Beautiful, terrible days - July 28

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 40, 54; PM Psalm 51; 1 Samuel 31:1-13; Acts 15:12-21; Mark 5:21-43

Today’s Reflection

One of my favorite writers and podcasters, Kate Bowler, always signs off by saying, “Have a beautiful, terrible day.” Recently someone asked her:

Why do you keep asking us to have a beautiful, terrible day? WHY TERRIBLE? Why not JUST beautiful?

Well. It came from the thought I kept having when I first got sick: that somehow I could see more, feel more, appreciate more of the wide spectrum of life. And it turns out that there's this perfect quote from pastor and writer, Frederick Buechner, who said: “Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid.”

Life can be both wonderful and terrible, gorgeous and tragic. These opposites do not cancel each other out.

In theory, I love this Buechner quote—and I love that Kate Bowler is always wishing us a beautiful, terrible day. But in practice, in the moment, it is extremely hard to hold onto this truth: “Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Do not be afraid.” I feel like it’s easier to see the beauty intertwined with the terrible when we look back, with the perspective of not being right in the middle of the beautiful, terrible moment.

As it happens, today’s Gospel passage is also about a beautiful, terrible day. In this passage from Mark 5, we find two intertwined stories of grief and compassion. The passage opens with Jairus asking for Jesus to come quickly to heal his only daughter, a 12-year-old who seems on the verge of dying. Jesus stops what he is doing and starts heading to Jairus’ house. But, as often happens when Jesus is on the way somewhere, Jesus gets interrupted, and he ends up having an encounter with a woman who was seeking healing for herself as someone who had been bleeding continuously for 12 years.

For Jairus and his daughter, the day began as a terrible one with the prospect of a young life, full of promise, being cut short—and the prospect of parents and relatives and friends grieving her loss. The day was also beautiful in the way that Jesus showed compassion on them by coming to them, giving the family dignity in their difficult moment, then tenderly saying, “Little girl, get up!” and then making sure she was fed and that their privacy would be maintained by asking that no one share the details of what had happened.

But in between the bookends of the story of Jairus’ daughter, we also find the story of the woman who was hemorrhaging. This, too, was a beautiful, terrible day for her. It was a terrible day because it was yet another day that this woman had woken up in pain and discomfort and fear, just as she had for 12 years. The bleeding just wouldn’t stop. Nothing she had tried had taken it away. Nevertheless, she held onto the hope that all would take to be healed was to just touch Jesus. She didn’t mean for him to know—and how could he? After all, Jesus was making his way through a crowd, bumping against and being bumped into by all sorts of people as he made his way to Jairus’ house.

But somehow, Jesus felt the healing power go out from him—and he stopped to find out just who had touched him not on accident—but who had touched him because she was hoping for healing And it was a beautiful day because not only did she reach out in faith to Jesus, but it was beautiful because Jesus did not reject her because of this act of faith—rather he turned to her and said, “Your faith has made you well.”

Frederick Buechner was right. In our world, beautiful and terrible things will happen. And when they do, and even when we feel afraid, God will show us compassion—which, we in turn, can share with others.

Becky+

Moment for Reflection

How do you respond when someone close to you is having a terrible day? How do hope others will respond to you when you are in the midst of your own terrible days? What do we learn from how Jesus responds to those seeking his help and healing in Mark 5?

Today’s reflection is drawn from a past sermon; you can find the full sermon here on the Saint Stephen’s YouTube Channel, where you can find an archive of all our sermons from the past year.

If you’re curious to read more from Kate Bowler, or to listen to her podcast, you find much good food for thought and reflection through her website.