Mtr Taylor Devine

Dear Friend,

Today’s Gospel reading is one that I’ve run across many times this year. It happens that way! For years the story of Jacob wrestling with God somehow always coincided with my preaching, reading, writing dates. Now it seems my attention is being drawn to Mary and Martha and their encounter in their home with Jesus. In my reading of and praying with this passage this time, I am noticing how well Jesus knows Martha and Mary. It is recorded what he said, but how I wish I could see either a glimmer in his eye or a sense of fatigue on his face. He knows them, cares for them, and though the most special guest one could imagine, he seems at ease. This sense of ease, presence and knowing reminded me of this prayer, in the picture below (you can click on See Original Post to see it if it’s not showing up in your email.)

May I be surrounded by loved ones who remind me who I am when I forget. I will forget.

This prayer and image are from a book about the Lord’s Prayer. Those who first heard this prayer of Jesus knew him, they would have felt the impact of his facial expressions and posture, in part because they knew him personally. It’s just the very next chapter after this one in the Gospel according to Luke where the Lord’s Prayer is introduced - it’s with people who know him, and for people like us who know him in the Body of Christ; the Church, and the Eucharist. Sometimes the best sense we get of how Jesus is to us is in the people around us who care for us. We seem to get too many chances to forget who and how loved we are, may we be surrounded by loved ones who know and love us well and in this way reflect to love of God to us.

In Christ,

Mtr Taylor

(The book is May It Be So: Forty Days with the Lord’s Prayer by Justin McRoberts and Scott Erickson)