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Walking by the Sea
If I were Jesus’ therapist, there is one moment in particular that I’d love to process Read More
Robert Schnase | Read Isaiah 50:4-9
Isaiah speaks from lived experience, a particular situation of emotional and physical vulnerability, a moment of anguish for the innocent. The prophet faces the violence of adversaries and describes what it’s like to be deemed worthless, unseen, forgotten, and despised. The prophet does not abandon those who suffer but perseveres...
Take me to places that deepen my compassion for others, Lord. Teach me words of mercy and peace. May people hear your love in my voice and see it in my eyes so you may sustain the weary through me. Amen.
Obedience is not my favorite word in the vocabulary of faith. I prefer to meditate on the delights of grace, love, generosity, and kindness. These appeal to me. They draw me in. I move toward them. Obedience feels heavy and hard. It prods me into places I don’t want to go. Obedience offends my sense of self-determination and self-sufficiency. It challenges pride and pretension. Obedience calls me to places of vulnerability and uncertainty, requires me to give up control and to leave behind parts of myself I cling to, and causes me to choose between my preferences and God’s will. This week’s readings focus on the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. They invite us to explore faithful obedience and trust in the face of suffering, injustice, and inner resistance.
• Read Isaiah 50:4-9a. Recall a time God prompted you to offer a sustaining word to someone defeated by the circumstances of their life. How did you know what to say?
• Read Psalm 31:1-2, 9-16. What does it mean to seek refuge in God? When have you experienced both threatening uncertainty and an absolute trust at the same time?
• Read Philippians 2:5-11. How does Paul’s reflection that Jesus “humbled himself and became obedient” shape your faith? What does faithful obedience look like? How do we foster Christlike humility?
• Read Luke 22:14–23:56. (This reading is lengthy. Take your time.) What surprises you afresh as you read the familiar story? What touches you most personally?
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