Since the church season of Lent has now started, I have been seeing signs that churches are reshowing Mel Gibson's THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. I was hesitant to see that movie, but I am glad that I went for a lot of reasons, one of them being that it made me think of Jesus's sacrifice a little differently.
There has never been a time in my life when I was not aware of the presence of God. Needless to say, that awareness made me VERY uncomfortable when I was doing something that I should not have been doing, but most of the time it has been a comfort. No matter what, the Father is there.
I was fortunate in my growing years in that I had a father that would have done anything for me. He is not perfect by any means, but he would have and has sacrificed for all of his children. Because of that, I don't have the image that a lot of people claim to have about God, that He sits on the throne with a flowing white beard ready to raise the hand of judgment against them. As a matter of fact, I DO remember the last time my earthly father "raised his hand" against me, and I richly deserved it. I was eleven, and I knew I was pushing buttons. I just couldn't seem to stop myself.
Having that knowledge, the scene in which Christ cries out that God has forsaken Him said a lot to me. I have talked in previous posts about loving my husband enough to let him die first (like it's up to me!) and spare him the pain of being left. But of course I don't know when or if that is going to happen. Jesus KNEW, and He chose to die, to be separated from His Father anyway. I can't imagine how that felt. I know how much God's presence is a part of my being, and He had to have been a part of Christ's a thousandfold more and then some. The fact that Jesus was willing to be separated from the Father FOR ME says more about His sacrifice than anything else.
There is a song by a Christian group, Barlow Girl, that speaks poignantly about this very idea, and I don't think I can say it any better than they did in closing:
I cried out with no reply
And I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I"m never alone
--from "Never Alone" by Barlow Girl
http://www.azlyrics.com/barlowgirl/neveralone.html
Surely Jesus, both man and God, held on to those exact feelings just like I do.
I have heard the lyrics on the radio a lot, and I bought the CD for my daughter.
There has never been a time in my life when I was not aware of the presence of God. Needless to say, that awareness made me VERY uncomfortable when I was doing something that I should not have been doing, but most of the time it has been a comfort. No matter what, the Father is there.
I was fortunate in my growing years in that I had a father that would have done anything for me. He is not perfect by any means, but he would have and has sacrificed for all of his children. Because of that, I don't have the image that a lot of people claim to have about God, that He sits on the throne with a flowing white beard ready to raise the hand of judgment against them. As a matter of fact, I DO remember the last time my earthly father "raised his hand" against me, and I richly deserved it. I was eleven, and I knew I was pushing buttons. I just couldn't seem to stop myself.
Having that knowledge, the scene in which Christ cries out that God has forsaken Him said a lot to me. I have talked in previous posts about loving my husband enough to let him die first (like it's up to me!) and spare him the pain of being left. But of course I don't know when or if that is going to happen. Jesus KNEW, and He chose to die, to be separated from His Father anyway. I can't imagine how that felt. I know how much God's presence is a part of my being, and He had to have been a part of Christ's a thousandfold more and then some. The fact that Jesus was willing to be separated from the Father FOR ME says more about His sacrifice than anything else.
There is a song by a Christian group, Barlow Girl, that speaks poignantly about this very idea, and I don't think I can say it any better than they did in closing:
I cried out with no reply
And I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I"m never alone
--from "Never Alone" by Barlow Girl
http://www.azlyrics.com/barlowgirl/neveralone.html
Surely Jesus, both man and God, held on to those exact feelings just like I do.
I have heard the lyrics on the radio a lot, and I bought the CD for my daughter.
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