Whenever I hear the song "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz, I want to, and often do, rant about how he says that it is our God-forsaken right to be loved, looooved, loved. I didn't realize that God had in fact forsaken our right to be loved. I think he probably meant God-given or something like that, and I can't believe none of the producers asked him about that line. Whatever, we all have words we misuse, so I don't hate Jason Mraz or even think he's stupid, just made a very public mistake.
The song always makes me think about that idea of God-forsakenness (there is red squiggle under forsakenness, which I do not agree with at all). Does God really forsake things? I mean I've driven through Kansas on I-70 and it is boring and as much as I hate to say it there is still beauty and God in it. If God hasn't forsaken Kansas, then God is not going to forsake anything. See what I did there.
It's Holy Week so it seems the time to think about forsakenness some more. I am reminded of Jesus' haunting cry from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!" It is a moment that should bring a little confusion to anybody who believes in the Incarnation. How is it possible for God to have forsaken Jesus, since Jesus is God? It's the kind of question that makes my brain hurt. How does God abandon Godself?
In reality, does God really abandon anyone? Jesus on the cross is having a real feeling of being abandoned. In his being, Jesus does not feel like God is moving or in this situation at all. God feels exactly what the rest of us feel from time to time. God feels like God is not present and does not care. God feels forsaken. We all have those moments of feeling like God has left the building and doesn't give a flip about the awful, excruciating, and all-consuming pain and grief that we are feeling. Does that mean that it is okay to feel that way from time to time? I mean Jesus did. Obviously, most of the time we aren't dying a horribly painful death when we shout the open of Psalm 22. Usually, it's because the peanut butter has run out, or something equally as horrible.
In that moment when Jesus felt forsaken and we feel forsaken, it might be good to realize that God is present. God is present in the junk as well as the joy.. God is present in suffering. God is present in Kansas. God is present in our abandonment. God is present. I believe that God is present all around us, and that Good Friday and Holy Saturday are the days when we are to feel with the disciples that feeling of abandonment or forsakenness. We are to face our own fears, failures, suffering, and grief. Then, see the Crucified God present in the suffering and participating in our suffering. The power of the Resurrection and God's invitation to you in it will become significantly more meaningful if you force yourself to face your reality of pain and rejection and empty peanut butter jars. Because we are never truly forsaken, but we have to face the pain we cause and feel before we can experience the joy of new life in Resurrection.
Did I just write a sermon? What are your thoughts on forsakenness and Jesus' cry from cross?
Although I didn't cite anyone in this post, I do want you to know that I have been heavily influenced by Jurgen Moltmann and Peter Rollins on this idea.
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