Today’s Scripture: Luke 9:37-45 (ESV) (KJV) (The Message) out loud if possible.
As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two.
My thoughts (Tyler Connoley):
One of the most vivid memories from my childhood in Zambia is of Mr. Munsaka’s funeral. The memory is not vivid because of the funeral, but because of how Alice reacted to it.
Alice was a foundational person in my childhood, someone I depended on to be strong and supportive. Alice had come to my mother when she was in eighth grade, and asked for work as a maid. My mother agreed to hire her only if she stayed in school, and my parents helped her finish high school. Alice lived with us for many years, and during that time became a good friend of the family. We kept in touch with her until her death from malaria in 2006.
On the day of Mr. Munsaka’s funeral, I saw Alice continually fainting and collapsing in a crumpled heap on the ground. People would pick her up, and wake her, but she would faint again and collapse. It was terrifying to see an adult who was so important to me in this state. I was used to seeing women wailing at funerals, but had never seen anyone as distressingly overcome with grief as Alice was that day.
Later, I learned that Alice always reacted this way when she saw dead bodies. The local villagers said she had a demon. The missionaries pointed to the fact that her father died when she was very young, and said it must be a psychological condition. Whatever the cause, it was an embarrassing and often frightening experience for Alice.
Later, Alice became a healthcare worker who ministered to people with AIDS. In her work, she was required to deal with many dead bodies. My mother once asked Alice how she managed this, considering her reaction to dead people, and Alice said, “When I work, I never faint.”
I believe God called Alice to do important work with rural AIDS patients, loving them in their final days. And, in order for her to do this work, God took away her demon/condition. It doesn’t matter whether the villagers or missionaries had the right explanation for what caused Alice’s fainting, what matters is that God took it away.
This is what I think about when I read today’s Scripture. It’s easy for we ‘modern’ people to get caught up in wondering whether this boy had epilepsy as we understand it, or a demon as the disciples said. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that God healed him, and that same God is at work in our world today.
Thought for the day: Like the Disciples who couldn’t understand Jesus’ words, and the people who were amazed at the greatness of God, we often miss out on what God wants to do, because we’re thinking about things in our own limited way.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.