Daily Prayer 6.6.13 “And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God…” - Luke 7:14-16 “Father God, I pray to stand tall today, with my head held high and eyes lifted up, as a child of the King. Amen.” Part of the mystery of the field and the well upon it was the alchemy of life and death, danger and peace that coexisted there on that one sun-drenched spot. On one hand, the field was a place of unparalleled serenity and fertility, flush with life-giving water, including that which rose up from the cool depths of the well. On the other, there was the presence of danger and death at the well, a presence made more immediate by the introduction of two curious boys bent on flirting with it, pondering it and poking at it. As a microcosm of the cosmos and God’s action in it, you could do worse. From chaos God created a universe that included peace and upheaval, flourishing and decay, and we humans, His highest creation, are prone to interfere in a way that weights the scales toward destruction. But without doubt, God favors order and life and powerfully demonstrated this bias during His sojourn with us in Jesus. In the Gospel of Luke we see the account of a mother who had lost her son, a tragedy made doubly dire by the fact that this bereaved mother is already a widow. A woman in Jesus’ day without a husband or a son was a woman without means or prospect, perilously close to the precipice of chaos and death. The wailing of this mother as she exited the gates of the town with the body of her son could as easily been expressive of her own impending suffering as for the demise of her child; as much about his leaving her as her wanting to join him. Into this scene comes Jesus, whom the Bible says is overcome with a deep compassion for her that the Greek word indicates emanated not from His head or even His heart, but from His bowels, from the seat of violent emotions; those kicks that double us over. Jesus’ compassion for this mother rose up from His guts, and He acted immediately and decisively to restore order, reverse the charge of death and return the young man to his rightful place. Jesus did not respond this way to every instance of suffering and pain He encountered in His earthly walk, but whenever He did, it made a big splash, sending ocean-sized ripples across the ages, news flashes about the character and power of God. We understand that death hasn’t a chance and disorder is like dust swept aside when Jesus is around. And the very thought of that enormous power, when thought of at all, comforts and disturbs. Like the witnesses around the mother we, too, are both amazed and afraid. If God can do that, what can’t He do? If He can be that viscerally engaged in the life of a widow, will He be, is He now, also so engaged with us? Good Thursday morning, all! Please pray for these persons today: Lisa, Penny, Barbara D. and Jessie; for healing, recovery and strength. Art M.’s sister; for clarity and discernment as she considers options in the face of the return of her cancer. The Achen Family; as we join them in thanksgiving and praise in this season of God’s rich blessings, for the marriage of John and Irena, the baby coming soon to Joe and Amanda, and the loving support of the entire church family. Praise God! Father, Your power is unsurpassed, Your goodness without question, Your love without peer. Forgive us our inclination to forget that, and so to become overwhelmed by our problems and cowered by our inability to chase them away! Grant us the confidence of Your peace. Today we pray for those who need Your healing grace, and those who are in need of clear direction and discernment. Lord, make You will known, let those who seek You, that they might hear Your voice. Come near to all of us, Jesus, in Your kindness and power. We praise You today for all the ways You work in our lives, both seen and unseen, recognized and yet to be revealed. We praise You for your church! Amen.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 17:43:15 +0000
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