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February 15, 2005
Lent 2005: Reflections #1 ("Disciples Descry")
Lent is starting off very positively. I’d like to say I knew it would, but in all honestly, I could only hope. Last Wednesday evening, some of us from our community got together for a dinner of soup and bread and fellowship. It was a good kick-off to the season. Thursday evening, Bill Wallenbeck led us in some scripture reading and meditation. Friday was my turn to facilitate an hour of Lectio Divina. Because of Valentine’s Day, I didn’t attend last night, but I heard that Jan Mastin did a great job finding some connections in three different scriptures.
Tonight, Deanne Pearson led us in a few moments of quiet solitude and prayer and then transitioned into scripture reading. Tonight’s reading was slightly different, though. Deanne had us read the scripture (today’s Lectionary reading of John 2:13-22) silently and then imagine ourselves in the story. We were to picture ourselves as one of the characters in the story, an onlooker watching the proceedings of the story, or anything that came to mind, really. This is very similar to part of the Lectio Divina reading. After reading, we were to write down what we imagined.
The following story is what I wrote. Interestingly, it ended up having little to do with the actual passage — in fact, it was inspired by the last verse.
Enjoy…
“Disciples Descry”
John 2:22 (NLT):
After he was raised from the dead, the disciples remembered that he had said this. And they believed both Jesus and the Scriptures.It was the fourth day since Jesus’ death; only one day after he had risen. Three of his disciples, Simon Peter, John, and Matthew, sat around an old, knotted oak table in silence. The room was dark and smelled strongly of spices and sweat. The only light entered through a few slits in the walls that made the room.
Then, as if it were expected of him, Peter spoke. “We did believe… Didn’t we?”
The others weren’t used to this kind of vulnerability from Peter, but they knew how he felt.
Mattew sipped wine from a tin cup and pondered Peter’s question for a few moments before answering. “Well, yeah, Peter. I mean, what the hell were we doin’ following him all those years? I didn’t leave my job for nothin’.” He took another sip of the wine. “What kind of question is that anyway?” But, deep inside, he knew.
Peter continued, “Then why is this so damned surprising, Matthew? How come my heart?... My head?... Feels so differently than when he was…” Peter cleared his throat and changed his tone to a whisper, “When he was alive.” He looked down at his weathered hands atop the stained wood.
All along, John had been listening, taking in the first words that had been spoken in hours. Then he spoke.
“I don’t know guys,” John admitted. “Here we are, feeling all down about ourselves — we’re all, ‘Did we believe? Or didn’t we believe?’ — and Jesus — our best friend — has just risen from the freaking dead! How cool is that?!”
Peter and Matthew stared at John. Something about his innocence was inspiring. The fact that Jesus was alive again… The fact that Jesus was really who he said he was — who scripture said he was… This was big.
“Ok, then,” Peter returned. “So, what do we do next?”
“I think we all know that,” John continued. “We do what he said to do. We believe. We love. We tell people about him. Easy right?”
All three of the disciples burst out laughing in the darkness of the room. Each one of them felt a newness that they had never felt before.
Jesus was God.
Posted at 11:32 pm
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dh () - February 16, 2005 at 09:16 am
jared () - February 16, 2005 at 7:54 pm
