|
Gospel Lesson for the
Week
June 10, 2007
(Please remember to "Refresh" your browser!)
Second Sunday after
Pentecost
Soon afterwards he went to a
town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he
approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out.
He was his mother's only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large
crowd from the town. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and
said to her, "Do not weep." Then he came forward and touched the bier, and
the bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, rise!" The
dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Fear seized all of them; and
they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen among us!" and "God
has looked favorably on his people!"
This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.
.
MIRACLE STORY
.
If I
am honest,
I really have to
say,
this story
leaves me cold.
Oh yes, I know,
it shows the Savior’s power and compassion,
but it’s so far
removed from my experience.
Irrelevant.
Each day I see
the certain signs of death:
loved ones
falling from cancer and heart disease,
friends fading
away in Alzheimer’s mist,
and all the
mini-deaths attached to pain.
Where is the
Master when we need him most?
Then tempted to
despair,
I take a second
look,
and peering into
the casket,
I see myself,
trapped in a
deeper sort of death,
stiffened by a
rigor mortis of the spirit,
awaiting the
coming of One
whose word will
awaken breath,
whose touch will
send me back
to those who
love me;
whose word is
healing
and whose touch
is life.
--- rvc
*** D I S C L A I M E R ***
The Weekly Lessons are based on the lectionary
texts for the week – usually the Gospel lesson. They are not designed as a
formal commentary. Rather, they are the personal reflections and original
compositions of The Relay Online editor, Rev. Robin Van
Cleef, and offer a jumping off point, using the scriptures as triggers to
thought, imagination, and (we hope) empowerment. As you read them, let your own
imagination play, and let the Spirit speak to you, leading you where it will.
The Gospel Lessons reflected on this site may not be copied, reproduced or
otherwise manipulated elsewhere on the internet without the expressed consent of
the author.
|