Seven Last Words “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”.

” Revd Stroma McDermott

Let us begin with prayer:

The Presence of God“Be still, and know that I am God!” Lord, may your spirit guide us to seek your loving presence more and more for it is there I find rest and refreshment from this busy world.

The WordGod speaks to each of us individually. We need to listen, to hear what he is saying. Let us read the text a few times; then

listen. 

Mark 15: 33-39:

At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema

sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

This meditation is a tough one. It would have been anyway, but at the moment when we perhaps are in isolation , feeling distanced or for some even abandoned, Jesus’ words have an unnerving resonance. We live in strange times.

Jesus quotes Psalm 22; those hearing or reading his words would have recognised them. Like most of the Psalms the writer exposes his pain and frustration to God. One of the things I admire most about the Jewish faith and Jewish friends is their honesty, to tell it like it is. David expresses his sense of abandonment, but then as with the other psalms widens the remit and reflects the bigger picture. He can make sense of the ‘now’ in the context of the ‘whole’. As the psalm progresses it becomes a thanksgiving to God

‘he did not hide his face from me,

but heard me when I cried to him’.

Many people have interpreted Jesus words as invoking the whole of the psalm; Jesus in his suffering uses that short quote to express his confidence in God. Perhaps in our current frustration we too hold out for the hope that ‘all manner of things shall be well’ (Mother Julian ) and ‘all this shall pass’ (Celtic prayer).

Yet we shouldn’t undermine that these feelings of distance or abandonment felt real. Jesus who had such an intimate relationship with His Father and with the Holy Spirit expresses something real. Usually Jesus used Abba as his word for his Father, God. Here he uses Eloi, which is more formal, more distant.

Sometimes I come across people who are angry with God; they don’t hide it either. It can be shocking but in each case I’ve been reminded that as long as the conversation, rant or scream is happening there is relationship with God. Jesus’ words remind us that even in the darkest of circumstances our relationship with God might not be felt but it is still there.

Many great theologians, mystics and spiritual practitioners have talked about the ‘dark night of the soul’, emptiness, distance and loss in terms of their relationship with God. So if such things are real, if this is part of our spiritual landscape how do we keep faith?

Well these words of Jesus are a start. Pray, speak, cry out even in despair because the person you pray to is someone fully human and fully divine and understands. Jesus understands that sometimes pain, suffering, crying out is the road to salvation and glory. Even our doubts can be expressions of faith and hope when we are honest and expose them to the light.

Some years ago I attended a christian conference. I’d though twice about it as I was holding on to my faith by my fingertips; things we had hoped for and prayed for were dying. It seemed so bleak, Where was God?

Just before he began his talk the speaker paused and said

‘ the enemy will always try and tell you what God isn’t doing, ignore him;

instead remember what God is doing and turn your face back and focus on Him’.

Those words from the speaker were like an electric jolt. It wasn’t easy but I kept on reminding myself of the goodness of God. Slowly my focus changed from mourning to dancing, from ashes to hope. Months later everything had changed, our prayers were answered, the bigger picture returned, just as in Psalm 22.

I hope that the reality of our situations will allow us to be real before God, to express who we are and how we feel but also to know that God is with us and for us, and that he understands and knows, because He’s been there, My God, my God, Why have you forsaken me?

Individual reflection, Inner Conversation

How has God’s word moved me? Has it left me cold?

Has it consoled me or moved me to act in a new way?

I imagine Jesus standing or sitting beside me.

I turn and share my feelings with him. 

ConclusionWe thank God for these moments spent together and for any insights we have been given.

We say the Lord’s Prayer

Dismissal

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor

demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ

Jesus our Lord.” Amen

Romans 8:38-39