Foreboding ::

Today's scripture reading from Sacred Space forebodes Jesus' death (John 7:45-53).

As I meditated this morning, I felt myself pulling away, not wanting to be present to the story. The scenario was all too real to me. I felt the atmosphere of the room. I heard the sound of voices. I could touch the strain and uncertainty of the moment. The accusations back and forth. The pointing of the finger. The litigiousness of the religious leaders. The one lone voice speaking up, then discounted. In a split second, I was there and I didn't want to be.

The Gospel account is more than a collection of stories, recounting the tales of time long, long ago. They are alive and accessible. I come to the Scripture with a willingness to listen and encounter.

When I am asked (from Sacred Space):

If God were trying to tell me something, would I know?

If God were reassuring me or challenging me, would I notice?

I ask for the grace to be free of my own preoccupations and open to what God may be saying to me.

So I listen deeply to the words, the WORD...and then I find myself in the middle of the Great Story. Somehow in the interchange, God's ancient story and my story intertwine, and God's presence is there...here with me.

Today the Gospel invites me to a hard place. I am to sit with Jesus as people are plotting, planning, behind His back. I am to stay in the tension of this moment with Him. I feel helpless to change anything but I am given the choice to stay engaged in the story. The redemptive plan unfolds again in these last weeks of Lent. I need to linger here.

Comments

[timbur]

It is so easy to read scripture and only let it be one dimensional. I think I learned that being a pastor's kid in the evangelical world. Thank God for our minds and imagination. And thank you for the experience in this simple posting. I just added Sacred Space to my favorites.