“Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”
-Collect for the Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday
Why did Jesus come to die? There are many right answers to this question, but at the root of all of them is the simple explanation provided in this collect: love.
Have you seen The Shack? I was prepared to dislike the movie for its Christian Hallmark vibe, but I found myself moved by the film. In it, the estimable Octavia Spencer plays the role of God the Father. While many of us mistakenly think of the first member of the Trinity as male, Spencer highlights the maternal, nurturing character of God’s “tender love for the human race.” According to this prayer, it is this love that motivated the incarnation and the atonement. In his affection for us, God sent his “Son… to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us an example of his great humility…”
What is the “example of his great humility?” It’s what we’re asking for in this collect. The first half of the petition sounds strange: “Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering.” The updated version of this prayer replaced “patience” with “suffering.” While both words are related, I prefer patience here. “Walking in the way of his suffering” sounds masochistic, and confuses the meaning of the collect. Suffering is a universal feature of human life. The question is not will we experience affliction, but how will we endure these trying periods. Our prayer is that we might be given the strength to meet persecution, life’s inevitable downturns, and the silence of God like Jesus, our example.
What is the patience of Christ in action? It’s crying out “take this cup from me” and “thy will be done.” It’s having faith in God when our circumstances scream, “don’t trust him!” It’s walking in love when we’re tempted to hoard for ourselves.
This Holy Week, we ask for patience because we do not have it and we can’t create it. Jesus’ example of humility is not a law meant to condemn, but a picture of the good life. Whether or not we’re successful in trusting him this week, we will ultimately “share in his resurrection” life. His “tender love” will not let us go.
I went with friends to see The Shack when it first came out. Although there was controversy surrounding the movie, we all loved it, and rather being shocked that God was depicted as a woman, thought it went well with the tender scenes. Do I think God the Father is a “man?” Absolutely not. The creator of the universe is so much more than humans.
At my age, I have had my share of suffering. Although judging my life by others, no, I haven’t. But through it all I have depended on Him to get me through it. I have cried out. I have praised Him. And through it all, I know He loves me. The real me that only God sees and knows. For that, I am forever grateful.
'The Shack': UGH. I can sort of see that depicting God as a female shows the tenderness of His love. But I can't see God the Father as a female (even though Octavia Spencer is a wonderful actress).
I do like 'patience', instead of 'suffering'. Given my early religious background (RCC, and its overemphasis on 'suffering'), the latter connotates 'masochism', like one is looking for it. Does that make any sense??
But thanks for giving us something to reflect on, at the beginning of Holy Week.