I’ve been preparing for a series on Mental Health that’s coming up. And I came across this one line from a book called Darkness is My Only Companion, by Kathryn Greene-McCreight.
It just so resonated with me, and it’s something to sit and ponder because there is power in its simplicity.
Suffering is not eliminated by the resurrection but transformed by it.
Amen.
The problem of “theodicy” (evil, and cruelty in the world) is a problem that theologians have wrestled with for decades. I read this one line a little while ago and it really resonated with me.
What do you think of it?
We don’t have an argument that solves the problem of the cruel world, but we have a story – Francis Spufford
A few Sundays ago we changed up our schedule. I strongly believe that God’s Holy Spirit can prepare and prompt you well ahead of time. By that I mean that planning and preparation are pretty important to me, and I believe God uses those.
But I also believe in listening to the Spirit in the moment as well.
So I have this little rule – plan for everything you can – and listen and change as you God’s Spirit leads in the moment.
So that’s what we ended up doing a few weeks ago. I had a great sermon planned, but in light of some significant health challenges our church was facing it didn’t feel it was the right one. Instead, the church leadership felt we should share on why difficulty happens and why it’s happening right now in our church.
So here is the audio of what I shared. I don’t have teaching notes like normal, or blog posts pre-prepped but I think that’s okay. Because when God’s spirit is moving, the only option you have is to follow it. Hope the audio is helpful.
I read this a little while ago, and it’s stayed with me. It deserves a lot of unpacking, but first it deserves some time sitting with it, thinking it through, and wrestling with it.
Paul Fiddes in his book, “Participating in God”, says this:
“Belief in a suffering God forbids us to structure any theological argument where God directly causes suffering.”
What do you think?
On Sunday we looked at this saying of Jesus on the cross: “Father into your hands I commend my Spirit”.
There is a lot to be said about this statement, but we just focused on a few details. First, that this is a prayer that quotes Psalm 31:1. This is important because on the cross it was virtually impossible near the end to speak. You died of asphyxiation so speaking was not only difficult, but excruciating. So Jesus, for his last words, prays the first line of this Psalm. And here is the rest of the verse:
I entrust my spirit into your hands. Rescue me, Lord for you are a faithful God. Psalm 35:1
When we take Jesus’ words in light of the rest of the verse we see that Jesus’ prayer is both a prayer of trust, and rescue.
The second thing we noticed was that while the translation of the word, “spirit” is correct in English, it is lacking. When we hear “spirit” we think of soul or the opposite of “body” or the material world. But the word in both Greek and Hebrew has earthy roots. Jesus here is not praying to hand over his “soul” but his entire being. This is why Eugene Peterson’ in his translation, translates this verse as, “I’ve put my life in your hands”. And this gets at the heart of what is happening. Jesus is trusting the Father, not just with his soul, but his entire life.
And what is so remarkable about this, is that Jesus at the end of his life turns to faith. We sometimes cheapen this moment by thinking, “Well Jesus…was Jesus he knew he would be resurrected”. But we are saying that on this side of history. Jesus hasn’t lived it yet, and so while he has faith the Father will rescue him, it simply put hasn’t happened yet. So Jesus is starting into death, darkness, and the weight of sin knowing he is about to be abandoned but in his last moments he doesn’t give up on faith, he gives in to faith. He says “Father I trust you even now”, you are all I can hold onto.
What is beautiful is that because Jesus prayed this prayer so can we. We will never know what Jesus experienced, nor will we ever go through the depth of what he experienced. But because of Jesus, even when we are at our worst, in our deepest struggle, because his spirit lives and moves within us – we can pray this prayer like him. When we come up against darkness that doesn’t quit, death that steals our life, we can choose to trust in God. To say, “Father I trust you with my life” which is where we ended on Sunday.
It was a prayer of unquestioning trust…Uncalculating trust. A no-questions-asked readiness to leave everything in the hands of the Father. Eugene Peterson
Sermon Notes:
Big Idea: That if Jesus prayed this prayer, so can we.
Teaching Points:
Adult Discussion Questions:
What stuck out to you from the sermon? What was challenging to you? How did God speak to you through it? What was new? Have you practiced Lent before? What can you fast or give up this year? Is there any difficulty you are facing right now? What is it? Can you name it? Can you trust God in the midst of it? What might that look like? Can you pray the prayer Jesus prayed?
Discussion Questions for Young Families
Read the story today with your kids. Talk to them about how Jesus, in the most difficult moment, trusted in his Father. Remind them they can always trust in God.
