Interruptors

"But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus* could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter." - Mark 1:45


Dear Friends in Christ -

Some years ago, a friend of mine gave me a handful of little things; each one was about the size of a stack of 8-12 quarters. These little things were made of pieces of colorful clay twisted and folded together into fun, imaginative shapes. He called them "interruptors," and he said that they were to be hidden around the house in places where family members would run into them unexpectedly, so they would be playfully interrupted on their way to grab the Chex box at breakfast or the car keys on the way out the door with a reminder that someone was thinking of them. Then the person interrupted would, hopefully, place the interruptor in someone else's path. I would hide one in Ed's shoe. He would find it and, days later, I would find the same interruptor in the cup-holder in my car. To this day, the interruptors turn up around the house occasionally in unusual places.

Today it's Mother Nature - the Great Interruptor - that reminds me of the NECESSITY of being shaken out of our regular routines. We need to have something, someone break in and remind us that we're more than just cogs in a machine. It's not only OK, it's important to step outside of the regular pattern, to shake things up a bit in order to get in touch with what's really real.

Today's Gospel lesson reads like the author is following one of those little toy cars that turns around when it bumps into something. Jesus interrupts a woman's illness so that she can provide hospitality to the guests her son brings home for dinner. Jesus interrupts the demons' regular pattern by not allowing them to speak. Jesus himself is interrupted by his disciples when he's praying . . . and maybe it's that interruption that makes him decide to interrupt their planned schedule and visit Galilee, a place not formerly on their itinerary. When Jesus gets to Galilee, he heals a man with leprosy, interrupting what otherwise would have been a permanent separation from his family. Then the healed man returns the favor: he interrupts Jesus' plans to fly under the radar by telling everyone about what has happened to him.

Interruptions are often uncomfortable. But if we receive them as Spirit-gifts, interruptions can be healing. On this day of winter wonderland interruption, may you enjoy the grace of being stopped in your tracks, redirected and renewed.

Joyfully at home instead of at church (the place I usually enjoy being at 7:00 a.m. on a Wednesday morning),
Janet+