The return to reality is a bummer - July 3, 2024

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 119:145-176; PM Psalm 128, 129, 130
Num. 22:41-23:12; Rom. 7:13-25; Matt. 21:33-46

A return to reality is a bummer. Both of our kids have had fun adventures with family and friends so far this summer. In the last week, Sam and I have watched each of our kids experience the wave of disappointment and exhaustion that follows. Our children cannot stand back and know that this discomfort is going to crash upon them. We as parents cannot stop that process; we can only pause, give them space, and remind them to be gentle with themselves and one another until they reacclimate to the rhythms of life at home and the post-fun blues clear.

As adults, we go through these swells and troughs, too, though we may have adopted practices to not feel the jarring discord, or we have so many other pressing needs that we do not stop to pay attention to the side effects of re-entry. Perhaps we also equip ourselves with a mindset that keeps us tethered to our center, so that while there may be changes around us, we are still standing on the foundation that makes us who we are.

In the gospel according to Matthew at the start of chapter 21 (from which we read a latter portion today), Jesus was escorted into Jerusalem on a donkey, with cries of “Hosanna!” How exhilarating for those around Jesus to watch that reception. Then, we hear Jesus tell parables of disappointment, rejection, and death. A return to reality can be a bummer.

And yet, Jesus models authenticity, as he is honest in his speech and stories. He is the reason that Paul is fervent in his letters to the church in Rome about the tension that exists between knowing the love that God extends to us in living into the law, and yet being pulled and tempted by sin. Paul writes that he sees ways that sin dwells within us, so that while we know the good choice, we act in more corrupted and dividing ways. “I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.” (7:23)

Paul’s words resonate with me. I can identify with that feeling of being captive to the ways that sin skews my thoughts and words and deeds. When we are aware of the sins that plague us, we repent and return to God. We are invited to re-center ourselves upon the foundation of God who loves us.

Join me in praying today for peace. Peace within ourselves. Peace within our homes. Peace with our communities. Peace in our nation. Peace in our world. I pray that the chains of sinfulness and deception which cling to us may fall aside, so that we can see clearly, sing praises fully to God, and seek goodness in ourselves and one another.

May you feel fulfillment in God’s faithfulness today,

Katherine+

Reflection and Challenge

Ponder the reading from Romans 7:13-25. What words or phrases cause your ideas to light up? Where do you have tension in this reading? Pray about what God is calling you to pay attention to this week.