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Mark 5:22-24
Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw [Jesus], fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” So he went with him.

To ponder
We have to learn how to take people in again or the poverty and the political hatred and the decimation of peoples and the turning of our own lives into icy islands will never end … Real hospitality for our time requires that, instead of flipping the channel or turning the page, we try to determine what it is about our own lives that is affecting these others. - Joan Chittister, Wisdom Distilled From the Daily

Making room in our hearts
The devastations caused by COVID-19 have spared no individual, no community, no nation. Responses to the pandemic have included fear, anger, selfishness, and impatience, as well as generosity, kindness, and compassion. Some have acted rashly, taking risks that endanger the lives of others. Others have risked their own health to provide care for those who are sick and suffering.

When synagogue leader Jairus reached out to Jesus in desperation, Jesus responded by simply going with him. Jesus calls us to make room in our hearts to be present with others and to assist our neighbours across the street and around the globe, as God’s transforming love works through our hearts and hands and voices.

Prayer
Loving Jesus, bring healing and hope to our lives, to the church, and to the world. Take away our fears and prejudices as you open our hearts to the needs of others. Amen.

(from: “A Story to Tell: Devotions for Lent” Bekki Lohrmann, Harvard Stephens Jr., Lydia Posselt, David L. Miller; Augsburg Fortress, 2020)