This year’s Lent reflections were planned to be posted on Wednesdays or midweek to be like Ash Wed. being a midweek event. Well this one is a couple days late and I think there was one posted a couple days early. Maybe that balances out. Maybe that is how we really live these days. Just trying to balance things out, hold two true things at once or just considering how things we say and do that are core to our values will impact others. The personal and the communal.
Relational aspects to our daily life are often examined when we reflect on the past. But what about the future? The Gospel reading during Lent focuses on Jesus and many other individuals and groups of people. Some are named and some are not named. Have you noticed? Those not named – the woman at the well, the man born blind or the man who carries the cross for Jesus is named Simon are three different but equally challenging stories.
Whose name is in the document? An important question if you want to focus on relations. How they are related to the journey of Jesus’ life, is another important question. There is no intent to give answers here, just questions and thoughts for us to ponder and wonder out loud.
Two of the above individuals were both personal and communal experiences. They are not named, yet we know about them and these are long stories with a lot of information about them and both having personal and communal time with Jesus. But the experience of Simon was more like, who me, do what? Simon comes to town, most likely for the festival, goes to where all the people seem to be, a parade of some sort. But it is something he most likely had never seen, dead men walking to their death on a cross. Simon goes solo to this parade and with no relationship to Jesus. He is pulled out of the crowd and forced to carry Jesus’ cross. He goes from being solo to being not just part of the parade but part of a duo, following along behind Jesus as his companion, carrying a heavy cross. A very communal experience and public. But when Simon later on, (I suggest), reflects on this experience he will likely find this to be a most personal and deeply troubling truma . Simon now has to think about the future, his future. His name is in the doucement.
As we reflect on our past, the time just before we sat down to read this email and as we wonder about the future, which starts as we read this, is your name listed in a document, is your story without your name told in a document? These days there are all kinds of documents for all kinds of stuff. As we reflect on the Gospel and wonder about the future, consider the personal and communal relationships on this journey especially in these days.
Peace and all good,
markie
Your Servant Council – Kelly, Juniper, Neal, markie, Shoshamah