Thirteenth Day

Jeremiah 36.1-2, 4-6

36

In the fourth year of Jehoiakim ben-Josiah of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from YHWH: 2 "Take a scroll and write on it all the words I spoke to you about Jerusalem, Judah, and all the nations from the day I first spoke to you during the reign of Josiah down to today.

4 So Jeremiah called Baruch ben-Neriah, and while Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote down on a scroll all the words YHWH spoke to him. 5 Then Jeremiah instructed Baruch: "Since I am prohibited from entering the Temple of YHWH, 6 I want you to go there on a fast day and read aloud to the people all the words of YHWH from the scroll you wrote as I dictated. Read them also to all the people of Judah who come in from the towns.

“The Fault Line”

by Kyle Turver (b. 1984)

from A Creative Anthology From Pandemic Times (Coastland Commons, 2022)

A while back, I read an article that said that the Cascadia fault line is eerily quiet. It noted that even seismologists’ most sensitive instruments could not detect the regular slipping and grinding that is usually present. It said things have solidified, and some are interpreting that to mean complete healing from the previous great earthquake three centuries ago. Healing sounds like a positive, but maybe not. It turns out that usual grinding and movement help vent some of the build-up of energy that causes our ground to shake. The consequence of complete healing is that we are beginning the pressure build to the next big quake - scary stuff.

Later in the day, this quote caught my eye when I flicked past it on my newsfeed: “Our nation is cracking wide open on the fault line of race. In order to repair what is broken, we need each other. We need to heal, to connect, and to be the change.” Rev. Jacqueline J. Lewis helped me notice that fault lines are not just moving rocks beneath our feet; they are also present in moving minds, hearts, and soul.

Some of us wonder why all this race stuff keeps coming back up. Hadn’t we grown? Hadn’t we healed? Hadn’t we moved on? Well, maybe we’ve missed what the seismologists have not. Quiet and healing are not good when it comes to fault lines.

There is a race fault line in this country, and we can be fooled by the quiet. We can begin to think it is gone. We can start to believe we won’t be bothered or shaken by its shifting. But as with fault lines, quiet means build up.

______________

Building up of voiceless people,

Building up of poverty and homelessness,

Building up of injustice after injustice,

Building up of families losing young ones to violence and prisons.

It builds and builds.

For Many people, the building is silent. For others whose home is in the fault line, it is as loud as a raging river. And then, it breaks. We know what that breaking feels like: Rodney King, Treyvon Martin, Michael Brown, George Floyd.

Here is a thought I’m sitting with: Maybe humans are made to heal, but fault lines aren’t. Maybe we’ve created a fault line that can’t be repaired, that should not be mended, that must remain moving and grinding. Perhaps we are meant to hear the grinding of the poor, the oppressed, the widow, the sick, the thief, the prisoner, the pastor, the poet, the musician, the businessperson, and so on. Maybe when we stop listening, stop striving to build a world where everyone is included, we should not be surprised when the big one happens.

We humans are made for healing; we are wired to offer and receive forgiveness. We heal, and we heal best when we are together. Dr. King taught: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.

Maybe the unhealed, grinding fault line that runs through me and your can aid human healing and teach us to listen to those who are different, to be generous in offering and receiving forgiveness. Maybe this is the way forward to wholeness and true equality.

Today’s Art Practice

What You’ll Need

From Your Home:

• A space to explore.

*This is the first step of a large project. We will come back to it from time to time over the course of Lent.

Directions: Spend at least 20 minutes wandering in a new or familiar place (in my mind, this space is outside, but it can work inside, too). Notice the things you typically look past; what do you see? 

As you wander, find something that you can take with you. This should be something small enough to fit in your hand, but sturdy and able to be submerged in water (e.g. a stone).

We will be using this as a prayer talisman in future practices.

If you like, this playlist can help you keep track of time. Once it stops playing, 20 minutes will be over.

Let’s Pray…

Fault Line Prayer

by Dustin Wilsor

Divine Creator,

We come to you in awe of our power and the wonders of the earth. You have shaped the land with fault lines, reminding us of the constant movement and change in the world around us.

We pray for the wisdom and strength to navigate these fault lines within us, to find healing and reconciliation in the midst of our inner struggles. Grant us the courage to acknowledge our faults, and the grace to grow beyond them.

In our relationships, grant us the empathy to understand the perspectives of others, the patience to bridge our differences, and the resolve to build stranger, more resilient bonds.

May we learn to embrace the beauty of our imperfections, and to see the potential for growth and renewal that lies within. Guide us to find harmony and balance in the midst of life's upheavals.

In your name we pray,

Amen.