Holy Thursday
(3/24/05)

Readings from the Daily Lectionary

New Testament: John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

In the twenty-fourth verse of the ninth chapter of the gospel according to Mark, we read,

"Immediately the father of the child cried out, 'I believe; help my unbelief!'"

Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes that,

"Your faith shall be tried by sorrow. God sends his children sorrow just when they need it most, when they have become far too confident on this earth. Then a great hurt comes into our lives, a hard sacrifice, a great loss, sickness, or death.

"Our unbelief rears up. Why does God demand this of me? Why did God allow it? Why, yes, why? That is unbelief's greatest question. It tries to choke our belief. No one is spared this anguish. It is all so puzzling, so mysterious.

"In this hour of godforsakenness, we may and ought to say: I believe, dear Lord; help my unbelief! Yes, dear Lord, even in darkness, even in doubt, even in godforsakenness. After all, dear Lord, you are my dear Father, who makes all things work together for my good.

"Dear Lord Jesus Christ, you yourself cried out: My God, why have you forsaken me? You wanted to be where I am. Now you are with me. Now I know that, even in my hour of need, you do not forsake me."

Let us pray:

Yes, Lord, we do believe. Help us to overcome our unbelief. Amen.

In the twenty-sixth verse of the eleventh chapter of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, we read,

"For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes."

Henri Nouwen writes that,

"God says, 'I am your God and will be faithful to you even when you won’t be faithful to me.' Through human history, this divine faithfulness is shown to us in God's increasing desire for intimacy. At first God was the God for us, our protector and shield.

"Then, when Jesus came, God became the God with us, our companion and friend. Finally, when Jesus sent his Spirit, God was revealed to us as the God within us, our very breath and heartbeat.

"Our life is full of brokenness--broken relationships, broken promises, broken expectations. How can we live that brokenness without becoming bitter and resentful except by returning again and again to God’s faithful presence in our lives?

"Without this 'place' of return, our journey easily leads us to darkness and despair.
"But with this safe and solid home, we can keep renewing our faith, and keep trusting that the many setbacks of life move us forward to an always greater bond with the God of the covenant."

Let us pray:

We pray that you, Lord, will heal us. Let us learn from your example that the freedom of forgiveness also frees us for service and love. Amen.