LENT: What is suffering?
This week’s theme for reflection and blogersation is suffering. And as we have been doing, I’ll begin by asking you, “What is suffering?” This one seems more difficult to answer, so let me elaborate the question a bit:
What does it mean to suffer? // Is suffering the mark of New Testament Christianity? // Are we supposed to want or avoid suffering? // Is all suffering godly? If not, how do you know the difference? // How do you reconcile what feels like suffering to us with the plight of so many in our world whose suffering is more constant and severe? Do you minimize your own context, or do you suppose that suffering is relative to context? // Did Jesus have to suffer … was there any other way? Why?
Okay, that should be enough fodder for thought. Pending your comments, I’ll plan on contemplating and writing about each of these this week.
A LENTEN PRAYER: (taken from ELCA.org)
SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 4
What does it mean to suffer? // Is suffering the mark of New Testament Christianity? // Are we supposed to want or avoid suffering? // Is all suffering godly? If not, how do you know the difference? // How do you reconcile what feels like suffering to us with the plight of so many in our world whose suffering is more constant and severe? Do you minimize your own context, or do you suppose that suffering is relative to context? // Did Jesus have to suffer … was there any other way? Why?
Okay, that should be enough fodder for thought. Pending your comments, I’ll plan on contemplating and writing about each of these this week.
A LENTEN PRAYER: (taken from ELCA.org)
Jesus, who knew temptation and hunger for our sake: Free us from all covetousness, and wake us from indifference to evil. For the life of the world, we pray; Amen.
Eternal God, whose image we bear: You have created us to live by more than bread alone. Nourish us through your Word and release us from the selfishness born of fear. In Jesus' name we pray; Amen.
Christ, who wept over Jerusalem: Look with compassion upon the cities of our time; that our children might live to adulthood and enjoy a future filled with hope. In Jesus' name we pray; Amen.
God, who searches for the lost: our season brings the lengthening of days and longer light reveals what had been hidden. Cleanse our hearts as we spring-clean our dwellings, that we give away what we no longer need and justice and kindness have ample room. In the name of Jesus we pray; Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 4
posted by Will | 7:46 AM
3 Comments:
my friend Ben, who was my inspiration to observe Lent this year, has chosen to focus this Lenten season on suffering and worship. suffering and worship—they seemed incongruous to me at first. the more i’ve thought about it, the more i’ve realized that for suffering to be Christ-centered and God-exalting it must be in the framework of worship (i think that’s the hang-up i was having with the long-faced monks in last week’s posting). the way of the cross is the yoke of suffering but it is an easy yoke (Matt 11:28-30); we give up all we have for the delight of the treasure we have found (Matt 13:44).
of course a German theologian has said it better than i ever could:
“The disciple must say to himself the same words Peter said of Christ when he denied him: ‘I know not this man.’ Self-denial is never just a series of isolated acts of mortification or asceticism. It is not suicide, for there is an element of self-will even in that. To deny oneself is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self, to see only him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard for us. Once more, all that self-denial can say is: ‘He leads the way, keep close to him.’
‘…and take up the cross.’ Jesus has graciously prepared the way for this word by speaking first of self-denial. Only when we have become completely oblivious of self are we ready to bear the cross for his sake.”
–Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, Chapter 4
Matthew 10:34-39 "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I ahve come to turn 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
To me this seems as though suffering, whether we want it or not, is part of Christian living and being a disciple of Jesus.
Jenny,
As usual, very insightful comment. Thanks for walking through Lent with us.
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