A Lenten Invitation for all Spiritual Pilgrims
By Surprisedbyjoy@yahoo.com and Gods_gnome@yahoo.com
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Passion Sunday
By God’s Gnome
Psalm 31: 9 - 16
"O Lord, have mercy on me in my anguish."
Today as we celebrate Passion Sunday we move into the final two weeks of Christ’s life, which culminate in the events of Easter Sunday. Psalm 31, from which both Jonah and Jeremiah quote, reflects the tremendous crises we encounter in our lives. Here in David’s words we encounter a picture which accurately portrays the rejection and isolation which Jesus experienced in his final days. We see a person treated with contempt, deserted by friends and acquaintances, grossly affected by slander, who is also the victim of a conspiracy against his life. The Psalmist’s words paint him as one overwhelmed by helpless grief to the extent that he feels as if he is wasting away.
The tone of the Psalm then changes dramatically and we hear a prayer of faith spoken in the midst of these troubles. In utter trust the Psalmist places his expectations of deliverance into God’s hands. "My times are in thy hands", the statement of faith he uses, encompasses every step of life’s journey, every event and experience of his life. No matter what crisis may arise, the writer believes God will use it to enable lessons to be learned and his faith to be strengthened. As our text concludes we hear familiar words for David seeks the blessing first spoken in Numbers 6: 25, "Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love." These are not the words of someone smiling through their tears, but rather of a person who is confident in spite of their problems and fears.
In the midst of our difficulties, indeed when we strike life’s impossibilities, in those times when we feel isolated and rejected, God is still present. Only God can produce good from experiences which appear horrendous at the time. Only God in the person of Jesus could open the doors of heaven for people like us. Faith makes the difference in our lives, faith in a God we can entrust with all our times. It is this faith which can turn our mourning into joy, and transform pain into a gift or blessing. Have we confidence enough? Is our faith sufficient to entrust all our times into God’s hands?
Prayer: God, in the midst of our troubles and trials strengthen our faith and grant us your blessing. Amen.
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By God’s Gnome
Love’s Demands
Isaiah 55: 8
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways," declares the Lord."
In Jesus’ time, the local custom demanded that a host who felt honoured by the presence of his guests would personally wash their feet. Other guests did not expect this service from their host’s hands. Yet, according to John’s Gospel, at the Last Supper Jesus washed and dried the dusty feet of his friends. Did he intend his disciples should interpret by this action that their presence honoured him?
His own words belie this theory for he used this opportunity to speak of serving one another. By his action he revealed the love of God as it flows into the ordinary routines of life. His disciples had been arguing about the important positions they hoped to occupy in the new Dominion. Their words imply they were self-seeking, asking, "What’s in it for me?", and as such revealing themselves as petty, self-centred and jealous people. Just a breath away from Christ’s arrest, trial and death, rather than treasuring each moment with Jesus, their thoughts were focused on their own future glory rather than present events.
At the end of his tether Job had a few angry words to say to God about the way his whole world had been shattered. Scripture relates God’s response in chapters 38-41 of the Book of Job. This response commences with the questions, "Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations? Tell me if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know." At the end of God’s commentary, Job in his apology replies, "You asked, ‘Who is that obscuring my counsel without knowledge?’" Job, like any of us who would challenge God’s power, has his self-esteem shattered. God’s self-revelation, while not directly answering Job’s questions, healed the wounds of his heart and restored his former peace.
Can we, any better than Job, offer answers to the questions posed by God? Seen in our true light we are insignificant, for where is our wisdom, and where are the words we could speak which would effect changes such as God has wrought? Neither our thoughts nor our ways are based on the knowledge and power of God. We cannot understand fully the events of our daily lives. How then can we presume to understand the actions and words of our Creator God? The depths of God’s love cannot be fathomed by our finite human minds. Nevertheless to people like us God offers a free pardon, for Love has paid our debts.
