Philippians 3:10

10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death

This starts off simply enough.

I want to know Christ…

True statement. Yes, I do! That’s what I long for. The next bit is exciting too.

and the power of his resurrection…

Yes! I’m all about resurrection. Death, where is your sting?! Take that baby!! But then what is this next bit?

and the sharing of his sufferings…

Is that right? Are you sure that’s not a misprint or typo? Sharing in sufferings is a far cry from the neatly packaged, “follow Jesus and your life will get better” gospel that gets peddled in some faith circles like a sales pitch for earthly prosperity. Maybe it gets better. I’ll keep reading.

BY BECOMING LIKE HIM IN HIS DEATH!!??

What? Is this what it means to know Christ? Really?! Are suffering and death part of the deal?

I think they are.

That’s not to say that God is up in a distant heaven doling out hardship on people so they can know God more fully. It is simply an acknowledgment that suffering happens. Hurt and disappointment happen. Death happens. Knowing Christ isn’t finding a way immune to any of these things. We can’t run from them, no matter how much we might want to. Instead, I think at least some of knowing Christ includes knowing the presence of a God intimately familiar with suffering and death… as we experience those same, inevitable things. Knowing Christ who suffered and died, and knowing the presence of Christ with us amid our own experience with suffering and death, leads to a deeper knowledge of Christ’s compassion. I heard Diana Butler Bass talk about compassion as, “enduring with.” That resonates with my understanding of the Gospel. The good news of Christ is not God fixing everything and restoring some kind of utopian existence for all of creation. For me, the heart of the good news is WE ARE NOT ALONE.

I am not alone.

I am not alone to carry the weight of suffering and death. It’s too much for me. Instead, a compassionate Christ endures that burden with me. Immanuel… God with us is STILL WITH US. God is still with ME.

Yes. To know suffering and death is part of knowing Christ AND so is resurrection. Suffering and death don’t get the final word. Christ endures suffering and death with us. Christ’s presence is known through others who have known similar suffering… those willing to practice the same compassion they have been given. And through this enduring compassion, we become awake to eternal life. Life without beginning or end. Life that has ALWAYS been.

I want to know Christ.