Unlearning for Lent - I am what I accomplish Copy

One of the most difficult things for us to unlearn is what Martin Luther called the theology of glory.

A theology of glory says that God is most clearly seen in strength, success, certainty, and power. When we start with these assumptions, we quickly conclude that God is with us when things are going well.  But this also leads us to assume that if things are falling apart, then something has gone wrong.

Luther challenged that idea head-on. In the Heidelberg Disputation, he wrote that a theologian of glory “calls evil good and good evil.” Why? Because we so easily mistake comfort for faithfulness and suffering for failure.

But the cross tells a different story.

God is not revealed in domination, but in self-giving love. Not in crushing enemies, but in forgiving them. Not in avoiding suffering, but in entering it.

A theology of the cross says that God meets us precisely in weakness, and in doubt, and in grief.

Lent invites us to stop chasing a shiny, victorious version of faith and to look instead at the crucified Christ. There, in vulnerability and surrender, we see who God truly is.

Reflection question:
Where have you expected God to show up in power, when God may be present in weakness instead?