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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion January 2, 2008 COMFORT ZONE |
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Frontline Devotion for Wednesday, January 2, 2008 by Penny Risen
1 John 2: 8-10
“Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also
are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already
shining."
“If anyone claims, ‘I am living in the light,’ but hates a Christian brother or
sister, that person is still living in darkness. Anyone who loves another
brother or sister is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble.”
New Living Translation Bible
The woman sat hunched over, coughing, coughing, on a bench in the center of the gallery. A dozen or so people milled about the large room, gazing at the paintings; their backs were turned to her, ignoring her hacks and gasps. She drew her coat about her as she tried to muffle the coughs into a handkerchief. She had no relief, and no one to sit beside her and help her.
“Yes, thank you!” she whispered, looking up brightly as a person stepped toward her from the crowd. She accepted the offered sack of cough drops and small bottled water.
“Shall I call the gallery guard to help you?” the person asked, bending forward to touch the woman’s shoulder. Some folks nearby glanced over their shoulders at the pair, with looks of relief that the coughing finally had stopped. Someone had been willing to step out of her comfort zone to offer aid; someone that afternoon took the time to help a stranger.
A bold move in a public place? Or simply ironic: The gallery where the brief encounter took place held an exhibit of works by American artist Edward Hopper. The mid-20th Century artist is known for his depiction of stark scenes of isolation, figures alone in urban settings, and people seemingly suspended in ambiguous relationships. But Hopper’s paintings also have a quality of brightness, where brilliant light alone intrudes into still scenes, and illuminates empty streets and sides of buildings.
”Stumble out of your comfort zone: Love one another!” John says in this first letter from Ephesus to the early Christians. Share God’s light with those around you, John challenges.
As we live together, we can bring each other into fellowship and communion with God by reaching out and refusing to remain isolated.
Being resolutely solitary, not helping our brothers and sisters in need, is comparable to hate, John implies. Being a believer means being open and living in the light: It’s our duty and Jesus’ command.
Little is known of the taciturn Hopper’s spiritual life, but as an artist he surely depicts our humanity and our delicate balance between the darkness and the light. His paintings show how light, perhaps love for each other, can bring life into sharper and more hopeful perspective.
Prayer for the Day: Dear Lord, please take my hand and lead me into Your light. Help me to reach from my comfort zone and bring love to others who are in darkness. Amen.
Note: To view Washington’s National Gallery of Art exhibit of Edward Hopper’s work, go to http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/hopperinfo.htm
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