A Place at the Table - 42 - Cell
A Place at the Table - 42 - Cell
Father, we are truly thankful for the life of Jesus, our brother and King. In every way He came to show us how to live— how to celebrate, how to obey, how to lean into You, how to raise the spirits of others, and how to lay our life down to glorify You. His heart was deeply rooted in You, and the rewards of His faithful obedience have covered all past and future generations. Take us to the root too. Bring us to the source of what is so hard to face. Help us accept our own humanity, our own faults and fears. Help us face what we want to avoid. Help us be honest with ourselves and others. Help us not to hide from the truth, and help us keep moving forward even though it may hurt. Show us what we are to take on, be with us as we move through obstacles, pitfalls, and triumphant finishes. May our lives celebrate and honor You to our greatest ability. Amen.
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Back in the 80s, there was a huge protest around the movie, The Last Temptation of Christ. People were up in arms over parts of the film. After finally seeing it for myself several years ago, I was struck by one aspect in particular that was unlike any other depiction of Jesus I had seen before. The depiction of Jesus in this film was a human and not just a “divine” in a human shell. While Jesus was still depicted as the divine son of God, the humanity of Jesus was very much on display. Seay tackles this idea in today’s devotion, recognizing the times where we see those glimpses of the very human Jesus. The one who struggled with what was to come, the one who was frustrated at times, the one who simply was just like us. Yet there was always the divine light that shone through. I see that in the prayer for today as well - we have those parts of our lives that are hard to face, those places where we feel chained and locked up, those places where the furniture seems to have been thrown asunder. Yet the light shines in and the divine meets the human.