Strange New World
My chaplaincy assignments were given just yesterday-- I will be working with pediatrics, pediatric ICU, a floor of general surgery, and oncology (cancer patients, including pediatric oncology). I am very nervous. I thought to volunteer for the pediatric floors because I like kids so much, but as we walked through the floors yesterday, I realized-- 'oh dear, these will be hurt, scared and dying kids.'
My first on-call day is next Friday, and I will stay at the hospital all night to field the calls of any who need a chaplain. Our hospital being so large, with a cancer hospital and a level one trauma center, complete with a choplift, I expect to be quite busy. Whew.
Despite my anxiety, I did find a few words of comfort. The two-year daily lectionary today includes Jeremiah 31-- the new covenant written on the heart. This text comes in the context of a tirade against Israel's unfaithfulness. Jeremiah has worked himself into a lather proclaiming that the wrath Israel has experienced comes as a natural consequence of her failure to obey Torah. (The Torah here is not so much a set of rules, as it is a gracious gift to show Israel how to live best in the world. God's wrath is not really retribution as much as it is letting people have exactly what they want, experiencing the consequences of sin)
And they do experience the consequences-- in their own bodies (political & physical): Assyria & Babylon crushed their governments, and carried many into exile. Most lost their land and freedom. Many lost their hope and their faith. Israel lived in a state of exile.
However, Jeremiah tells Israel (and us) that despite their suspicions, God has not abandoned them. He has espoused them. And he promises to make his gift of the Torah internal for them, to ingrain it into their very beings.
As Christians, we confess that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the law. In the very flesh of the Jew from Nazareth, we see what one who is obedient to the Torah in every way looks like. Moreover, through his faithfulness to the Torah, which is the will of the Father, he offered up his life as a sacrifice for us. Through his life we receive adoption from God our Father. Through the Holy Spirit, we become more and more conformed to his cruciform life.
In the midst of all our anxieties and doubts, let us all pray this Pentecost: "Amen, Come Holy Spirit!"
These are keen words of hope for those like myself who fear failure. What if I say the wrong thing, or nothing at all when I come into the room of a dying child? What if I hoard my time selfishly and don't visit those that I ought to? Our Lord has espoused us and nourishes us with the body & blood of his Son. We have hope and sustenance in the life of the Church. We have courage to carry this work to a hurting world.
My chaplaincy assignments were given just yesterday-- I will be working with pediatrics, pediatric ICU, a floor of general surgery, and oncology (cancer patients, including pediatric oncology). I am very nervous. I thought to volunteer for the pediatric floors because I like kids so much, but as we walked through the floors yesterday, I realized-- 'oh dear, these will be hurt, scared and dying kids.'
My first on-call day is next Friday, and I will stay at the hospital all night to field the calls of any who need a chaplain. Our hospital being so large, with a cancer hospital and a level one trauma center, complete with a choplift, I expect to be quite busy. Whew.
Despite my anxiety, I did find a few words of comfort. The two-year daily lectionary today includes Jeremiah 31-- the new covenant written on the heart. This text comes in the context of a tirade against Israel's unfaithfulness. Jeremiah has worked himself into a lather proclaiming that the wrath Israel has experienced comes as a natural consequence of her failure to obey Torah. (The Torah here is not so much a set of rules, as it is a gracious gift to show Israel how to live best in the world. God's wrath is not really retribution as much as it is letting people have exactly what they want, experiencing the consequences of sin)
And they do experience the consequences-- in their own bodies (political & physical): Assyria & Babylon crushed their governments, and carried many into exile. Most lost their land and freedom. Many lost their hope and their faith. Israel lived in a state of exile.
However, Jeremiah tells Israel (and us) that despite their suspicions, God has not abandoned them. He has espoused them. And he promises to make his gift of the Torah internal for them, to ingrain it into their very beings.
As Christians, we confess that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the law. In the very flesh of the Jew from Nazareth, we see what one who is obedient to the Torah in every way looks like. Moreover, through his faithfulness to the Torah, which is the will of the Father, he offered up his life as a sacrifice for us. Through his life we receive adoption from God our Father. Through the Holy Spirit, we become more and more conformed to his cruciform life.
In the midst of all our anxieties and doubts, let us all pray this Pentecost: "Amen, Come Holy Spirit!"
These are keen words of hope for those like myself who fear failure. What if I say the wrong thing, or nothing at all when I come into the room of a dying child? What if I hoard my time selfishly and don't visit those that I ought to? Our Lord has espoused us and nourishes us with the body & blood of his Son. We have hope and sustenance in the life of the Church. We have courage to carry this work to a hurting world.
posted by Vicar Lisa at 6/02/2006 07:14:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home