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Taking off
Taking off – tripping – journaling – journeying
Need some solace in the soul
Enough sufficiency in the self
Sitting near the place where skies connect
Can’t get enough quiet in the heart
Cast me away to the place where I can rest and revive
John 4: 43-54
43 When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee 44 (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honour in the prophet’s own country). 45 When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; for they too had gone to the festival.
46 Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’ 49 The official said to him, ‘Sir, come down before my little boy dies.’ 50 Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. 51 As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, ‘Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.’ 53 The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he himself believed, along with his whole household. 54 Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.
The Word of the Lord:
Old Friend
Dear Friend,
Thanks for the call. It has been a while since we have seen each other. It was when you were in college. The last time you travelled you had an opportunity to get away from the busy life in the city. This time it’s the same and the bonus is that you get to take in some refreshing island scenery.
When we last travelled together – you traveled light. You had your pocket bible, music, some other necessary items and a few changes of clothing. You said that you travelled light for a reason – you wanted to grow in God and serve him more fully. This time you say that you want to reconnect with God and need nothing much to distract him from that purpose. The crew says hello. As you go know that we are praying for you.
God Bless,
Captin Sorley
4th Sunday in Lent
Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, who hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Flight
The flight was late again but finally the flight was called and the passengers began to board. The traveler showed his ticket and passport to the flight attendant and took his seat. After the flight took off and he was comfortable – he had a sip of water and said a short whispered prayer “Heavenly Father Thank you for life, may this flight be safe and may you continue to lead me to know you and love you more each day. In Jesus’ name I pray Amen.” took out his bible. John 4: 48 Then Jesus said to him, Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’ This reminded him of the verse found in 2 Corinthians 5: 6-7 “So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight.”
He closed his bible and began to think. He thought about his faith journey up to this point in his life. He thought about the first time he decided that Christ was the Son of God and the master of his life at his Confirmation. He thought about his Sunday school classes and his involvement in the youth group as a teen. He even thought about his college prayer group and the good time that his group of five friends would spend praying and listening to God. His mind wandered back to the times and places where he would witness for Christ to his classmates and to strangers. Then he thought about the lure of success that had somehow made him forget his first true love – God Almighty. He knew that his faith had waned though the years. He knew that he needed to get back where he was once before to a place of trust and faith.
Outside the sky was bleak and a slight drift of snow was inevitable. The ground controllers were obviously freezing while directing the planes – it was not a pleasant day to be outside. It was a good time to take a few weeks off. He decided that this Lent he would deliberately get away from it all the business of life and even family, friends and everyone and everything else that he knew; to get to know God all over again. His Lenten discipline would be to travel physically, emotionally and spiritually with God.
He knew that this would be an uphill battle – faith to him was so fleeting … it took such little effort to believe that the plane that he was on could fly. It took no stretch of the imagination to think that special care went into designing the various parts and placing together the functional systems. Yet his faith couldn’t make the leap from believing that God was here urging him to ‘spring.’ Just as the original meaning of the Old English word Lent was spring – this spring season he needed to spring back into a deeper commitment and understanding of God.
After about an hour he noticed that an elderly lady on the other side of the aisle on the flight running her hands over the pages of a book. It only now occurred to him that she was visually impaired and reading Braille. Here he was wallowing in nostalgia and the lady on the side of him clearly could not see. He wouldn’t dare assume that he was in any way more fortunate than her because he could see and she couldn’t see. Yet her presence reminded him of the passage he was just pondering “… for we walk by faith, not by sight.” It made him think about the faith he would require to place things back in perspective if he ever lost his sight – but literally he had – he was fumbling along hoping to find some clear way back to God. He reasoned that he just needed to let go and to trust God. In the gospel that the traveler read this morning the Royal Official’s son was healed by faith from a distance – Jesus healed him with a word. The traveler opened up his bible again and read 50Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. 51As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. 52So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, ‘Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.’ 53The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he himself believed, along with his whole household.”
The traveler decided at that very moment that he had all the faith he needed right now to believe that God is – even at the very present time – working in his life. The traveler closed his bible rested it on his lap. He put his head back closed his eyes and smiled – knowing that Jesus lived, healed, taught, died and was resurrected for the restoration of the entire world.
