‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.’
Dear Friends in Christ -
Yesterday, during the Children's Moment at church, I spoke with the kids about the story of Jesus' birth. The story was the focus of their Sunday School classes, preparation for their pageant next week.
I asked them: "What is so important about this story?" A little towheaded five-year-old boy spoke up right away: "Because Jesus is the one who died on the cross."
Wow. I honestly didn't expect them to make that connection. I was especially surprised because the little boy who spoke up is my son, and we haven't talked about this at home! In our family, we've been talking about the baby and the shepherds, but not about how the manger connects with the cross.
This is, however, at the heart of it all; it's why Advent and Christmas really matter. The Gospel readings assigned in the daily office devotions during these Advent weeks are a walk through the story of Jesus last days - the last supper, Judas' betrayal, Jesus' arrest and trial and death.
Today's Gospel passage includes Jesus' plea to his Father not to make him go through this. Though generally in less dire circumstances, this is a prayer that we're familiar with because we pray it, too. What burden or responsibility do you bear that you would like God to take from you? Have you taken it to God directly? Have you let Him hear you say what you want?
In this prayer, Jesus sets a pattern for us to follow. The first part of the pattern: to ask God for what we really want. The second part of the pattern: to tell God you trust Him and that you'll be satisfied with what He brings out of it all.
Following Jesus' pattern isn't easy, but it's guaranteed to bring us to where it brought Jesus: from the simple beauty of the manger through the saving danger of the cross to the awesome wonders of heaven.
Faithfully,
Janet+
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