04-26-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 26, 2024
This Sunday, I am preaching on the second half of Psalm 22, though it is difficult to understand the second half without knowing the opening words. Of course, those were words Jesus borrowed as he hung upon the cross, “‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” It is a statement of utter despair. Actually, despair seems to fall short in expressing the anguish and emotional torment of betrayal, a feeling as if he has been forgotten by both his disciples and God. Though the cross might present to us an extreme example, there is something very real about the experience of feeling as if one has been forgotten, with no hope. Many of us have cried out in one form or another, “Why God! Why have you turned your back on me?” Perception is reality, even though our faith tells us that God’s presence is eternal. Psalm 139 provides an extensive list of the places we find ourselves, and though we might assume God is not present in some of the more difficult or shadowy places, our faith tells us that God is fully present in every moment and every place. Life is often lived in this tension between what we experience in the moment and what the story of faith tells us. Even Jesus seemed to have his moment.

Thanks for remaining faithful, Gracious and Everlasting God, even when things are rough on my side and I am questioning everything. Amen.