Solitude v. Loneliness

An intermittent connection has meant that I have been unable to post for a couple of days.  However, the connection is steady at the moment, and so I am 'making the most of the time'. (see Eph.5:16; RSV).

It is, of course, Sunday and, normally, I would be at a worship sevice somewhere - either as a part of the gathered congregation in LCC, or leading the service elsewhere.  It was earlier this morning that I received a message from a dear Christian friend who is a GLO missionary here in France - unforunately, in physical terms, almost as far away from me as it is possible to be while still in this country!  She mentioned that she had been thinking about me, and had realised that she had never asked me what I have been doing on a Sunday.  She probably realised that there is no evangelical witness here in L'Isle - nor, as far as I can find out, in the immediately surrounding area.  I am, to all intents and purposes, in 'Christian solitude'!   

But I am not alone!  As I thought about my friend's loving concern, I recalled an incident from my days in the British Merchant Navy.  Although still a very young, and immature, disciple of Jesus, I wanted to provide some sort of witness.  Part of that was my attendance at the weekly 'Divine Service' on board the ship - open to both passengers and crew-members.  However, when we were in port on a Sunday, that activity didn't take place, and I took the opportunity to attend a local service of worship.  On some occasions, I was able to pick and choose from a number of possibilities but, on others, the constraints of time meant that I had to go to the closest place of worship to where the ship was berthed.  

One of the latter occasions was in Melbourne, Australia, and the church in question was of the Episcopal persuasion.  The building, as I recall, was a magnificent red sandstone edifice in Gothic style, with high, arching ceiling, and beautiful stained glass windows.  It was much larger than the building in which I worshipped at home, and could probably have seated some seven to eight hundred worshippers.  My attendance was certainly noticed - all by myself, that Sunday morning, I managed to increase the size of the total numbers present by 50%!  Yes, apart from me, there was the vicar, and the vicar's wife!

In those far-off days, I knew nothing about Episcopal liturgy, and Collects (set, daily, prayers) - although I have since made use of some of them in leading congregations in worship.  We came to the communion, and it was then that I had a moment of revelation, as that dear man uttered words with which he and his wife were presumably so familiar, but that came as a ray of light and understanding to their young visitor.  "Therefore, with Angels and Archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify Thy glorious Name; evermore praising Thee, and saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of Thy glory: Glory be to Thee, O Lord most High"

I realised, at that moment, that even although there were only three human bodies in that vast sanctuary, we were not alone.  Because we were surrounded by, and one with, an unseen host who, in a dimension that we were (and are) incapable of comprehending, were worshipping the same Triune God - and doing so with a purity of heart and purpose to which we could do no more than aspire!

So, as I sit here in L'Isle-sur-le-Doubs this Sunday morning, I am in solitude - but I am not alone.  As I read God's Word, and as I pray; as I listen to "the songs of Zion", and join in with those whose voices have been recorded; I am joined by angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven, in praising and magnifying His glorious Name.  And, of course, I have the constancy of His own presence Who has promised: "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." (Heb.13:5).

Solitude - it's not so bad, if one is not alone!

In the Garden

It was Thursday night. Jesus and His closest disciples had celebrated the Passover mean together. Judas had left and gone into the night (John 13:30). Then Jesus, and the other disciples, had gone to the olive grove that was named Gethsemane. There, He took Peter, James, and John and told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here, and watch with me." (Matt.26:38).

Matthew continues his record of the evening: "He went on a little farther ..." (v.39). Distance is a strange thing! It can sometimes be difficult to judge. If you have the opportunity to visit the Highlands of Scotland, you will quickly discover what I mean! That mountain that looked to be so close, turns out to be a half-day's walk away.

Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, may have gone, in literal terms, just "... a little farther ...". Certainly, the disciples were able to see, and to hear Him for at least part of the time (until their eyes closed as they dozed off). But, in a more figurative sense, He couldn't have gone any farther!

How far He went in His suffering. The crucifixion that He knew He was soon to undergo, is considered by many to be one of the most cruel forms of executing the death penalty that the twisted mind of fallen mankind has ever invented. The condemned man died in multiple ways - loss of blood, from the wounds made by the nails; hypothermia, as the naked body was left hanging there through the bitterly cold night; suffocation, as the blood rose in the throat. But for Jesus, the suffering was not only physical, but also spiritual. The holiness of God is such that the Father could not even look upon sin and so as, on the cross, Jesus took the sinfulness of mankind upon Himself, the Father had to turn away. The eternal relationship between Father and Son was, for a brief moment of time, broken. Little wonder that He cried out, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?"

How far He went in His solitude. "There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin. He only (i.e. He alone; no-one else) could unlock the gate of heaven, and let us in". This sinless One; this One Who could challenge even His enemies to convict Him of sin; this Man Who drew others to Him by the sheer force of His character; "... was despised and rejected - a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on Him, and looked the other way when He went by. He was despised, and we didn't care." (Isaiah 53:3)

And how far He went in His shame. The human body was designed by Almighty God and is, therefore "very good" (Gen.1:31). Nakedness is not 'bad' of itself. But if I am hanging, naked, on a cross, while others who are fully clothed stand around mocking me - then that can bring great shame. And, of course, He was hanging there, not because of any wickedness of His own, but for you and for me. "... it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God for His own sins!" (Is.53:4)

He couldn't have gone any farther in His submission; submission to the will of the Father. Yes, He could have asked the Father for thousands of angels, and He would have sent them instantly (Matt.26:53). But He had already uttered that prayer: "Not my will, but Yours, be done." "There was no other way a God of love could find to reconcile the world, and save a lost mankind." (John W.Peterson)

"He went on a little farther ...", and we may rejoice that He did. But, of course, His great sacrifice was in vain, if we fail to respond, positively, to it, and accept the great salvation that He has won.