Nothing but the Blood of Jesus

Today is in the tradition of the Christian church known as Maundy Thursday. It is a day of remembrance. It is the day when we think about the words of our Messiah as He broke bread and  had fellowship with His closest followers. His closest friends. He knew as He knelled in front of Judas to wash his feet that within hours this same man would offer to Him the 'kiss of death'.
As a woman who is facing the birth of her child He knew that no one else could do this for Him. He knew the only way through it was to go through it. Unlike the woman in labor He would not cradle a precious babe and be able to forget the pain as "water gone by". There would not be encourages around Him. Only mockers. And when He cried out to the only One who truly understood His pain that One would turn His back and forsake Him. The Father God. The only Son.
Last night at Source church Pastor Frank was not there so Pastor Robb brought the Word to us. He spoke of the blood. Life is in the blood. Without blood there is no life. He spoke of the Cross. The life giving blood.
I have pictured myself at that scene. I like to think that I am brave enough to stand at the foot of the cross with Mary the mother and the 'other' Mary. I like to think that I am loyal and that I would not have left Him. I see his blood on the His head, His hands, His feet...the cross, the ground and yes even on me for to be this close it surly would have smeared my cheeks.
I think back to the death of my father. He died of cancer. I was not with him for the long months of his illness but was there for his last days. He coughed and with the cough came blood and it stained my shirt. It was precious. It was intimate. It was not gross or ugly. I was close enough...
But in the end Jesus was alone.
As Pastor Robb spoke of Jesus on the cross he spoke of Him crying out to the Father. At the moment he spoke the word "Father" a baby who was seated right behind me at the exact moment said "DaDa". In the moment all of the divinity that is Jesus on the cross collided with all the humanity of the baby in Bethlemhem. His cry on the cross was not to some far away theoligical diety. His cry was "Abba, Daddy!" and His Father turned His back as the life blood left His body. As He breathed His last and died.
Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. Thank you Jesus for your blood that covers me.
http://youtu.be/ayJusJ_jvco