“Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in paradise.”

Suntree United Methodist Church

Media

“Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in paradise.”

Station 2

April 11, 2022

When Jesus offers this word of grace and forgiveness to the repentant thief, I wonder what kind of paradise he imagined.
Certainly the man on the cross suffering is looking for relief in his present, human pain and suffering. He, like Jesus, was dying an unimaginably painful death, alongside the Savior of the world.
Int his moment, though, the choices that put him there do not matter. The lavish love and expansive forgiveness of Christ again is on display.
The image on this canvas is the one of the New City, the paradise promised to us in the book of Revelation. Alpha and Omega, beginning and ending, as well as the Tree of Life, are contained in this imagining of Paradise.
Revelation says that there will be no more pain, no more tears, no more darkness.
The promise of that beautiful paradise is what awaited this repentant man, because of the power of Jesus’s love.
That very day, as Jesus died, the man did as well, reunited with God in perfect peace.
How can we, too, offer the paradise of peace and forgiveness of God in our world?

Music: Lake Salt Of The Earth by Alsever
Read By: Staci Plonsky

More from The Last Seven Sayings of Jesus on the Cross

“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they do.”

April 11, 2022

“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they do.” - Luke 23:34 When we look at the nails that put Jesus on the cross, we are confronted with the pain and humiliation that was done to Jesus. The three nails can remind us of the Triune God we serve, who is the one that is present on the cross in Christ. In that way, when we hear these words in the Gospel of Luke, the weight of Jesus’s divinity is on full display. Only God could offer this word of forgiveness in the midst of so much pain. Only God could more perfectly love us than we deserve. We know some who have the ability amidst great pain to offer words of pardon and grace. We can think of their example and follow it. But only Jesus can transform our own hearts to offer this same grace to others. As you look at the nails, consider the cross. Consider Jesus’s effort to bridge the gap in our relationship. Consider these words of blessing: that in the midst of our sin, which we do not know what to do with, Jesus has offered us forgiveness, even when we do not realize we need it. Ponder the love of God offered to you as you pray here for a moment. Music: In The Misty Valley by Cristina Scannicchio Read By: Staci Plonsky

“Dear woman, here is your son. And here is your mother.”

April 11, 2022

In the Gospel of John, only one of Jesus’s disciples is present at the foot of the cross: the one the Gospel writer calls, “The Beloved Disciple.” In this moment, again amidst Jesus’s great suffering, he looks to the foot of the cross where his beloved disciple is standing next to his mother. Again, thinking not of himself but of others, Jesus creates a new relationship, offering the love of family to both the disciple and to his mother. Grief can divide us, and grief can unite us. In this moment of grief and pain for his followers, Jesus offers them the comfort and support of community and relationship. You can imagine that this new family meant a lot to both the disciple and Mary as they journeyed in the days and weeks after Jesus’s death and resurrection. In this way, Jesus reminds us of all the relationship building he has done in his ministry, including in his last supper. This image is of two hands clasped. We can imagine one was extended first in love and grace. What would it mean for you to extend your hand in the new family Christ has created? How can you offer Christ’s grace to the world? How especially can you extend your hand to those who have been suffering under the weight of pain and grief? Music: Counting Breaths by Outside The Sky Read By: Staci Plonsky

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

April 11, 2022

It is in this moment that we peak into the human heart of Jesus at the depth of his pain and suffering. While theologians have struggled with this passage for many centuries, these words reflect the angst and the suffering Jesus had endured. And, we know that feeling right? Feeling as though the light of God, like this image, has been snuffed out in our lives, leaving us in the dark, abandoned? In every moment of Jesus’s life, he has experienced being human just as we have. In this moment, the darkness of human doubt, and feeling far away from God creeps in. Yet, we are not left there. Jesus’s prayer reflects Psalm 22, which begins with cries of lament and ends with praise of God’s unchanging nature. In our own doubts, our own darkness, and our own pain, we can look to Jesus. Jesus knows this feeling and knows our pain. And, Jesus is the light that has never been conquered by the darkness. We can take refuge that we are never alone in our pain. Jesus has been there too, and he will not forsake us. Music: First Snow by Shimmer Read By: Staci Plonsky