Challenge for the Week: Pray, “Father I trust you with my life”
On Sunday we began our series of Lent, “The Seven Last Words of Jesus”. We are looking at the seven last sayings Jesus utters prior to his death. For Lent we want to pause, reflect, repent, and not rush through the dark to Easter. Instead, we want to pause with Jesus and reflect on what his death means before entering into the joy of Easter. Without pausing before Easter, Easter can seem like any other day. This is why the practice of Lent, and the focus on Jesus is so crucial.
So we began our series by looking at the first two sayings in the book of John: “Woman, behold your son. Son, Behold your mother.” (John 19:26–27) and “I thirst.” (John 19:28).
The first of Jesus’ saying is really quite moving. Pain has a tendency to shrink people’s worlds’ to just their own needs. But this isn’t what we see in Jesus. While he is in pain, he is seeking to take care of his mother. He wants to ensure that she is protected and supported. Jesus, as he is dying, is still thinking of others. And this is beautiful.
William Barclay the great commentator wrote:
There is something infinitely moving in the fact that Jesus in the agony of the cross, in the moment when the salvation of the world hung in the balance, thought of the loneliness of his mother in the days when he was taken away. Jesus never forgot the duties that lay to his hand.
And that is true.
From there we hear Jesus cry out, “I thirst”. John makes it clear that this is connected to two prophecies in the Psalms, and this is true. But one cannot simply focus on the fulfillment of the Psalms without also acknowledging that Jesus’ thirst was not metaphorical. Jesus was thirsty, Jesus was in agony, Jesus was suffering. Sometimes we jump over Jesus’ humanity, and think only of the “spiritual suffering” he must have experienced or that Jesus was spared from human suffering. But the incarnation and John here reminds us of something important: our God suffers.
And this matters tremendously. This matters because if you suffer, God knows that same feeling. This matters because it teaches us that while there is suffering in the world, God himself is not exempt from suffering. God does not remain a distance from suffering, but enters into it to free us from it.
So it is crucial to remember that the thirst Jesus feels not only fulfills prophecy, but is also real. He suffers with us, so that he can free us.
From here we landed on the main point for this sermon: That Jesus knows what it is to suffer, and while we suffer reminds us of his love.
This is what these two words of Jesus remind us of. That Jesus is one who knows what it is to suffer, but he also in suffering gives love and protection. That’s what Jesus does for Mary, in his suffering and in hers, he gives her a tangible reminder of his love – a disciple to support her.
The point is that Jesus knows what it is to suffer, and he knows how, while we suffer, we need a reminder of his love.
We ended the sermon with a time of prayer and contemplation – because I firmly believe that while we are studying the “Seven Last Words of Jesus” these are not his last words. Jesus still speaks, and can still speak. And if while he is dying he notices those he loves and cares for them, he can surely do that now and today. So we ended with a time of prayer to simply listen for what Jesus might say to us. To imagine we are there with Mary and to simply notice Jesus noticing us. To notice Jesus noticing us, and to listen because our God who died, is still speaking, still caring, still entering into suffering, and changing lives. And it begins by noticing him, noticing us, and listening.
Sermon Notes:
Big Idea: Jesus suffers with us, and in our suffering gives us a reminder of his love
Teaching Points:
Adult Discussion Questions:
What stuck out to you from the sermon? What was challenging to you? How did God speak to you through it? What was new? Have you practiced Lent before? What can you fast or give up this year? What must Mary be thinking as she sees her son on the cross? Have you ever thought about Jesus’ suffering before? What does it make you feel when you think about it? Why do you believe the fact that God suffers is meaningful? What did Jesus say to you?
Discussion Questions for Young Families
Rather than just discussing this story with your kids, why not put it into practice a little bit. Think of a tangible reminder of your love you can give your kids: maybe a ring, necklace, a book, a teddy bear – something that will mean something to them. And give it to them, and share how you care for them, and how it’s a reminder of your love. Then remind them of how God does the same thing for us when we are hurting.
Challenge for the Week: Listen for Jesus, and notice him, noticing you.
Often in the prophets we read of God’s anger and his wrath. I know a lot of people for whom the language of God’s wrath makes them uncomfortable. I know it often makes me uncomfortable sometimes. Sometimes we seek to explain it away, put it into context, or find more gracious interpretations for it. I think that’s all fine and good as far as it goes, but sometimes I think we need to sit with the language and read and understand the depth that God cares about some things.
