This Lent we follow Jesus as he faces evil in the hours before his death. What is evil? Who is doing evil against Jesus during Passion Week? What are ways in which we are complicit in evil? Do we take evil seriously? As we experience evil in our own lives, discover how Jesus stands in the face of evil.
Invocation
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, who delivers us from all evil.
Invitation Prayer
Lord, evil often comes from those closest to us. Peter denied you and Judas betrayed you. You know the pain of evil that comes from your friends. Comfort us when we are hurt by those we love. Lord Jesus, without you we fall. With you, we stand. Stay with us, Amen.
Word
Luke 22:69
“But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”
Meditation: Beyond Understanding by Susan Becher Schultz
After two brilliant days of sunshine and warm weather comes a day like today. Rain pours down from the sky and drives us indoors. As my favorite yoga teacher Adriene says, “with every expansion comes a contraction.” For spring to truly bloom we need rain to soak into the soil. We need this part of the story of Jesus, however difficult it is to read, to get a fuller picture of just how much he was up against.
I’ll be honest, looking at the text for this week is giving me writer’s block. I’ve been writing out and deleting paragraphs not sure what to say. I wish my words were flowing with more fluidity. But I think it’s fitting for this particular passage. It’s disjointed. Jesus is betrayed by Judas, judged by religious leaders, thrust into the hands of politicians and then a crowd screams for him to be crucified. It’s hard to wrap my head around it. One system after another fails him. He knows everyone is going to believe what they want to believe, no matter what he says. He allows it to be broken.
This past year I’ve learned a lot about broken systems. Doctors failed me where they should have listened. I currently work at a Children’s Advocacy Center, where day after day, case after case, children are failed by the people and systems that are meant to protect them. It’s hard to make sense of. It’s hard to wrap my head around it.
After a long day at the office trying, in the smallest of ways, to serve those who have been underserved, I feel weighed down by the brokenness that exists around me. It existed in the time of Jesus, and it still exists now. I’m beyond frustrated by it. I’m frustrated by this verse. I want Jesus to speak. I want him to fix this situation for himself. I don’t want him to be the victim. I want him to be able to be a giant against evil. I want reassurance that if anyone can fix broken systems, it’s Jesus. But he doesn’t do it at this point in the story. Instead, he surrenders to it.
On rainy days like this I forget that the sun exists. I forget to remember that the clouds will part, and more beautiful spring days will come. In passages like this I forget Easter is right around the corner. I forget that Jesus knows what is best for humanity, not me. I forget that Jesus is capable of forgiving not only the evil that lives within me, but the evil that dwells in our families, our friendships, our colleagues, our cities, our systems. I forget that he has a plan for all of this. One that goes far beyond what I can wrap my head around.
Lord, remind us that darkness doesn’t last forever. As we face broken systems in our own lives, help us to remember this isn’t where the story ends. Encourage us to trust in your path to the cross as we continue in this season of Lent, however hard it is to understand. In your name we pray, Amen.
Sending
Lord, in the face of evil, you call us from death to life, from silence to speech, from idleness to action. Go with us now. Send us with your gifts. Sustain us by your promise. Amen.