Lad's night

A reading for Thursday in Holy Week:

All is set.

Following his instructions,

we’ve rented a room,

arranged the purvey.

It’ll just be Jesus and us

a good lad’s night.

What a blast we had the last time we did as he told us

borrowing that donkey

parading into town

men women and children cheering us on.

It’s been a funny few days –

Crazy laughter on the Sunday

Temper tantrum on the Monday

Telling it how it is on the Tuesday

Beautiful woman

with exquisite ointment on the Wednesday

Don’t know what exactly he’s got planned for tonight

One thing we can say for sure

It will be different

With him it always is

We’re going to rest up

because this week’s gone like lightning.

Jesus has been like someone possessed

I’m sure that’s why he organised the room just for the lads

some down time before whatever campaign he’s got planned next

He needs to keep a low profile anyway

He’s upset a lot of folk this week

Bad enough parading into town like a king –

albeit a king on a donkey

but then to turn the tables in the temple – literally

and tell more of his hard hitting parables

and let himself be anointed semi-publicly

when he knows that the authorities

are watching and waiting

for the chance to do him down.

They have to bide their time

and choose their moment

so they don’t upset the people

though even they are turning.

The palm branch wavers

have already moved on

to the next big news story

And you know how crowds can be

when the mood turns ugly.

So we’re making the most of this lull,

gathering our strength

so that we can support him

through whatever happens.

Liz Crumlish Lent 2010