God’s anger in the prophets is because of the injustice around Israel. God is standing up for the hurting, oppressed, and those seeking hope. I actually think our uncomfort with some of God’s strong language reveals our more passive feelings to injustice around us.
While studying the prophets recently I read this from Abraham Joshua Heschel. I found it brilliant, true…and very convicting. He says this:
The exploitation of the poor is to us a misdemeanor; to God, it is a disaster. Our reaction is disapproval; God’s reaction is something no language can convey. It is a sign of cruelty that God’s anger is aroused when the rights of the poor are violated, when widows and orphans are oppressed? (The Prophets, 65)
His point for us is that we do not take the exploitation of the poor nearly as seriously as God does. Our uncomfort with the strong language of God in the prophets may be an indication of our passive acceptance of the exploitation around us.
So for me what this means is this. Have I become indifferent to the suffering I see around me, and around the world? Am I active in seeking to stand up for those who are hurting, and having the same passion God does about injustice?
I think these are important questions to think about, and even more important questions to act on.
On Sunday we are going to be having communion, and exploring an interesting passage in Exodus. The passage we are going to be looking at is this Exodus 3:7:
Then the Lord told Moses, “You can be sure I have seen the misery of my people. I have heard their cries for deliverance from their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come to rescue them from the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt.”
I think this is a beautiful passage because it reveals who God is.
In this passage God is one who hears, and who acts.
I think this is so crucial to so many of us, because when we are in difficulty our temptation is to believe we are alone. Our temptation is to believe our prayers are futile. Our temptation is to believe that nothing will change. Our temptation is to believe that the God we worship is distant and unmoving.
But here in this passage we see a totally different God. We see a God who is intimately involved with his people. We see a God who hears the cries of those who are suffering, and is then moved by them. Our God is not some unmoving, uncaring, distant deity. Our God is someone who is involved in the world being moved by injustice, not just to hear the cry but then to act.
So this passage gives me hope that whenever I feel alone, and hurting I know God is not removed but listening and acting.
On Sunday we’ll discover how God acts, and what he promises to us. But today why not simply rest in the fact that your prayers are heard by God. Your prayers and cries do move God. You are not alone but actually connected to the Creator who hears and responds. Hopefully that gives you hope, because it gives me hope.
“Only the suffering God can help.” Dietrich Bonheoffer.
This is brilliant, true and full of hope for us during Lent. During Lent the disturbing reality is that we focus on a God, who in the person of Jesus Christ, was beaten, broken, and buried. This is the God we follow, one who died. Is it any wonder Paul said preaching the cross was foolishness…The world follows power, display, and strength; our God demonstrates sacrifice, weakness, and a willingness to enter even into death.
This though is why only the suffering God can help. We do not follow a God who is above suffering, empathy, and distantly removed because of his power. Instead, we follow a God who knows what it is to be beaten. We follow a God who knows what it is to be broken. We follow a God who knows what it is to be buried.
So if you have ever felt beaten down by life…have hope. If you feel broken in body or soul…have hope. If you have lost someone, or feel like you yourself are being buried under darkness…have hope. Because our God felt all those things, but broke through them to show us the way. Our God didn’t stay in heaven removed from the muck and mire of humanity and our struggle. Our God chose to enter into our struggle, to empty himself of all power and privilege to join us. This is why only the suffering God can help, because only the suffering God can understand what we go through. So you are not alone. God knows what it is to feel betrayal. He knows what it is to look forward and see darkness. He knows what it is to die. But the message of Easter is he also knows about resurrection. He is the resurrection and the life. It is through him that all of the world is changed, in a blinding moment of new creation, new life, and a new future. He enters into suffering to lead us out…so may we reflect and remember that this Lenten season. Let us not rush past the suffering to the resurrection of Easter. Let us remember that only the suffering God can help…
I have one last quote to share before I move back to my regular blogging schedule and thoughts, now that I’m back from vacations. So here it is for a Monday morning.
“If you do not transform your pain, you will surely transmit it to those around you and even to the next generation. Suffering, of course, can lead you in either of two directions: It can make you very bitter and close you down, or it can make you wise, compassionate, and utterly open.” – Richard Rohr
The reality is we suffer. Life has struggles, ups and downs. But this quote reminds me it’s what I do in the struggles that counts. That’s why I like this quote, because it reminds me that what I’m going through doesn’t define me, my choices in the struggles define me.
So I like this quote because it reminds me that even out of bad things, God can bring something good…
Plattsville Church 