March 4 - From Despair to Hope

At the Chicago Botanic Garden, a bridge connects the mainland to the islands of the Japanese Garden.

By Magdalena I. García

March 7 will be the Third Sunday in Lent as well as “Celebrate the Gifts of Women Sunday,” and my congregation usually opts for the latter emphasis. As the denominational resources emphasize, this special day “honors women who contribute their gifts to the church and community, and lifts up issues of women’s rights.” And it ties in with International Women's Day (March 8), which is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.

This year, we have decided to celebrate the day by involving as many women as possible in the Sunday service. They will greet, read, sing, pray, collect the offering, serve communion, and even share a brief Biblical reflection (we won’t call it a homily or sermon so they don’t get scared!). I’m preparing the order of worship editing and translating the suggested liturgy as needed, and I will sort of serve as floor manager and station announcer for the day. Regardless, I must be ready to fill in, and even preach, if something goes wrong at the last minute, so I have read the Scripture for the day, especially the Gospel passage, and I’ve done some reflection. Enough for three minutes in each language—English and Spanish—just in case I have to be the replacement batter. (Can you believe that some people will actually think I have a day off?!)

It’s a familiar story from John 11:17-27, involving Jesus’ closest friends: Lazarus, Martha and Mary, the Bethany siblings. The story tells us that when Jesus finally rolls into town, Lazarus has been in the tomb four days. Yikes! That would not place Jesus very high on the list of candidates for pastor, chaplain, or pastoral care director. Martha runs out to meet Jesus and spits out, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Ouch! What a burn! Or is it? You know, this is sort of like getting an email. One has to decide what tone, emotions, and gestures should be attached to the words. Martha goes on, and her next sentence helps us to adequately cast the previous one, “But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.”

As I read the passage, the two phrases that jumped out at me were “if you had been here” and “even now.” Seems simple, right? But there is a deep and wide gulf that separates the two. On one shore we have despair; on the other, hope. How does one make the journey from troubled waters to calm sea? It takes a special bridge, and a determination to walk across it. Martha finds it. How about you and me? Can we take the leap from despair to hope?