Have you ever felt abandoned or deserted? You are in good company; so, did Jesus. We recently celebrated Resurrection Weekend, and maybe you re-read through the Bible story as many others did. In Matthew 27:46 right before his death, Jesus says, “ELI, ELI, LEMA SABAKTANEI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU ABANDONED ME?” Mark mentions it too; and it’s not just a New Testament thing, because in Psalm 22:1 it says; “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my help are the words of my groaning.” I admit that I too, have felt abandoned before. And yes, even by God too! I have moaned and groaned quite a bit in the past; well, and maybe even recently.
And what about feeling lonely? Are you ok? At the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown, I told my introvert friend jokingly, that their time had finally arrived! They agreed and even admitted that they were actually enjoying the solitude. But now, its reported that both introverts and extroverts may be struggling with loneliness. One report says that 65% of Americans have reported increased feelings of loneliness since COVID-19 was declared as a pandemic. Another report actually states that “35.7 million Americans live alone” and that it’s actually been on the rise for the last 50 years. The truth is that no matter what our personality type is, we may all feel lonely, abandoned or deserted at some point.
While re-reading the Resurrection story, I reflected on Jesus being nailed to the cross, agonizing, feeling abandoned, and wondered how difficult it must have been to know that Jesus could free himself of that situation, yet he chose not to, so that he could in turn free us. Free us from what? Not just from feelings of loneliness and abandonment, but also, free us of our sins, guilt, shame, fear, bondage, and so much more. Jesus knows how we feel, and although he was technically not alone, he felt abandoned too. God is with us, but we too may be feeling lonely or abandoned right now by our family, friends and yes, even by our own church.
I remember listening to a song growing up “All by myself, don’t want to be, all by myself, anymore”, and who knows how many times I sang it while feeling alone, and maybe some of you did too. During the past year, we have tried to be intentional about reaching out to you, and as you hear us repeat weekly during the worship service, we want to know that you are doing well. If for some reason you haven’t heard from us, please reach out to us; we mean it when we say that! Know that we are trying and have established a new team dedicated to updating your contact information. Being part of the Sligo family is something special, and I’m so thankful that I get to experienced it, so thank you for not giving up on us!
Maybe today we are worshipping alone at home, physically speaking, and things just don’t seem the same, but, as one of you recently told me, even though you are alone at home on Sabbath, you feel so connected just knowing that your Sligo Family is also connected worshipping virtually together with you. So, if you are feeling abandoned and as though God is not near you, one author says, maybe the question to ask ourselves is not, is God with us? but are we with God? The author continues to state that “when we feel distance in our relationship, you know where the problem lies.” Because God’s love for us is constant. Honestly, when I first read this years ago, I didn’t like it. Maybe because some of us have a hard time viewing ourselves as the “problem” in any situation, but I, like you, want constant reminders that God is with us. Sligo Family, be encouraged by the words found in Hebrews 5:7, “In his life on earth Jesus made his prayers and requests with loud cries and tears to God, who could save him from death. Because he was humble and devoted, God heard him.” May God bless you, and may you remember that you are not alone; God is with us.