Dear All of Us,
So, how about it?
Are you a
People Watcher?
Highly
recommended.
I've been a
card caring one
all my life.
Without a doubt
it bests
the best
grad course
on
human behavior.
Watch
what people do
and
how they do it.
We'll see their
truest selves.
Watch
where they invest
most of their
time and energy.
Notice how they
connect
and
respond
to others.
It all gives a
real
reliable
true to life
Person Portrait.
The Gospels
give such a
portrait
of
Jesus.
He spent
generous
time and energy
healing.
He connected
personally
simply
care fully
with those
healing needy.
It is noted in the
four Gospels
about sixty times.
It counted
compliment
to
Jesus' teaching.
Tells us
a heaven of a lot
about Jesus
and what
he was all about.
And it tells us what
we are privileged
to be all about,
not only what,
but also how.
In the here and now
we are the
people and presence
of
Jesus
in a world
of so many
wounded
wanting
dis stressed
dis at eased
dis abled
dis abused.
We are
the very
Body of Christ (1)
in a world
aching for
HAELAN
(OE)
"to make whole"
"to restore"
in our now English,
HEALER
Put pointedly,
to be a Christian
is to be just that,
a
HEALER
At the
very mention
many much
panic,
head for
the doors
screaming,
"What me
heal?
No way, Jose.
That's more miracle
than I dare mess with.
Way out of my orbit.
Too misty much
like those
sweating,
screaming,
foaming
at the mouth,
TV preachers.
Weird!"
That's not how
Jesus healed
nor how
we are called
to let
His Spirit heal
through us.
To heal
is
to restore
to make whole.
That comes about
in a library of ways
and
in a generous scale
of degrees.
Some few of us
heal
as
physicians,
pharmacists,
therapists,
spiritual
companions,
social activists.
Many more
of us
heal
as
educators
musicians
artists
librarians
supporters of social
justice efforts
public service workers
scientists.
Consider bus drivers.
They close the challenging gap
between where we are
and where we need to be.
Consider farmers.
They heal hunger.
When we
heal,
we
"restore"
good
that is missing,
we
"make whole"
painful gaps and gouges.
It's as immediate as:
- looking out for the
inexperienced,
young intern at work
- deep listening and
accepting presence
as a friend pours out
a soul of pain
- welcoming a new family
to the neighborhood
- going to a third grader's
first trumpet performance
- EKKS -
- thanking the young pastor
for the sermon that
consistently threatened
consciousness
- believing in an
unbelievably
turbulent teen
- a simple smile
to a stranger
on the sidewalk
- letting a lonely old person
fill us in on an hour's worth
of their life story
when all we want
ever so much
is to get home,
kick off our shoes,
have a glass
(or two)
of wine
after a
really rough day.
Here's one I experienced
on a long checkout line
at a busy supermarket.
The cashier was
stressed snappy,
sharp with everyone
in that long line
and that included me.
I simply said,
"I don't know how
you manage it
but you do
a super job
under all this
terrible pressure."
She went from
deepest dark
to brightest light,
flashed a
million-dollar smile
and said,
"Damn!
Honey I sure
appreciate that!"
She almost seemed
happy to process
my too many coupons.
Healing is
putting a plus
where there is
a minus.
That makes
a cross,
a saving one!
That's how
in Christ
we are a
HAELAN
******
(1) Ephesians 1:22-23
Colossians 1:24
1 Corinthians 12: 27
******
Here where I live in
Washington, DC
it's a beautiful mix of
Autumn rich color
right now.
That's how we are
as we gather here
each week,
a splendid mix of us,
toned warmly rich
in religions, regions,
cultures, countries.
This week
we were gifted with a
first ever visitor from
Senegal.
Wonderful and Welcome!
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PLEASE
share
frankly speaking.
That would be
most appreciated.
Where we are,
as we can,
any way we can,
let's help heal our
terribly wounded world.
See you next week.
Love to all.
God Bless.
John Frank
frankly speaking
spirituality for the street
johnfrankshares.blogspot.com
******
