are beautiful. You see all this, and fall at His feet. "O, my Lord and my Master!" That is all you can

say. You had refused to believe the others, but you cannot disbelieve Jesus Himself, and you are filled with shame. He knows now that you have doubted. He has given you the opportunity to do what you said you must do before you would believe, but you cannot do it now. You dare not touch those sacred wounds of the Christ. You can only kneel at His feet, and say "My Lord and my Master." It was unbelief that made them — those sacred wounds ! You have helped to make them! Now try to get another picture. • Jesus has ascended to His Father and your Father. That figure before which you knelt m the silence of the upper room, has grown. As you knelt your eyes, were opened, and you saw the truth. You saw that this human Christ was indeed the Christ of the whole universe. You saw Him grow, as it were, until He became all m all. He filled all space. He becomes so vast that He is everywhere. . If you ;ascend up into heaven, He is there. If you go down into the uttermost parts of the earth He is there also. If you take the wings of the morning and remain m the uttermost parts of the sea of space, far beyond the sun, far beyond the furthest stars —"Even there also shall Thy hand lead me." "If I say peradventure the darkness sh|aH hiide me; then shall my light be turned into day. Yea, the darkness is not darkness with Thee, but the night is as clear as My Lord and my Master, Thou art ■all m all! In Thee I live and move, . and have my being. Thou art above ; all and through all, and mus all. In my Baptism I was made a member of Christ! , Soul of Christ sanctify me. Body of Christ save me. O God Jesus hear me. Within Thy wounds hide me. Suffer me never to be separated from Thee. In the hour of my death call me, and bid me come to Thee, That .with Thy saints, I may praise Thee For ever and ever. Amen.