Toward Undying Love – a daily liturgy for Lent – Lent 2 Sunday 25 February
23 February 2018
Southwell Minster
Lent 2 Sunday 25th February
You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him.
From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever!
Psalm 22. 23-26
What troubles you? What keeps you awake at night and disturbs you in your waking hours? It is not wrong to feel anxious or afraid, however awful such moments are. It is not a sign of weakness but it may be a symptom of sensitivity. To paraphrase a saying: more change is wrought by insomniacs than this world dreams of.
The Psalm given to the voice of Jesus in his sense of abandonment on the cross (Psalm 22) ends in hope. God does not abandon even those who feel lost and all alone. The One to whom we look in times of distress for comfort and reassurance is also the One who knows how it is for us.
Reasssuring, Suffering God,
In our pain and dismay you weep with us.
In our fears you hold us.
In our longing you walk with us. Amen
