Empty Cross

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:5-8

Friday
I am imagining the soldier
who drove the nails,
clambering around or stretching
to reach the hands,
trying to avoid seeing
the face and the eyes,
ignoring the eternal life line
dividing the palms
from fingers down to wrists,
glimpsing the lips
moving silently,
mouthing words not meant 
for ears to hear.
And I'm wondering
how many keepers of reliquaries
claim to own those nails,
or perhaps even the letter home
written by the nailer
or some other soldier ordered
later to do his duty
and pull them out.
                     Warren L. Molton

Take the hammer in your hand and drive the nail; for surely your participation (even through silence) in systemic evil nails Jesus to the cross still. Jesus emptied himself in order to be fully human, even though it meant this pain. What do you hold on to (like the hammer in your hand) that causes pain?