Do not be far from me (Easter prayers)

Yet you brought me out of the womb;

you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.

From birth I was cast on you;

from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

Do not be far from me,

for trouble is near

and there is no one to help.

Psalm 22:9-11

This year, our devotions during the Good Friday walk will draw from Psalm 22. It’s not an unfamiliar text for this season. In Matthew and Mark, Jesus cries out the opening verse from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

But there is a lot contained in the psalm, which stretches on for 31 verses. Like many psalms, it’s a bit of an emotional roller coaster, with some parts naming and crying out from the depths of despair, and others almost boasting with confidence in God’s ultimate plans for peace and unity.

The verses above are the ones I’ll reflect on when the walkers arrive to UCU. Here the psalmist (perhaps David) depicts an innate intimacy with God from the very beginning, using metaphors of childbirth and breastfeeding to speak about God’s nearness. And then, with trouble at hand, David (or whoever is praying) bids that God once again draw close like that. For who else is there to help?

On Friday, the walkers will have an opportunity to  leave prayers at the cross. The prompt will be simply “God, draw close to…”, and those prayers, collected and generalized, will form the prayers of the people that we offer on Easter Sunday morning.

If you will not be at the walk, but would like to contribute a prayer, kindly send it in via email (pastor@ucu.church) by Friday evening. “God, draw close to…” It’s a simple prayer, but in these days, we surely need the reminder of God’s life-giving nearness.

Pastor Jen