Did you all see the women’s downhill yesterday? It was CRAZY. The course was very challenging – icy and bumpy – “as hard as cement” one commentator said, “and so, so fast.” And it seemed like every other contestant had a major wipeout that appeared life-threatening. Thankfully no one was seriously injured, but as with other Olympic events, I found myself marveling at the courage of each of these women to even shove off up there at the top of the mountain. Rose Marie Miller, in her very helpful book, From Fear to Freedom, recounts a story where she found herself at the top of a mountain in Switzerland with a pair of skis strapped to her feet – looking down at a ski run that was – as she put it, “way out of my class.” She had no choice but to shove off and hope for the best, but within feet she found herself on her backside. Over and over again she tried and over and over again kept falling. She resorted to walking down the mountain, but she kept sinking in the snow. She then scooted down the mountain on her backside and then eventually – 3 HOURS later – freezing and pitiful she arrived at the ski station. All the while, she was angry at God – blaming him for allowing her to go up that mountain in the first place.
The following Sunday – still bitter – she listened to her husband (Jack Miller) preach on Exodus 17 where Moses strikes the rock which produces life-giving water. Jack likened this scene to Jesus who was smitten for us in the same manner thus providing us with a river of his righteousness that makes us forgiven for Jesus’ sake. This is what happened next:
I don’t remember much from the rest of the sermon, but when it came time for communion Jack said, “The Lord’s Supper is the Father’s kiss, assuring us of his love.” As the loaf of French bread was broken, it gave a crack. I saw with new eyes the spear of the soldiers breaking the body of Christ for my sins. My own heart broke as I remembered the ski incident of a few days before. It was as if God were saying to me, “Rose Marie, your whole life is like your slide down that mountain. You are full of presumption, self-righteousness, and pride. I let you go up there to show you about yourself.” There was no audible voice saying these words, but they were there, and directed at my heart. The Father had opened my eyes to grace, the caterpillar was being lifted out of the fire by his loving hand. But it was a most painful encounter. The fire seemed to have entered my heart, burning away my intense self-centered moralism.
During this Lenten season, God is calling all of us to this kind of transparency with ourselves. But that is only possible if we really understand how much we are loved by God – a love we see so clearly in the Lord’s Supper. As Miller says, I believe it is impossible to face your hurts and hidden sins without the knowledge that God loves you. The burden is too heavy. Up to this point, my lack of awareness of God’s unconditional love was the core reason I needed order and control. Grace to understand this truth must come to us on God’s terms, not ours. It only enters our lives when we stop trying and cry out to our Father genuinely for help.”
Today let’s all cry out to the God who kisses us to help us see our presumption, self-righteousness and pride and to work in us the amazing reality of His love that is altogether unconditional. Lord Jesus, open our eyes to your grace so that we can see our need for it. Lord Jesus, open our eyes to our need for grace so that we can see it is ours in the smitten rock and the broken bread – in You. Amen.
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