Prayer: God, teach us gently that your love for us is more than we can ever understand. Amen.
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By God’s Gnome
To God I Cry
Mark 14: 34
"My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch."
When our lives are thrown into confusion by news of a life crisis that shocks us, whether it be a forced redundancy, the collapse of our most intimate relationship or a terminal diagnosis, we long for the company of a close friend. It is the assurance such company provides which allows us to weather life’s storms. We may not feel the necessity to talk things over with that friend, indeed we may initially not be able to discuss rationally our current experience, but the comfort an understanding friend provides is invaluable.
Jesus was overcome with confusion and fear as the realisation of his impending death swamped his being and he longed to have the company of his close friends in the garden that night as he prayed. Like all of us faced with sore trouble he sought a way out. To God he took his agony of mind, his fears, his dread of death, and pleaded that this might not be the lot he had drawn. In the midst of our troubles we too search for a way out, and plead that there may be another path, one that will not involve so much separation and pain. In our grief we hammer at doors on earth which may open to provide a solution, and on heaven’s door we do no less.
Those who Jesus chose were the friends who had protested their undying support for him such a short time earlier. Three times He returned from his prayers and found them sleeping. As we seek friends to sustain us it is not those who protest their support, but those who demonstrate their love and concern who remain cherished in our hearts. Yet even facing death’s spectre it was the nevertheless which Jesus offered back to God which inspires our lives. "Nevertheless if it be your will" is a phrase which echoes through the centuries. Nevertheless. In spite of my fears, and preferred choices, I will be obedient to God’s will. Jesus finally accepted the bitter cup offered to him and drank it to its dregs, and so became the bridge between humanity and God. Sometimes the cup we raise unwillingly to our lips may become a bridge between people, or a light which allows others to find their way home during life’s bleakest storms. Our pain is never wasted in God’s plan. Our deaths may become a triumph of transformed eternal life.
Prayer: God, in those periods of our lives when we believe there is none we can term as a friend, remind us that Jesus is the Friend who will never fail us. Amen.
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By God’s Gnome
The Lord’s Supper
Mark 14: 22-25
"This is my body." "This is the blood of the new covenant which is being shed for many."
Every word and action of a Passover Celebration was ritually prescribed. The head of the family prayed over the cup of the Kiddush and all drank of it. On three occasions the person celebrating Passover ceremonially washed his hands. The bread reminded them of the bread of affliction which they ate in Egypt, and it was broken thus symbolising the broken crusts which were their lot. They related the story of their deliverance, sang the first part of the Hallel, and proceeded into the meal proper. At the close of the meal, with the second part of the Hallel sung and the last cup of wine drunk, two short prayers ended the Passover Feast.
The Passover commemorates the Jewish nation’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Central to the meal was the roasted lamb, a reminder of the lamb’s blood sprinkled on door lintels the night the Angel of Death appeared. The mild and gentle lamb became the symbol of safety and God’s protection. This ancient and sacred meal took on new life and meaning in Jesus’ hands. This ritual was transformed and became a new reality. When Jesus took the uneaten portion of the bread in his hands, for every part of this meal had to be consumed, with his blessing and his invitation to his friends, he was saying "Look closely, for just as this bread is broken and shared between you, so will my body be broken for you!"
When he took the cup, possibly the third cup which was called the cup of thanksgiving, everyone expected to hear the usual blessing, "Blessed art thou, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who hast created the fruit of the vine." But Jesus had two new revelations to share which would change this feast from a celebration of the past to a proclamation of the future. To his friends he said, "Look at the red wine which has been poured out into this cup, just as surely will my blood be poured out for you. This will bring into effect a new covenant which will not be based on obedience to the law, but instead on the love of God." The bread and wine took on new characteristics and became a sacrament which we share in today.
