Saturday in The Week of The Resurrection of The Lord (04/18/09)

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.
--Mark 16:1

I dreamed a dream in time gone by

When hope was high

And life worth living

I dreamed that love would never die

I dreamed that God would be forgiving

Then I was young and unafraid

And dreams were made and used and wasted

There was no ransom to be paid

No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night

With their voices soft as thunder

As they tear your hope apart

And they turn your dream to shame

Have any tigers come into your night to tear your hope apart and your dream to shame?

At last check, the number of hits on YouTube was nearing twenty million for Susan Boyle, the forty seven year old British woman who put countless lumps in throats and tears in eyes worldwide. The italicized words above are a portion of the lyrics she sang on the British version of TV's American Idol. The song was from the musical, Les Miserables, which includes -- and this is classic understatement -- some incredible music.

A pastor and friend that I greatly admire first brought Ms. Boyle's performance to my attention. He was flabbergasted -- and rightly so. "There has to be some illustration here," he ventured. I took that as a gentle and friendly challenge, and this meditation is my faltering attempt to meet it.

That Ms. Boyle wowed an international audience is beyond question. Her vocal talent, heretofore basically unknown, brought people to their feet. All of this in itself is remarkable. Many people have described her voice as angelic, and I share that sentiment.

But I also consider the words she sang, words about tigers in the night that rip your hope apart and turn your best dreams into shame. Could the message of that astounding song, at least in part, capture what those women were feeling as they made their way to the tomb of Jesus on that first Easter Sunday?

The tiger had come in the night. Their Lord was crucified. Their hopes and dreams were pinned on Him, and then He was pinned to a cross. There would be plenty of time -- the rest of their lives -- to ruminate on what might have been. But before that, there was one last labor of love to be rendered. They would go to the place where their hopes and dreams were buried; they bought some spices and went to anoint the body of Jesus.

Upon arrival, they discovered that their hopes and dreams were not buried. In fact, they were not there at all. They were risen! Jesus had risen -- and their hopes and dreams with Him!

If a song of torn hopes and dead dreams can move the world, what does that say about the power of Christ's resurrection?

The hopes and dreams have just begun, and it's okay to stand and clap. That lump in your throat and tear in your eye? The power of love put them there, and the song goes on!

PD