The Unnoticed Headwear
Albert Bogle
April 18, 2022
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John 20: 3-10 (NRSVA)
3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes.
So Peter and John waste no time they hurry off in a spirit of disbelief to check out what Mary has just told them. Mary follows them back. John enters the garden first. He finds the tomb uncovered, the great stone is lying at the side, cautiously he looks in, sees empty grave clothes lying on the ground, and feels a bit scared.
Peter arrives just behind him moves John to the side and immediately moves into the tomb. He looks around, sees the grave clothes lying on the ground, but notices the head covering lying separately neatly folded. Some things only get noticed from the right perspective. John plucks up the courage and moves into the tomb, views the evidence and this time he reveals to us his innermost thoughts — he believes the impossible.
Sometimes it takes a second glance to read the room. Too often we overlook the obvious only to find the obvious speaking clearly to us when we take a second look.
There is something powerfully compelling and tantalising about the evidence of grave clothes lying discarded and a face covering lying on its own neatly folded. Could it be we all have folded face covering neatly folded in our lives. The thing is it is only we who can see them. They often become the triggers for our belief.
Break into my dark tomb
Lord,
Did you bolt upright
as the new clean clear light
broke into the dark tomb?
When the resurrection power entered your body
Did your body dematerialise inside the linen shroud
as the grave clothes fell to the ground?
Did you rematerialise — a new man,
the new Adam — God’s new creation?
As you stepped out of the linen clothes
Leaving them in a pile at your feet
Did you pick up the napkin
Fold it
And calmly, ever so calmly smile
Resurrection for you had to include a folded face cloth
Perhaps just for John or perhaps me?
Lord,
Break into our dark tombs
Dematerialise us in our darkness
Let the power of your new clear clean light
Rematerialise us into Spirit filled people
Leaving folded napkins for others to find.
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