Psalm 22: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my
cry?
There is a couple I have been giving spiritual counsel to
lately. They are both in their early sixties and have recently
lost their jobs. Because they are in their ë60s, employers
have been loath to hire them; their unemployment has run
out; their car was repossessed recently. They are in danger of
losing everything. They are in danger of losing what little
they have left, including their home. The husband recently
remarked that he never imagined himself in this position.
They are depressed and losing hope which is troubling to me
but understandable. In life, we sometimes find ourselves in
impossible situations and feel, like Job, unloved by God and
angry at what has happened to us. But an inspiring part of
following Jesus Christ is that He has been there, in the worst
possible spot one can be: enduring a painful death, alone,
perhaps uncertain if God is even hearing Him. The old
standard southern hymn, "What a friend we have in Jesus'
may sound schmaltzy to us at times, but it holds up a central
truth: Christ loves us, understands us, is a kindred spirit in
our trials and, in his Resurrection, lifts us up. Agony is often
a part of life before the light of release and redemption. God
calls us to live in that hope; a hope that is real.
Psalm 22; Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-33; 1 Peter 1:10-20;
John 13:36-38
These Lenten meditations were written by the people
of St. Barnabas' for the people of St. Barnabas' as part
of our recognition of the 50th anniversary of the founding
of this church. We hope that you will find them helpful
in your own Lenten devotions.
