Jesus Christ, Alive in Our Day

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diversity, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., enlightenment, Jesus, Life Is a Verb, Patti Digh

There are no ordinary days in life if we have the willingness and take the opportunity to look with extraordinary eyes. I am blessed to interact with extraordinary people every day in my work life and  elsewhere. I have become more aware of that fact lately because of a deeply meaningful – as well as often hilarious – book called Life Is A Verb by Patti Digh. I won’t even try to describe the book as it is so unique but I do know that it could be the prompt for a lifetime of journaling if one were serious and consistent enough to commit to it. We, the day and evening groups, are just touching the surface in eight sessions but are finding in our conversations a recognition of similarity among us as well as a welcome diversity that stretches us to new heights of understanding of each other and beyond. It is, in a wonderful way, an experience of enlightenment.

Yesterday, as I was waiting for the evening group to arrive, I had the privilege of encounter with another small band of brothers and sisters. Most of the names and faces were known to me – some for many years – as faithful witnesses and workers for justice and peace in our community. They had gathered at the First Congregational Church, the site of my office, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The ritual was simple and I was grateful for their welcome to join them outside for the ringing of the huge bell in the churchyard. We took turns striking the bell with a large mallet 39 times, Dr. King’s age at the time of his death. Each person then added a statement – as diverse as we are – about Dr. King’s influence and a hope for our country going forward. I was moved and honored to be among such an extraordinarily faithful people.

In today’s gospel, Jesus appears to his disciples in his resurrected body, assuring them that he is a real person, not a ghost. He showed them his hands and feet and asked for food which he ate in the normal way of a human. As I reflect on my experience of the marvelous companions given to me just yesterday, I have a certainty that I have met the face of Jesus, still shining in the bodily persons of those individuals. That is, for me, a true and recognizable awareness of the real and continuing presence of Christ in the world – the Easter mystery revealed in our day.

Alleluia!

 

 

 

 

 

Zeal for God’s House

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crucifixion, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., God's house, Holy Week, Isaiah, Jesus, prophecy, prophets, psalm 69, zeal

In today’s first reading (Isaiah 50) the prophet speaks of all the suffering he has been willing to undergo in his vocation of prophecy. From “buffets and spitting” to violent death he is called to endure whatever comes from those who refuse the messages he [or she] is compelled to offer in the service of truth, the word of God. We know this from the prophets of our own time, mindful of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as we just remembered the 50th anniversary of the Selma March. Jesus spoke the word of God in his very being and today Psalm 69 speaks of his motivation as he continues the journey toward crucifixion. It says: I have become an outcast to my brothers, a stranger to my mother’s sons, because zeal for your house consumes me.

The word zeal (from the Greek zelos) speaks loudly to me. It has many meanings. Among them are: passion, ardor, love, fervor, fire, avidity, devotion, enthusiasm, eagerness, keenness, gusto, vigor and intensity. Today I will carry it with me in all of its iterations, pondering the level of my zeal for “God’s house” and joining myself to the mind of Jesus as I move deeper into the experience of this Holy Week.