"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves."
--Psalm 34: 19
"Your Father knows what you need before you ask him."
--Matthew 6:8b
There are many broken hearts in the world, many crushed in spirit. The news is full of tragedy and devastation in Japan following a massive earthquake and tsunami there. Closer to home, a student of mine emailed yesterday to share that her son has died from suicide.
Someone asked me the other day, as we watched the horrifying scenes of destruction from Japan on the television news, "How does one pray for a tragedy so enormous as this?" The scale of suffering is so large, whether it is the massive death toll from an earthquake or the never-ending emotional earthquake of a suicide, we hardly know where to begin in our prayers.
Today Jesus reminds us that God is not concerned with the quantity or the eloquence of our words. In fact, God is so close to the suffering and brokenhearted, he hears their prayers and ours even when those prayers are an unformed, half-choked cry for mercy, even the cry of anger and despair. He hears our prayers, even when our prayer takes the form of a question like, "How does one pray for this?"
That is prayer itself, a turning in awe, horror, fear, wonder, longing, and faith with utter surrender to the One who knows, who loves, who saves.
God of Mercy, hear our prayer.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The Paradox of Lent
"Lord, open my lips; my mouth will proclaim your praise."
--Psalm 51:17
Christianity is a faith of paradox. The examples are countless. We die in order to be reborn. God becomes human so that humans can become like God. The smallest is the greatest, the greatest the least.
These paradoxes come into particularly sharp focus during the season of Lent. We fast in order to become fuller of the things that matter. We give to others so that we can be grateful for what we have. We embrace our brokenness so that we can be healed. We proclaim our sinfulness so that God's grace can be glorified. We mourn our lostness so that we can relish the joy of our salvation. We practice discipline so that we can experience total freedom.
Despite its somberness and seriousness, Lent is not a time of sadness. It is a season to nurture joy, gratitude and love, which will come to full realization in the glory of Easter. It is a time to acknowledge our brokenness, sinfulness, and dependence on God, so that we might revel in His gracious love, which embraces and cherises us with no regard for our dependence, brokenness, and sin.
This phrase from the Psalms, which serves as the opening verse of the Invitatory psalm during the Liturgy of the Hourse, is the consummate Lenten statement. I call upon God to open my lips, because I am utterly helpless to speak when I fully acknowledge my fail humanity And yet, with God's grace, I find my voice, which was made for one purpose.
Holy One, with humble, broken hearts, we fall upon your mercy, our heads bowed in shame. In your infinite compassion, you pick us up, gently turn our faces toward you, and whisper your endless adoration into your ears. We are your children, your beloved. Help us to turn this season of sorrow into the season of endless joy you planned for us from the birth of creation. Amen.
--Psalm 51:17
Christianity is a faith of paradox. The examples are countless. We die in order to be reborn. God becomes human so that humans can become like God. The smallest is the greatest, the greatest the least.
These paradoxes come into particularly sharp focus during the season of Lent. We fast in order to become fuller of the things that matter. We give to others so that we can be grateful for what we have. We embrace our brokenness so that we can be healed. We proclaim our sinfulness so that God's grace can be glorified. We mourn our lostness so that we can relish the joy of our salvation. We practice discipline so that we can experience total freedom.
Despite its somberness and seriousness, Lent is not a time of sadness. It is a season to nurture joy, gratitude and love, which will come to full realization in the glory of Easter. It is a time to acknowledge our brokenness, sinfulness, and dependence on God, so that we might revel in His gracious love, which embraces and cherises us with no regard for our dependence, brokenness, and sin.
This phrase from the Psalms, which serves as the opening verse of the Invitatory psalm during the Liturgy of the Hourse, is the consummate Lenten statement. I call upon God to open my lips, because I am utterly helpless to speak when I fully acknowledge my fail humanity And yet, with God's grace, I find my voice, which was made for one purpose.
Holy One, with humble, broken hearts, we fall upon your mercy, our heads bowed in shame. In your infinite compassion, you pick us up, gently turn our faces toward you, and whisper your endless adoration into your ears. We are your children, your beloved. Help us to turn this season of sorrow into the season of endless joy you planned for us from the birth of creation. Amen.
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