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| Image by Alan English |
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A GREETING
Give ear to my prayer, O God.
(Psalm 55:1)
A READING
Jesus therefore no longer walked about openly among the people of Judea, but went from there to a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness; and he remained there with the disciples. Now the Passover was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. They were looking for Jesus and were asking one another as they stood in the temple, ‘What do you think? Surely he will not come to the festival, will he?’ Now the temple leaders had given orders that anyone who knew where Jesus was should let them know, so that they might arrest him.
(John 11:54-57)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently, but will not find me.
(Proverbs 1:28)
A REFLECTION
I am being driven forward
Into an unknown land.
The pass grows steeper,
The air colder and sharper.
A wind from my unknown goal
Stirs the strings
Of expectation.
Still the question:
Shall I ever get there?
There where life resounds,
A clear pure note
In the silence.
- by Dag Hammarskjöld, found in Markings
VERSE OF THE DAY
Take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
(Psalm 31:4)
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| Image by Alan English |
Tomorrow, churches will mark the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, which we reflected on in last Monday’s devotion. Today, our text comes from shortly before that entry, in which Jesus appears to be headed in the opposite direction, out of the limelight and into quiet.
The raising of Lazarus has been explosive: in today’s vernacular, we might say it “goes viral.” The followers who already knew and loved Jesus are now joined by the throngs who are arriving in Bethany from Jerusalem and the surrounding areas of Judea by the hundreds to get a glimpse of the raised man, and the prophet whom many are saying is the Messiah of Israel. Within this growing controversy, there are those who feel threatened by him, and who are gathering, trying to figure out what to do.
In the midst of all of this, we are told that Jesus retreats once more into the wilderness, this time in the company of the disciples.
A ministry that began in the desert, now comes to a near end, also in the wilderness of Judea. This time Jesus is in the hill village of Ephraim, about thirteen miles northeast of Jerusalem. From this location, he would have a tremendous view down into the valley, and be able to see Jerusalem itself in the distance. The view might remind him of the view presented to him by the Tempter at the beginning of his life in ministry, from the top of a pinnacle. The temptation then was to avoid everything that is coming now.
In just a few days, Jesus and his friends must observe the Passover. The ritual purification rites, the choosing of a lamb, the passover meal itself, must take place in and near the Temple. They will have to go back. We can almost hear them strategizing how to do it and keep Jesus safe from harm. Meanwhile, we hear in the text that even in his absence there is speculation about him in Jerusalem: will he come? will he be seen?
In this moment in Ephraim, we can imagine the human Jesus, surrounded by the vast expanse of wilderness, a reminder of the empty vast space that was there at the dawn of Creation, when the Word that is Jesus rested in God. Now another enormous transformation looms. How might Jesus be experiencing comfort from the surrounding wildness? The wildness of Creation is distinct from the wilderness: in a wilderness we can lose our way; in the wildness, Jesus knows every blade of grass and kernel of sand. Even the human Jesus has ancestors that roamed these places as part of their desert life.
When have you had to go away, in order to prepare yourself for a difficult task or passage that lies ahead? How did the wildness of nature help you find your feet again?
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A STORY OF ENDURANCE
In Kabul, the lives of average people are filled with fear that they will one day disappear. When American troops left Afghanistan in 2020 following a Taliban take-over, many saw friends and relatives vanish without warning, mostly to insurgent and terrorist attacks. One way to ease the fear has been to create identity tags that identify a person's name, next of kin and blood type, in the event of a terrorist attack. “When you lose people you know, you feel that you are next, and you feel death coming closer to you,” says a woman in the attached article. The identity tags have given a measure of comfort, and have also become a source of creativity. Living with fear and uncertainty in daily life requires a special kind of courage. These people have learned that to survive is to live fully in the present, to greet and say goodbye each day as if it might be the last time. Read a non-paywall article about this here.
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| Image by Kiana Hayeri, from the New York Times article linked above. |
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LC† Awakened by the Spirit is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!