Scars

April 21st, 2009

Wednesday marked the 20^th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, with thousands gathered at Liverpool’s Anfield stadium for a memorial service.

96 Liverpool fans lost their lives that day 20 years ago in the Sheffield stadium which hosted the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.  I remember it well.  But it seemed that so many families still carry pain and anger, wounds that the passage of time has not healed.  There are open wounds rather than scars.  

There were nail marks in the resurrected body of Jesus. There was a large scar where a Roman soldier’s spear had been thrust into his side.  I wonder if Jesus still carries those scars in his ascended heavenly body?

What I do know is that we all carry scars of one sort or another, but we need not be carrying open wounds. Jesus came to bind up the broken hearted. He came to bring healing, forgiveness, freedom from condemnation, and to enable us to truly forgive others.

There was no attempt on Jesus’ part to hide his scars; they were an identifying feature.  But scars are evidence of healed wounds.  It was quite clear that he had triumphed over the wounds and the pain.  

An angry Anfield resounded to the singing of ‘Abide With Me’.  The poignancy of the last verse struck me: ‘Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes;  Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies; Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;  In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me’.  

David Thatcher

Filed under: Thought of the Week