Focal Passage: Luke 8:41-42,49-56
When nothing else matters: In Luke 8:41-42 we find a narrative that most all of us can relate to in some respect. Jesus has just come from Gadara where he has restored a man possessed by a demon and returned to Capernaum.
There is a crowd gathered around Jesus and suddenly a man named Jairus fell at Jesus’s feet. He was a leader in the synagogue. His only daughter was dying. This story resonates with me on two very personal levels. First, I had the privilege to walk among the ruins of Capernaum with two of my granddaughters when they lived in Israel.
We arrived there early one morning and had the place to ourselves before the tour buses arrived fifteen minutes later. It was surreal to get a glimpse of Peter’s homeplace and to think of all the things that Jesus did there. I remember sitting with my two granddaughters among the synagogue ruins and talking about what it must have been like to actually sit and listen to Jesus as He taught the people. [Read more…]