Nurturing Spirituality


Easter is a celebration of certainties for Christians. We know that the resurrection of Jesus provides evidence that he can heal physical diseases – By his stripes we are healed. (Is. 53:5) We know that our eternal life is secured because of his rising from the dead.


But we come to God in prayer, oftentimes, with very real human hurts. We feel let down by our friends, or maybe we have been actually betrayed. This can take many forms in our lives: we can have expectations of people, and they don’t come through for us. We might count on our close friends to understand, to be gracious, to make time for us – and they don’t seem to get it, they are resentful, or they are busy.


We even come to God, sometimes, uncertain of whether he is really available to us. Is he listening? Does he care? Or has he, too, let us down?


The story of Holy Week shows us a powerful dimension of God’s trustworthiness for us. Consider this: Jesus’s friends let him down in the Garden of Gethsemane – “Can you not watch with me for even one hour?” (Matt 26:40) One of his closest friends betrayed him – turned him over to his enemies – “Would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:48) And another close friend denied even knowing him. Jesus was abandoned by those he was closest to, humanly speaking, in his greatest time of need of their support and companionship.


More than that, Jesus experienced God’s rejection. God turned his back on him while he was doing that very thing, that hardest thing, that he was asked to do – “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46)


But Jesus’s resurrection proves this for us: We have the promise of God’s presence, always and always, no matter what circumstances come our way, because Jesus was rejected, forsaken by God. There is nothing that we suffer, no disappointment, rejection, emotional hurt that we experience that Jesus himself did not experience. Jesus was rejected by God so that we will NEVER be rejected by God. He was forsaken, abandoned by God, so that we will NEVER be forsaken or abandoned by God. We may feel as if we are let down, betrayed, abandoned by our friends – but we will never, ever be rejected by God.


God is with us. God is always with us. He wants to be with us. He yearns for us to be certain of his presence.


And in the culmination of all of human history, when there is a new heavens and a new earth, it is our presence that makes God rejoice most: “Behold, his dwelling place is with man.” (Rev. 21:3)


So when we pray, we are praying to a loving God who sits beside us, whose hand is in ours, whose arm is around our shoulders. He is listening intently, he looks into our eyes. He remembers, he is encouraging, he loves us no matter how hurt or messed up we feel. Jesus has made sure of this for us. Jesus has made sure of this for us.

- Emily Williams

Nurturing Audio & Video

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Reflections to Consider

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Nurturing Publications

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Publications

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Nurturing Music

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Music

  • Jesus be the centre

    Center is a song that speaks of the essence of our life in Christ, and echoes the words the Christ Read More
  • I Lift My Hands

    A powerful hymn of adoration and praise Arkansas Gospel Mass Choir. This succinctly captures the joy of knowing our savior. Read More
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Nurturing Reflection

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Audio & Video

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Favorites

  • Transforming this World: The Hope of Glory by NT Wright +

    Wright confronts the perspective that this world doesn’t matter, and that we live only to be in heaven. He shows Read More
  • What is Good in a World that Defies Hope: a talk by NT Wright +

    This is the second part of three talks by NT Wright at Harvard University in November, 2008 on the topic Read More
  • The Stream, the Lake and the River: NT Wright +

      Acts 2.1-21; John 7.37-39; a sermon at the Eucharist on the Feast of Pentecost, 11 May 2008, by the Read More
  • Jesus in the Perfect Storm by NT Wright +

    Zechariah 9.9-17; Luke 19.28-48; A sermon for Palm Sunday, April 17, 2011, In the University Chapel of St Salvator, St Read More
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Hidden Blessings

  • Christ is a Great Savior: a review of the movie Amazing Grace +

    Amazing Grace is a historical drama about William Wilberforce who was elected to British Parliament at the age of 21 Read More
  • Wilberforce, Hollywood's Amazing Grace, Charlotte Allen +

    William Wilberforce's relentless campaign eventually led the British Parliament to ban the slave trade, in 1807, and to pass a Read More
  • Making Beauty out of Ugly Things: Grace by U2 +

    Grace, she takes the blame She covers the shame Removes the stain It could be her name Grace, she carries Read More
  • The True Nature of Grace and Love: a movie review of the Soloist +

    The 2009 movie The Soloist is based on a book by the same name, written by Los Angeles Times columnist Read More
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