Fear and Belief

Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what he had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all! You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.” He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God. So from that day on they planned to put him to death. Jesus therefore no longer walked about openly among the Jews, but went from there to a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness; and he remained there with the disciples. John 11:45-54

Fear and Belief

Dear God who knows are terrors

the dreads we do not even voice

our bodies fail us as we grow old

our worries daily overwhelm us.

You are God of the old and the young

the caregivers and the medical team

those who fight to save our freedom

help us to see you in our midst today.

We have grown afraid of neighbors

we stop expecting any miracles

yet you are the one who raised the dead

and you are coming among us always.

Help us to be more deeply disciples

give us the strength to follow you

make us pray without ever ceasing

so the world can ring with love's joy. Amen