Today, receive the February letter from our Moderator, Rev. Elder Cecilia Eggleston:
"Finally, siblings, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things….. and the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4: 8-9)
Dear people of God,
You don’t need me to tell you how challenging life is around the world just now or how badly justice is needed. You know already that “justice is not a distraction from the Gospel. It is a demonstration of the Gospel” (Dr. Jemar Tisby - Historian and author). You are living it out every day.
In this letter, I want to focus differently.
It is possible for many things to be true at the same time.
We rage at the news one moment and then are astounded by the sunset the next. We feel lost and alone, then a stranger in a shop makes us laugh by the way they interact with their fractious child. We feel exhausted and weighed down, then a message comes through from someone we love with an invitation to have coffee…..and cake!
What is giving you joy at this time?
What has caused you to catch your breath with awe and delight in the past week or so?
What is bringing you a moment of peace or calm?
These are important questions.
Someone shared recently about how there are Christians who interpret feeling fear as a lack of faith. They claim if we are fearful, we are not trusting God. I personally think that it would take a huge level of faith for many of us not to feel afraid now, or at other times in our lives. Even Jesus showed fear in the Garden of Gethsemane and asked God to spare him from the trials ahead.
Perhaps, amid all that can paralyse us with fear, we can give ourselves permission to see God in beauty, kindness, laughter and the strength of being in community. We can decide to do one or two things every day that intentionally shift our energy. It may be small and simple, yet done consistently it can make a difference. During the pandemic, one of my brothers, who lives alone, told me he started every day by watching an episode of a particular TV show that always made him laugh. Whatever the rest of the day held, he started the day laughing out loud and feeling buoyed up. However the day ended, he had a consistent plan to start the next day well.
Joy, creativity, beauty, music, dance, laughter are all spiritual gifts for us. It is important to lament and listen to our anger. It is also important to feed ourselves with what will nurture us.
Our bodies, minds and souls need respite and relief. It might be a time to try something new, if what you have done before is not working at this time.
This is why being in a spiritual community is so powerful. We feed each other, support each other, hold and encourage each other. I regularly worship online with MCC congregations around the world. It is always a blessing to see folk gathering together and to hear all that you are doing to serve the community where you are. What you are doing is a blessing to others!
In her book, “Return to the Root” Joyce Rupp describes being at an interfaith gathering after a deadly terrorist attack in New Zealand. The atmosphere was subdued as the audience listened to many different speakers. Finally, a Rabbi stood up. He spoke very briefly and then started to sing the Bill Withers song “Lean on Me”. After the first line, everyone joined in, and by the end of the song, the atmosphere had shifted to a surge of compassion and hope. Rupp writes “No one said it out loud, but I’m confident that we each felt we could be the arms of the Holy, welcoming who needed holding when they were hurting”.
We all need moments like this, on our own or collectively, where our hearts and our spirits are lifted and filled. Our God is a just and faithful God. We are followers of Jesus for the long haul, not just in easy times. The Holy Spirit is dancing in and through us, even when we can’t feel it. Someone else sees God when they see you. Take time to love and nurture yourself, even as you love your neighbour.
God bless,
Rev. Elder Cecilia Eggleston
Moderator, Metropolitan Community Churches