It Is Finished

It is finished. The book, I mean. I submitted my draft late last night. Since I’m burned out on green living advice this morning, I want to ponder “It Is Finished” in another context.

As is customary for this time of year, the sermon last Sunday at my church was about Jesus’ crucifixion. Pastor George Fisk brought to life Jesus’ agonizing experience in his sermon series about the last 24 hours of his life. Hello, can you even imagine enduring such things as condemnation, rejection, humiliation, betrayal, beatings, and torture, all in one day? After six hours of hanging on the cross in excruciating pain, the ordeal was over.

"When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." (John 19:30)

I know if it were me, I would have cried “when” after the first lashing. And he suffered all that for us.

And still I avoid talking about Jesus. I suppose I have reasons for doing this, although right now, on this day, I can’t understand why. My surface answer goes something like this: my friends, family, and clients – my “public” if you will, fall into different camps: green, Christian, secular/humanist, and business. A handful of people span several categories, such as my friends Dan and Pat. They are Green Christian Businessmen. (There’s a category you don’t hear every day.) But for the most part, I’ve got people in my mind separated. Since I see green as the glue that can pull us all together, I tend to focus on what we all share in common instead of what divides us. For this reason, I keep it light and agreeable.

And yet, when I read the Bible, “light and agreeable” is not what compels me to follow Jesus. It’s the bold, courageous, daring and convicted apostles who win me over every time. Hmmm, makes “green is the glue” seem like a shallow message.

Having come to a stopping point in my book writing, I’m going to shift gears and do more reading instead. I draw inspiration from Christ’s disciples, ancient and modern alike. A number of them are contributors to SustainLane's Creation Care page. I’m not sure if I will ever emulate them or if I’m even supposed to. I might continue to play it safe and remain a connector, a bridge, and a facilitator. Not to sound like a doubting Thomas, but I'm still searching for my role, my precise mission. I suppose that is the nature of finishing anything. It represents both and ending and a beginning.

I’ll ponder the possibilities in prayer. As for today, in honor of Easter and new beginnings, I’m going to dispense with the usual cutesy how-to advice for making organic Easter eggs. Instead I offer this humble blog entry to say “Thank You Jesus.” Although I feel adrift, perhaps even lost in the wilderness, with Jesus as my compass, I know I'll find my way.