Journey - April 29th, 21

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You're probably much more familiar with today's Psalm than you think. I'll read the first verse. And you'll see what I'm talking about. from verse one, Psalm 22. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Sound familiar? These are the words Jesus spoke from the cross. This was his great cry of dereliction. These are the painful and perplexing words shouted from the cross. The term dereliction means the state of having been abandoned. It's been used by theologians for centuries to describe this cry from Jesus on the cross. And many sadly, have used these words to say that Jesus was abandoned by his Father on the cross. And even worse, that Jesus was killed by his Father on the cross. That is not what's happening here. In this cry, we see Jesus' total identification with humanity with our suffering, with our sense of alienation, and injustice. as painful as this experience was, we should be clear that Jesus was not abandoned by his father. Paul writes this in 2 Corinthians 5:19. "God was in Christ, reconciling himself to the world. " God the Father was with Jesus and the Spirit, reconciling the world to Himself. There is no division in the Trinity. And there never will be. God never abandons his Son, and God never abandons you. Today's passage gives us further insight into what Jesus was saying, and why he chose those words from Psalm 22. If we go further with him into the song, we hear these words from verse 24. "For he has not ignored or belittle the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help." Like many of David's songs, they begin with David feeling alone, defeated, abandon. But as he goes further into these deep prayers, he affirms what he knows to be true, that God is with him, that he has not been abandoned. That God's faithful love endures through all things. Jesus feels all that you felt, and he knows all that you're going through. And neither he nor the Father nor the Holy Spirit have abandoned you. God doesn't do abandonment. The next time the cry of your heart is My God, my God, why? know that he is with you. And perhaps you can go to verse 24. And be reminded that God has not turned his back on you. That God has heard your cry that he's with you. Amen.

You are loved!