Holy Week Art Walk
Station 2: Paradise
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One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
- Luke 23:39-43 |
“And the point is that this moment, this bloody and dark moment, this miscarriage of justice, this terrible suffering, this offering by Jesus of his full self to the will of God--this is how God is dealing, in sovereign, rescuing love, with the weight of the world’s evil and pain, and with death itself. Jesus is the green tree, the wood that wasn’t ready for burning, dying in the place of the dry trees, the people all around who were eager to bring in the kingdom in their own way rather than God’s way.
So we draw all our prayers together in daring to echo that strange request made by one of the brigands alongside him: ‘Jesus--remember me who you finally become king.’ That’s often as much as we dare say.
But Jesus surprises us, as he surprised the brigand, by his response. He is becoming king, here and now. No more waiting. ‘Today.’ In the brigand’s case: paradise now, and resurrection still to come. In our case, forgiveness, healing, hope, here and now. And the call to serve, and to give ourselves, as he gave himself for us.”
~N.T. Wright, Lent for Everyone: Luke, Year C (A Daily Devotional)
So we draw all our prayers together in daring to echo that strange request made by one of the brigands alongside him: ‘Jesus--remember me who you finally become king.’ That’s often as much as we dare say.
But Jesus surprises us, as he surprised the brigand, by his response. He is becoming king, here and now. No more waiting. ‘Today.’ In the brigand’s case: paradise now, and resurrection still to come. In our case, forgiveness, healing, hope, here and now. And the call to serve, and to give ourselves, as he gave himself for us.”
~N.T. Wright, Lent for Everyone: Luke, Year C (A Daily Devotional)
Prayer Prompt
When do you feel the closest to God? When do you feel the furthest from God?
Who is lost, broken, and hurting? Take some time to pray for those who are suffering from their own decisions, and consider the ways that we sometimes find it easier to judge others, rather than love them. What are some ways that we can share God’s grace more freely with others?
Who is lost, broken, and hurting? Take some time to pray for those who are suffering from their own decisions, and consider the ways that we sometimes find it easier to judge others, rather than love them. What are some ways that we can share God’s grace more freely with others?
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