Daily Reading: 27 February
(from www.christianaid.org.uk)
Plucky pioneer
Something to read
It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings… Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death.
- Hebrew 2:10, 14-15.
Something to think about
As an intern for Christian Aid, I had the joy of visiting partners in Colombia doing extraordinary human rights work alongside local communities. Most of the region of Chocó is made up of dense rainforest, and has very little road access. Walking together to a new community one morning, I was transfixed as one of our hosts literally carved out the path ahead of us with a machete – a skill he’d had since early childhood.
I often use this image in funeral ministry, as families grieving the loss of their loved ones also wrestle with the big once hypothetical questions of life and death which now stare them in the face.
Death is the ultimate unknown, and the writer to the Hebrews names fear of death as a power which holds humanity captive. Yet Jesus, speaking of his own journey through death, promised his friends that he was simply going ahead of them and would be back to fetch them when all was ready (John 14:3). Jesus is the true pioneer, the one who has cleared a path through the thick jungle of death and now offers a hand to each of us – when our time comes – to help us safely navigate the trail.
Something to do
Explore the pioneering work of Christian Aid’s partners in Colombia, thanking God for all who make a way for peace and justice.
Something to pray
Jesus the conqueror, thank you that because of your trailblazing, we have nothing to fear. Help me to live each day with the courage that comes from following you, who have overcome the power of death. Amen.
Today’s contributor is Rev Claire Jones