But they had no sooner left her than the people, recognizing Jesus,
everywhere we go
people seem to know
who we are
without an advance team
or a Barnum barkerno one knew we were coming
without being ready
ears perked up eyes widened
a good word about now and soon
carries across waterthe never-ending teachings
skipped before us on the wind
preparing our landing in tomorrow
before we even completed today
now back to business
Here we go again. John has been beheaded. The Twelve report their adventures in healing and proclaiming. Too many people leaves no time and so a journey only to be met by 5,000. Continuing to get away, the Twelve are packed off and Jesus goes to pray. A storm. A storm strider. Go ashore, one more time.
Arrgh! How do we have time to reflect and also cool these sorts of receptions until Herod cools off?
It is in this tension of internal desires and external pressures that we live and move and present what passes for being.
Sometimes we overemphasize one desire or pressure. In so doing we set up a coming correction. Eliza Gilkyson has a truthful song, “The Great Correction”. This is not just some End-Time judgment but a recognition that today is a Correction Day. To reprise Jesus’ first insight as a result of his wilderness testing, “A right-timed Correction Day stands in our midst. The Presence of G*D is closer than breath. Keep on changing toward a larger Partnership by trusting good news will persist and prevail.”
At some point, whether it is where we first aimed or not, we need to leave intentions behind and wade ashore to implement our latest incomplete vision cast without enough time to reflect or energy to press past old tapes.
We just left a crowd that had its eye on Jesus’ location and beat him to his landing spot. Now, because of the storm, no one has seen how an announced trip to Bethsaida took a turn to Genneraset and still a crowd rises up, seemingly from nowhere. Again, unspoken this time, compassion for people not-doing-well wells up.
Our call is, simply, to let our compassion overflow its banks.