Kathleen Norris wrote, “Prayer is not asking for what you think you want, but asking to be changed in ways you can’t imagine.” Jesus keeps giving us new ways to imagine ourselves and our world.
The 3rd of Jesus’ powerful parables in Matthew 25 (which we’ll hear this Sunday) tells about the sheep and goats. It says that none of them remembered seeing Jesus in the eyes of the hungry, hurting, or imprisoned – neither the sheep nor goats. Yet Jesus said that some of them had cared for the hungry, hurting, and imprisoned nonetheless, and that Jesus was there in that relationship. In the parable, Jesus gives a way of learning that the needs of this life matter. Jesus invites us to consider that addressing the needs of people around us is a way of doing justice and loving kindness. Jesus invites us to be changed beyond what we can imagine now.
As we come to the end of another church year, and look toward the start of a new church year in another week, this is my prayer. May God change us beyond what we can imagine so that new life can be shared with one another.
Peace,
Hans
Three Holy Days
In our tradition, we make space on Maundy Thursday to remember central parts of our faith story. We hear about the...
