Toohu vi Vohu

"Toohu vi Vohu" is the Hebrew description in Genesis 1 for the formless waste that existed before Creation.  Scholars have been frustrated by the term; there is no exact translation for the phrase.  But they and we know what it means, know that God brought order and life and beauty in its stead.  On this Good Friday, it seems as that nameless void has returned, when goodness has been laid low, when life itself has been brought low.  On this day, Jesus was killed by men who knew not what he was about, abandoned by others to consumed by fear.  On this day, hope had no purchase.

We are able to remember this day for we know what is coming in its wake: the joy, the miracle, the gift of Easter.  But imagine being one of those who gathered at the foot of the cross to see Jesus being mocked, to see him die - and not know that he would be resurrected.  The finality, the gut-wrenching loss is unimaginable.  But on this day, we should try to envision it, for this is what Jesus was willing to endure for you and me.  This is pure, unbounded love at work, making it possible for us to live, to confront "toohu vi vohu."

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