Lent Self Study
Into the Wilderness
Find a notebook that you might use as a journey through Lent.
This may be a place for your personal reflections, prayers, thoughts and insights.
Week 5 : A Lonely Road
Into the Wilderness
Find a notebook that you might use as a journey through Lent.
This may be a place for your personal reflections, prayers, thoughts and insights.
Week 5 : A Lonely Road
Luke 10:30-32
A lonely road
Jesus told a story…“There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite, religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man.”
A lonely road
Jesus told a story…“There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite, religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man.”
We never just stop there. We give the story the title, “The Good Samaritan”. Even though there are twists and turns in the plot and the poor beaten up man encounters meanness, selfishness and neglect, it still has a happy ending. We like happy endings. We NEED happy endings, our sanity depends on them. But it is Lent and we are about to enter Holy Week, and there are simply no happy endings to this awful story today.
Jesus said, “there was a man…” Who was he? It is probably not important for the story to know his name and what kind of family he had or what his employment status was. What IS important for the story is that he could be anybody. He could be a neighbour, a friend, a member of your family. He could be a stranger, a refugee. He could be a good and upright citizen or he could be a scoundrel. The “man” in the story could be anyone, a woman, a child, a boy, a man. He could be you, or me. He is simply making a journey. He is taking a road he probably always takes. He’s going to buy bread, or meet a work colleague, or delivering supplies. He’s just being, doing, getting on. And then, smack, from nowhere, - he is attacked by robbers, who beat him up, stole everything, including his clothes, and left him for dead on the road.
Question: What were you busy doing when your life suddenly changed forever? Who were you? What was your life like, before IT happened?
Question: Who or what was the “robber” who stole everything from you, who altered your life, who assaulted your being, your faith, your body?
Just silence now. Numbness crept in and in those first few minutes he could not even remember his name, or what happened. The man lay, on the road, hurt, shocked, broken.
Question: Do you allow yourself to just sit in the pain for a while, in the “pool of blood”, in the flood of your tears of pain and frustration and loneliness? Do you are to allow yourself? Or do you fear that you might stay there forever if you even open that door just a crack?
Footsteps. Ah, help has arrived! The sense that someone was coming close brought relief to the man on the road. He tried to lift his head, reach out his hand. “Wait, wait, don’t walk away! … Why?...” Hours past. More footsteps came in his direction. Thirst now wracked his body. In the heat of the day he began shivering. Finally, some help… But for a second time, the footsteps hurried away until they could be heard no more.
“Jesus cried out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46
Jesus said, “there was a man…” Who was he? It is probably not important for the story to know his name and what kind of family he had or what his employment status was. What IS important for the story is that he could be anybody. He could be a neighbour, a friend, a member of your family. He could be a stranger, a refugee. He could be a good and upright citizen or he could be a scoundrel. The “man” in the story could be anyone, a woman, a child, a boy, a man. He could be you, or me. He is simply making a journey. He is taking a road he probably always takes. He’s going to buy bread, or meet a work colleague, or delivering supplies. He’s just being, doing, getting on. And then, smack, from nowhere, - he is attacked by robbers, who beat him up, stole everything, including his clothes, and left him for dead on the road.
Question: What were you busy doing when your life suddenly changed forever? Who were you? What was your life like, before IT happened?
Question: Who or what was the “robber” who stole everything from you, who altered your life, who assaulted your being, your faith, your body?
Just silence now. Numbness crept in and in those first few minutes he could not even remember his name, or what happened. The man lay, on the road, hurt, shocked, broken.
Question: Do you allow yourself to just sit in the pain for a while, in the “pool of blood”, in the flood of your tears of pain and frustration and loneliness? Do you are to allow yourself? Or do you fear that you might stay there forever if you even open that door just a crack?
Footsteps. Ah, help has arrived! The sense that someone was coming close brought relief to the man on the road. He tried to lift his head, reach out his hand. “Wait, wait, don’t walk away! … Why?...” Hours past. More footsteps came in his direction. Thirst now wracked his body. In the heat of the day he began shivering. Finally, some help… But for a second time, the footsteps hurried away until they could be heard no more.
“Jesus cried out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46
Blessing When the World is Ending
Look,
the world is always ending somewhere.
Somewhere
the sun has come crashing down.
Somewhere
it has gone completely dark.
Somewhere
it has ended with the gun, the knife, the fist.
Somewhere
it has ended with the slammed door,
the shattered hope.
Somewhere
it has ended with the utter quiet
that follows the news from the phone,
the television, the hospital room.
Somewhere
it has ended with a tenderness that will break your heart.
But, listen,
this blessing means to be anything but morose.
It has not come to cause despair.
It is simply here
because there is nothing a blessing is better suited for
than an ending,
nothing that cries out more for a blessing
than when a world is falling apart.
This blessing will not fix you,
will not mend you,
will not give you false comfort;
it will not talk to you
about one door opening when another one closes.
It will simply sit itself beside you
among the shards
and gently turn your face
toward the direction from which the light will come,
gathering itself about you
as the world begins
again.
Jan Richardson
Look,
the world is always ending somewhere.
Somewhere
the sun has come crashing down.
Somewhere
it has gone completely dark.
Somewhere
it has ended with the gun, the knife, the fist.
Somewhere
it has ended with the slammed door,
the shattered hope.
Somewhere
it has ended with the utter quiet
that follows the news from the phone,
the television, the hospital room.
Somewhere
it has ended with a tenderness that will break your heart.
But, listen,
this blessing means to be anything but morose.
It has not come to cause despair.
It is simply here
because there is nothing a blessing is better suited for
than an ending,
nothing that cries out more for a blessing
than when a world is falling apart.
This blessing will not fix you,
will not mend you,
will not give you false comfort;
it will not talk to you
about one door opening when another one closes.
It will simply sit itself beside you
among the shards
and gently turn your face
toward the direction from which the light will come,
gathering itself about you
as the world begins
again.
Jan Richardson
Take us by the hand and lead us,
lead us through the desert sands,
bring us living water,
Holy Spirit, come.
(Hymn: Dust and Ashes, Brian Wren)
lead us through the desert sands,
bring us living water,
Holy Spirit, come.
(Hymn: Dust and Ashes, Brian Wren)
Copyright 2020 Suzanna Bates