The Readings: Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-33; 1 Peter 1:10-20; John 13:36-38 (Morning)

“You could not step twice into the same river” (Heraclitus). And what will we encounter this Good Friday?

Sometimes we use a confession that includes these lines:

We repent of the evil that enslaves us,
the evil we have done,
and the evil done on our behalf. (Enriching our Worship 1)

The “evil done on our behalf” is on full display at Golgotha. This is what national security and domestic tranquility require—repeatedly.

Peter, neither the worst of the apostles nor an average apostle; one of Jesus’ inner circle. Yet “Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times.” These days it is easy to be (at least) impatient with Christians on the other side of whatever cultural or political fences are important to us. Perhaps Peter can remind us of our own vulnerability and prompt us to pray for grace that we all may when necessary acknowledge our errors and trust in God’s forgiveness.

The testimony of the Victim:

The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul that seeks him.
…
Although he causes grief, he will have compassion
according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
for he does not willingly afflict
or grieve anyone.

There’s no promise of answers here. The more we learn, the more questions we accumulate, sometimes gut-wrenching questions. There is the testimony that however absurd it may appear, waiting and seeking are appropriate (necessary!) responses to this G-d. That’s a testimony I need.