Today’s Readings: Isaiah 66:7-11; Luke 13:31-35; Psalm 80:1-7
Today’s Gospel passage from Luke uses wonderful imagery to speak of God’s desire. “How often I’ve longed to gather your children, gather your children like a hen, her brood safe under her wings…” (Luke 13:34 from The Message).
That imagery is especially poignant imagery for me today as I am especially feeling the pain of separation from my biological family. I often joke that one of the greatest challenges I faced in responding to my call to parish ministry was giving up the opportunity to watch my beloved Houston Texans compete on Sunday mornings. That sacrifice is truly nothing when compared to a bigger challenge: the challenge of being separated from my own family each and every year for the Christmas holiday. This year marks the 10th consecutive year that I will have been separated from my family at Christmas.
Sigh…
The irony is that a big portion of my call lies in helping enrich other families’ experience of the holiday.
Sigh…
So how do I and those of other clergy persons do this year after year? Well, in addition to burning up the telephone wires and sending lots of email, we draw strength from the images of our faith. Our faith communities become tangible expressions of God’s larger family for us. We also center ourselves in the beauty and power of images such as those found in today’s passage from Luke.
Today, if you are fortunate enough to be able to spend time with your family – take a moment and give thanks for this tremendous blessing. If you are not able to be with your family, find time to spiritually snuggle up under “the wing of God” with the other members of God’s brood.
Til next time…
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