Day 34 - searching

Multimedia piece by Sheri Park

Today's Reading:

⁴¹ Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. ⁴² And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. ⁴³ When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. ⁴⁴ Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵ When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. ⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸ When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” ⁴⁹ He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰ But they did not understand what he said to them. ⁵¹ Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

Luke 2:41-51

three days
i searched for you
held my breath
dreamt of you
dead
your crown broken
flesh torn open eaten 
by your friends
always there was blood
all over my hands
 
to return and find you there
at the temple where, you said,
you belonged! breathe--
                                                            i too search for you                             i am 
searching for
                     you         if you are                     why aren't you
                        why are you there?                                  here?
 
---out. blessed boy
            come back
            inside my body
            it was your home
            here i fed you
            here i bled you
                                    here                                 
                                                               where you 
                freedom!                                         freedom! means choice 
                                                                                    means                  lost
                           missing the walls                                sometimes
                                       of my mother
                                          
the day the dream
was not a dream
there was a crown
that was not a crown
there was breathing in
without breathing out
always there was blood
but over whose hands?
                                                       
these days                              today
i am searching for you                           tomorrow
up to watch the sunrise                      watch
pale yellow gold glow                            the darkness
caressing every surface                     expand it is 
which is all dust                                    not emptiness
dust and i lay my body                                    but space
on the cool stone                                
                                                                        move
breathe out                                         your body

Reflection

Please meditate on this poem and artwork as we reflect on what it looks like to worship in sacred and profane spaces this week.