Joy after Pain

Joy after Pain Easter 6, John 16:16-24, John 13 - 17
They didn’t know that supper was the last.
He washed their feet, a sign they had arrived
from those shared journeys that he knew were past.
He taught in hopes his loving words survived.
He spoke of joy that follows after pain,
as when a woman labours to give birth,
for that new life is worth the fear and strain, 
the primal surges, strong as quaking earth.
His loss would pierce their souls as spear his side,
but he assured them that he would return.
He died betrayed, abandoned and denied,
yet that last night he taught so we might learn
that tomb and womb are both a sacred space
from which new life emerges, gift of grace.