Lent Day 13 | John 6:1-21
Today's reading: John 6:1-21
May we sit at the feet of JesusAnd lay down our judgement and tendencies to point at othersWhen we have a plank firmly lodged in our eyeTake the pedestals we hold on toAnd give us a Spirit of humility Give us this day our daily riceAs we feast with youLet us see each other as you see our very beingsI want to show loveEmbody love Love as you loveLet your spirit empower usSurround usForever and everAmen
One of the women from two houses down calls to me/The Teacher has arrived in our townHe will tell his stories on the hillside/I am so weary The children have too much energyThe one I am carrying inside my womb will come soonThere are chores to be done before my husband comes homeBut I have heard stories from my sister about this TeacherThey rumor that he is the Messiah, this JesusMy entire life I have lived for othersLet me take this afternoon and hear what he has to say///It is almost sundown I sit down in the courtyard in front of our house My unborn child kicking gentlyIt was a hot day on the hillsideLittle trees to provide shade against the scorching heatMy mind swirls with the miracle I have seen with my own eyesThe other women had been chattering non-stop on our walk back to the village /He IS the messiah, the Prophet, the King we have waited for/I do not know if I can believe, but I desperately want to Our people have searched for so long We have waitedIs this the time?God has said that we would not be forsakenIf this Teacher, Jesus, could multiply a bowl of rice and two fish for all those on the hillside today, with each woman carrying bowlfuls more to take home, what other miracles can he do for our people?My spirit has never felt so fullWhen he taught today...Despite the thousands of people there, he was speaking directly to me.//That day, when Jesus performed his miracle He saw the needs for all of usHe did not leave any behindHe provided for the spirit and for the body He fed the eager and hungry He even gave them more to take home.//
Jesus, having the power of God, could have done the miracle by himself without anyone else’s participation. Instead he went on to share the power of the miracle with those around him. In all of these exchanges, Jesus practiced radical inclusivity. From the children, women, and men sitting on the hillside to the boy who gave his lunch to the disciples, all partook in the miracle that Jesus invited them into. In this Lenten season, how do you view those you invite into your communities, your homes, your churches? Do we see ourselves as ‘helping’ those around us? Or are we sharing rice as equals and sharing the power of the miracle with those around us?
Created by: Symphony ChauAbout the author: Symphony (she/her) is an avid reader, part-time artist, and self-proclaimed plant parent. A 2nd generation Chinese-American, she grew up between Northern Jersey and NYC’s Chinatown, where she developed her passion for youth empowerment and anti-displacement movements. Symphony loves all the shows your teenage sibling does, and chances are if she’s not journaling with a coffee in hand, she is forwarding articles to CAAC's about what's wrong with the evangelical church. Symphony lives in Brooklyn where she works in communications and public health, forever adding new plant babies to her apartment.Website | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedInImage by: Sheri ParkAbout the artist: Sheri Park is a interdisciplinary visual artist, with a focus on video & performance. She completed her undergraduate degree from Union College in 2013, and her Certificate in Theology and Art from Fuller Seminary in 2015. When she's not making art or at her graphic design job, she enjoys making breakfast, reading, and watching ducks by the lake with her husband in Fremont, California.Website | Instagram | FacebookAbout the image:(photograph by Ola Soler)Today-Friday-Saturday-Sundaypaper, net, flowers