Tonight we observed Good Friday. The scripture account of Jesus’ anguish, arrest, beating and death is hard to read though easy to imagine as the words paint such a vivid picture. The service is one of the most powerful I participate in all year.
Part of what makes it so powerful for me is the brutality Jesus suffers for us. It is sobering, to say the least.
If this is what it means to serve, I know I have a long way to go.
When things get messy or especially difficult, I might persist for a time, but push too hard or for too long and I start looking for a way out. Not Jesus.
Yes, he prayed if it was possible for him to avoid the pain and suffering, he would welcome another way. Still, he concluded “not my will, but yours be done.”
Is it even possible to serve as Jesus? To serve to the point of death?
Those who serve in the armed forces, or as police/firefighters, may be the closest I can come to such sacrifice. These folks are certainly in the minority as most of us aren’t enlisted or first responders. I mean, I was a server and a bartender, I thought that was serving. Taking food orders? Making drinks? Clearing dishes? How Jesus lived and died is a whole different way to serve.
So what does it look like for us (for me) to serve like Jesus?
Tonight, I don’t have a satisfactory answer and the only hope I had of finding one has been crucified.
Life is better together (is it really?),
Shawn
Big Rubber Band Ball 