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| Image by Jim G. |
A GREETING
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
(Psalm 56:3)
A READING
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, ‘I called to the Lord out of my distress, and God answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Then I said, “I am driven away from your sight; how shall I look again upon your holy temple?” The waters closed in over me; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped around my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me for ever; yet you brought up my life from the Pit, O Lord my God.
(Jonah 2:1-6)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees.
(Ecclesiastes 2:6)
A POEM
Some days I prefer
to ignore your assurances,
pave my own path, lose my own way,
cross quicksand if I have to --
anything but
relinquish my will.
Remember the blistering, narcissistic desert,
the devil who taunted you there?
You know it well - the desire, the drive
to conceive and control, predict and prevail.
You, too, have wrestled the egoistic impulse,
the credit-hoarding greed of spirit
that flares within and keeps me,
on some days, from offering praise,
stops me from seeking your face
or following your excellent way.
I'm left to my echoing solitude,
murmuring my own name.
Jesus, teach me to pray. Lend me your hand,
Talk to me of forgiveness until
all my dear falsehoods fall way.
Mend the cracked compass of my mind,
and guide me to my true desire.
- from "All My Dear Falsehoods" in Oblation: Meditations on St. Benedict's Rule
by Rachel M. Srubas
VERSE OF THE DAY
Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace—in peace because they trust in you.
(Isaiah 26:3)
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| Collar sculpture made from seaweed by Moya Hoke Photograph by Petr Krejci. Found on julialohman.co.uk as part Julia Lohman's "Department of Seaweed" project at the V & A Museum in London |
On Saturdays, we set aside some space to reflect on where our prayers are taking us, and to hold up the other events of the world that are on our minds.
Today's reading comes from the prayer that Jonah makes once he finds himself in the belly of the fish. Believing himself to be in a place of no return, what comes to him are the psalms. He is met in his crisis by the word of God. He quotes at least two psalms (18 and 111) and he also longs for the temple, a place where he has felt joy and closeness to God.
Both Thursday’s figure (Herod) and Jonah are feeling what it means to be caught in a dark and overwhelming situation. They are both responsible for getting themselves into their own dilemmas. In the case of Herod, the desire to save himself and to hold power will ultimately prevail over fear. By contrast, Jonah turns to God, to his faith, and to the biblical word. Out of his repentance flows a series of transformative events, including his own restoration.
As humanity grapples with the climate and ecological crisis, we have become both Herod and Jonah. In one sense, we are continuing to unabashedly claim our power over our natural resources. For instance, despite our raised consciousness about plastics in the ocean, more plastic is being produced now than ever before, in part as oil industries pivot to plastic to recover costs that they anticipate may be lost to reduced fossil fuel consumption. On the other hand, greener energies are being developed, like the increased farming of seaweed, from which a substitute plastic can be made. Seaweed farming has grown by over 75 percent in the last decade. Even still, we are now at risk of damaging ocean ecosystems by over-farming our oceans for seaweed. We seem always to do things in excess, ignoring the natural cycles and limitations of what we have been given, even when it's theoretically for our own benefit. (Follow the links in this paragraph to learn more.)
In today’s song, we hear "Ukuthula," a longing call for the peace that comes after the passion of Jesus, the peace that flows from salvation. It is also the deep peace of a restored world. The hand gestures of the singers reflect the changing words of longing for "gratefulness," "faith," "victory" and "comfort." Lent calls us to repentance. True repentance leads to change. “Metanoia,” the Greek word for “repentance,” means a complete and irreversible change. As we continue to monitor our own habits, how much are we still wanting to control our experience, through justifications, carbon offsets, token efforts, and how much are we instead like Jonah, who cries out to God, with a deep readiness to turn ourselves around?
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| Image by Tom Thai |
The next devotional day will be Monday, March 27th.
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LC† Before the Cross is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help to support extended offerings throughout the year. Thank you and peace be with you!
