 |
| "Portmeirion" by John Arnold |
A Meditation for the Longest Night
(a tradition in many countries on the winter solstice, 'Longest Night' gatherings
offer spiritual companionship to those who live with sadness in this season)
To Carry/Lift Up / Mother of Rufus
†
A Greeting
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
(Psalm 130:1)
First Reading
Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord;
and greet his mother—a mother to me also.
(Romans 16:13)
Second Reading
They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country,
to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander
and Rufus. And they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it
behind Jesus. A great number of the people followed him, and
among them were women who were beating their breasts and
wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said,
‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me,
but weep for yourselves and for your children'.
(Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26b-29)
Music
Meditative Verse
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
(Psalm 25:1)
A Reflection
The season of Advent honours the honest admission that there are
times when it feels like God is absent. Certainly, Advent advocates
engaging this feeling with a sense of confidence in God’s promises:
with hope, preparation, alertness and anticipation. Nevertheless, it
begins with a feeling that God is not here yet; and that life would
be somehow better if God were here. Darkness is a fundamental
Advent image; and light piercing the darkness is a central symbol
of God’s promises. In the northern hemisphere, Advent happens
while we experience the fewest hours of daylight. In my tradition,
both church and family, the Advent wreath is an important part
of our spiritual discipline. As we move deeper into Advent, the hours
of darkness grow longer and stronger; at the same time, with each
passing week, the light from the candles burns brighter…
Darkness, waiting and the absence of the holy can be very difficult.
There is something valuable in being honest about how dark it gets.
Moreover, the people who can see the light in the darkness are
a great gift. They proclaim hope, offer leadership and help us all
to discover the direction God would have us go. The prophets are
such light-seers… I think you probably are as well.
- from “Spirited Reflection: Moonstruck” by The Rev. Paul Gehrs,
published on kairoscanada.org
Verse for the Day
O save your people, and bless your heritage;
be their shepherd, and carry them forever.
(Psalm 28:9)
†
 |
| Image by Elliott Ross, as part of his "At The Gate" photo series. |
Sometimes in the lines of Scripture, we can piece together relationships among its people. The story of Simon of Cyrene, who was compelled by the Roman authorities to carry Jesus’ cross for him at the Crucifixion, is told in three of the four gospels. Then, in Paul’s epistle to the Romans, written some years later, Paul asks to be remembered to Rufus and to Rufus’ mother, whom he says was like “a mother to me also”. It is easy to imagine how the experience of Simon of Cyrene must have profoundly affected him, how he might have taken it home to his family, who then may have become among the early Christians in Rome. The Greek word ‘airo’ means ‘to lift up, to take upon oneself and carry’, ‘to raise’. In those more nuanced but closely connected meanings that distinguish Greek words from the wide variations of Hebrew words, we hear that to help someone carry a burden, is also to lift someone up. As we make our way through Advent and arrive close to Christmas, we pass over the equinox, that moment in the calendar when the days start to become longer instead of shorter. Pastor Gehrs encourages us to look for the signs of light in the darkness. As we carry our own burdens of grief and loss, there are people like Simon’s family who are willing to help us. There are people in our own worlds, like the mother of Rufus who cared for Paul. In the words of the song, ‘when the night becomes dark, your love O Lord, is our fire,’ the love of Jesus is always holding us all close. Is there a way that you can find that fire of love today? Or help someone draw a bit closer to it?
 |
| Image by Elliot Ross as part of his "At The Gate" photo series. |
The Rev. Paul Gehrs works as Assistant to the Bishop, Justice and Leadership, in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.
Elliot Ross (bottom images) is a NYC-based photographer whose work focuses on "human stories that explore the social, cultural and economic effects of geographic isolation". The pictures above are from his photo series "At the Gate", which followed the lives of migrants arriving in Lesbos, Greece.
LC† Treasuring the Word is a project of
Lutherans Connect / Lutheran Campus Ministry Toronto.
Join our Facebook page. Follow us @LuTConnect.
