Becoming Like Christ: The Journey of Brokenness
Tuesday, March 30
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Becoming Like Christ:
The Journey of Brokenness
Psalm 71; John 12:27
Rev. Dr. Greg Smith
"Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say--' Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.”
1 In you, O Lord, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me and save me.
3 Be to me a rock of refuge,
a strong fortress, to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
do not forsake me when my strength is spent.
14 But I will hope continually,
and will praise you yet more and more.
On the night he was betrayed, Jesus took the bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples. Those four actions are described beautifully by Henri Nouwen in his book “Life of the Beloved,” as taken, blessed, broken, and given. These four actions were characteristic of other times Jesus broke bread, such as when feeding five thousand, in the home in Emmaus, and in the upper room at the last supper with his disciples.
Nouwen reminds us that these characteristic actions of Jesus describe the movements of the Holy Spirit in our lives as Christians. We are called to become bread for the world as we are taken, or chosen. We are blessed. We are broken. And we are given for the sake of others.
Each of us is broken by life. The isolation and loneliness of the past year has wounded each of us. Fear and insecurity have darkened our lives. Though brokenness is a universal experience, we all are individually broken in our own unique way.
Right now, how is your life broken? What pain and suffering do you carry? What griefs and losses remain in your heart, emerging from the shadows to cover you in darkness? What sorrows pass over your soul like gray, winter clouds?
In John 12:27 Jesus said, "Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say--' Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.” Jesus knew his hour had come. During Holy Week we walk with Jesus through those moments leading to his hour.
As we see his human brokenness, we are reminded of our own brokenness. As we see his suffering and feelings of being forsaken, we know our own suffering and feelings of being forsaken. His journey of brokenness is the journey each of us must travel.
The journey of aging always includes a good deal of brokenness. Our brokenness is not judgment or punishment from God. Instead, it can be a way to God. It can be the primary path to God, breaking open the defenses of our hearts to let the Spirit of God enter and abide with us. Are you aware of God’s presence in your brokenness?
We experience our brokenness through the places in our lives where we are weak and vulnerable, whether in body, mind, or spirit. As we grow older, one of our challenges is the sense that our gifts and abilities are no longer needed.
You may feel like you have stopped being useful and appreciated. You wonder if you have been forgotten by people you know. Maybe you even feel forgotten by God. The brokenness of feeling useless and unneeded can lead to the darkness of despair.
In his time of brokenness, the psalmist prayed in Psalm 71:9, “Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength is spent.” The psalmist feels vulnerable and at risk of harm. In what ways do you feel vulnerable? Do you fear being forgotten in your weakness, forsaken by even God?
The psalmist feels isolated and alone, pleading that God would not be far from him. After a year of isolation and loneliness many people have given voice to that prayer. They need to know of God’s nearness. They need to feel God’s presence as a shelter and refuge.
Not only can our brokenness lead us to darkness, but it can also lead us to healing. After pleading with God to not cast him off or forget him, the psalmist allows his faith to turn his attitude toward God’s faithfulness. “But I will hope continually, and will praise you yet more and more” (v.14).
As you walk the journey of brokenness with Jesus this week, claim your own brokenness. Walk into those dark and difficult places facing your pain and sorrow. Call upon God to be your rock of refuge (v.3). Trust that the Spirit of God is with you and will love you through your fear.
The path to your healing goes through your brokenness. Just like Jesus, you will be ready to be given for the sake of others. Thanks be to God.
About “Becoming Like Christ” (Weekly Lenten Reflections)
In 2019, we developed a 7-week long series packed full of devotions called “Exploring Humanity and Divinity.” It was about wrestling with our humanity as we seek to be transformed into the likeness of Christ.
After a tumultuous last year, and with tensions high on political, cultural, and social levels, it seems that “wrestling” is just as relevant today as it was two years ago.
In that spirit, we believed it would be healthy to resurrect a similar theme to this year’s Lenten devotional series: Becoming Like Christ.