This Sunday in worship, we’ll be reading from the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Mark. After last week’s wild (wild!) story about the man lost among the tombs coming back to himself, we have another set of healing stories. Specifically, we have one of my favorite literary devices: a story that happens along the way.
You can check this out in Mark 5:21-40 (or wait and hear it in worship on Sunday), but basically Jesus is asked to come heal the daughter of this guy Jairus, and as he’s walking there, another healing occurs.
What a gift to witness healing that happens incidentally, in passing, and in a space of liminality! The woman who receives healing from Jesus in that on-the-way story doesn’t even stop him- she just touches the hem of his garment.
Probably I’ll have more to say about these stories on Sunday, but for now I want to invite you to consider, and maybe pray on, the things that happen on the way.
What are the moments that interrupt your plans that are really sacred? Even now, is there some kid or dog or tree or phone call demanding your attention, pulling you away from what you’ve intended? I love it when a stranger comes by the door of my office (or my house!) I love a good side quest, a good detour, a good “got some extra time” kind of wander.
Next week, I’m going to Olympia with one of our middle school students, Jonna, and her mom, Tammi. I’m so excited to go- to meet with our legislators, to learn what important issues are coming up, and to advocate for the causes close to the heart of Jesus. I’m so excited to see what Jonna’s experience is like there. But I’m also excited for the things that might seem unrelated to our “reason” for going: the prayer across faith lines, deep or silly conversations in the car. Last year my best Olympia conversation was two minutes when I caught one of our legislators coming out of an elevator: it wasn’t scheduled, it wasn’t planned. It happened on the way to something else- we weren’t even getting on the right elevator. But everyone there seized the moment, and we found the sacredness on the way.
We’ve got big decisions to make as a congregation coming up- in the Congregational Meeting on February 11, but also every day. I pray that we can have hearts that are open to the adventure, the grace, and the healing that happens on the way to whatever we thought we were doing.
Davi
