When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
The great hymn that is the title of this blog entry, actually continues with: "Nobody knows but Jesus." The Lectionary for the Daily Office continues to take us through those agonizing moments of Jesus' passion that we remember on Good Friday. It is good to remember them year round "lest we forget thine agony."
The experience of Jesus' passion only getting worse can be compared to what we have all been experiencing these past few months and weeks with the Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster. We all keep hoping that at some point in time the news about BP will change, that the Federal Government will get their act together and do what they are suppose to do, not for their political gain, but for people. The LGBTQ community still waits for a vote on the inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and an ending to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. We recently heard the sad news the Dan Choi was formally discharged from the Military under DADT. These long weeks that went by as unemployment benefits continued to not be passed. How many people probably lost their homes, food, ability to pay for much needed medicine and utilities because our Governmental leaders put their agenda's before the needs of people? Where is there an end in sight?
In no place in the Gospels did Jesus ever promise that if we followed him that all of the problems of life would be over. Jesus did show us that God is with us through him in everything we experience. The Holy Spirit some times seems very far from us, when in fact she is closest to us when we are in so much personal pain that at times it seems like no one is listening. The Holy Spirit may or may not help us gain what we need physically or even materially, but she is there with us to console us in the midst of our pain and to let us know we are not going through it alone. And because God is present to us in that great community of love known as the Holy Trinity, God is concerned and in God's way and time, God will help us gain what it is we most need. Just as the Passion and Cross were not the end for Jesus, for Jesus truly did rise again from the dead, so God will also raise us up along with Jesus to be victorious in whatever situation we are in.
Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Proper 11, Book of Common Prayer, Page 231).
Lord Jesus Christ, by your death you took away the sting of death: Grant to us your servants so to follow in faith where you have led the way, that we may at length fall asleep peacefully in you and wake up in your likeness; for your tender mercies' sake. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, Page 123).
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