“Jerusalem, Jerusalem…”

I was thinking about the gospel reading for today and one verse in particular stood out:

Luke 13:34:
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

For the full passage in context see:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+13%3A31-35&version=NRSVA

Often when Jesus says things twice, its important that we take notice and is almost like a sign of grief, or great frustration. Just remember what happened when Jesus went to visit two sisters – one called Mary (who sat quietly at his feet) and the other, Martha, who was busy dashing about all over the place and complained to the Lord about her sister leaving her to do everything!

Well Jesus turned to her and said: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things!” (Luke 10:41) Well, in this chapter of Luke, its not Martha, but Jerusalem, that Jesus is disappointed with: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem.”

The people living in the City of David during the first century, and the generations before them, had hoped Jerusalem would grow in holiness, become a place where everyone would get on well together, a place where they would pray together and worship God. King Solomon built the huge temple there. And yet, the history of Jerusalem was a difficult one, the relationship between the people of Jerusalem and God was not good. It should have been the safest place for a prophet, but it was not.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem….” In my imagination, I can picture Jesus looking up at the City and shaking his head. Things had gone so very wrong, and yet, despite everything, the way in which Jesus uses the image of a hen gathering her chicks is really interesting.

How does a  hen gather up her chicks? I wonder how we would describe it?
Gently? Carefully? Lovingly?

And I wonder, once gathered, beneath the mother hen’s wings, what the chicks find?
Protection? Safety? Warmth?

I love the way in which God, though His Son Jesus Christ, expresses His love for the people of Jerusalem,  in a way that is so tender, like that of a mother hen. Even though, again and again, the people got things so very wrong. And it gives me hope – even though we get things wrong today, even though I get things wrong today,  I believe that God is still longing to gather us up, as a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings.

This one verse – Luke 13:34 – to me speaks of the God who loves us so deeply, he wants to protect us, keep us safe and secure, guide us on to the right path – and we too can sit beneath his ‘wing’ whenever we pray, as we find in Psalm 91 (verse 4):

“…under his wings you will find refuge;”

We are now in the season of Lent, a time when we can stop, think, listen, read our Bible a little more deeply. Lent is a time when we can be still and pray, as we get ready for the celebrations at Easter time.

So in the weeks ahead, let us seek to sit closer to God. This is our time to get to know God, better, and in so doing, make ourselves open to change – to slowly grow to be more like His Son, Jesus Christ. I hope that as we change our faith deepens, and we become more committed to loving our neighbour as ourselves, seeking to help the lost and the lonely, the hungry and the thirsty, because as we change, our communities change too.

 

Click on image for colouring page – Luke 13:34

“Making time to put the kettle on.” Tomorrow’s Sunday, Sunderland Echo. 19th January 2013.

Last week I heard a vicar being interviewed on TV following a tragedy nearby. People were shocked and stunned . The vicar responded by opening up the church to care for residents and workers, and serve hot drinks.

Then he said in a warm sort of way, “We are the Church of England… We put the kettle on, that’s what we do.” In the midst of the sadness I thought this was an interesting way to describe a church at the heart of a community.

It reminded me of families manoeuvring their way through difficult situations over a pot of tea, of school Breakfast Clubs where young people swap stories over mugs of hot chocolate, and sociable folk who love to catch up with friends over coffee.

(A Hot Chocolate from Breakfast Club)

Our behaviour may say a great deal more than we think. There is something about the warmth we experience when we make ourselves totally available to others, and why it was so important for the church to open its doors and get the kettle on.

Explore the Gospels and we find examples of Jesus spending time with people in their homes, at the temple or by a well. Christ mingled with men, women and children from all walks of life – including those on the fringes of society. He was a guest at a wedding, dined with tax collectors and fed over 5,000 people on a hillside.

These accounts direct us towards the importance of hospitality and caring for each other and the gift of being able to spend time together. However, Jesus would also head off on his own to pray, another a good example for us to follow.

When we spend time in fellowship we connect with each other. When we make time to pray, we connect with God. He waits for us to turn our hearts to him, even if it has been a very long time since we last called him “Father.”

So, why not spend some time with God today?

Let us pray…

Rev. Lesley Jones (Sunderland Echo, 19th January 2013)

P.S. It was lovely to receive a letter this week enclosing a creative response to the words above:

Welcome
by Marjorie Llewelyn

The doors open wide and there someone stands
with welcoming smile and outstretched hands.
No trumpet fanfare, no Royal decree,
just come inside, have a cup of tea.

Was it not Jesus who showed us the way?
When in so many other words he did say:-
Let your welcome be warm, your charity free.
Remember my friends, you do this for me.

Thank you Marjorie!