We finished #love (well, finished sort of — finished in the sense that #love is not the “study” for right now….but let’s be honest, #love is how we live life — it’s not something we just visit and then forget about it — Jesus doesn’t cease to be Jesus if we forget about him, the call to love — to recognize ourselves as loved — does not disappear just because we choose not to #love).
We took some time to talk about what worked & what didn’t. While there were a variety of responses, and of course the necessary comment of “there’s always one” to the one person who named liking the homework assignments — we determined that the structure of the study (including prayer, checking-in, scripture, silence, dialogue & homework) worked for us. Overall — we observed together that we appreciated how everyone engaged how they could, how everyone’s voice and insight was important – and how we all did try to do (& remember to do) the homework.
But what’s next right? Well, I posed the question and folks had a lot of thoughts, books of the Bible (naming Daniel, Ephesians, Romans, Isaiah, and specifically Psalm 103) and topics too (naming Sabbath, Solitude, Victory, and “Engage” – rethinking church Mission). MANY topics — and all important topics (plus of course there are more which your loving Pastor might be considering too!)
So — not knowing though what would be coming next (tomorrow now!) — we did have homework. After sitting with all of Psalm 46 — all of it! And it was a rich conversation, there was a pointed question — why this Psalm? Why Psalm 46? And my answer was — I felt led to the scripture, and the anchor verse which captured me was Psalm 46:10a
Be still, and know that I am God!
And so the homework assigned for the week was to think on that — to think on, “Be still, and know that I am God!” To consider what exactly does that mean, look like, happen? — in our daily lives. And y’all — then we went home — and after getting home we heard news of Sutherland Springs, TX — and it’s not fair — and I don’t know how to “Be still,” how to “know that I am God!” Because it’s too much, too much evil, too much pain, too much death. And yet I am grateful that the homework and the invitation would be to “Be still, and know that I am God.” — because the reality is there is too much evil, and too much pain, and too much death EVERY SINGLE DAY — it’s just some days it really hits us, some days we get a sliver of the understanding of how through sin death entered creation…and so there is a grace that as we mourn with those who mourn (and we are mourning — this is part of our family who went to church last week and did not walk out) God would gift us with this living Word, this reminder and invitation when perhaps some of us are paralysed that what has been offered is, “Be still, and know that I am God!” And y’all, even though I don’t know all the things, I am so grateful that the One Who we trust has been proved faithful and loving and so even now, even in the midst of all this (all life), let us together,
Be still, and know that I am God!
Love always & see you in the AM ~
Rev. Sabrina Slater