by Fleming Island United Methodist Church on Mar 03, 2024
In our current series, "God on Mute," we delve into the profound moments of Jesus' life during Passion Week, particularly His prayer life, and how these moments resonate with our own experiences of divine silence. Today, we confront one of the most challenging aspects of faith: when we pray and God seems silent. This silence can be more perplexing than a direct "no" from God, and it is this silence we seek to understand.
On Maundy Thursday, Jesus, having celebrated the Passover meal, retreated to pray. In John 17, He prays for His disciples and the unity of the church. Despite His prayer, we observe that the early church, as well as the church today, struggles with division. This reality offers us comfort, knowing that our own unanswered prayers are not a result of our failures.
In Mark 14:32, we find Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, a place of immense pressure and crushing, both symbolically and literally. Here, Jesus expresses a depth of vulnerability, admitting His soul is "crushed with grief to the point of death." He pleads for the cup of suffering to be taken away, yet ultimately submits to God's will. Despite His earnest request, God's silence prevails.
Jesus' experience in the garden teaches us about the importance of community. He sought the support of His closest friends, who unfortunately fell asleep, failing to provide the comfort He desired. This mirrors our own need for companionship in times of struggle, as we are stronger together.
Furthermore, Jesus demonstrates that pain and suffering can be repurposed for God's glory. He transformed the Passover meal into a lasting memorial of His sacrifice, encouraging us to consider how our own pain might be used to honor God and connect with others.
In our prayers, we often approach God with routine requests, yet we are reminded of the power of coming to God with raw vulnerability, as Jesus did. It is in these moments of openness that we can truly encounter God, even in His silence.
Key Takeaways:
- Jesus' prayer for unity in John 17 reveals His heart for the church and reminds us that division within the body of Christ is not a new challenge. It calls us to strive for unity, recognizing that Jesus Himself prayed for this very thing. Our efforts towards unity honor His prayer and reflect the heart of God. [25:26]
- The silence of God is not an indication of His absence or disinterest. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus experienced the silence of God, yet this did not diminish His relationship with the Father. We must remember that silence can be a profound space for growth and trust, even when it feels uncomfortable. [27:36]
- Community is essential in our walk with Christ. Just as Jesus sought the presence of His disciples in His darkest hour, we too should lean on our brothers and sisters in Christ for support and encouragement. Isolation weakens us, but community provides strength and resilience. [33:50]
- Our pain can be repurposed for a greater good. Jesus used His impending suffering to establish a new meaning for the Passover meal. Similarly, we can use our experiences of pain to empathize with others and to glorify God, turning our trials into testimonies. [37:22]
- Vulnerability in prayer is a strength, not a weakness. Jesus' raw and honest prayers in the garden exemplify the depth of relationship we can have with God. Let us not shy away from bringing our true selves before God, for in doing so, we open ourselves to His transformative power. [39:38]
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. **John 17:11** - "Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are."
2. **Mark 14:32-36** - "They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, 'Sit here while I go and pray.' He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. He told them, 'My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.' He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. 'Abba, Father,' he cried out, 'everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.'"
#### Observation Questions
1. What specific prayer did Jesus make for His disciples in John 17:11? How does this reflect His heart for the church? [24:43]
2. In Mark 14:32-36, what emotions did Jesus express in the Garden of Gethsemane? How did He address God in His prayer? [26:44]
3. How did Jesus' disciples respond when He asked them to keep watch with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane? [27:36]
4. What significance does the Garden of Gethsemane hold, both symbolically and literally, in the context of Jesus' prayer? [29:07]
#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think Jesus prayed for unity among His disciples and the church in John 17:11? How does this prayer relate to the current state of the church? [25:26]
2. How does Jesus' experience of God's silence in the Garden of Gethsemane challenge our understanding of unanswered prayers? [26:04]
3. What can we learn from Jesus' vulnerability and honesty in His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane? How does this shape our approach to prayer? [39:38]
4. In what ways does Jesus' reliance on His disciples for support in the Garden of Gethsemane highlight the importance of community in our own lives? [33:50]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt God's silence in response to your prayers. How did you handle that experience, and what did you learn from it? [26:04]
2. Jesus prayed for unity among His followers. What steps can you take to promote unity within your own church or small group? [25:26]
3. Jesus showed raw vulnerability in His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. How can you incorporate more honesty and openness in your own prayer life? [39:38]
4. Think about a recent struggle or challenge you faced. Did you lean on your community for support? If not, how can you better involve others in your journey moving forward? [33:50]
5. Jesus repurposed His impending suffering to establish a new meaning for the Passover meal. How can you repurpose your own pain or struggles to honor God and connect with others? [37:22]
6. Consider the importance of community in your spiritual walk. What practical steps can you take to build stronger relationships with your brothers and sisters in Christ? [33:50]
7. How can you use your personal experiences of pain and suffering to empathize with and support others who are going through similar situations? [37:22]
Day 1: Unity Reflects Jesus' Heart for the Church
In John 17, Jesus' prayer for the unity of His followers is a profound expression of His desire for the church to be one, as He and the Father are one. This unity is not merely a superficial agreement but a deep, spiritual connection that transcends differences. The early church faced challenges of division, just as the church today does, which serves as a reminder that striving for unity is an ongoing process that honors Jesus' prayer. It is a call to action for every believer to actively work towards reconciliation and harmony within the body of Christ, recognizing that unity is both a gift and a responsibility.
"Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind." (1 Peter 3:8 ESV)
Reflection: How can you contribute to fostering unity within your local church community this week?
Day 2: Silence as a Space for Growth
The silence of God, as experienced by Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, is a powerful reminder that God's silence is not an absence. It is a sacred space where trust can be deepened and spiritual maturity can grow. In these moments, believers are invited to persevere in faith, even without immediate answers or signs. This silence can be unsettling, but it can also be a time of profound spiritual development, where one's relationship with God is strengthened through steadfastness and continued prayer.
"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!" (Psalm 37:7 ESV)
Reflection: What is God teaching you in a current season of silence, and how can you respond in trust rather than frustration? [27:36]
Day 3: Community Strengthens Our Faith Walk
Jesus' desire for the support of His disciples during His time of anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane highlights the importance of community in the life of a believer. Just as Jesus sought companionship, believers are called to walk alongside one another, offering support, encouragement, and strength. In times of trial, the presence of fellow Christians can provide the comfort and resilience needed to endure. The church is designed to be a community where its members bear one another's burdens and build each other up in love.
"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2 ESV)
Reflection: Who in your community is in need of support right now, and how can you be present for them in a meaningful way? [33:50]
Day 4: Pain Repurposed for God's Glory
Jesus' transformation of the Passover meal into a memorial of His sacrifice is a powerful example of how pain and suffering can be repurposed for a greater purpose. Believers are encouraged to consider how their own experiences of pain might be used to empathize with others, to glorify God, and to serve as a testimony of His faithfulness. Pain, when surrendered to God, can become a tool for ministry and a means to connect more deeply with others who are suffering.
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28 ESV)
Reflection: How can you use a personal experience of pain or struggle to encourage someone else who might be going through a similar situation? [37:22]
Day 5: Vulnerability Opens Us to Transformation
Approaching God with raw vulnerability, as Jesus did in His prayers, is an act of courage and faith. It is in these moments of openness and honesty that believers can truly encounter God and experience His transformative power. Vulnerability in prayer allows for a deeper relationship with God, where one's true self is laid bare before Him, and His grace can work most effectively in one's life.
"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!" (Psalm 139:23 ESV)
Reflection: What are you holding back from God in prayer, and how can you approach Him with greater vulnerability today? [39:38]
So we are in a series right now called "God on Mute." We're looking at Jesus's life during what we call Passion Week, the last week leading into Easter, and his prayer life specifically. We're examining how he called out to God and how God responded, and looking at that in relation to our own lives.
Now, if you’d like to follow along with the sermon notes, you can find them in two ways. You can open the church app, click on the worship section, and there you'll find the sermon note section. Or, if you don't want to download the church app, you can go to our church's website, which is fiumc.org, click on the e-mag in the corner, and you'll find a link to the sermon notes there.
Now, today's message has to do with when God is silent. It's probably the one we struggle with the most, right? When we pray and God seems to say nothing. It might even be easier when we pray and God says no. We probably don't like those, but when God says nothing, we struggle. So we're going to unpack this today, specifically around the day in Jesus's life that we call Maundy Thursday.
