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Isaiah 55.10-11

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

We’ve seen plenty of snow lately. It’s beautiful when it’s falling but then it starts to get messy and we get tired of it. We just want it to melt and go away. We look for warmer weather and we spread the snow out hoping it will just melt away. What was the purpose of the snow anyway? All that it does is make traveling harder and all the work we have to do to move it around hurts our backs. I guess playing in the snow was good for our kids and sledding is fun. If we go further we do need the moisture in the ground and that will help our plants to grow.

We were given God’s word through his son. Jesus came to us to teach and to show us the way. He endured ridicule and testing. Some couldn’t see the reason that he was here. Others followed him and their lives were changed, much like the plants. He spent his entire time on earth teaching in one way or another. He couldn’t go back to his Father until his purpose had been fulfilled. His purpose was fulfilled by his death and resurrection so that we may live.

We need to remember when we see the snow or rain that it does have a purpose and we just need to wait. The good news is that Jesus died so that the wait could be over for us and we will have eternal life because of that.

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1 Peter 5.1-14

Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it—not for sordid gain but eagerly. Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away.

In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.

Not a ladder, but a ripple. I often find myself thinking in pictures. As I read (and re-read and re-read) this passage from Peter, I found myself moving from the image of a ladder or hierarchy to the image of a ripple.

When Peter begins his advice with his identity as an elder, it took me a moment to understand that he is NOT advocating for a strict hierarchy: just the opposite. He asks that the elders “tend the flock… willingly… not for sordid gain, but eagerly.” He tells those same elders, “Do NOT lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock.” Coming from my experiences with my mother’s Korean family—where each aunt, uncle, and sibling has a unique title and rank based on birth order—this has not always been my experience of elders.

When Peter turns to the young ones, he asks something more familiar to me: “accept the authority of the elders.” But then he tells all of us to “clothe ourselves in humility in our dealings with one another” so we can “humble ourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God.”

As imperfect people, we might proudly pretend to have power over each other: to lord it over others on some occasions, or cower on other occasions. But as Christians, we are all “witnesses of the sufferings of Christ.” And as the children of God, we all “share in the glory to be revealed.”

We—young people, old people, in between people, and unsure people—are being asked to stop pretending that we are on a ladder—above some people or below others. We are being asked to embrace our lives as the ripples in water: when the mighty hand of God moves the water, we are asked to feel it—to move with it and flow out our best example to those around us. When we are touched by someone’s example, we are called to move in concert—sharing that glory to be revealed in all directions.

You can listen to the reading and reflection by clicking here.

Psalm 86.1-6

Bow down your ear, O Lord, and answer me *
for I am poor, and in misery.
Keep watch over my life, for I am faithful *
save your servant who puts his trust in you.
Be merciful to me, O Lord, for you are my God *
I call upon you all the day long.
Gladden the soul of your servant *
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
For thou, O Lord, are good and forgiving *
and great is your love toward all who call upon you.
Give ear, Lord, to my prayer, *
and attend to the voice of my supplications.

The boldness that David has to make his requests to God so clearly, directly, and honestly feels out of place for me. For me to request that the God of the universe would bow down and listen to my pleas feels uncomfortable and undeserving. One would think that out of all times in our lives, the chaos and struggle of this last year in the pandemic would cause me to be crying out on my knees on a daily basis; why hasn’t that been my posture? If I’m honest, after the long suffering that doesn’t seem to let up and the continuing stress, I hold doubts that my prayers will do anything or even be heard. I so quickly default to handling things on my own, believing that calling out to God feels like a waste of time; I’ll just do it myself because at least I can see the results of my actions and trust in something tangible. And with my resources, privilege, and skills, I can handle a lot on my own, or at least believe that I can. It’s in the pausing and slowing down, when I stop trying to frantically keep all the plates spinning in my day-to-day, when the truth of my discomfort and pain appears front and center. In those moments, I can choose to try and brush over it all with more of my attempts at control, or I can humbly request that the Creator, the Provider, the Father of all of us, wants to hear what I need and has a never-ending source of love for me.  For me.