Piloting Faith: One deep truth
A Word for the Day...
I know we just celebrated Easter. We told the story of the empty tomb. We reminded ourselves that God brings resurrection from the crucifying experiences of life. It's a story we've known and told over and over for so many years. But this year feels different...
My problem: I still feel stuck on Saturday, that space between the trauma of crucifixion and awe of Easter. I can't shake the sense that we aren't quite through the transformation, and what lies on the other side isn't at all clear.
This pandemic raises some big questions: Will the jobs that we have lost be replaced or will millions of people need to retool themselves for a new economy? Will our 3 branches of government hold together through this or will we lose our system of checks and balances? Will we embrace a more sustainable life on the other side of this, or will we learn nothing, returning to an unsustainable life on a struggling planet?
We all have a lot of questions about the future emerging before us. That generates fear for most of us. Some of us are paralyzed by that fear; others are energized. It's those who are energized who will lead us forward.
This week I happened upon this poem by Khalil Gibran:
FEAR
It is said that before entering the sea
a river trembles with fear.
She looks back at the path she has traveled,
from the peaks of the mountains,
the long winding road crossing forests and villages.
And in front of her,
she sees an ocean so vast,
that to enter
there seems nothing more than to disappear forever.
But there is no other way.
The river can not go back.
Nobody can go back.
To go back is impossible in existence.
The river needs to take the risk
of entering the ocean
because only then will fear disappear,
because that’s where the river will know
it’s not about disappearing into the ocean,
but of becoming the ocean.
We now stand at an evolutionary tipping point. We must remember that we are not disappearing; we are becoming. Our reality is not worse because of this crisis; our reality is being revealed. It's showing us what has been true and broken all along. Now we have the chance to ponder together, "what kind of world do we wish to see on the other side of resurrection?" I hope our newly resurrected world holds one deep truth at its core: We are all in this together.
I'm grateful to be on this journey with you.
Rev. Cameron Trimble
Author of 60 Days of Faith: A Devotional
Prayer for the Week
For those sick and those who have died,
May we surround them with love and care.
God in your mercy, hear our prayers.
For those on the front lines risking their own safety in the service of others,
Protect them from harm.
God in your mercy, hear our prayers.
For those who love those on the front lines, who live in constant quarantine so that the family might be safe and still serve, may they know the gratitude of the hundreds they serve and save,
God in your mercy, hear our prayers.
For those who have no jobs and those who will yet still lose their jobs,
May we band together to offer support and resources.
God in your mercy, hear our prayers.
For those who already struggle to access healthcare, clean water and safe living conditions,
May we not forget them in crisis of the moment.
God in your mercy, hear our prayers.
For a world that is changing and emerging, let us be brave enough to create from this time a sustainable world that works for the common good for all.
Amen.
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