Maundy Thursday is the day that we get the Last Supper, or where our communion celebration comes from. This is the day where Jesus had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover meal. He gathered with his disciples and others because he was a guest in someone's home to celebrate Passover, which comes from the Exodus of Egypt all those thousands of years before. God told them to celebrate this every year.
After the meal had finished, Jesus left everyone and retreated to pray. In that retreat, Jesus says a prayer that's actually for the church. I'm going to be in John chapter 17. Jesus said this: "Now I am departing from the world, and they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you." He's praying to God here. "Holy Father, you have given me your name. Now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are."
So friends, Jesus is praying for the people he's leaving behind, for his church, and he's praying for unity. Isn't that a beautiful thing to have Jesus pray for? Does anyone feel like the Church of Jesus is united today? I don't. We have more denominations in the Christian church than we can count. Really, in Jesus's day, it wasn't united either, because in the book of Acts, we see the Christian Church fighting and being divided.
See, Jesus's own prayers were unanswered because from the beginning, Christians could not agree. Now, that gives me at least a little bit of comfort that I have not done something to cause God not to answer my prayers and to be silent.
Now there's more in that that we want to look at. I'm going to jump to the Gospel of Mark, and this is going to be our primary passage for today. We're going to pick up in Mark 14:32.
They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, "Sit here while I go and pray." Now just pause to remember our context. He's been at the Passover meal; he knows what's coming. So he leaves the meal and retreats for this prayer here.
He took Peter, James, and John with him and became deeply troubled and distressed. He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." He went on a little farther and fell to the ground and prayed that if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. "Abba, Father," he cried out, "everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine."
Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Couldn't you watch with me even one hour?"
Jesus retreated to the garden to find a safe place. Do you hear the emotion in his prayer? He said his soul was crushed. At the Maundy Thursday table, at the Passover table, he predicted he was going to be betrayed by Peter. He predicted that he was going to be betrayed by Judas. His heart was burdened, and he needed to be safe, so he goes to the garden to pray and pours his heart out.
He said he fell to the ground with the weight of what was on him, and this safe place that he found was very intentional. This garden had a lot of meaning.
Because I am only a person who can give you the wisdom that I learned from other people, I thought it best just to give you the wisdom of other people. So I would like to pass to you a section of the prayer study that we have online because Pete does it much more eloquently than me. That's because he's British.
Gethsemane wasn't just a nice, peaceful place to pray; it was loaded with prophetic significance. Gethsemane actually means "the oil press." The olives that grow there, actually to this day, 2,000 years later, were clearly back then pressed on site. So Gethsemane was a place of pressure, of literal crushing.
We've actually got an olive press here, a bit smaller than the one in Gethsemane, I suspect, but basically the same principle. Do you fancy giving it a go?
Yeah, I'd love to. Let's make some oil. It's not complicated. Pressure pulls the fruit and extracts the oil. I imagine Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, gazing across at this giant one of these, clearly feeling crushed at every level.
Firstly, Jesus was under unbearable pressure psychologically. Mark says that he was deeply distressed and troubled. Jesus himself says, "My soul's overwhelmed." The Greek word translated to "soul" here is "psyche," so Jesus is literally saying, "My psyche is overwhelmed." The totality of my mind, conscious and unconscious, is in agony.
Secondly, Jesus is being crushed spiritually. Verse 35 says that he fell to the ground to pray. So this isn't just like a polite devotional; Jesus is wrestling here with God, the flesh, and the devil, anticipating the dark night of his own soul the next day.
Thirdly, Jesus is being crushed emotionally. He's just been betrayed by someone he loved and trusted, sold like a piece of meat for cash. He's begged his three best friends for help, but instead, they've let him down. After all these years of relentless, unconditional love, there's no one on earth who can comfort Jesus in his loneliest hour.
Then fourthly, Jesus is being crushed physically. We're told in Luke's Gospel that his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. So Jesus is suffering here from a rare condition called hematidrosis, in which under extreme anguish, capillaries rupture in the subcutaneous layer of skin near the sweat glands, so that the sufferer emits sweat tinged with blood.
So here, beyond any doubt, really is a man caught in the extremes of mental, spiritual, emotional, and even physical torment. Can you picture it? Jesus is in this gamut of suffering, and he's picturing the press, this gigantic olive press, and it's a metaphor of what he's feeling.
But yet what he's asking for is not met by God. Jesus is dealing with his weight. He went to the safe place to pray. He also leans into the people around him. You heard Pete say that he went to his best friends. He leans into the three disciples he pulled in to be his closest people, and yet they couldn't stay awake. They let him down.
