10-10-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 10, 2024
As I write this Etching, it is Wednesday night, and I am sitting outside watching the sunset. It is quiet and peaceful. And as I sit here, I am completely aware of the experience of those on the west coast of Florida—everything that is not quiet and far from peaceful. The contrast from what I saw on the TV a short time ago to what I am currently seeing and feeling is dramatic. So much of life is this way. In any given moment, there are people celebrating the greatest joy imaginable—birth of a child, marriage, a spiritual transformation, and others experiencing unimaginable pain—war, suffering at the hands of injustice, a painful diagnosis. Because the church claims a God who is present in every moment of life, no matter the height of joy or the low of despair, it only seems natural that we reflect that belief. I’m not suggesting everyone who is experiencing firsthand a depth of loss or suffering should smile and say, “God is present here.” But the church needs to show up and, with its presence, communicate the incarnational nature of God.

As you find a way, O Merciful and Ever-present God, to show up when life appears empty of all hope and joy, I pray for the strength to join others in the work of giving flesh to that good news. Amen.