John 12:27-36 ("The New Testament and Psalms: An Inclusive Version")
27"Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—'Mother-Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28Mother-Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." 29The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." 30Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." 33He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. 34The crowd answered him, "We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Human One must be lifted up? Who is this Human One?" 35Jesus said to them, "The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. 36While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light." After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them.
THOUGHTS:
"Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you," Jesus says. And then, as if to prove his point, the lights in my bedroom wink out. A fuse is blown, so down three flights of stairs I go to check the circuit breakers in this old house where I live with five other Lutheran Volunteer Corps volunteers. Every LVC house has a name, and my housemates and I named our home the Wellstone House in honor of Shelia and Senator Paul Wellstone, progressive politicians in Minnesota who died in a plane crash in 2003 and who reflected the kind of light that Jesus speaks of in this passage-- as much as they could have, at least.
I'm relieved to see that Jesus also has trouble in his soul; its often difficult, especially in this sunshine-scarce Minnesota winter, for me to remember that I am not the only one who struggles. Jesus, a few verses before these, made the connection between a life of service and a life of sacrifice-- even to the point of death. But will that upcoming hour of sacrifice, that last witness to love in the midst of violence, do any good? And I wonder, too, about whether the joys that accompany living in intentional community are worth the painful pieces or whether the draining work I do to lighten the burdensome loads of other makes any difference. Does any of this glorfiy God's name, to use Jesus' phrase?
God's reply to Jesus resonates like thunder: I have glorified my name, and I will glorify it again. God, who has in the past stood in solidarity with those who labor for justice in love, also stands with us. Our actions matter, our lives matter, our sacrifices matter.
So for now I will try to walk in whatever light comes my way, relfecting the love of God and illuminating the way of shalom. During this Lenten season, I hope to get an inkling about what it might mean to be a child of this light-- to live as God's own beloved, whose name is glorified and whose light is reflected by my life.
PRAYER:
God who is faithful to all times, Christ who draws all people to yourself, Spirit who moves all the earth: accompany me on this journey towards justice and peace. May your light and love make the path visible to me, and to others through me by your unfathomable grace. Thank you. Amen.
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Ben Masters is a graduate of George Mason University and an alum of Lutheran Campus Ministry at GMU. He is currently working at Open Arms of Minnesota in Minneapolis, through Lutheran Volunteers Corps and is a proud member of the Wellstone House.
THOUGHTS:
"Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you," Jesus says. And then, as if to prove his point, the lights in my bedroom wink out. A fuse is blown, so down three flights of stairs I go to check the circuit breakers in this old house where I live with five other Lutheran Volunteer Corps volunteers. Every LVC house has a name, and my housemates and I named our home the Wellstone House in honor of Shelia and Senator Paul Wellstone, progressive politicians in Minnesota who died in a plane crash in 2003 and who reflected the kind of light that Jesus speaks of in this passage-- as much as they could have, at least.
I'm relieved to see that Jesus also has trouble in his soul; its often difficult, especially in this sunshine-scarce Minnesota winter, for me to remember that I am not the only one who struggles. Jesus, a few verses before these, made the connection between a life of service and a life of sacrifice-- even to the point of death. But will that upcoming hour of sacrifice, that last witness to love in the midst of violence, do any good? And I wonder, too, about whether the joys that accompany living in intentional community are worth the painful pieces or whether the draining work I do to lighten the burdensome loads of other makes any difference. Does any of this glorfiy God's name, to use Jesus' phrase?
God's reply to Jesus resonates like thunder: I have glorified my name, and I will glorify it again. God, who has in the past stood in solidarity with those who labor for justice in love, also stands with us. Our actions matter, our lives matter, our sacrifices matter.
So for now I will try to walk in whatever light comes my way, relfecting the love of God and illuminating the way of shalom. During this Lenten season, I hope to get an inkling about what it might mean to be a child of this light-- to live as God's own beloved, whose name is glorified and whose light is reflected by my life.
PRAYER:
God who is faithful to all times, Christ who draws all people to yourself, Spirit who moves all the earth: accompany me on this journey towards justice and peace. May your light and love make the path visible to me, and to others through me by your unfathomable grace. Thank you. Amen.
--
Ben Masters is a graduate of George Mason University and an alum of Lutheran Campus Ministry at GMU. He is currently working at Open Arms of Minnesota in Minneapolis, through Lutheran Volunteers Corps and is a proud member of the Wellstone House.
These devotions for young adults are provided by:
Lutheran Campus Ministry at George Mason University http://www.gmu.edu/org/lutheran
Lutheran Student Association at the University of Maryland http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~lutheran/lsa/
DC Young Adults http://www.dcyoungadults.org/
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