Is life a comedy or a tragedy? Are we the hero or the victim? Or maybe the villain? Is the world descending into chaos and dystopia or are we on a path of ever-increasing prosperity and progress? The stories we tell orient us to our place in the world and our role in the story.
The Bible tells the story of a loving God and a messy people. There is a beginning and an end. Major themes of creation, redemption, and sanctification trace the arc of this grand narrative. And Jesus Christ is the center of it all – the great hero of the story who comes incognito to rescue and redeem his broken creation.
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation
“You have made us for Yourself. And our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” (Augustine)
Creator of all things, hear my voice, for you have made it. You who live in heaven, hear my prayer from earth. I am one person in one little town in one corner of your vast creation. Of all the people on the planet, hear me also. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Confession
O God, in the beginning you made us good, even “very good.” I admit the many things in my life that are far from your good intent. I try to change, and then find myself in the same place once again. Lord, you know me. Have mercy. Make me right. Forgive my wickedness. Bring me back to good, as you intended from the beginning. Amen.
Word: Matthew 14:22-24
“Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.”
Meditation: Space to Grieve by Susan Becher Schultz
There are a few reasons why I chose the bible story of Jesus Walks on Water. One, because obviously, it’s a classic. I truly enjoy looking back at the bible stories I remember from childhood and finding how they still apply to me as an adult. Secondly, during the “One Word” Daily Pattern series, I reflected upon the word trust. When I think of trust I think of this particular bible story. Lastly, alongside the word trust, other words like doubt, fear, and courage continue to come up for me on a daily basis. I think this story shows beautiful examples of all of those.
In Matthew, the miracle of Jesus walking on water comes just after the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus is performing miracles left and right at this point, but I was struck by the pause he takes between the miracles. Right before Jesus feeds the five thousand he is given the news that John the Baptist was beheaded. In Matthew 14:13, Jesus hears this news and withdraws by boat privately to a solitary place. The same happens in Matthew 22-23, after Jesus heals the sick and feeds thousands, he goes up to the mountainside to pray.
As I’m writing this our church community was recently shaken by the loss of a beloved member, Debbie. I know this devotion will be shared later in the summer when the news won’t be as shocking or as fresh, but nevertheless, it remains a tragic loss. Debbie was a piece of home for me, like I know she was to so many others. She was also a wonderful friend and coworker to my mom and dad. Anytime I visited the church office I always checked in with my mom and then made a beeline for Debbie’s desk to see her. She always said, ‘Hey Sus,’ in the same warm and loving tone. While I find it difficult to let many people in, with her it was easy.
After hearing about her passing, I tried to quickly distract myself from thinking about it. I bounced from one event that weekend to the next. I told myself that it didn’t hurt that bad, that my mom was the one who needed to grieve. Not me. And then, a couple of days later, I got really sick. I could barely leave my bed for a few days. I was forced to sit with it. I was weak and shaky and could do nothing much more than rest. The first event I was healthy enough to attend was Debbie’s funeral the following Saturday. But I told myself I wouldn’t cry. I was going to let the people who knew her better grieve. But not me.
You can probably guess this already, but I lost it. I cried the entire funeral and for the rest of the day. And now, as I’m writing this, I’m crying. Because, truthfully, I loved her too. I am allowed to grieve her, too. I think I love these verses so much because we can see Jesus needed his time to grieve, pray, and reflect. Even Jesus, with all his knowledge of heaven and where he was headed, needed time to himself to cope with the loss of John. He needed to pause between the miracles and the crowds in order to process.
I think this is such a beautiful picture of what it means to be human. He shows us the importance of resting between the chaos and the tragedy. When we don’t rest, we get sick. The sickness then forces us to rest. While we believe in the resurrection and new life, we still need to allow space for the grief and loss that comes with our time spent on earth.
It’s okay to walk away from crowds, step away from friends and family, and take time alone to cry out for all we have lost. The truth of it is we will continue to lose those we love. It will continue to hurt. But Jesus makes space for us to feel, if only we can slow down enough to recognize how much we need it.
Dear Lord, thank you for showing us how to make space to grieve the loss of those we love. Thank you for blessing my life with Debbie, and for sharing Debbie’s love and gifts with our church community. Amen.
Benediction
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Rom. 11:33,36))