Weekly Reflection
Monday March 31- Saturday, April 4
Northeastern Presbyterian Church
2112 Varnum Street, NE
Washington, DC 20018
(202) 526-1730
nepc-dc.org
Theme: Lament
Scriptures: Mark 7: 24 - 37, Psalm 107: 39 - 43
Jesus traveled north to the region of Tyre and tried to remain unrecognized, but was discovered
by a woman that came to Him with a great sadness; her little girl was possessed by demons.
She cried out, begging to Jesus to remove the evil spirits and restore her daughter. But, the
woman was a Gentile and Jesus told her that He should assist His family and followers, the
Jews, and said unto her, “Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the
children’s bread, and to cast it among dogs.” Of which, she
replied that what He said was true, but even dogs were allowed the crumbs from the plates of
the children. Jesus found this answer to be favorable and said unto the woman, “For this
saying go thy way, the devil is gone out of thy daughter.” When the woman returned home,
she found her daughter restored, lying peacefully in bed; and the demon was gone.
Jesus continued his travels toward Sidon and then back to the Sea of Galilee, stopping in the
region of the Ten Towns. A man was brought before Him. The man was deaf and could not
speak and the people begged Jesus to heal him. He led the deaf mute away from the multitude
to a more secluded area.
Jesus then proceeded to place His index fingers inside the man’s ears and then spat on His
fingertips and placed them on the tongue of the man. Looking towards Heaven, He sighed and
saith unto him, “Ephphatha. Be opened.”
The man was immediately healed and could hear and speak without impediment. Jesus asked
all those who were witness to stay quiet and keep the news to themselves, but they would have
none of it and continued to spread the news as they were all astonished and filled with joy, that
Jesus could heal the deaf and dumb.
What do these two stories tell us about Lament, Jesus heals the sick? Lament: express
sadness: to express grief or sorrow about something; express regret: to express regret,
annoyance, or disappointment about something; expression of sadness: an expression of grief
or sorrow.
It shows the pain and the sadness of those without Jesus in their lives. It shows the grief of
woman with a lost child and nowhere to turn. The futility of the ability to communicate and the
sadness of others knowing you have not heard God’s word, or could ever speak to it.
Because of Jesus’ limitless power, and our humble ability, we must be able to use what we have
to heal one another. As children of God, we have no miraculous power to touch the sick and
heal human bodies, but we can alleviate despair by providing solace and comfort.
Why have we not started the healing processes and let God’s love envelope us to move
towards a higher understanding of His word and of ourselves? Is it too late for you? Have
others gone on
before us not ever hearing the words we wish we could have conveyed? The ‘I love you’s that
we missed? The ‘I’m sorry’s that we never got a chance to say? Jesus’ direct impact says that
no matter the length of your sadness or sorrow, you can be healed and be involved in the
healing process.
Psalm 107: 39 – 43 tells us that when the faithful decrease and become sick, downtrodden,
have been maligned, marginalized and oppressed by those serving with duplicitous power and
are now in a sorrowful state; the Lord strikes the leadership with contempt banishing them from
their lands. He saves the poor from distress and increases the family strength with sources of
reliance and solidity. The wicked no longer have a voice, and it behooved witnesses to
remember what has happened. For they will see through the course of time what happens
when we love God and have faith in God’s love for us.
How is that passage significant? Do we have times when we feel we should have struck out at
those in positions that hold sway over our lives? Do we have regret that we failed to act? Are
we among those that have been powerful enough to be directly responsible for a tragic event
and now feel guilt and remorse but are unable to cope?
To combat lament, we must let God provide His own exact judgment as we summon the
courage to forgive and ask for forgiveness. We must be determined to extend our hands to
those we have wronged and accept the olive branch from those that may have damaged us.
Bitterness and regret are fruitless endeavors; neither has the ability to grow and to be
productive. There can be no healing and the removal of sadness without God’s involvement.
He will provide clarity of conscience with the willingness to boldly act in the method that is
pleasing to His sight. And, as in many cases, the chance has been lost due to transitional
events, but is recovered through prayer and God’s grace. It may be over to us, but it is never
over to Jesus. Remember that Jesus provides us with our inner strength; He provides us with
the will to soldier on, not the other way around.
This begins the transformative effect God has in our lives. Devotion compels us and faith
sustains us. Through many trials and suffering we may have been a part of or party to, but God
is there with us to continue to heal, from both sides. And as we move closer to Him through the
process of prayer and dedication, and transformation, then begins transcendence; of the mind
and spirit.
Reflection Questions
(Throughout each week of Lent, create a journal. Consider sharing your journal with
others or keeping the journal for yourself to read at a later time. While reflecting on the
theme of lament and the scriptures above, respond to the questions below):
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Do you have regret for something you may have said, or didn’t say to someone in your
life? Do you feel it’s too late? Do you have the courage to let it go and let God assist
you?
Have we questioned our debtors and/or have we understood the nature of our own
debt? What would it take for clarification and closure?
Do you feel a connection to either of the passages? How? There is victory there as the
Lord takes control in each, but despair and lament forced His hand. Do you need
someone to be there for you?
Do you have the faith that God is stronger and can heal your inner pain as lament is
emotional and spiritual?
Have you been confused by lamenting events that God does not consider acceptable?
Do you believe those events worthy of sadness and misdirected energy?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for blessing us with the clarity to know that You provide the
solutions to our unanswered questions. Where we feel doubt, You provide us with
assuredness. When we are irresponsible, you grant us commitment. You remove our sadness
and our guilt and are always there to cast sunlight into our darkened shadows. With Your
limitless power, we pray that You continue to heal our hearts, uplift our spirits, and renew our
devotion, our minds, and our bodies.
You are our stronghold, and with You as our guide, we shall not be afraid. No circumstance can
block the blessings You have bestowed upon us. Your grace allows us the faith and belief that
no grief is too hard to bear, or no task too difficult to complete. You are our guide, our rock, our
provider, our Holy Redeemer! We thank You for all these things, O Lord. Amen.
Written by: Shawn R. Thomas