Devotional 4-8-09

Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm 70, Hebrews 12:1-3, John 13:21-32

This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. John 3:16 from the Message.

Grief and loss. On this Wednesday of Holy Week I have been thinking on these dark subjects. I can’t seem to avoid thinking of them. No matter how you tell the Easter story, you have to describe the angst that Jesus felt in sharing the “last” supper with the disciples, the conflict during the prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane, the surprising betrayal, the unthinkable torture and humiliation of the flogging by the Romans, the long walk through the streets of Jerusalem and the horrible, excruciating execution of Christ on a cross. It would be a horribly tragic story if it ended with these events. But, praise God, I know the end of the story and I rejoice greatly in the resurrection. New life, new relationships, life eternal are possible because of the Joy in the Morning—the tomb is empty! Hallelujah!

But none of the joy would ever be possible without the grief and loss—the death of my savior as the basis for the joy. I am saved from my sins because of Jesus’ sacrifice. I am promised a place at the table with the One who knows my name because of all of the pain and suffering that Christ endured. The events of Holy Week may not have been what Jesus wanted or planned for himself, but they were what humanity needed. God knows our every need even before we realize what we should ask for. God truly understands our grief when someone we love is no longer walking this earth.

I worked with a patient this week who did not want to take his medications. He did not want to eat his meals. Every time my student and I tried to persuade him, he responded that he did not want what was offered because he was going to die. His daughter was very insistent that he was not going to die—today or anytime soon. I got the impression that she felt that her will for him to live was so strong that he would “obey” her. I know she desired the best for her father, but her desires and the feelings of her father were at odds. He seemed to be at peace with his own death, but perhaps his daughter was trying to put off the grief and loss she would experience if her father died.

We experience grief with each Holy Week because of the loss of Jesus’ earthly life, but we rejoice that the story does not end with only the grief. It is through Jesus’ sacrificial death that we can enjoy salvation. The gift of salvation comes at the expense of excruciating pain. We do not deserve the gift, but it was given freely and without regret and with such matchless, never-ending love. We are loved and embraced from the cross, as well as from an empty tomb. The poem that follows will be our choir’s anthem on Palm Sunday. I found the words very meaningful. Let them be your prayer today…

My God, I love Thee;
Not because I hope for heaven thereby, Nor yet because who love Thee not must die eternally.
Thou, O my Jesus, Thou didst me upon the cross embrace;
For me didst bear the nails, and spear, and manifold disgrace,
Why, then why, O blessed Jesus Christ Should I not love Thee well?
Not for the hope of winning heaven, Or of escaping hell;
Not with the hope of gaining aught, not seeking a reward;
But as Thyself hast loved me, O ever-loving Lord!
E’en so I love Thee, and will love, And in Thy praise will sing;
Solely because Thou art my God, And my Eternal King.
Anonymous 17th century Latin Poem
Translated by Rev. Edward Caswall

Chyrl Budd

Mission Prayer Focus and response:
April 8: Bluefield Parish-Mary's Cradle, Bluefield; Kathleen Masters, R.N. Church and Community Worker
This mission site concentrates on outreach ministries to children and families, especially those "at risk". Special assistance for teen-age moms is a priority.
Today we are praying for "Bluefield Parish/Mary's Cradle" They are in ministry with young moms. Give a dime for every baby bottle you have in your house.