In Weakness and in Strength

“Show no weakness.” It’s a message we get from all sectors of life. From high school football games to courtrooms to closed-door arguments with people we love, we’re taught consciously and subconsciously to show no weakness, no cracks in our armor, no sign that we’re limited or incapable, no inkling that—heaven forbid—we realize we’ve been wrong. And then, here comes Paul writing letters that say things like, “So I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (2 Cor 12:9b NRSVUE).

In some ways, Paul invites us to plan worship around a fairly simple idea: opening our hearts to our weakness and God’s strength. And yet, simple as that is to say, what that requires of the worship planner is to invite the gathered body into a space where we practice humility. If you’ve engaged in a prayer practice using paper hearts throughout this series, invite congregants to consider how God is calling them to name and recognize their weaknesses. Have them write down their answers on a heart and bring them forward to the altar or place them in the offering plates. Help your congregation embody what it means to offer God our weaknesses, knowing that God loves us in—not in spite of—our weaknesses.

Despite how simple it sounds to open our hearts and offer God our weakness, we must also remember that what sounds simple in concept can be quite difficult in execution. Knowing what we must do and actually doing it are totally different realities. So, how might worship provide the space to be open about the barriers and hardships we face in trying to live as Jesus teaches and shows us to live? Perhaps confession might be a time to confess our sins, yes, but also to tell the truth about our fears and hesitancies and the many ways we’ve been derailed in the journey of faith. Or maybe you can sing the story of faith, including all of the ups and downs so many of us have faced. Pull out a familiar hymn like “Amazing Grace” or “It Is Well With My Soul,” and tell the story behind the words (History of Hymns articles for both hymns can be found here and here, respectively). Remind those gathered that when we sing, we join our voices with others who have gone before us, opening their hearts as they lived the life of faith after the example of Christ.