Lent 2014
April 8, 2014 

Read Scripture: 2 Kings 4:18-37 

When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed. So he went in and closed the door on the two of them, and prayed to the Lord. Then he got up on the bed and lay upon the child, putting his mouth upon his mouth, his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands; and while he lay bent over him, the flesh of the child became warm. He got down, walked once to and fro in the room, then got up again and bent over him; the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.   — 2 Kings 4:32-35 

Our scriptures this week have been filled with various accounts of people deemed dead but raised to life by various holy men in the Bible including Jesus. Our story today is sometimes described as the first report of the use of artificial resuscitation. Reviewing these stories during Lent helps us remember that such events occurred and gives us a source of comparison to see that the resurrection of Jesus was markedly different from these stories. 

Resuscitation is within our powers. I have worked at two different jobs where I was required to learn the basics of mouth to mouth resuscitation and the various other life-saving steps that any individual might do to help in a crisis situation. 

Resuscitation, to revive from apparent death or from unconsciousness, may be exactly what some areas of our education system needs right now. Resuscitation assumes that there was once life and consciousness to which the entity in need of reviving could return. Oklahoma City schools fit that description. I have attended several funerals recently of people who were over 90 years old when they died. Part of the remembrances for each of them was that they had enjoyed their years in one or the other of the schools in Oklahoma City. These people had grown and developed into community leaders and business people, dance teachers and full time mothers who were great community volunteers. It was sad for some of these dear ones to hear that the schools they attended are failing. We can rectify that. 

Prayer: God of the Past, Present and Future enable us to return our education system to the success it was in the past. Amen.

The identities of students, families, or staff in stories that are shared in the devotions have been altered to protect their privacy. Any similarities between these stories and the experience of others are coincidental. No stories about students, families of students, or staff from Putnam Heights Elementary School are included in any of these devotions.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.