Scripture: Acts 9:5
Paul asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
Thought for the Day: On the Road to Damascus, Paul was met by the Crucified and Risen Lord. This notion of Christ Crucified was so far beyond anything Paul could comprehend. It made no sense, and for that reason, Paul persecuted the church until that moment on the Damascus. Suddenly the Almighty Creator was no longer viewed the same way. Instead of traditional power and might, this God was found in the vulnerability and suffering of the cross. It made no sense to Paul, and it really doesn’t make sense even today in the traditional ways of thinking. As the wonderful author, Richard Rohr, puts it:
Christ was not the strong, powerful, military Messiah that the Jews had been waiting for throughout their history. He was in fact quite the opposite. This was Jesus’ great revelation, surprise, and a scandal that we have still not comprehended. God is not what we thought God could or should be!
How is your understanding of God still tied to old definitions of power that make no room for the power found in humility and suffering? How might Christianity look differently if the followers of Jesus took off their garments of violent power and adorned themselves with the mantle of weakness where the true power of God is found?
Prayer: Give me strength to be weak, O Holy One of Creation. Provide me the unwavering capacity to suffer for others. Amen.
And Looking Ahead…
