Feb 24, 2008 - The Whip
Lenten Reading—The Whip
LEADER:
Today we place upon the cross the whip, an instrument of violence and coercion. Today we also celebrate the living water Jesus offered freely to a Samaritan woman. The whip by its very design both damages others and keeps them at arm’s length. We use it to inflict pain while keeping the other at a distance. In a culture divided by gender, Jesus extended grace to a woman. In a culture that disdained other races, Jesus extended love to a Samaritan.
CONGREGATION:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us. We try to make Your Kingdom a place for people just like us. We hurt others, and keep them at arm’s length. Absorbed by self, we again place you on the cross, refusing to take up our own and follow you. Have mercy on us.
LEADER:
We use the whip to punish others
—with public humiliation as well as pain—
for their trespasses.
Jesus, although aware of the woman's sin,
offered forgiveness and life rather than condemnation.
CONGREGATION:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us. We excel at destroying our neighbors by rehearsing their past. We prefer the superiority of focusing on their sin to the painful honesty in repenting of our own. Absorbed by self, we again place you on the cross, refusing to take up our own and follow you. Have mercy on us.
LEADER:
The whip inflicts on our enemy violence and death. Jesus offered this hostile woman the hope of living water.
CONGREGATION:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us. We revel in your living water, But, whether by choice or by default, we fail to offer it to others. Absorbed by self, we again place you on the cross, refusing to take up our own and follow you. Have mercy on us.
LEADER: Let us pray together…
CONGREGATION:
Almighty God, whose glory it is always to have mercy:
Free us from the self-absorption of sin.
Forgive the ways we continue to place Jesus on the cross.
Form in us his very character--
his humility,
his service,
his forgiveness,
his sacrificial love--
Through Your mighty resurrection power! Amen.
Copyright 2008 Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene.
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