Reconciling Light - March 10
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 119:97-120; PM Psalm 81, 82; Jer. 8:18-9:6; Rom. 5:1-11; John 8:12-20
An old memory bubbled up as I was going to bed last night. I remembered the first funeral I attended, probably around age eight or nine. We drove to Meridian, Mississippi, in our brown station wagon for the service. My dad’s dad had died suddenly. Meridian was my dad’s birthplace, though he grew up in Alabama after his parents' divorce. He spent summers with his dad and grandfather in Mississippi, helping on a farm. I never met my dad’s dad and I don’t recall hearing stories of him. Knowing now how other familial relationships can function, I look back on the bond between my dad and his father, realizing that there was some type of breakdown in play. Sadly, the rupture was never healed.
This morning I did a little web searching for my paternal grandfather, to learn more information. And then I looked up my dad’s name. My dad died in 1995 – and I only found one web hit that had information about him. It was a synopsis of a legal brief from the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals in 1991 regarding my parents’ divorce, the division of property, and assigning of child support. How surreal it was to read these unemotional accounts that summarize years of tension: “It is the duty of the trial court, which receives conflicting evidence, to resolve the conflict and render a judgment accordingly.” The appellate court upheld previous decisions. My dad lost in his efforts to overturn judgments that he thought were not equitable.
We hear in Psalm 119 today, in praise to God, “O, how I love your law! All the day long it is on my mind.” In John 8, Jesus says, “You judge by human standards; I judge no one.” I sit here pondering family stories and what to do when law and judgment leave us in a space of separation and angst. When our human relationships are worn thin, frayed, or broken, it is hard to get to a space of resolution. Really hard. And when we render judgments upon a situation, rarely do all parties leave with a good taste in their mouths. Rather, we probably have lingering tinges of resentment, frustration, anger.
Jesus came to cast light upon those pockets of pain and chasms of discord. Jesus came to teach and preach broadly in open spaces, where all could hear. Jesus came to open our eyes to truth. He says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” The Son of God is calling us to follow him on a path of faithfulness, compassion, honesty, and reconciliation. It is radical. Paul writes it like this, in his letter to the Romans:
“But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.” (8:8-10)
I wish the stories in my family experienced more reconciliation in this human life. I wish that there had been more healing between my dad and his family. I wish that there had been more healing occur between my parents, and even between my dad and me. What I know is that God brings healing. God brings hope through the gift of Jesus. As such, we are invited into that grand and obscene gathering of reconciliation. Thanks be to God!
-- Katherine+
Questions for Reflection
When have you felt judged unjustly? How did you respond? How was your voice heard? Who stood beside you in that time of vulnerability and pain? What have you learned?
Daily Challenge
Be attentive to who in your life may be feeling outcast or judged. Spend five minutes praying for God to move your heart into a posture of reconciliation and truth. Listen for a way you can remind that person that Jesus is the light of the world – for all to hear and see. Share a written note, a phone call, or other gift of kindness.