Lenten Writing Project Reboot 2020! Writers' Reflections in the Wilderness of Lent
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Jesus in the World Today
Lenten Writing Prompt #20 Pick
a metaphor that the Bible uses for Jesus: king, suffering servant, lamb, etc.
and write about what that looks like for us today
BREAD OF LIFE AND LIVING WATER, PORTION OF OUR LIVES
He walks in the simple acts of kindness, prayers, courtesy, smiles and greetings. He sits among two or three who share their deepest worries and longings and pass around comfort, assurances and encouragement. He laughs with the children spontaneously giggling and adults laughing together about their own frustrations, foibles and failings. He shakes his head and sighs at our stumbles and falls that we might have avoided had we listened and understood His voice inside us, yet nods approval as we get up and try again. He wraps a hug of love around us as we grieve our losses of relationships and deaths of loved ones. He touches our attention and directs it to the ignored, the downtrodden and the victims around us. He stands with the advocates for peace, justice and restoration of love and dignity. He cries for the suffering, the pain- wracked, the abused, and the hungry and nudges and empowers us to be His emissaries of change. He roots for and celebrates our discoveries and advances for the welfare of all living things. He dances in our midst as we awaken and care about life in all its complexity, mystery and wonder. He opens our eyes, ears, hearts and minds and welcomes us into life anew every day.
Coin/Inhaler Metaphor The woman in the Bible who turns her house upside down In her deft search for that coin Which is like Jesus Searching tirelessly for each one of us Think about when you lose your daughter’s inhaler When she is starting to breathe with a wheeze At 1am And you know you have a few inhalers, but for some reason you can’t find any. You won’t simply stop looking for it You will put on your robe, shoes Risk looking funny to any late-night neighbors who are walking or getting home You will go out in the rain and the wind to the car Even though you are a afraid of what might be in the dark corners of the driveway All that is pushed aside so that you can get to this all-important inhaler You search through the middle console in your car Where you think you stashed it after her gymnastics lesson Jesus searches for us Like a Mother searches for her child’s inhaler When they are having trouble breathing Late at night. She will search everywhere As quickly as possible And if she can’t find it She will take that sleeping child into the car Even though it will wake her Bother her And drive to the emergency room at 1am Even though the mother is tired scared She will not stop until that child can breathe. That is how Jesus will not stop searching for us Reaching out to us Through our pain Through our cynicism Through our doubt Or busy-ness And will not stop until we are found And we can both breathe easy
Just a note that though I have searched outside in my car at 1am for my daughter's inhaler, I've never had to drive her to the emergency room, thank God!
BREAD OF LIFE AND LIVING WATER, PORTION OF OUR LIVES
ReplyDeleteHe walks in the simple acts of kindness, prayers, courtesy, smiles and greetings.
He sits among two or three who share their deepest worries and longings and pass around comfort, assurances and encouragement.
He laughs with the children spontaneously giggling and adults laughing together about their own frustrations, foibles and failings.
He shakes his head and sighs at our stumbles and falls that we might have avoided had we listened and understood His voice inside us,
yet nods approval as we get up and try again.
He wraps a hug of love around us as we grieve our losses of relationships
and deaths of loved ones.
He touches our attention and directs it to the ignored, the downtrodden and
the victims around us.
He stands with the advocates for peace, justice and restoration of love and dignity.
He cries for the suffering, the pain- wracked, the abused, and the hungry and
nudges and empowers us to be His emissaries of change.
He roots for and celebrates our discoveries and advances for the welfare
of all living things.
He dances in our midst as we awaken and care about life in all its complexity, mystery and wonder.
He opens our eyes, ears, hearts and minds and welcomes us into life anew every day.
Thanks be to God!
Coin/Inhaler Metaphor
ReplyDeleteThe woman in the Bible who turns her house upside down
In her deft search for that coin
Which is like Jesus
Searching tirelessly for each one of us
Think about when you lose your daughter’s inhaler
When she is starting to breathe with a wheeze
At 1am
And you know you have a few inhalers, but for some reason you can’t find any.
You won’t simply stop looking for it
You will put on your robe, shoes
Risk looking funny to any late-night neighbors who are walking or getting home
You will go out in the rain and the wind to the car
Even though you are a afraid of what might be in the dark corners of the driveway
All that is pushed aside so that you can get to this all-important inhaler
You search through the middle console in your car
Where you think you stashed it after her gymnastics lesson
Jesus searches for us
Like a Mother searches for her child’s inhaler
When they are having trouble breathing
Late at night.
She will search everywhere
As quickly as possible
And if she can’t find it
She will take that sleeping child into the car
Even though it will wake her
Bother her
And drive to the emergency room at 1am
Even though the mother is tired
scared
She will not stop until that child can breathe.
That is how Jesus will not stop searching for us
Reaching out to us
Through our pain
Through our cynicism
Through our doubt
Or busy-ness
And will not stop until we are found
And we can both breathe easy
Just a note that though I have searched outside in my car at 1am for my daughter's inhaler, I've never had to drive her to the emergency room, thank God!
DeleteVery compelling and dramatic. Great interweaving. (Sorry, I have been grading papers all afternoon) Wonderful. Doug Millar
Delete