Touching the Rock

This week I led a lent discussion on the final part of this year's York Course, "When I survey...Christ's Cross and ours."

The Soviet dissident, Alexander Solzhenityn, lost everything except his life. Banished to the harsh labour camps of the Gulag Archipelago, he was known only by a number, stripped of clothing and made to dress in rags. he had no books, no pen and no paper. He was allowed no work that might give him dignity. He was now a slave with no contact with the outside world and succumbed to cancer. he dealt with this by sinking to the bottom from where he could slide no further. He could rely on the rock beneath to support him. Looking at Jesus, we see that he too was brought to the bottom of the abyss. But his words tell us he did not despair, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Traditionally we think of Jesus as one with God the Father. But Paul writes: "Jesus being in the very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross."

In the Apostles' Creed we read "he descended into hell." This really is a great mystery to us. How can we picture Jesus descending into hell? But we have the assurance that wherever the cross takes Jesus he finds his father there. In Psalm 139 we read, "If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in hell you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."

For me, Job is a man who displays the marks of one stripped down to the bone and standing on the firm rock of hardship. "If only I could go back to the old days, to the time when God was watching over me, when his lamp shone above my head, and by its light I walked through the darkness!" God speaks to him through a storm: "Who is this who darkens counsel with words devoid of knowledge? This is the ultimate "put down line". God's tirade is terrible and frightening. But it speaks poetically of the role of God and how Job, a human being, has no part of it. The role of creator and created are completely separate. How dare the created one speak about his creator as he did?

Then Job sees where he has gone wrong and repents, knowing that now, in his misery he has found God so that he sees him face to face. Many people report having found God closest to them in times of hardship or great sorrow. This is the point where they are exposed to0 the widest limit to his love. This is the point from which they are able to restart their life's journey and rebuild that which has fallen. I once heard a preacher ask "How does God help us?" The answer was and remains, God has given us intelligence and physical strength with which to do most things. When the task gets too great he helps us carry the load. When it becomes just impossible he takes over our load. Only those who have been brought this low seem to be able to witness to having experienced God's presence.

It is God's love that offers us salvation. There appears never to be a point in our lives when we cannot repent and take Jesus into our hearts. Give thanks that this is the case. Yet this also brings us a challenge. God forgives and saves all, but there are those we human beings consider beyond redemption.

The German war criminal, Hermann Goerring used to be visited by his wife and daughter whilst awaiting trial at Nuremburg. To give privacy to husband and wife the Lutheran pastor in the prison would take the little girl into his office and talk to her. "Do you pray?" he asked on one occasion. "Yes," she said, "every might I ask God to make Daddy take Jesus into his heart." Even a child can see the great possibilities of salvation for all.

Finally, we think of the lowest point in life and see that God is there. His love is there and never waivers. In the hymn, "Rock of ages" we sing as people stripped of everything: "nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling." Can we make it? yes we can!