LXII.
WHEN YOU CAN’T SEE THE CHURCH STEEPLE
(5/17)
Faith is the confidence in what we hope for and the assurance of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)
The other morning, fog shrouded the beach. It is my practice that when I am walking the return path from Covell’s toward Craigville Beach to look for the steeple of our church. I use that steeple as a call to prayer for the people of the church and the congregation’s mission.
On that day, I could not see the steeple due to the fog. But, I knew it was there and did not let the fog deter me from prayer. The church steeple is there even when we can’t see it!
These days we hear phrases like “flying blind” and “uncharted territory” to describe our current situation, and these words are accurate. We don’t fully know the nature of COVID 19, its trajectory, or how it will shape our future economically, politically, individually, or congregationally. Lack of knowing shakes our sense of control, and ability to see ourselves as agents shaping the future. The pandemic reveals our own lack of control, which of course is a reality that existed before COVID 19. We can’t control everything and we depend on forces outside ourselves for our wellbeing.
And yet…the steeple is there even when we can see it! God is present though God isn’t always visible. Life persists in trying times!
Denial is destructive and we must take facts, whether economic or scientific, seriously. But other realities are at work – and we need to look for these as well. The divine and human spirit, the challenges of the moral arc of history, love that never ends. These will persist long after we have found a cure and vaccine for the pandemic.
Let us look realistically at the present and also affirm the healing presence – the inspiring presence – of what we can’t see – the loving presence of God inspiring us to be faithful, seek justice, and reach out in compassion. The church is there even if I can see the steeple or are able to worship this morning in the sanctuary, and God is here even when God seems most absent.
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Help us look within the present moment for the deeper realities of life. Amid the pandemic help us feel your presence, experience your personal call to us, and respond with hopeful action. Amen.
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