If you keep reading, he even goes back multiple times to say, "You can't stay awake long enough for me to pray?" He tries to wake them up, and they keep going to sleep on him.
But for us in life, friends, when we're struggling with something heavy, we need to lean into people just as Jesus does. Because when we have others around us, we are able to be lifted up.
There is a study—I'm glad I wasn't in it—but there is a study that if you put a person and have their feet in ice water, they get to hold their feet in ice water longer if they have a friend doing it with them. Because the friend is encouraging and says, "You know, we can keep going. We can do this. We're okay." But if you do that on your own, you give up faster.
You see, in the passage I just read in verse 33, he took Peter, James, and John with him because he wanted those close to him to be there. I will say I've not always been good at this.
In some of the hardest times of my life, I have not let people in. And that's not because I don't care about people; it's the residual of growing up in the spotlight. You see, as a preacher's kid, my entire life has been witnessed by other people, and therefore I like to have my space to myself, especially when life is hard.
Many of you have heard the story of my motorcycle accident, but I'll tell you what I did poorly: I didn't let other people into my struggle in my recovery, and I made it seem like everything was okay. I didn't share the things I struggled with. I didn't share my progress. I wanted it to seem like I was okay because I didn't want to let people into my personal space.
But what happened was I didn't have extra people to support me. They wanted to help and support and to be present, but I didn't let people in. We have to choose to let others walk with us, and it's up to us if we do that.
In the book of First Peter, it says this: "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares for you." It's easy in a passage like this to go, "Of course God cares for Jesus." One, Jesus is the Son of God. They're the one person. God and Jesus have one mind; they care for each other because all of Jesus's cares are important.
Of course God cares, but it says, "Cast all of your cares to God," which means God cares about everything. It doesn't mean that he's going to fix everything, but he cares if it matters to you. And just because God doesn't answer doesn't mean he doesn't care.
See, our third takeaway from this is that Jesus established purpose. If we go back to the Last Supper, when Jesus was at that Passover, he knew suffering was coming, and he made that Passover meal more than just a Passover meal because he said, "This is my body broken for you," because he knew soon his body was going to be broken. He knew the pain was coming, and he made that pain more than just a day of pain.
Sometimes our pain can't be taken away, but we can repurpose the experience to honor God and people.
Y'all have heard me say it many times, but I do not believe God wants unnecessary suffering in our world. He does not choose for children to die; he does not choose for horrible things like cancer. But when we have lost ones we love, especially too early in life, we can use that to honor him.
A parent who has lost a child has a unique understanding of grief that they can then relate to another parent who is going through that grief that no other parent can understand unless you've been through it. A person who has gone through the journey of cancer can relate to another person going through it in ways that none of us can fully understand.
That does not mean that God gave it to us so that we could do that; it just means we repurpose the pain for God's glory. Sometimes we forget that everything in this life can be used, the good and the bad. Jesus used his pain to do amazing things.
In Matthew, we read that verse I was just talking with you about: "As they were eating, Jesus took the bread and blessed it and broke it and said, 'This is my body. Eat and remember.'" We're going to say that at the table in just a few moments.
I wonder for the things that you've prayed for that you feel God has not answered, he's been silent on, the pain that you carry. Have you asked God not how to take the pain away, but how to use and repurpose your pain? Have you asked him how you can glorify him by connecting with someone around the pain? Have you asked him how to help you carry the burden?
Can you picture the weight Jesus must have carried for him to fall to the ground with his grief and his torment? I love the way Pete talks about the personalness of this prayer.
Now, out of—I'm not going to blame anyone—but when was the last time you came to God in prayer with this rawness that Jesus did in the garden? I'll be honest; there are a lot of times I sit down with my prayer journal and I write, "Dear God, thank you for all that you give me. Please help me to make good choices today. Thank you for the scripture that I read. Please pray over my church. Please help me be a good mom and not lose my temper today. Forgive me for losing my temper yesterday."
It's almost like I pray the same things in my journal each day. It's not often that I allow myself to come to the place of vulnerability and rawness and the openness that we see of Jesus. But if we don't do that, we're not truly open to whatever God's going to bring to us.
