35-36Going a little ahead, he fell to the ground and prayed for a way out: "Papa, Father, you can—can't you?—get me out of this. Take this cup away from me. But please, not what I want—what do you want?"
37-38He came back and found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, "Simon, you went to sleep on me? Can't you stick it out with me a single hour? Stay alert, be in prayer, so you don't enter the danger zone without even knowing it. Don't be naive. Part of you is eager, ready for anything in God; but another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire."
39-40He then went back and prayed the same prayer. Returning, he again found them sound asleep. They simply couldn't keep their eyes open, and they didn't have a plausible excuse.
41-42He came back a third time and said, "Are you going to sleep all night? No—you've slept long enough. Time's up. The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up. Let's get going. My betrayer has arrived."
This passage of Scripture impacts me more than just about any --- every single time I read or hear it. We Americans so often see Christianity as a nice hobby; worrying about what to wear, what to sing, where to park, what service fits our schedule best.... Going to church, Bibles are somewhat optional as the Words will be on the screen over the lovely images of the waterfalls or gentle breezes of the trees as we want to be seeker-friendly and up-to-date. Of course, "Seeker-Friendly" is a valid concept for our churches. But sometimes I do wonder....how seeker-friendly were things that amazing weekend of our Lord's betrayal and crucifixion?
3 comments:
Beautiful post.
I almost feel that some of our churches have become too seeker friendly. They've removed the "blood" songs from the hymnals and the song books. The preachers have stopped preaching hell fire and damnation and are content to tell sweet little stories and paint a picture of Christianity that will appeal to the masses without offending anyone. I feel, especially at this time of the year, that each and every one of us need to hear, in great detail the play by play horror that our Lord and Savior endured in those last days and hours. No sugar coating. The full unabridged version. We need to be reminded of the price that was paid for our salvation.
Blessings!
Oh, Grace! It's too true... how could we truly package a bloody cross to make it seeker-friendly? Boy, we are trying aren't we?
ah ha!!!! so true!
I've often wondered how seeker friendly the Masai are when they walk for miles on end to get to their church that meets under a tree...I wonder if they complain of it being too hot, too cold, too dirty, too loud...too far...
things that make me go hmmmmm...I like this post :o)
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