One Stitch at a Time
Matthew 9:10-17
And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “The wedding attendants cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are ruined, but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”
There was a tradition in my family that when you graduated high school, you received a handmade quilt from our grandmother, Nanny. She was an incredible quilter, taking mountains of fabric and creating masterpieces that were practical, visually stunning, and stitched with love and care. As I was the youngest grandchild by more than a decade, I didn’t have to wait for high school graduation to receive a quilt. When I was a toddler, she made a special quilt just for me. According to family lore, I loved the quilt so much that I wouldn’t let go of it. I even chewed on a corner so much that I created a hole.
Nanny took the precious quilt home, found some of the same fabric, and carefully repaired the hole I made with a small fabric heart. She embroidered my name and birthdate on the patch, marking the quilt as beloved. It was years before I realized how careful Nanny had to be in repairing the hole. The patch could have easily pulled away, frayed, or pulled the fabric and ruined the quilt. Her careful crafting made the repair stronger, with an emblem of love now emblazoned in the corner.
This season of Lent compels us to see our place in the world. Even as the world around us seems torn, with holes burned by hatred and indifference, and whole pieces of fabric ripped away for seemingly no reason. Just as love was put into the repair of my quilt, God’s love, justice, and grace must help to repair us. This season reminds us that we are mortal and human. We are pieces of delicate fabric, made stronger when we are knit together. Our skills alone cannot repair all that is torn in the world.
One stitch at a time, Nanny mended the quilt. One stitch at a time, we can heal our hearts and begin to heal the world. Thankfully we don’t have to be heroic, we simply begin. It may be a kind word to a neighbor, donating a can of food to a food pantry, checking on a coworker, or writing a note to your loved ones simply to say “I love you.”
Any small action is a stitch to draw us together, pulling our community closer, one person at a time. It is love that will heal, and love that will repair our hearts and our world.
It is the love of God, a love that is brave enough to eat dinner with tax collectors and sinners. It is the love of God that is strong enough to speak truth to power, and it is the love of God that gives us the strength to face a new day.
prayer
Support us, O Lord, with your gracious favor through the fast we have begun; that as we observe it by bodily self-denial, so we may fulfill it with inner sincerity of heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Daily Lenten meditations each have a companion morning prayer video offered by the same clergy. View the YouTube playlist to find this meditation’s companion video, or to watch others.