Mud, Spit, and Illumination - Lent 4A

 From Jan Richardson.....

                                                                Jan Richardson

For you, from me, here on the eve of the fourth Sunday in Lent. Because when grace meets us, it is so often not tidy and shiny.

BLESSING OF MUD

Lest we think

the blessing

is not

in the dirt.

Lest we think

the blessing

is not

in the earth

beneath our feet.

Lest we think

the blessing

is not

in the dust,

like the dust

that God scooped up

at the beginning

and formed

with God’s

two hands

and breathed into

with God’s own

breath.

Lest we think

the blessing

is not

in the spit.

Lest we think

the blessing

is not

in the mud.

Lest we think

the blessing

is not

in the mire,

the grime,

the muck.

Lest we think

God cannot reach

deep into the things

of earth,

cannot bring forth

the blessing

that shimmers

within the sludge,

cannot anoint us

with a tender

and grimy grace.

Lest we think

God will not use

the ground

to give us

life again,

to cleanse us

of our unseeing,

to open our eyes upon

this ordinary

and stunning world.

—Jan Richardson

from Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons

Image: “Mysteries of the Mud”

© janrichardsonimages.com

Inspired by John 9:1-41 See less