Lenten Devotion for March 13

 

Loss is Indeed Our Gain

by Walter Brueggemann

The pushing and shoving in the world is endless.
      We are pushed and shoved.
      And we do our share of pushing and shoving
           in our great anxiety.
     And in the middle of that
           you have set down your beloved suffering son
           who was like a sheep led to slaughter
            who opened not his mouth.
     We seem not able,
     so we ask you to create space in our life
     where we may ponder his suffering
     and your summons for us to suffer with him,
     suspecting that suffering is the only way to newness.
So we pray for your church in these Lenten days,
     when we are driven to denial –
           not to notice the suffering, 
           not to engage it,
           not to acknowledge it.
So be that way of truth among us
       that we should not deceive ourselves
That we shall see that loss is indeed our gain.
We give you thanks for that mystery from which we live.
Amen.