Devotion

A reflection and prayer:

Dear Jesus,
I thought I was ready for you.
Clearly I am not.
I come with anger. You come with joy.
I want comfort. You come with the sword.
I want answers, you come with questions.
I want chariots, you come on donkeys.
I thought I was ready for you to appear.
I thought my lamp was trimmed and burning bright enough.

And yet, here you are, appearing to me again and again without recognition:
In lonely jail cells.
In loud courtrooms.
In tense chat rooms.
In annoying phone calls.
In the people that I love and the people that I struggle to love.
I thought that I had read enough about your game of “hide and seek” in the ones who are called the “least of these.”
I thought I had sung enough about your ability to lift up the low places.
And yet, I am reminded now, once again,
I am not ready for you.
Make me ready Jesus.
Train my eye to see your distressing disguises.
Train my ears to hear your muzzled whisper.
Train my heart to welcome your broken body.
And as my lamp burns dimmer and dimmer, keep me awake.
And make me ready Jesus.

David Scherer ’15 M.A.
Contextual Learning Associate, Luther Seminary