However neither baptismal water and fire, nor eucharistic bread and wine, will ever replace our intimate relationship with God. Just as Jesus that night was able to "tell it as it is" to his friends, in our relationship with God we discover the joy of being able to "tell it as it is" knowing that every thought and word are perfectly understood. It may not be in the sharing of bread and wine but in a shared meal of fish, such as was prepared that morning when Jesus challenged Peter to feed the hungry of the world, that we hear Jesus. Any or every day Jesus may whisper the words of this sacrament to our hearts, and as the depths of his love sink into our soul, we realise that he is asking if we too will become the bread and wine which he would share out to feed the hungry souls of the world. The Lord’s Supper goes on as we too are offered to others.
Prayer: God in those times when we do not want to be of service to others, remind us of your body and your blood which transform all lives with love. Amen.
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By God’s Gnome
Betrayed
Mark 14: 18,20, 44,45
"While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me - one who is eating with me." "It is one of the Twelve ... one who dips bread into the bowl with me." Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard." Going to Jesus, Judas said, "Rabbi!" and kissed him."
One of life’s most painful experiences is the betrayal by a friend or family member - someone with whom we have shared daily intimacies. It was but a few days since crowds had hailed Jesus with shouts of "Hosanna" as he entered the city on an ass. Now gathered together with his disciples for a communal meal Jesus spoke of a plot to betray him.
Jesus could have denounced Judas to the rest of the disciples and Judas would have been held, his plans thwarted. Jesus could have used a miracle to render Judas harmless. Instead he confronted Judas with his sin, in an attempt to make him stop and reconsider his plans. His eyes challenged Judas as if to ask, "Can you look into my eyes and tell me you will still do what you propose?" God never uses force, never attempts to coerce us. Rather God uses an appeal based on love.
Judas recognised the Messiah in Jesus. The prophecies were fulfilled, yet even with the voices of the crowd praising him, Jesus refused to seize the power offered with the adulation. Judas therefore resolved to force Christ’s hand by betraying him to the authorities, believing this would cause Jesus to claim his kingdom. Like all of us, Judas misjudged God’s vision of the dominion. Until the moment of Christ’s arrest, Judas expected Christ to declare himself. He could not understand that Jesus asked only for his followers to love God as God loves them, and that they also love each other. These are the formulae which would produce the new age of which prophecy spoke.
And so, as the truth sank into his consciousness, Judas attempted to turn back time’s hands by returning the blood money to the Temple authorities. Having failed even in this, he took his own life. He could no longer live with the memory of Christ’s eyes meeting his own. Now that he understood the meaning behind Christ’s teachings, where were all those days they had spent together? How could he endure the knowledge that the One he loved, he had sacrificed? How could he live a day more, his shame and deceit condemning him, his own thoughts mocking him? Would that he could once again reach out and touch Jesus. Would that he could hear Jesus’ voice calling to him, "Come, follow me. Let us start afresh."
Prayer: God, today I hear your voice calling me, and asking me to join you on a fresh journey as a cross bearer. May I accept your invitation with joy. Amen.
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By God’s Gnome
Your Will Be Done - Christ’s Nevertheless
Mark 13: 32-42
Jerusalem, in Jesus time, was so crowded that there was no space for gardens. A wealthy friend must have allowed Jesus free access to the private garden on the Mount of Olives. To this hill, overlooking the city of Jerusalem, Jesus went with Peter, James and John after they had sung the Hallel. And it is at this time we witness the anguish of Jesus in prayer.
At thirty-three Jesus did not wish to die, least of all to die with the agony of a crucifixion. In the garden of Gethsemane we witness his struggle as he submitted his will to the will of God. God’s will is never forced on humanity, we are always allowed our choices. Jesus could have rejected what he perceived as God’s will and turned back, in which case the salvation of the world would have been at risk. But because Jesus knew it was the will of God he chose to go on, even though he could not understand why this painful step was necessary. In his distress, though he asked God for a way out, he waited submissive to the will of God. "Nevertheless," he said, "Your will be done."
