Rev. Molly F. James, PhD
DFMS Noonday Prayer, via Zoom
John Donne, March 31, 2020
May God’s Word be spoken. May God’s Word be heard. May that point us to the living Word who is Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Today is the feast day of John Donne. A 17th century priest and poet. He is probably best known for his Sonnet “Death be not proud.” A fitting poem for today. One that reminds us of that all important truth that Death is not the end. Death should not be proud because it does not last. As Donne closes his sonnet, death too shall die.
Our Gospel reading for today closes with the line: “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgement, but has passed from death to life.”
Passing from death to life. Indeed we are. The hard part is that there is no time frame attached to that. We are indeed in the midst of death. We have lost and will lose those who are near and dear to us. We have lost and will lose friends. Through our wider communities and circles we know others who have died, perhaps of the virus or of some other cause. It can feel like a compounded loss in the midst of all the suffering and challenges of the present moment to be reminded that people will also still die of cancer, of heart attacks, of old age and in accidents. There will be still gun violence, natural disasters, and tragedy in the midst of a pandemic. And yet we are passing from death to life. From death to life.
The challenge, the pain, the heartache, the loss, the grief of this present moment is real. It can fill our hearts and our minds. It can weigh heavily on us. And it will likely still be there tomorrow, possibly even for days to come. And yet. It is also still true that we are passing from death to life. Death does not and will not ever have the last word. We are an Easter people.
Love and life have the last word. Today and always. This is the truth we need to hold on to even in the midst of news that breaks our hearts, even in the midst of an infection rate and a death toll that just continues to go up. Even as we worry for ourselves, as we fear for the lives and the livelihoods of those we love.
The fear is real. The loss is real. The death of our mortal bodies is real. The way forward does not come from denying the truths of our world nor the fullness of emotions in our hearts. The way forward comes from facing those realities and still choosing life. As our psalm for today says, “You will show me the path of life; * in your presence there is fullness of joy.” God indeed is showing us the path of life. It is the path of Easter. The path of life and love. The path to joy.
I hope that each and every one of us has people in our lives who help us to know where the path of life is, in whose presence we find joy. Hopefully for many of us those are people who are also stuck at home with us (although in the current circumstances of being confined together in small spaces, trying to do work and manage children and life, and everything, they may also be the people who can most grate on our nerves at the present moment!). Home life may very well be chaos currently or perhaps home is far too quiet right now, missing the hustle and bustle of friends and neighbors. Or for many of us, just being home this much is taking another sort of adjustment, as we have become accustomed to life on the road. However it may be that we find ourselves situated in these days, we are all being invited to follow the path of life. We are being invited to seek out those relationships, those connections, those activities that bring us the fullness of joy.
So make full use of the gifts of technology - of pen and paper, of phone calls and text messages, and even multi-time zone video calls with those far and near. Make full use of a few moments for quiet meditation or the opportunity to go for a walk. Whatever it is that will help to ground us in the truths of our faith, to more deeply connect us with God and with each other.
Indeed we are passing from death to life. Let us choose life. Let us choose joy. Let us choose hope. Today and each day ahead. AMEN.
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