Jurgen Moltmann has been beating me up all day.
I’ve been reading The Crucified God (an aside: whoever designed the series of covers for Moltmann’s books must be a Jesus and Mary Chain fan) — both for my own spiritual formation during this season of Lent, and also to share with our church community.
In our church, we’ve been talking a lot about the interconnectedness of suffering, redemption, hope and love in Christ. Thoughts from folks such as Dave Gibbons and Rob Bell have been very formative for us in talking about redemptive suffering — appropriate as we approach Passion Week, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
We’ve been asking, as Moltmann writes in Crucified, “How can one continue to love despite grief, disappointment and death?” How do we experience pain honestly, without indulging in self-pity or becoming bitter, hardened people? Can our pain lead us to deep, abiding trust in God and heartfelt empathy for others?
Here is a passage from The Crucified God that jumped out at me today: