Disciple (\di-ˈsī-pəl\)
Broken and wounded
Bathed in lavish grace
Stumbling down the road
Following after the One
Who is broken and wounded
Lavishly bestowing grace
For our sake.
© 2012. Annabelle Peake Markey. All rights reserved.
Tag Archive: Brokenness
Amazed
That you make what is broken, whole again
That you bring healing to the deeply wounded
That you forgive sinners and call them to your service
Thankful
That you never stop seeking out your children
That your love embraces the world’s “unlovable”
That you will never leave us, no matter what
Excited
Because you walk with us our whole life long
Because you beckon us to do great things in you
Because you challenge us to live under your cross
Jumping for Joy
© 2011. Annabelle Peake Markey. All rights reserved.
Like this:
Ever since Sunday, I’ve been thinking about dear ole’ Doubting Thomas. Poor Thomas has gotten a bad rap for thousands of years for being a “doubter,” but I think he’s one of my favorite characters in Scripture because he doubts and he does so so honestly.
I have doubts. And I know others – deeply spiritual people – who, occasionally, have doubts. Does this mean that we are not truly believing in Christ? No, not necessarily. It just means that sometimes, we have questions and struggles. In other words, we’re blessedly human.
In thinking about the Gospel reading for Sunday (see below), I began pondering on Thomas’ request to touch Jesus’ wounds. I’ve also been thinking a lot about our own wounded-ness and the amazing fact that God works through and in spite of our wounds and brokenness to serve God’s will and bring about the kingdom in this world. That’s awesome!
But then I began thinking about whether or not we are really willing to reach out and touch the wounds of others – of those around us. Are we willing to come into contact with brokenness, hurt and pain to understand another’s story? Are we willing to sit with a homeless person and hear what they have experienced? Can we patiently journey with those who mourn or struggle with despair and be Christ to them? Dare we get close enough to extend our fingertips to believe and not doubt the injustice and suffering in this world – inequalities to which it is so easy to turn a blind eye?
God is calling us to reach out our hands and touch the wounds of the world – to not doubt or ignore the oppression, injustice and deplorable situations in our world. God is calling us to see the marks, the scars left on the souls of our brothers and sisters (only as they are willing to share them with us!) that we might walk with them and support them in the healing process.
Can we, like Thomas, encounter the wounds in ourselves and in others, and call out “My Lord and my God!” seeing the face of Christ in the world around us?
John 20:19-31
19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” 24But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
26A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” 30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
© 2011. Annabelle Peake. All rights reserved.
In the midst of despair,
you are there.
In the midst of suffering,
you are there.
In the midst of pain,
you are there.
In the midst of confusion,
you are there.
In the midst of grief,
you are there.
In the midst of frustration,
you are there.
In the midst of anger,
you are there.
In the midst of sinfulness,
you are there.
In the midst of doubt,
you are there.
In the midst of brokenness,
you are there.
In the midst of sorrow,
you are there.
In the midst of sickness,
you are there.
In the midst of hate,
you are there
In the midst of disbelief,
you are there.
In the midst of injustice,
you are there.
In the midst of weeping,
you are there.
In the midst of night,
you are there.
In the midst of death,
you are there.
In the midst of hope,
you are there.
In the midst of celebration,
you are there.
In the midst of pleasure,
you are there.
In the midst of clarity,
you are there.
In the midst of happiness,
you are there.
In the midst of satisfaction,
you are there.
In the midst of peace,
you are there.
In the midst of righteousness,
you are there.
In the midst of trust,
you are there.
In the midst of wholeness,
you are there.
In the midst of joy,
you are there.
In the midst of health,
you are there.
In the midst of love,
you are there.
In the midst of faith,
you are there.
In the midst of justice,
you are there.
In the midst of laughter,
you are there.
In the midst of day,
you are there.
In the midst of life,
you are there.
Wherever we are, you are there with us.
© 2010. Annabelle Peake. All rights reserved.
A ceramic cup falls to the floor,
shattering into dangerously sharp shards upon impact.
Each piece is jagged and rough around the edges.
Pieces which look like they should fit,
but they’re just broken enough
that the edges don’t quite line up anymore.
Who can put the cup together again,
restoring it to its colorful, inspired
and splendidly hand-crafted beauty?
Who can fit the pieces together,
leaving no gaps and making the surface smooth
and once again safe to the touch?
Who can mend the fractured ceramic
so that the cup can perform its purpose again?
How can such a splintered cup ever hold
water like it was meant to?
Surely it cannot repair or make itself
whole and beautiful again.
The only one who can mend the cup
is the potter who created it.
The one who envisioned it and turned it carefully,
hunched over his potter’s wheel.
The one who shaped it and lovingly added the details,
pouring his heart and soul into his work.
Once it has been restored by this gentle
artist’s hands, the cup can function again -
can stand side by side with the rest of the
potter’s creations, each unique and formed for a different task.
The jagged lines, the scars, may still be seen,
but they only indicate that the cup has a love story to tell.
Inspired by Isaiah 64:8:
“Yet, O LORD, you are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.”
© 2009. Annabelle Peake. All rights reserved.
Shattered Cup from http://www.flickr.com/photos/24119359@N00/120591791
