It was a hot and rainy night in New York City.
The busses were running late.
Harried, wet, and irritated riders were getting on, trudging through their evening commutes. People jostled for seats and elbowed for the best places to stand. Courtesy had given way to rudeness.
Everybody noticed the air conditioning was broken.
Nobody wanted to be there.
Writer Elizabeth Gilbert was among them and tells of something magical that happened next.
The bus driver made an announcement:
“I know you all are hot and bothered that can’t get where you want to go on time. Y’all have a million things to worry about and this ride isn’t helping. But I want you to know we will get there - and when we get to your stop I am going to hold out my hand and as you leave - I want you to take your worries and put them in my hand. My route ends by the river and when I drive by I promise I’ll dump all those worries in the river.”
Gilbert says some people laughed, some people ignored him, but when they exited, most people approached the bus driver, with his outstretched hand - and acted as if they were handing over their troubles. Some were playful and more than a few were seriously moved - even to tears - as that caring bus driver made a really lousy commute, unforgettable.
On Sunday you and I will hear a well-known Bible story about two women whose suffering was much worse - and whose odds of getting better were much longer. But in both cases Jesus turned the tables - and brought relief and healing to the anxious and hurting.
You and I come to Jesus with our own suffering - enduring our own kinds of pain - troubled by world events, community injustices, personal failings and stuck in places we don’t want to be.
And like the bus driver, Jesus is not out to ignore us but to surprise us - stretching out his hand to bring us relief:
Jesus can turn around hopeless situations.
Jesus can turn around hopeless situations.
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