Holy Interruptions - May 7
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 106:1-18; PM Psalm 106:19-48; Wisdom 16:15-17:1; Rom. 14:13-23; Luke 8:40-56
Today’s Reflection
Have you ever noticed how busy and in-demand Jesus was? Throughout the Gospels, we hear repeatedly this scenario: Jesus is on the way somewhere, and people along the road are following him, coming up to him, asking him for healing or for answers to tough questions. Or Jesus arrives somewhere, whether by boat or by foot, and a massive crowd has already formed in anticipation of his arrival, thronging all around him just to get a glimpse of his face or to be close enough to hear his words once he begins to teach. (We also hear how Jesus was good about knowing when he needed to break away from this demanding life to recharge, but that is for another reflection.)
But an important thing to notice in these scenarios, when Jesus is going from place to place, crowd to crowd, is that he knows when he needs to stop and pay attention to that one person who in that very moment needs him and his healing love the most. In Luke 8, we read of another one of these days when Jesus is in high demand and yet another crowd has formed, waiting to hear more of his saving, healing message. And in this moment, we hear of how a man named Jairus seeks out Jesus to come heal his only daughter, just 12 years old but about to die. Jesus listens to Jairus and begins to make his way toward Jairus’ house. This is important. Jesus is on the way to heal a beloved daughter and give people a glimpse of God’s love at work in this world.
On the way through the crowd, though, someone else is seeking him out. A woman, who has been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years, also needs Jesus’ healing touch. She sees Jesus is very busy, maybe she even realizes Jesus is on the way to heal someone else. So, she just brushes up against his cloak, believing that she will be made well even by this simple touch. And Jesus senses even this, noticing “that the power had gone out from me.” Jesus realizes that someone touched him and was healed—without him even saying a word to make it so. He could have left it at that and gone about his way. But Jesus knows that this woman, too, is important: she is a child of God who needs grace and love. She reached out to Jesus in hope and found healing. So, Jesus stops what he’s doing and acknowledges this woman, allowing her to share her story, and affirming her act of reaching out to him: “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
These kinds of stories unfold every day in our own lives. Here’s one example. Just last month in a place called Southend-on-Sea in England, Natalie was out walking with her 5-year-old son Rudy. They get to the point in their walk by the waterfront when it’s time to turn around and walk toward home, but Rudy wants to stay at the park. So Rudy throws himself to the ground and begins melting down. If you’ve ever experienced this with a child, you realize how embarrassing and intense this scenario can be. But then something unexpected changed up how this meltdown was unfolding. A runner, Ian, out training for a 250-mile race, noticed Rudy and Natalie. He stopped running because he recognized what is going on. And Ian knew that this was a moment when a holy interruption was needed.
Ian decided to stop and chat with the boy. And when he learned from Natalie that Rudy has special needs, Ian said to Rudy, “Fine then, why don’t I lie down with you [here on the sidewalk] for a while?”
So, Ian lowered himself down and sprawled out on the sidewalk alongside Rudy, and just engaged with him as if lying there on a sidewalk at the park was just what he had planned. No big deal. Except that it was—and not just for Rudy, but for Natalie, his mum: "To see someone who knows nothing about Rudy just instinctively do this was so surprising and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.” Natalie, who writes about her parenting experiences online, shared this story so that others could learn from Ian’s gift: “I just cannot believe how it has reached so many people that either have special needs in their life and can relate, [or] more importantly those that do not have special needs in their life, being able to see how important it is for us to not be judged and showing others how much it means to us and our children to be accepted for what they are.”
Henri Nouwen once wrote of his realization that what at first seem like interruptions are, in fact, the work to which he and we are truly called. We all encounter, as Jesus did on the way to visit Jairus’ dying daughter, these holy interruptions. And in those moments, we have a choice: We can keep going about our business, what we have planned to do and accomplish today—or we can remain alert for those moments when someone needs us, needs us to stop and pay attention. And if we choose rightly in these moments, this can make all the difference in the life of a fellow human being who needs to feel Christ’s healing touch in their life, too.
—Becky+
Questions for Self-Reflection
When has someone stopped what they were doing to notice you (or someone you love) and offer them the healing gift of acknowledgement and attention? When have you done the same for others?
Daily Challenge