{"id":21718,"date":"2024-02-14T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-14T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/urc\/urc-daily-devotion-wednesday-14-february-2024"},"modified":"2024-02-14T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T06:00:00","slug":"urc-daily-devotion-wednesday-14-february-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/urc-daily-devotion-wednesday-14-february-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"URC Daily Devotion Wednesday, 14 February 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

St Mark 7: 31 – 37<\/strong>
Then Jesus returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.  They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him.  He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, \u2018Ephphatha\u2019, that is, \u2018Be opened.\u2019  And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.  Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.  They were astounded beyond measure, saying, \u2018He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.\u2019<\/p>\n

Reflection<\/strong>
Once upon a time I made a comic book with a guy called Steve. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe need a back-up strip, to go along with the main story,\u201d Steve told me. \u201cOk,\u201d I said. <\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s ask Dean,\u201d he suggested. \u201cOk,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

Dean is Australian. He draws weird pictures, usually pretty funny ones too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll do one of the stories about Jesus,\u201d Dean said. \u201cOk,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

When the art came through it was classic Dean, colourful, chaotic, and funny. It was the story of Jesus healing the deaf man who couldn\u2019t speak, Dean had taken great delight in illustrating the spitting. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is great,\u201d said Steve. \u201cIt\u2019s very different to what we\u2019re doing, a nice contrast.\u201d \u201cOk,\u201d I  said.<\/p>\n

A few years later I got in touch with Dean again, to ask him about another project I was working on. <\/p>\n

\u201cAh mate,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not really doing Christian stuff anymore, I\u2019ve kind of left that behind now.\u201d He explained that he had been hurt by unkindness and lack of acceptance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess the Church has done a number on me,\u201d Dean sighed,  \u201cah mate, that\u2019s really not ok,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus, though, eh?\u201d Dean said. \u201cI know,\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n

We talked about the drawing he\u2019d done for Steve and me.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was like, ritual magic\u2026 in that story, you know? With the spitting, and the magic word? A weird story really.\u201d  <\/p>\n

\u201cVery weird,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know what I think is really funny? How it starts off with the guy not being able to talk, and Jesus can fix that problem, but then, you know, the people won\u2019t shut up, and Jesus can\u2019t fix that one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMmmmm,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe that\u2019s the thing with a lot of us, we just don\u2019t know when to shut up,\u201d Dean said.<\/p>\n

Prayer<\/strong>
God of spit and blood,
God of the stranger and of the strange,
Lead us to know when, and how, to keep our big mouths shut.
Amen. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

St Mark 7: 31 – 37Then Jesus returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.  They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him.  He … <\/p>\n

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