The iCloud of Witnesses
Wednesday in Holy Week
Reflection By Jan Kwiatkowski
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.
- Hebrews 12:1
Several seasons ago, I referred to the people gathered in Facebook groups as the great iCloud of witnesses. Across cities, states, nations, and continents, we came together and experienced a taste of spiritual connection with people we’d never get to meet in any other way. We also have the opportunity in these circles to get a glimpse of the timeless connection we have with the great cloud of witnesses to whom St. Paul refers.
While it often seems, especially during the times in which we currently live, that connection can be tenuous, distant, and fractured, we have been reminded these last forty days that our connection is deep, strong, and it cannot be broken. Tomorrow, we transition from Lent into the three holy days that lead to Easter. Our time together will soon come to an official end and even though we won’t be together in this same way, we will continue to know the blessing and depth of the authentic connection we have shared on our journey through Lent.
Wherever this Lenten journey has taken us, or will take us, we have the assurance that we are not alone and we never will be alone. The iCloud of witnesses in this time and place is connected to the timeless great cloud of witnesses and nothing can sever that tie. The love of Jesus, who will die and who will rise, binds us always and forever.
Making It Personal: Do you have a sense of how your journey has been shaped by those with whom you have shared this Lent? How do you experience spiritual connection in your daily life? How might you sustain or nurture that moving forward? What’s it like to think of yourself as part of the great cloud of witnesses?
Follow along with us this Lent season with our daily devotional and engage in discussion in our closed facebook group moderated by Robbin Brent, Jan Kwiatowski, and Scott Stoner.
In this group, participants will have a chance to share their responses to the prompts in the daily readings, and also the chance to receive additional material for reflection.