Tuesday of Holy Week
Jeremiah 29:11 and Luke 22
There are three things that I reflect on in these passage
- Preparation and Celebration – All of the Jeremiah passage and the first part of Luke 22 have to do with preparation and celebration. Jeremiah foreshadows the events described in Luke 22, and in the opening passages of Luke, the disciples are instructed about how to prepare for what they assume will be a celebration of one of the holiest events in the history of the Jewish people. But what actually happens? Often I am confronted by things that are very different than we thought they be. How can I be better prepared for what does happen – to listen, reflect and act accordingly?
- Weakness and fear when I realize that what I was preparing for and celebrating is not what God has in mind - The events portrayed during the meal are not what the disciples expect. So often, I react to the unexpected with denial, and even with anger. How can prayer help me to break this cycle?
- That I have the power and the duty in the midst of disappointment to define who Christ is to me and to reflect and act on the meaning of the preparation and celebration in my life. The Jews and, by implication, we are called upon us to define who Christ is to us. I need to spend more time answering this to be his disciple and to do it continually in the midst of the most difficult circumstances.
So often, I rush on to try to fix things when I am confronted with failure and disappointment rather than reflecting on drawing on and accepting and celebrating the presence of Christ in all things – asking questions about how to realize Christ’s presence and meaning in what has happened. For me, the task of Lenten preparation and Easter’s celebration is just that.
Dick Lamport
Jeremiah 29:11 and Luke 22
There are three things that I reflect on in these passage
- Preparation and Celebration – All of the Jeremiah passage and the first part of Luke 22 have to do with preparation and celebration. Jeremiah foreshadows the events described in Luke 22, and in the opening passages of Luke, the disciples are instructed about how to prepare for what they assume will be a celebration of one of the holiest events in the history of the Jewish people. But what actually happens? Often I am confronted by things that are very different than we thought they be. How can I be better prepared for what does happen – to listen, reflect and act accordingly?
- Weakness and fear when I realize that what I was preparing for and celebrating is not what God has in mind - The events portrayed during the meal are not what the disciples expect. So often, I react to the unexpected with denial, and even with anger. How can prayer help me to break this cycle?
- That I have the power and the duty in the midst of disappointment to define who Christ is to me and to reflect and act on the meaning of the preparation and celebration in my life. The Jews and, by implication, we are called upon us to define who Christ is to us. I need to spend more time answering this to be his disciple and to do it continually in the midst of the most difficult circumstances.
So often, I rush on to try to fix things when I am confronted with failure and disappointment rather than reflecting on drawing on and accepting and celebrating the presence of Christ in all things – asking questions about how to realize Christ’s presence and meaning in what has happened. For me, the task of Lenten preparation and Easter’s celebration is just that.
Dick Lamport