A Devotion for Carrying One Another's Mats
“Lord, in Your mercy, let us not get hit by this hurricane.”
“Wait, God, please let no one get hit by this hurricane.”
“Ok God, let’s just have hurricanes cease to exist. Period.”
As I write this, Hurricane Dorian is still circling around in the Atlantic, close enough to the coast to be worrisome, taking his time and still setting nerves on edge along the eastern seaboard as we wait.
The pictures and videos coming in from Dorian’s destruction in the Bahamas are heartbreaking. We find ourselves in this strange land – waiting and grieving, giving thanks that areas of our state were spared.
It can be hard to know what to do when a storm isn’t “your storm,” when you didn’t take a direct hit, or when you’re not the one experiencing a painful situation or circumstance. In an effort to not make it about us, it can be tempting to want to distance ourselves, to thank God it is not us who suffers this time.
But if the Gospel teaches us anything, it’s that no suffering in the body of Christ is individual.
When any part of the body hurts, we all hurt.
In the Gospel of Mark, we read of a paralyzed man who is trying to draw near to Jesus. The home is filled wall-to-wall with people and it seems that there is no way he will be able to reach the feet of his Lord and be saved. His friends are not discouraged. They remove the roof above Jesus, and lower their friend on his mat to reach Jesus. Jesus heals the man and commends his friends for their faith, proclaiming: “I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.”
In this passage we see the powerful things that can happen when we gather around our hurting brothers and sisters, when we bear one another’s burdens, and clear the path for healing and restoration.
How many times have we needed someone to “remove the roof” so that we could sit in Jesus’ presence? Who have been those people who have carried your mat when you could not?
Friends, right now, we need to be people who remove any and all obstacles so that those who are suffering may see and know the face of God. For each of us, this will look differently. Maybe it’s through your current recovery work, or maybe it means donating your time and resources to the recovery in the Bahamas. Whatever way you choose to participate, remember that, by your faith, and your faith in action, God’s healing can be known. This is the power of Christ working in and through us.
Let us be people who lift one another’s mats.
With you on the journey,
Chaplain Amy
From the Book of Common Prayer:
Lord, give us the imagination to dream and catch glimpses of the life you intend for us to live. Show us how our individual lives are entwined with those around us, and help us to live so truly together that we embody your good news in this world. Amen.
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you;
may he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm;
may he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you;
may he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.
In the Gospel of Mark, we read of a paralyzed man who is trying to draw near to Jesus. The home is filled wall-to-wall with people and it seems that there is no way he will be able to reach the feet of his Lord and be saved. His friends are not discouraged. They remove the roof above Jesus, and lower their friend on his mat to reach Jesus. Jesus heals the man and commends his friends for their faith, proclaiming: “I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.”
In this passage we see the powerful things that can happen when we gather around our hurting brothers and sisters, when we bear one another’s burdens, and clear the path for healing and restoration.
How many times have we needed someone to “remove the roof” so that we could sit in Jesus’ presence? Who have been those people who have carried your mat when you could not?
Friends, right now, we need to be people who remove any and all obstacles so that those who are suffering may see and know the face of God. For each of us, this will look differently. Maybe it’s through your current recovery work, or maybe it means donating your time and resources to the recovery in the Bahamas. Whatever way you choose to participate, remember that, by your faith, and your faith in action, God’s healing can be known. This is the power of Christ working in and through us.
Let us be people who lift one another’s mats.
With you on the journey,
Chaplain Amy
From the Book of Common Prayer:
Lord, give us the imagination to dream and catch glimpses of the life you intend for us to live. Show us how our individual lives are entwined with those around us, and help us to live so truly together that we embody your good news in this world. Amen.
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you;
may he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm;
may he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you;
may he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.
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