Dec 28, 2021 |
God in our Midst
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinGod in our Midst
These times we are in continue to challenge us in many ways.
We don't have the ease or false certainty that had been our place of comfort.
What we once might have anticipated as a few weeks of inconvenience, then
perhaps a few months, will soon be approaching two years. We have had so many
very real losses, whatever our circumstances. And it's hard to see where this
experience may go next. And we know, in our hearts, we know we will not come
through this unchanged. And it's not only the pandemic that weighs on us, we
also may have our own individual concerns and challenges. Concerns of health,
concerns for loved ones, concerns for our livelihood, for our education…
And we are living in the broader context of so many seemingly dysfunctional and divisive aspects of our world today. But the beauty many of us have shared and continue to share in these difficult times is the experience of God in our midst. The deep awareness of our love for each other. The recognition of the preciousness of time with loved ones and being together in community. We might have previously taken these things a little bit for granted, not in any negative sense, but in a sense that it was expected, it was part of our daily lives. It's not that we didn't appreciate each other, it was just that time seemed so available and at our discretion. We had our multitude of choices of timing and circumstances. The pandemic has disabused many of us, of that sense of control.
And we are living in the broader context of so many seemingly dysfunctional and divisive aspects of our world today. But the beauty many of us have shared and continue to share in these difficult times is the experience of God in our midst. The deep awareness of our love for each other. The recognition of the preciousness of time with loved ones and being together in community. We might have previously taken these things a little bit for granted, not in any negative sense, but in a sense that it was expected, it was part of our daily lives. It's not that we didn't appreciate each other, it was just that time seemed so available and at our discretion. We had our multitude of choices of timing and circumstances. The pandemic has disabused many of us, of that sense of control.