Showing Up - February 15
Today’s Scripture: AM Psalm 25; PM Psalm 9, 15; Deut. 6:10-15; Heb 1:1-14; John 1:1-18
A month after moving to Virginia for seminary, my younger sister had a horrible bout with rhabdomyolysis the caused her to be in the ICU for several weeks and intubated for quite some time. I remember flying home and going straight to Baptist Memorial Hospital to spend time with her and my family. Those few weeks when Ann was in the hospital were some of the scariest in my life. I still can’t comprehend what they were for her. Now, even as I spend time talking or visiting people in similar situations much of the time, I still struggle to make sense with just how precious and fragile life really is, and especially God’s role in it all. Ann has shared with me a few times how she came to know that God was with her in those precious moments, to know that God’s love surrounded her.
I’ve wondered many times if she felt God’s presence in the moment when people visited, or if she came to realize God’s presence much later, something that looking back on her experience in the hospital, she realized was God’s abiding presence comforting her, strengthening her, and giving her the courage to fight. She would talk about the people who showed up and helped remind her that she was not alone. Sometimes in the moment, we can’t see the full picture, but looking back, we can see God’s love surrounding us and supporting us. Some distance from a situation gives us a new appreciation or a new way of framing what we have experienced.
Today’s Gospel is the prologue of John’s Gospel. It is one of the more well-known passages of Scripture and it intentionally mirrors the creation story that is found in Genesis chapter 1. John writes, “In the beginning was the word and the word was made flesh.” In verse 5, we hear “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. It is a commentary on the creation story where God separates the light from the dark. The author of John is looking back on the creation story with new eyes and claiming that Jesus was there all along. John’s experience of knowing Jesus allowed him to understand the creation of the world with new clarity.
Life is full of twists and turns, moments of great challenge, and moments of great joy. Sometimes it takes a little distance from what we have encountered to trust that God was with us in the midst of it. Other times, it takes a person showing up, a person reaching out with a phone call or making a visit to the hospital, to help us to see God’s role in the story. It doesn’t mean that God wasn’t there before, only that we need to reframe the story so others can see God showing up too.
As I look at our pastoral care list this past month, either we have more going on in the lives of our congregation than ever before, or we are more in tune to praying for each other than ever before. Or maybe it is a little bit of both. But when we reach out in love to check on someone through an email, a card, a text message, or a visit (when it is safe and responsible) we are able to retell the story so that people can see God’s love breaking through. It’s clear to me that many of you have been doing a remarkable job of this already. I hope your example can embolden the rest of us to follow suit so that we can help others know that God is in their lives. That’s a pretty cool thing to be able to do.
John+
Questions for Self-Reflection: Are there moments you have come to understand God was actively present in your life? How did you come to that realization? Who was the person who helped?
Daily Challenge: Write an email or send a text message to someone on the prayer list. Here is the list from last week. If you are not a part of the Saint Stephen’s community, reach out to a random person you know that needs encouragement.