The intensity of his prayers had exhausted him. Isaiah had stated that God would place on the Messiah’s shoulders all humanity’s sins, and the weight of these seemed unbearable. The sweat, forming in beads on his face and forehead, began to change colour until it became the colour of blood. Most of us will never experience such intensity in prayer. It is a state called Haematidrosis and occurs when fear is piled upon fear, and suffering upon suffering . It is caused by the dilation of subcutaneous capillaries which, when they come in contact with sweat glands, burst allowing blood to flow with perspiration.
Into our lives occasions will arise when we too are faced with our own Gethsemane experience, when we learn to say to God "Your will be done." It is a measure of our relationship with God whether we say it in perfect faith and trust, as did Jesus, knowing we are submitting to God’s love. Knowing God’s love we do not utter these words in frustrated submission, nor with resentment or anger, but with the calm assurance that all is well with our souls.
Whenever we are presented with major choices in our lives we can attempt to trust our own judgement, or we can decide to ask that God’s will be done. It is with the same utter confidence and trust a child manifests toward those who have demonstrated unqualified love that we can trust God with all the details of our lives. "Your will be done" in our jobs, relationships, spiritual communities and even in our own self-care. "YOUR will, Beloved God."
Prayer: God, when we are faced with hard choices in our lives remind us of the nevertheless our Saviour used at Gethsemane. Amen.
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By God’s Gnome
Denying Christ
Mark 14: 66 – 72
"I do not know the man you are talking about."
Today’s reading deals with a man torn between his love for Jesus and fear. What but love could have drawn him, accompanied by John, into the courtyard of Caiaphas’ palace? He was a marked man, one who had used a sword to excise the ear of one of the High Priest’s men.
As onlookers shrouded by darkness let us watch the story unfold. The young woman porter’s eye fell on Peter as she held high the lantern to identify the callers, and she identified him as an associate of Jesus. This was the first occasion on which Peter denied Jesus. A little later, as the wind whipped the flames, from across the fire a man pointed Peter out as one of Jesus’ disciples. For the second time Peter denied Jesus. Then again did a voice challenge him, and this time in anger Peter denied Jesus for the third time, just as Christ was led across the courtyard. At that moment a rooster nearby stretched his neck, flapped his wings and crowed, and as the sound echoed through the courtyard Jesus turned and faced Peter. As he looked into the eyes of Jesus and found not anger, but sorrow there, Peter ran sobbing from the scene.
What we have here is obviously Peter’s account, for we hear the whole report of his betrayal. To Peter’s mind the incident exemplified the forgiveness Jesus offers even those who have betrayed him. Peter had been over-confident thinking he could handle anything which arose. But Jesus has always been aware of human weakness, he knows how likely we are to make mistakes, and to fail those to whom we owe our loyalty. Jesus knows that we will sometimes close our eyes and ears to the cries of others, while trying to justify our actions by concluding we are too stretched, or have helped too often already.
Often our own resolve is tested, and we fall prey to those acts or words which we believe we would never countenance. Sometimes it is at the moment we reach our breaking point when we too deny the Lord to whom we owe our existence. Some have had their faith tested in prison or under torture, but these are exceptional circumstances. It is usually not in earth-shattering incidents that we fail, but so many times it is in the petty, little events of daily living. Our tempers flare when we would have been better to have spread love like a blanket over a situation. We attempt to substitute badly finished or incomplete work when laziness becomes a companion. We put off today’s prayer time, and leave our Bibles unopened because we did not schedule time for our day’s nourishment. Like Peter, we each experience times of reckoning, times when Jesus turns to face us too. When we meet Jesus’ glance we discover it is not anger in his eyes we see, but voiceless sorrow and grief. It is not Christ’s pride we have broken, but his heart.
Prayer: God, like Peter I have betrayed you. I have not followed your command to love, yet as I look into your eyes I see not judgement but love and sorrow mingled there. Forgive me, precious Christ. Amen.
