Psalms of the Passion: 3. Surrender

PSALMS OF THE PASSION: 3. SURRENDER

Between the ages of 16 and 19 years, I used to do voluntary work at Leiston Abbey, situated on the east coast of Suffolk.

This former Cistercian Abbey was deserted by the monks at the time of the Reformation and fell into ruins with only the walls remaining.

Eventually, a large farmhouse was built into the south east corner of the nave, and in the middle of the last century, its owner, Miss Wrightson, bequeathed it to the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and lpswich, to be used as a conference and retreat centre.

It was staffed by three full-time women workers, augmented by voluntary workers, which is where I came in. Although I was the only male, I never complained!

Every Friday, after I had finished at the local College of Further Education in lpswich, I would cycle the 25 miles to Leiston, a journey of some two hours, irrespective of the weather. I used to return on Sunday evenings. I also spent most of my college vacations there.

My duties included preparing and lighting the fires, stoking up the kitchen Aga, serving at tables and washing and drying up the dishes. When not working in the house, I would cut up logs for the fires and cut the extensive lawns.

In the afternoons, we were free tor a couple of hours, during which I would explore the local countryside beneath those vast East Anglian skies.

Each day started and finished with the monastic Offices of Prime and Compline in the restored Lady Chapel of the abbey..

Compline was undoubtedly my favourite service. After the ceaseless physical and social activity of the day, including mixing with a wide variety of guests, it was good to be able to relax in the peace and tranquillity of the chapel, where the walls seemed soaked in prayer from former centuries.

Now at last, one could relax in peace.

One of the prayers of the service included the following words.

The minister would say, 'Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit’ and the congregation would echo those words in their response, 'Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit’.

Then the minister would say, "for thou has redeemed me, O Lord, thou God of truth’, to which the congregation replied, ‘I commend my spirit’.

Finally, the minister would conclude this section of the service with the words, 'Glory be to the Father to and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost’, and the congregation replied, 'Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit’.

And now let me tell you a secret.

Ever since those days, before I close my eyes in sleep, I have always offered up that prayer, 'Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit’.

You may recall that those were also the final words of Jesus upon the cross, before he closed his eyes in the sleep of death.

This is how St Luke recalls the incident.

'It was now about noon, and darkness covered the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun's light failed, and the curtain of the temple was torn into two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, 'Father, into your hands l commend my Spirit.' Having said this, he breathed his last.’ (Luke 23.44-46)

What a roller coaster life he had lived since he commenced his ministry, some three years earlier at the River Jordan!

He had invited a mixed bag of people to accompany him, including two small-time fishermen and two others who owned their own fishing boat; a tax collector employed by the Roman occupying forces; a political revolutionary; a natural born sceptic who questioned everything, and another who would betray him, either out of personal greed or because of misplaced loyalty.

With this odd assortment of followers, and others, Jesus had left behind the security and comfort of his home in Nazareth in order to travel the land as an itinerant preacher, seldom having nowhere to lay his head at night.

His miracles of healing had brought comfort and hope to countless people, whilst his revolutionary teaching about an alternative kingdom, had attracted a large crowd of people, including some dissatisfied citizens and political and religious leaders who wished to maintain the status quo.

On the one hand, he seem to ride on a crest of a wave of popularity, whilst on the other hand, he sank deeper and deeper into political and religious trouble.

Finally, the political and religious leaders of the day had colluded to bring about trumped up charges to ensure he would be silenced, once and for all, by being put to death on a rubbish heap, outside the walls of Jerusalem.

It was indeed a roller coaster life. But now that life was drawing slowly to a close.

I wonder what went through the mind of Jesus during those final moments upon the cross?

Have I been a success or a failure? Was I right or was I wrong? Could I have handled things better? Did I have to cause offence to so many powerful and influential people? I wonder if my mother is proud of me or is she disappointed? And what of God, my heavenly Father? Have I let him down?

These, and a hundred and one similar questions must have passed through his mind as he hung there in agony, dying upon the cross.

Then, as his breathing became more and more laboured, and the death rattle was heard by those close by, he decided that it was not for him to judge, as regards any success or failure. Such judgement lies in the hands of God alone. All he can do now is to throw himself upon the infinite mercy of God. And so, having taken a final fleeting look at his life, he surrenders himself to God with those words, ‘Father, into your hands l commend my Spirit’. And having said that, he breathed his last.

To those of you who are familiar with the words of the psalms, you will recall that those final words of Jesus echo the words of psalm 31, which reads, 'Into thy hands I commend my spirit, O Lord, thou God of truth.'

