Just like the Disciples - February 6
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 80; PM Psalm 77, [79]; Isa. 58:1-12; Gal. 6:11-18; Mark 9:30-41
“But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.” I feel like the disciples today. Or at least I relate to them a little more. I am celebrating my tenth year of ordination and almost 20 years of working for the Episcopal Church as a professional, sharing my faith as someone who is paid to do so. I should know what I am talking about.
Last week, I traveled to Oklahoma City to give a talk at the Episcopal Camps and Conference Centers annual meeting. I was tasked with speaking about leadership through tragedy and what we have learned. It was the first time for me to really step back and spend a considerable amount of time in reflection and to begin to project how my vision for my own understanding of vocation and my faith is different.
As I spoke to the group, I shared that I see my faith with new clarity. I pointed to the words of Eucharistic Prayer A: “Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us for yourself, and, when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all. He stretched out his arms upon the cross, and offered himself, in obedience to your will, a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.” Every Sunday, we affirm that God gave his life so that we might have life. I just didn’t get it, or at least not the way I see it now.
Maybe I have a little more sympathy for the disciples. Jesus tells them over and over what he must endure, and they can’t quite grasp it. I’ve been in the same boat almost all of my life.
There is a good chance you are reading this because your life has been impacted by June 16 as well. Maybe you found our community or our daily reflections because of what happened. (Our email list grew by 400 overnight). My hope is that you too have found renewal and a deepening of your own faith. And today’s reading is a reminder to be more generous to those who haven’t quite figured it out. The disciples didn’t understand either and they were told several times.
John+
Questions for Self-Reflection: How has your faith changed over the past seven months? What do you attribute to this?
Daily Challenge: If you have never done a spiritual autobiography, that can be a wonderful practice. Take some time to draw a river that reflects your spiritual life over the course of your whole life. Reflect where the river widens and when it narrows, when the water runs fast or slow. This can be a helpful practice.