Staying with Jesus
We love to celebrate the peaks of Jesus' life in worship, but how often do we remain with him during the valleys of his life?
As a divinity school student I knew that Jesus needed me to love my enemies and serve the "least of these." I even discerned that perhaps Jesus needed me to pastor people in a church context. Likewise, there was no question of my need for Jesus. My Baptist heritage had sung me into that knowledge: "I want Jesus to walk with me. All along my pilgrim journey, Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me."
But it had never dawned on me that Jesus needed me, at least not until Holy Week a few years ago. I was on my knees in a monastery. I was imagining being in the Garden of Gethsemane as the brothers and other worshipers and I gathered and sang the Taizé refrain "Stay with me; remain here with me, watch and pray, watch and pray" over and over again. It was then that I realized that Jesus needed me to walk with him throughout his life.
I had come to the monastery that evening for a brief respite from my studies. I left four hours later with bruised knees, an aching back, a raspy voice and a growling stomach. To top it off, I felt guilty because I didn't stay through the night. (The brothers began singing that night and continued to sing in shifts until the Good Friday service the following afternoon.)
