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Scripture: Hebrews 2:17-18: Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested. Abridged: When we enter our personal Garden of Gethsemane, God will reveal to us the last piece of ourselves that we must leave behind to attain oneness with Christ. Meditation: Until we have struggled to rise above the last shred of personal perception and ownership of ourselves, we cannot follow the way of Jesus. Nothing short of a complete renunciation of worldly power, and the place we think we deserve in it, will suffice as we give ourselves over thoroughly to serving God’s unconditional love. The symbol of the Christian cross teaches us that we will bear no less pain and suffering in our human nature than Jesus did as he struggled to regain perfect oneness with God during the last hours of his life. Our cross, however, does not require the death of our body, but it does require the renunciation of our ownership of self. We must go symbolically with Jesus to the garden of Gethsemane where he resigned his entire human will over to the will of God, but we need not go with him to Golgotha where he sacrificed his physical life. When we enter our personal Garden of Gethsemane, God will reveal to us the last vestige of ourselves that we must leave behind to attain the perfect oneness of Christ with all of creation. In our personal Gethsemane, our anguish will be no less profound than that of Jesus as he prayed, struggled, and ultimately moved beyond self to serve the unconditional love of God. Prayer: Almighty God, grant that our heart will be humble and grateful throughout this day. If we look upward, let us see only your face. If we look downward, let us see your hand lifting us up. We pray in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, who has promised to always be above, below, around, and within us. Amen Enter password: .