Over the years, there has been much debate amongst Old Testament scholars as to the origins of the psalms. Sigmond Mowinckle, we have already noted, has suggested that they originated mostly from within the common worshipping life of the Jews, whilst Herbert Gunkell, would suggest that their origin lies more in the personal prayer life of the Jews.

My friend, Gordon Mursell, remarks, 'Though remarkably little is known even now about their origin, or about how and when they were used, this much is at least clear; they served both for private prayer and public worship; and even those psalms which appear most deeply and intimately personal have a certain formulaic character which makes it clear that they were never intended simply to express one's personal experience, but rather to articulate that of the whole community, and of anyone else who had undergone something similar.’ He goes on to say, 'even at their most intensely introverted, the psalms are always corporate prayers, articulating the mind and story of whole communities as well as isolated individuals.'

There is no doubt that the psalms are the seedbed of both Jewish and Christian prayer.

Since Jesus shared in the regular worship of both the temple and the synagogue, we should not be too surprised to find him drawing upon the rich resource of words and images of the psalms, when human words fail him, such as at the moment of death.

Psalm 31 has been described as a 'triple cry for deliverance'. It is essentially a personal lament of, a person encompassed by troubles of one kind and another, who seeks to pour out his complaint to God.

'ln thee, O Lord, have I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion, deliver me in thy righteousness.

Bow down thy ear to me: make haste to deliver me.

And be thou my strong rock, the house of defence: that thou mayest save me.

For thou art my strong rock, and my castle: be thou also my guide, and lead me for thy name's sake.

Draw me out of the net that they have laid privily for me; for thou art my strength.

Into thy hands I commend my spirit; for thou hast redeemed me O Lord, thou God of truth.

I have hated them that hold superstitious vanities: and my trust hath been in the Lord.

I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble, and hast known my soul in adversity.

Thou hast not shut me up in the hand of the enemy: but hast set my feet in a large room.'

The following verses are a lament of one who has been afflicted with disease. His suffering has been of long standing. He is shunned by his friends and adversaries alike who see his suffering as punishment from God. The sufferer feels forgotten and might as well be dead.

'Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: and mine eye is consumed for very heaviness; yea, my soul and my body.

For my life is waxen old with heaviness: and my years with mourning.

My strength faileth me, because of mine iniquity; and bones are consumed.

I became a reproof among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours: and they of my acquaintance were afraid of me; and they that did see me without conveyed themselves from me.

I am clean forgotten, as a dead man out of mind: I am become like a broken vessel.'

ln the following verses, his suffering is extended to include a whispering campaign which plots against his life.

'For I have heard the blasphemy of the multitude: and fear is on every side, while they conspire together against me, and take counsel to take away my life.

Let the lying lips be put to silence: which cruelly, disdainfully, and despitefully, speak against the righteous.'

Once again, one wonders to what extent the evangelists had these words of the psalmist in mind, when they talk about the enemies of Jesus making false accusations against him at his trial.

This psalm of lament concludes with a song of praise for the Lord's goodness for those who have been delivered by such suffering.

At the end of each day, before I close my eyes in sleep, .despite all the good and bad things that may have happened to me, I can do no other than surrender myself to God's gracious mercy and say, 'Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit’.

Similarly, at the end of his life, before Jesus closed his eyes in the sleep of death, despite all the unjust sufferinq that God had permitted him to experience, Jesus could do no other than surrender himself to God's gracious mercy and say ‘Father, into your hands l commend my Spirit’.

And what of yourselves?

It is so easy to allow the pain and disappointment in life to cloud our minds to God's overall goodness. It is so easy to allow bitterness and resentment to eat away at our vision of God. It is so easy to blame him for all the things that go wrong in our lives. Why does an all loving and powerful God permit suffering?

At the end of the day, all we can do is to surrender ourselves to God's mercy and say, ‘Into your hands l commend my Spirit’ and allow him to judge us.

'Drop thy still dews of quietness

till all our strivings cease,

take from our souls the strain and stress

and let our ordered lives confess

the beauty of thy peace.'

Support us, O Lord, all the day long of this troublesome life until the shades lengthen and the evening comes, the busy world is hushed, and our work is done.

Then, Lord in your mercy grant us a safe lodging and a holy rest, and peace at the last,

Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

'Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the silent hours of this night, so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this fleeting world, may rest upon thy eternal changelessness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.