Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

“We interrupt this broadcast with breaking news…”

As I write this I am staring at my backyard. I’ve been doing a lot of staring at and digging in my garden these days, watching the daffodils and snow drops and tulips interrupt and waken the dormant earth as their stems and buds emerge and bloom. This gift to spend extended time in my little corner of creation has been therapeutic and a blessing amidst the chaos of Corona. In this solitude and pain of a Lent, that is far heavier than I have the fortitude to shoulder and embrace; I begin to see the glimmer and promise of new life, the joy of the Resurrection on the horizon. It’s real. I can sense and feel it in our earth in so many ways.

“We interrupt this broadcast with breaking news…”

These weeks of interruption and isolation from daily normal routines have been challenging. Our working hours and meetings, teaching schedules, opportunities to drop in with colleagues for a quick chat, the simple gestures of shaking hands, giving hugs, or spending treasured time with those we love, have been disrupted. We have made adjustments, but not without some sacrifice, sadness, fear or loneliness. Our daily lives have been deeply, profoundly and irrevocably INTERRUPTED.

“We interrupt this broadcast with breaking news…”

In today’s Gospel [John 8:51-59] we read of Jesus interrupting the lives and beliefs of the people of his time when he says, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” Did they hear him correctly? Did he REALLY just say he was greater than Abraham and the prophets? We find Jesus inviting those gathered to think about the true meaning of a connection with Abraham, and a deeper significance of a relationship with God. This is not the first time we read of Jesus interrupting daily, “normal” life. Yet this particular reading strikes me as a bit more jarring. Jesus interrupts the manner in which everyone securely and confidently goes about the business of the day. He interrupts the daily debates with a reminder that HE IS…his statement of “I AM” to God’s self-definition to Moses’ on Mount Horeb [Ex 3:14.] is the bombshell of the Gospel. Jesus declaring himself to be God…I AM. This is THE affirmation that God has been, God is now, and God will always be with us. I AM. Jesus essentially shares with us: I AM, an interruption of life as we know it to be.

“We interrupt this broadcast with breaking news…”

In these uncertain days is there holiness and grace to be found in the way this virus has interrupted my life and the lives of everyone in this world? I am not so certain. I feel overwhelmed because I am unable to control what is happening. I cannot protect or be with those I love the most. My cherished daily walks along the beach have now been literally outlawed. My neighbors and I stand at safe distance from one another as we exchange pleasantries. I can’t laugh and learn with my students in my office space or classroom. I can only be with my daughters and son-in-law through texts or Zoom. The encounters and relationships that I consider to be sacred have been interrupted. Yet when I stare at my garden or clear the soil beds, and observe the hues of spring interrupting the fading grey and brown tones of winter I am reminded that I am in the presence of the Divine. The I AM who I AM, a holy interruption in the swirling turmoil and disruption of life on earth at this moment in time. This sacred interruption is a pause, a recognition of the I AM present in the love, charity and mercy in the faces and sacrifices of the first responders, medical personnel, essential workers and volunteers who are assisting, supporting and serving all of us. Their sacrifices are a holy interruption in our lives, the recognition of the I AM who resides in and loves all of creation.

“We interrupt this broadcast with breaking news…”

Instead of allowing my life at the moment to be interrupted by the hourly news updates of politicians pontificating, bickering and pointing fingers at one another, perhaps I might interrupt my day each hour by offering prayers of thanksgiving for all who are putting their lives at risk for the rest of us. Our healthcare workers, EMTs, firefighters and police who interrupt the fear and panic of the sick and infirmed with soothing words and calm reassurance. The volunteers who interrupt someone’s lonely day by bringing food or medicines. The military who interrupt the closed parks and public spaces by building important hospitals and distributing necessary supplies to our communities. The sanitation workers who interrupt the eerie silence of our streets to collect our trash. The grocery clerks who interrupt the empty shelves by restocking toilet paper, produce and other essentials. The manufacturers and shopkeepers who interrupt daily assembly and revenue by producing the necessary medical and personal protective equipment our world desperately needs. The scientists interrupting their regular research as they race to find a cure. The Zoom calls, emails or texts with colleagues, friends and family that interrupt the quiet of our lives, reminding us that we are not alone in our solitude, that God is indeed present. And the humble, beautiful flowers and plants that interrupt the thawing spring earth. In this abnormal isolation we are gently reminded that we can still and always embrace the I AM who sacredly interrupts our lives in every manner of being.

“We interrupt this broadcast with breaking news…”

I AM

Alexandria Egler, PhD
Executive Director of Mission, Ministry & Interfaith Dialogue