In my September 23, 2016 post entitled, "Rest Home," I wrote about the possibility that Jesus was closer to the end of his biological time than he is usually portrayed. His life of the itinerant healer and preacher was certainly not easy, and lifespans were shorter then. This image of an older, weary Jesus has me thinking about that last Passover night when he spoke of the body being broken and blood being poured out. Today I hear both a reminder and a warning that we are all called to live a sacramental life. That yes, we will all asked, in some way, to give that much. Soldiers, hospital workers, and birth-giving women know of the blood. Good parents can tell of their lives being poured out for the children. Teachers creating lesson plans can experience this sense of the heart, soul, and body going into their work. Caregivers who spend long hours tending to those who are ill can speak of this. Any work can be both given, and maybe even more importantly, received in a sense of sacrament. It goes even deeper. If we stand at the ocean's edge, perhaps we can tune our ears to hear this message as the waves come to shore. The soil we till, the plants and animals we eat, the water we drink all carry messages of sacrifice and offerings. This knowing is still with our indigenous populations, but we first worlders need to be reminded. A wise writer wrote that there is only the sacred and the desecrated. This is the message of the cross and this is the message of Standing Rock. Jesus is still asking us to remember. Let us listen and pay heed.
The sculpture, entitled, "Tree of Life," was created in 2003 by Gordon Huether. Water-cut steel and dichroic glass. It resides at the Sunnyvale community center at Heritage Park.
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