Scripture: Mark 15:33-39
When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "Listen, he is calling for Elijah." And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down." Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was God's Son!"
Reflection Questions:
Where is the place that death resides within you? It is an unhealed wound, deep hurt, debilitating fear, or lingering regret? Where do you cry out in desperation to God? What is your need for resurrection? How might the presence of God along life’s rocky path provide hope, strength, healing, and ultimately the peace that passes all understanding?
Five-minute Story:
As we waited in the rock-hewed tunnel for the storm to break, we were not alone. In addition to the Lichtenberger party of four, there were a few other hikers crammed into the small impromptu shelter. One man was around nineteen. As we got talking, we learned that it was his grandfather that was on the stretcher at the Three-Mile rest stop (recall - Part Three (Airlift).)
According to the grandson, let’s call him Jeff, a park volunteer was going to stay overnight with his grandpa at an emergency shelter. They thought that after a good night’s rest, he would be able to make it out In the morning. There wasn’t enough room at the shelter so Jeff had to hike back to their hotel room on the Rim and return in the morning.
The hike had turned into an ordeal that separated Jeff from his grandpa. You could see that Jeff was concerned and worried. Who wouldn’t be? It was the two of them, and they were a thousand miles from their home in Montana. The longer we waited for the storm to pass, the more Jeff opened up. In some strange way, the conversation was a gift to us all. It didn’t make the danger from the lightning any less nor did it solve Jeff’s situation. Still, our friendly chat had a calming effect. It reminded us that we were not alone in our struggles.
My God, my God why have you forsaken me? Psalm 22 begins in a place of abandonment and despair. These are fitting words for Jesus to cry out on the cross. These are also appropriate words for us to cry when we despair and feel alone. These words are a vehicle for our anger and frustration. They give us permission to be honest and even yell at God. It can be a spiritually helpful thing to do as long as we don't stop there.
If we stop reading the Psalm at the very place where it starts, which is what we usually do, then we miss the wisdom of the faith journey of the ancient hymnist. From crying out in the depths of human struggle, the psalmist remembers. In verse 3, remembrance kicks in; “Yet you are holy…” Faith remembers the past faithfulness of God and leans into the steadfast nature of God’s love. It begins a marked shift from feeling abandoned to trusting in God’s continued presence.
Sacred memory does not push doubt to the side. It is not like the empty and unhelpful phrases that well-meaning people toss our way when they notice we are in a rough spot. “Hang in there, things will be better.” “All you have to do is just believe in Jesus - it will all turn out right.” Those who say such things mean well but fail to connect with the depth of our hurt. A deep, "real-life" faith knows we can’t believe our way to perfect health no matter how positive our thoughts may be.
Throughout our time together, I have imagined repentance as a ‘turning toward’ God. Throughout Jesus’ public ministry, he preached the nearness of God’s kingdom and invited his hearers to turn to God - repent. Turn and trust in the source of our life. Remember that it is in God's nature to be present. Hope in the relationship that God formed with us when we were gifted our first breath. Lean into the deepening relationship of our baptism - when we were joined to the Christian community to be part of Christ’s body in this world to carry on Jesus' creative and redeeming mission.
Remember, trust, wait, breathe - these are good things for us to do this day no matter how rocky our path might be at this moment. In each of these spiritual practices, we find a movement toward God, who we will discover is not as far away as we first supposed. Rest assured, however, that even if in our exhaustion we lack the ability to do anything - God will not abandon us. God will wait on us and give us the strength that we need to carry on.
Back to Jeff and the tunnel. The storm let up a little in its intensity. Cautiously, one by one, the hikers left the tunnel to complete the remaining distance to the trailhead. Jeff bid us goodbye. He seemed to have what he needed until he could reconnect with his grandpa in the morning. As he left the tunnel, he joined up with another group that was walking a little faster than we were able to walk. Two nights later, we saw both him and his grandpa strolling on the Rim eating ice cream.
As for the Lichtenberger party of four, we accomplished the final dash from the tunnel to the trailhead with ease. The lightning storm moved away and the danger passed. At the trailhead, we were too tired to take the “after” photo to accompany the “before” picture taken as we started out in the early morning. We started our hike just before the sun came up and we finished our journey just as the sun was going down. Even without the picture, we have the memory, wisdom, and experience of the journey to keep with us for a long time.
“... future generations will be told about the Lord, and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.” Starting in despair, Psalm 22 ends hopefully. At the end of each trail, our journey with God embarks on a new adventure. Tombs open. Easter dawns. Thanks be to God!