Wednesday, April 8, 2020
The Rev. Rob Stevens
The Collect
Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his body to be whipped and his face to be spit upon: Give us grace to accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Reading
Hebrews 12:1-3
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.
Reflection
Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…I need that reminder today. We are not alone. We are in this together. We may be isolated physically and that is very difficult for some, but we are connected by something deeper and wider than mere physicality. One practice that has been essential for me during this time of isolation is to use my imagination. Each morning I close my eyes and “see” my friends. Each time I get a text, I imagine that person and “see” their face, their smile. We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses; we simply need to rediscover our childlike ability to engage our imagination. We are right in the middle of Holy Week and as we are experiencing it differently than we have ever experienced it I invite you to explore the cloud of witnesses that surround you.
As we live into this new reality of social distance let us as the author of Hebrews suggests, "not grow weary, or lose heart." Close your eyes from time to time and picture your cloud of witnesses, your beloved community and remember that you are not alone.