The Sacrifice of Love

Image Courtesy of Rev. Austin Wicks

 

Scripture

Luke 22:39-46

³⁹ [Jesus] came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. ⁴⁰ When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” ⁴¹ Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, ⁴² “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.” ⁴³ Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. ⁴⁴ In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground. ⁴⁵ When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, ⁴⁶ and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”

Devotion

Many Christians can refer to a Bible passage that serves as the mortar for our faith.  As Biblical mortar, this passage helps bring together the scriptures, our life experiences, and our traditions in a way that helps us understand who God is and what God wants from us.  It's what firms up and stabilizes our faith.  For some people, their Biblical mortar is a specific verse like John 3:16.  For others, its an important moment like the Last Supper, crucifixion, or the Easter story.  My mortar is Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.

I've always been drawn to how lonely this moment is.  Judas had left to go get the crowd who would arrest our LORD.  The disciples had fallen asleep.  For all intents and purposes, Jesus was alone with all his sorrow and dread.  If we have any doubts about just how upset Jesus was, Luke says that as his anguish over the bitter cup that awaited him grew, he prayed more and more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground.  Jesus was in agony...and the people who know him best slept through the whole thing.

So why is this passage the cornerstone of my faith?  It's because it was there in that lonely, moonlit garden that Jesus made the ultimate choice.  I believe that if Jesus had changed his mind and refused to drink from the bitter cup of suffering and death, God would have honored his decision to walk away.  Instead, Jesus looked forward to all the pain that awaited him, asked if there was really no other way, and then chose to sacrifice himself for our sake.  No one--not even God--could have made that decision for Jesus; he had to make it for himself.  We gain salvation because Jesus made the hard choice...the loving choice...the sacrificial choice.  And God, in his infinite mercy, sent Jesus an angel to give him strength during his lonely time of trial.

On this day in the church year, I am keenly aware that when he was alone and in great turmoil, my very human savior Jesus Christ actually chose to suffer, bleed, and die for me.  He didn't make that decision with just me in mind; he made it for all of us.  This, to me, is what God's love looks like.  Sharing God's love means putting our own desires aside and making difficult choices that protect, uplift, and save others.  The painful sacrifices that result from making the loving choice will sometimes seem like more than a person can bear, but God will be there to give them strength.

Right now, we are being asked to make a lot of sacrifices in just about every aspect of our lives.  I'll be the first to admit that those sacrifices hurt.  I weep for loved ones are putting their lives at risk to save others or who can't see their family on special days.  When I learn of another sacrifice that needs to be made, I often find myself balking at the pain that I know will come.  Tonight, I will feel a special kind of pain as my Methodist colleague and I sacrifice our regular joint Mandy Thursday Communion service in order to create a new kind of service that protects the health of our church members and community.  These choices are hard and painful; but when we have the inner strength to make them, they are how we share God's love with the world.

Beloved, there are more hard choices for us to make.  There will be more sacrifices to come.  The good news is that we are not alone as we make those hard yet loving choices.  Just as God sent an angel to be with Jesus, our suffering Savior is with us now.  He is there to hold our hand each time we say, "I really don't want to do this, God; yet not my will but yours be done.”  Jesus will strengthen us and minister to us in our pain.   And when it is time for us to do so, he will help us carry the heavy cross of making loving sacrifices for the sake of others.  We can make the hard choices that reflect God's love for the world, because Christ has already done so for us.  Let us praise him for staying ever wakeful as we pray in our own Gardens.

  

Prayer 

Jesus, we thank you for all the sacrifices you choose to make for us.  Be with us to strengthen, comfort, and guide us during our times in the Garden of Gethsemane.  May we continually choose to do what it takes to share God's love with the world.  We know we can do this, Jesus, because you have shown us the way.  Amen.