#prayerstation

"So then let’s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Let’s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up, 2 and fix our eyes on Jesus, faith’s pioneer and perfecter. He endured the cross, ignoring the shame, for the sake of the joy that was laid out in front of him, and sat down at the right side of God’s throne." Hebrews 12:1-2

Today is All Saint's Sunday, the day that we reflect on those who have passed away.  We remember the impact that the people who have gone before us have had on our lives.  We celebrate their lives and retell their stories.  

Too often we wait until someone has passed away to celebrate the impact they have had on our lives.  Too often we wait until it is too late to reflect on the meaningful relationships in our lives.  Why not stop and celebrate the lives of those who are still walking the faith journey with us?

During the High School Small Group tonight we took the time to reflect on Hebrews 11:1-12:2 through prayer stations.  We engaged in the story of the faith of those who have gone before us.  It is through the faith of others that we begin to see how the Holy Spirit is moving in our lives today.  We named the Great Cloud of Witnesses that surround us, shape us, guide us, and challenge us. 

With Good Friday around the corner, I thought I'd share a write up for a prayer station that I'm putting together for Evergreen's service. Feel free to use any part of this that may be useful in your context.

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Bonhoeffer wrote about the God who is with us today as the God who has forsaken us in terms of our false expectations of deliverance from tribulation at the hands of evil forces. Bonhoeffer finds our God-forsaken God hanging on the cross identifying with the world in its plight. While filled with angst over the situation in which he found himself, Bonhoeffer also experienced inner resolve: we must not try to escape the problems of life and look to God to rescue us out of them. - Paul Louis Metzger

Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." - Matthew 26:36-39

When Jesus prayed that his task be taken away from him, we see Jesus identify with us in our experience of feeling forsaken by God. We often want God to be some sort of handyman wielding cosmic duct tape, showing up to fix all of our problems.

Many times we are disappointed when God doesn't meet our expectations and solve our problems. In Jesus we see God experiencing this God-forsakenness with us.

On this table is a cup. Take a moment to write down an expectation that God is failing to meet, or something that you don't want to go through.