If we don't have the friends around us to pick us back up out of the dirt after we've fallen on the ground in prayer, we can't walk forward with the strength of the community. We can't do that if we don't allow people into the struggle.
We choose how we journey together. We choose if we allow this silence to be deafening or empowering. It doesn't mean we're any less Christian for God to be silent, because if God was silent for Jesus in the garden, it just means we're in good company.
Would you pray with me?
God, there have been times that I feel like if you would just answer my prayer, just give me guidance on where I'm going, that I could walk forward a little bolder. But there are times, on the opposite of that, that you're trying to tell me that I need to walk forward before you give me an answer. I need to be bold in who I am.
So Lord, as we remember today the power of silence, the power of being vulnerable in your presence, and the power of using our pain to not only connect with you but with others in a hurting world, I pray, God, that you bring us to this table recognizing all of the hurt that we carry, all of the suffering that's happened in our lives, and that we give it all today to you, God. We put it all at your feet. We come humbly before you.
I hope that we have friends that we can ask to keep watch while we pray, but if we don't, God, I pray that you bring those people into our lives so that we can be worthy of wherever you want us to go. We may be praying for a cup to pass from us today, but give us the strength to hold it and to consume it and to do all that you've asked of us.
We pray this in your holy name. Amen.
Friends, as we celebrate this table of our Lord, it is the symbol of what God has done for us through our Lord Jesus. It is open to all people of all languages, races, and nations. The only requirement of God is that we confess our sins with one another because this is the good that he created out of his pain.
So would you join me in this confession now that you'll find on the screen?
Holy God, we confess that we have grown complacent in our response to you. You set a rich feast of blessings before us, but we desire things that cannot satisfy us. You call us to attend to urgent needs in the world, but we indulge our desires. Our ways are not yours; our thoughts do not honor you. Forgive us when we fall short of your claim upon our lives. Disturb our complacency and quicken our desire for a more fruitful life. Be patient, we pray, as we amend who we are in the hope of becoming who you intend us to be. We ask this in the name of our Savior, your Son, Jesus Christ.
Lift anything in your heart you'd like to lift to God this morning.
Almighty God, hear the prayers that we share in our hearts and receive us as your beloved children so that in all things we may honor you today.
Friends, hear this word of forgiveness: If you join me, in the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. Amen.
Jesus took the bread and he broke it and he said, "This is my body broken for you. Eat in remembrance of me." He also took a cup and he said, "This is the blood of the New Covenant shed for all people, people of all time. Drink just as you eat in remembrance of me."
Almighty God, send your spirit upon this bread and this juice and upon us in this room so that we may be filled by your spirit and walk in your grace and redeem us to be people that help others hear your voice through us. We pray this in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
As my helpers come forward to help serve communion today, just a word of instruction: I'm going to serve my helpers first, and then we'll invite everyone forward. We will give you a small piece of bread to dip into the juice if you would like. If you would prefer no one to touch your bread, we have prepackaged communion that'll be available here in the center, and we also have gluten-free that will be available in the center as well.
I'll invite everyone forward in just a moment.
1) "It's not often that I allow myself to come to the place of vulnerability and rawness and the openness that we see of Jesus, but if we don't do that, we're not truly open to whatever God's going to bring to us." [40:19] (Download | )
2) "We choose how we journey together; we choose if we allow this silence to be deafening or empowering. It doesn't mean we're any less Christian for God to be silent." [41:06] (Download | )
3) "When we have others around us, we are able to be lifted up... if you put a person and have their feet in ice water, they get to hold their feet in ice water longer if they have a friend doing it with them." [33:50] (Download | )
4) "I didn't let other people into my struggle... I didn't have extra people to support me. They wanted to help and support and to be present, but I didn't let people in." [35:14] (Download | )
5) "It says cast all of your cares to God, which means God cares about everything. It doesn't mean that he's going to fix everything, but he cares if it matters to you." [36:00] (Download | )
6) "Sometimes our pain can't be taken away, but we can repurpose the experience to honor God and people... we can use that to honor him." [37:22] (Download | )
7) "Have you asked God not how to take the pain away but how to use and repurpose your pain? Have you asked him how you can glorify him by connecting with someone around the pain?" [38:51] (Download | )
8) "Can you picture the weight Jesus must have carried for him to fall to the ground with his grief and his torment? When was the last time you came to God in prayer with this rawness that Jesus did in the garden?" [39:38] (Download | )
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