42 He said, “Father, if it’s your will, take this cup of suffering away from me. However, not my will but your will must be done.” 43 Then a heavenly angel appeared to him and strengthened him.
Reflection
The first message I shared very early in my ministry was for the Chatham United Methodist Women. I still remember it vividly. At that point in the earliest days of my career I often felt lost and overwhelmed. I was just starting my Masters degree program at Drew Theological School, had three young children and my husband frequently traveled for work. That scripture
was placed on my heart more than once during those five years. The sound and image of Jesus praying these words in Gethsemane was with me all the time. Those words nourished me and gave me courage and strength for the journey.
The theme for my message at the women’s luncheon that day was “The Prayer Sandwich.” I was strengthened in knowing that, like me, Jesus was actively engaged with people in the world and that he, too, needed to escape regularly for communing with God. Time alone with God was the nourishment he received from prayer and contemplation, and the life he lived among the people was the package (bread) in which this time was wrapped. I have been nourished for decades by these “prayer sandwiches.” Luke 22:42 also provides the image of the “cup of suffering” to complete the holy meal that God provides for us in times of deep contemplation and prayer.
Perhaps you, like me, have wondered if the word “pray” and “contemplate” are inter-changeable. Recently Adam Bucko, the Director of the Center for Spiritual Imagination wrote “From the beginning, the Christian life was shaped by the rhythm Jesus himself modeled – a life of action flowing from deep stillness. He withdrew to pray alone. In the end, contemplation is not about escaping life but entering it more fully. It is how we listen for God in the silence and how we hear God in the cries of the poor, the groaning of creation, and the joy of being alive. It is how we remember what is good so that we can live from that place for the sake of the world.”
by Kathleen Stolz
For Pondering and Prayer
The many artistic renderings of Jesus praying in Gethsemane has inspired people for thousands of years.
*As you read today’s passage what image of Jesus, or image of yourself, praying in the garden comes into your mind?
**What do you see or feel as you ponder your own image of prayer in a garden?
***In my journey, I have trained as a “Life on Purpose Coach” and learned to direct certain prayers to “this or something better.”
Is there a prayer that you are currently contemplating with God?
Prayer: Loving Lord, Prince of Peace, Lover of all Creation, we are living in times of extreme turmoil and unrest. We know that you have been with your creation since the beginning and are aware of the challenges we, your children, experience when we get greedy. As Paul said in his letter to the Romans: all creation groans like an expectant mother in labor, awaiting a future hope. As we read the news, let us not lose hope that better days are ahead. Guide us to be part of the solution, not the problem. Teach us to be kind to one another, even those with whom we disagree. Amen.
