Tuesday 26 March 2024

Psalm 27

Background

I have a relative who reads the last few pages of a novel first because she needs to know it has a satisfactory ending before committing her time to the story! Holy Week is perhaps a little easier to cope with if you already know how Easter turns out.

Holy Week is tough. It must have been such a confusing time. This passage follows closely after the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, when crowds shouted "Hosanna!" and there was great excitement about Jesus. Feelings were running high.

Today we read some 'Greeks' (ie non-Jews) came to see Jesus, and he shared his thoughts, saying that his hour had come. In the other gospel accounts, Jesus has similar emotions when in the Garden of Gethsemane with his closest friends. John is writing here of earlier in Holy Week, and shows Jesus' vulnerability at this stage with a crowd of diverse people.

Jesus says he is troubled and has some inner conflict. He is prepared to go ahead with the death he anticipates (being crucified) but understandably wishes there was another way.

I feel a lot in common with these narratives. They show that it's possible to love God without feeling everything must make sense; it's possible to trust God and still have questions; and it's possible to want to do what God wants for our lives, but still have queries. It is even possible to query what Jesus was doing in Holy Week (Jesus certainly queried it).

This Holy Week, we can be confident in bringing our 'difficult bits' to God, as well as the ‘easier bits’. We are loved in entirety – the real whole. While we have the benefit of knowing that Holy Week has a 'happy ending', it still includes troubled-ness, awkwardness, vulnerability. We can bring that to God too.

Your real self is enough for God. Your real self is enough for God. (I deliberately wrote that twice – it's important.)

To Ponder:

• Imagine what it was like to be around Jesus in Holy Week. What would you have wanted to say to him?
• This week, how might you express any difficult feelings to God? (Might you draw? Write? Speak? Any other ideas?)
• Can you think of a time when you went ahead with something you felt or thought was right, even though you knew it would be difficult?

Prayer

God of integrity, beauty and truth, thank you that you love our real selves, even that which we hide from others. Please help us to know that we can bring our real selves to you with no filter or pretence, and find in you, perfect love. Help us to stick with you, even when we don't know what will happen next. Amen.

Bible notes author: Deacon Ruth Yorke

Ruth Yorke (she/her) is a deacon enjoying working with Hinde Street Methodist Church in London. She also loves the sea, so needs somehow to get a city centre beach! (Her photograph was taken by Tim Stacey.)