Dear Caldwell,
Tomorrow, our nation makes a turn. We turn from one presidential administration to the other. Of course, it is far more than that. As people of faith, we go to bed tonight with prayers that we as a national people will turn from these days of “alternative truths,” bitter division, violent and once-unimaginable uprisings and deep-seeded disagreements. We pray that new leaders will set a new tone for our life together.
Scripture is full of God’s commands for the people to repent, which means to turn. Over and over again, our Lord calls people to a new way – which God must do so often because we are such hard-hearted, stiff-necked people. God had that very message for the people of Nineveh in the 8th century BC. They were a headstrong bunch who thought their power was unassailable, the last people you’d think would listen to a wild-eyed prophet named Jonah. Yo u remember Jonah – the one scripture said was swallowed alive by a “great fish.” So often, that’s about all we know about this prophet, whose little book is crammed in at the tail end of what we know as the Old Testament.
At this moment of turning for our country, it’s a good time to revisit the rest of Jonah’s story as a reminder of what the people did when Jonah cried ‘Repent’ and what is still possible for any of God’s people who genuinely seek a new beginning. Join us tonight on the Preachers’ Porch at 7as we look back on Gail’s sermon Sunday and take a look at Jonah’s story (specifically, Jonah 3:1-10) as I think about this coming Sunday’s word. We will also lift up our nation, on the eve of its turning, with prayers for peace and new beginnings.
On another note, I am sad to report I have just received word of the passing of our friend Erskine Harkey. I jokingly called Erskine a “double agent” because he was active in two churches. He was a long-time member of our neighboring St. John’s Baptist Church, where he attended with his bride, Betty. Erskine, however, loved a comeback story and was drawn to Caldwell soon after its resurrection in 2007.
As “recovering bankers” (after cutting his teeth at the early First Union, he went on to be a principle in a small wealth management firm), he and I shared a lot and enjoyed many breakfasts at Showmars trying to solve the world’s problems. One might call Erskine conservative and he was certainly very traditional. But what I admired most about him was that he was an independent thinker who never stopped growing, never stopped challenging himself to understand the Gospel in new ways as interpreted from fresh perspectives. He loved Caldwell deeply, Betty told me today, and I, him. The ACE Class and the Finance Committee were his communities within the Caldwell family. He heartily supported the Elizabeth Communities of Faith, our neighborhood ecumenical partnership, and he believed in our big dreams. Arrangements are pending. Please lift Betty up in prayer, as well as their adult children and his faith family at St. John’s.
Stay in prayer as our nation turns to a new day and join us on the Porch tonight.
In Christ,
John