The Art of Waiting in Hope

Dear Caldwell,

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending time with a son of the church (and one of its biggest fans), my old friend Jack Claiborne. Born in 1930 within a few blocks of the church, Jack grew up in Elizabeth and at Caldwell. You might recall him from the “resurrection” video. He became a distinguished journalist, holding senior editorial positions at The Charlotte Observer, including head of the Washington DC bureau. I’ve known him since I was 10 and a kid running around the Observer newsroom.

Jack Claiborne, a son of Caldwell who covered Washington in the 1960s

So who better than to ask about what today’s elections may portend?

“I am eager because I want to see what is on the other side of this,” he said to me. “We’ve got to remember that America is still very young and still very much an experiment in governing. Governing takes time and we have to try to be patient.”

Jack’s wise perspective is right, of course. But, as Anne Hunter Eidson said to our kids in worship Sunday, waiting for change is hard, especially after these last years that have been so hard, so mean, so divisive. So many of us feel what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called “the fierce urgency of now” – and rightly so.

Still, we will most likely have to wait for clarity. Even when we do learn the election results, as Jack advised, the deeply entrenched problems in America – vast inequality, abandonment of the common good, racial injustice – will still be there and we will still be called to help address them as people of faith.

Our source of direction doesn’t have to come from earthly highs and lows but from our hope that transcends election cycles and presidential terms. Our hope in Christ shows us our destination. It gives us a glimpse of the world for which we strive, the world we seek to build as the body of Christ, regardless of the failures or successes of our earthly leaders. That hope is there to anchors us in all times.

As for today, Caldwell offers three faithful distractions.

  1. First, we can pray. Take time away from all the hype and noise. Go to our website here to find resources to guide your prayer (thanks to Kim Bohannon and Gail).
  2. Second, go to https://youtu.be/FZFjPfF8cWY today for great music from 1:00 pm-1;00 am with no politics. You may especially be interested in the 4:00-5:00 hour, “Music of the Black Church.” 
  3. Third, you can come to the Preachers’ Porch tonight at 7 p.m. (more below)

About The Porch Tonight

In so many ways, these last years have tested America and us as people of faith, a test that is not over. Jesus was tested, too, of course. Several gospels tell us that the devil tempted Jesus even before he began his public ministry. The devil offered Jesus the very best that the world had to offer in exchange for Christ’s divine calling. Jesus passed those tests and immediately began healing the world’s brokenness.

We, too, are surrounded by the world’s brokenness and we have our own calling to participate alongside Christ in helping heal it. So, take a break from watching the news (the results won’t be in yet) and come to the Preachers’ Porch from 7 to 8 p.m. We will look at Luke 4:1-13, 31-41. If nothing else, come for the community we have in faith and in each other.

In the meantime, as my wise friend told me yesterday, “Democracy is messy. Stay calm.”

In Christ,

John