Crossed Over From Death to Life

AM Psalm [70], 71 • PM Psalm 74
Jer. 4:9-10,19-28 • Rom. 2:12-24 • John 5:19-29

I am pretty good at talking myself into taking risks. I try to keep the stakes pretty low most of the time and not scare myself too much, but I am definitely a go-for-it type of person. One of the ways I hype myself up when I want to do something bold and potentially super fun is to remind myself that we only live once, as far as I know.

I am drawn to taking risks in my creative work the most – it makes me feel excited and (you know where this is going) ALIVE. All the way alive. When I am writing a story, I take inspiration from the world that I know and then I take it further. I make it funnier and better if I can, or I allow a character to walk into some tricky situation and figure out what to do. I always leave the page different, changed in some way.

In today’s reading from John, Jesus is explaining why He has performed a healing on the Sabbath: after all, His Father in Heaven is always working, and in this case, the Father is working through Jesus, His son. The work He is doing brings physical healing, but He’s also talking about resurrection.

24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.

I believe that my instinct to tell stories is a gift from G_d, and one of the many ways my faith and belief in loving G_d’s people is renewed. I feel more alive in that loving. I didn’t do anything to earn it, and there are no strings attached. It’s a useful gift, too. In a world that does not, a lot of the time, make much sense, I can create a new little piece of the world on a page and make that make sense. Accepting the call to use my imagination and create renews me in a profound way, thanks be to G_d.

I started to write this reflection thinking I’d have some interesting and hopefully encouraging take on resurrection and healing, but I see now that what I have is a question for you all: what has G_d given you to do that makes you feel all the way alive, healed, and renewed again? I’d love to hear from you, friends! We need each other.

Written by Jane V. Blunschi

Jane is a writer and teacher living in Fayetteville, Arkansas.