My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

 

Its Friday… but Sunday is coming!  The famous sermon goes…

Its Friday, and my Jesus was dead on a tree… but that was Friday… and Sundays coming!

It was Friday and Mary was crying her eyes out.  The disciples were running in every direction, like sheep without a shepherd.  But that was Friday… and Sunday is coming!

I used to love this famous sermon from Tony Campolo – and in many ways I still do… beautiful in its simplicity. 

Though, one of the reasons I love it – is that it does not allow me to dwell in the pain, the brokenness, the despair… it focuses my attention on the happy ever after of easter Sunday…

It allows me to take my eyes from the cross and focus on hope.

It allows me to take my eyes of the bloodied, beaten, defeated Jesus and look at the risen victor.

It allows me to move out of the darkness – and into the marvellous beautiful light.

It moves me from death to life.

I am not comfortable in the darkness – only able to live in the light

I am not comfortable in the pain – only able to bear it with certain hope.

 

Jesus was not afraid of the darkness.

Some of his best work happened in the dark…

He walked on water and calmed the raging seas just before dawn.

He taught Nicodemus at night-time.

Celebrated the most famous meal on maundy Thursday evening.

He rose from the dead, whilst it was still dark.

But for me… darkness is difficult. 

 

I was always complimented on my lovely services when ministering in traditional settings.!

Always picked the lively happy up-tempo songs.

I was good at preaching a belter of an uplifting sermon.

I prided myself that people would leave church happier than when they arrived.

Church was feel-good, happy and joyful…  

It was uplifting…

 

Preaching in the local church recently – I was phoned up before the service by 2 different people.

‘Sorry we won’t be there to listen to you this morning Ben, life is just too hard for church at the moment’.

I arrive – more apologies from people, telling me friends and spouses can’t be there – too tired – too broken and for some too many doubts and too many questions.

A family going through a difficult time – felt too ashamed to be at church…

 

I remember another friend – who had lost a son – felt utterly alone in her grief because no one would talk to her about it…

People unable to talk because they could not solve, could not fix – so let us ignore the problem.

 

We are not good with darkness… 

 

We have heard Jesus forgive us all before we even fall on our knees and repent – and instead of falling on our knees we can fall into the loving arms of our father God. 

We have heard Jesus tell us that whatever we are going through, whatever we face that today, we can be with him in paradise.  Paradise being a relationship not a place.

We have seen Jesus create the first church for the broken and the outcast with the words, mother your son, son your mother. 

 

Now its time for Jesus to share how he is doing on the cross – in the darkness.  Jesus, how are you doing?

Good thanks!  How about you?  Says nearly every Christian on a Sunday morning!

 

Not Jesus.

 

Jesus boasted throughout his life – that he and the father were one.   Intimate… love… one…  

But now we are at rock bottom.

The intimacy Jesus has always enjoyed with the father has gone. 

That paradise – that feeling of love – that oneness – gone.

Why?  Well, my friends, Jesus’ rock bottom is good news for us.

It was at the cross the greatest transfer took place.

All our sin, all our wrongdoing – all those things that disrupted paradise –

All of that, that kept us from knowing and being with God.  

God hated it– couldn’t be near it – couldn’t come close to us - and the penalty of that sin was separation, death and darkness. 

It was at this very moment on the cross – all that wrongdoing – all that brokenness was placed onto the shoulders of Jesus. 

And that gap between God and us – the death – the darkness - removed and for the first time – Jesus feels that death – separated from the father.  

Darkness… death… pain… sorrow.

Rock bottom.

 

Jesus was dying as a sacrifice for us

Jesus was dying to get rid of the punishment on us

Jesus was dying to remove the separation from God

The greatest transfer – he took our darkness so that we might know life…

But now is not the time for life – now is the time for darkness.

This once – let us not make everything happy and rosy…

Let is sit and hear and dwell with Jesus as he speaks his fourth word from the cross

‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’

 

Typical of Jesus – to be vulnerable – if people were mourning – he would burst into tears with them

When he was frightened – so much so – blood leaked from his head – he went for support from his sleeping friends.

And at this moment – when life is at its darkest – he shout’s ‘My God, my God why have you forsaken me’.

In front of his young disciple and the woman who loved him ‘my God, my God why have you forsaken me.

What!  The very reason he went to the cross and now he does not know where the father is…

The crowd laughing – ‘my God, my God why have you forsaken me’.

At the moment of darkness – at rock bottom – Jesus cries ‘where are you God’. 

‘Where are you’? ‘Why have you abandoned me’?  ‘Oh God, where are you’.

 

And that’s OK…

 

Thankyou Jesus for being vulnerable.

Thank you for showing us it’s OK to not be OK!

That we can express doubts and struggles.

Share are anger and pain.

 

 

In the previous words he began the new family – the church.

Now he is showing us that in that family its OK to doubt, too not believe, to ask difficult questions.

Its OK to be angry, to be broken,

Its OK to feel rubbish.

Its OK to be vulnerable.

For the rest of us – the gift is to hear the pain – to sit with them in the darkness

To be love.  

And allow them to teach us about God – waiting for permission to bring all that God has made us – to them.

 

And when it comes to evangelism – where most of us have been taught to share slick stories, wonderful apologetics, unshakable faith… we hear

 

‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me’?

 

We do not need to pretend with anyone.

Our message can be – life is difficult – I do not know where God is at the moment.  I don’t know what I am doing!

But… I still believe.  I am still searching…  I still have hope…

 

Yes Sunday is coming – and yes – god can heal – bring new life…

But for now – its OK to sit in the darkness.

May we come to God and to this community of faith with absolute honesty and vulnerability because of Jesus’ 4^th word…

 

‘My God, My God, why have you forsaken me’.

 

May our community be one that does not rush to easy answers but sits with one another in the darkness.

 

In Jesus name, Amen