The day Jesus saved his mother from death

One can imagine that as Jesus grew up he heard the story about how his father treated his mother. He heard the story of an underclass, underprivileged woman caught up in a potential scandal of the sexual sort. She is scared and potentially cast out of society. Rather than being thrown out of society and killed, she is saved and redeemed all because of the actions of one man. 

Jesus is told, perhaps every year, about the time that Joseph did not cast out his "scandalous" mother. And one can imagine that story affected Jesus and shaped him for years to come. 

One has to wonder if the story of Joseph treating Mary affected Jesus when he was confronted with the woman caught in adultery. 

The crowd brings forth an underclass, underprivileged woman caught up in a potential scandal of the sexual sort. She is scared and potentially cast out of society. All eyes are on Jesus and one can only imagine that Jesus was thinking, "I have heard this story before."

And one can imagine that as soon as Jesus looks at this woman his lips involuntarily said, "Mom?" 

One can imagine that the way Joseph treated Mary affected the way Jesus treated the woman caught in adultery. Which is why, in some sense, this was the day that Jesus saved his mother. 

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Spiritual practices = Swimming practice

Most of the people I talk with who are in a crisis of faith are CEOs. Not Chief Financial Officers, but people who attend church at Christmas, Easter and One other time. This is not to say that the Sunday faithful are never in my office with a crisis. The troubles of life fall on all people. However, when the rains fall on someone and disrupt the sea of life, CEOs seem struggle more in the turbulent waters. 

Let me be clear, I am not saying that God blesses those who go to worship/church on a regular basis. God does not favor those who are sitting on a pew to those sitting on their couch. Rather, what I want to suggest is that when we engage in the spiritual practices (of which worship is one of) then we are practicing swimming. 

Swimmers practice all sorts of strokes in all sorts of situations in order to stretch themselves for when the time of stress (competition) comes. They are still nervous and anxious, but they have practiced being in situations that help prepare them for what is to come. 

Spiritual practices are like swimming practice. The more we practice the the great chance we have to navigate the sea of life as the waves grow taller and the winds blow stronger. This is not to say that spiritual practices will save you from drowning. Spiritual practices only help us to not fear the storm.