Caldwell, our “Summer of Questions” is coming to an end. You’ve been fantastic companions all along the way. You have responded to these blogs with questions of your own. You have read these ramblings of mine with grace and with openness of mind and heart. (If you want to go back and reread earlier blogs, feel free to click here.)
Two questions remain.
1. How can I say thanks?
I entered this summer, the summer of John’s sabbatical, more nervous than I admitted publicly. I wondered what I would do if crises arose. I wondered if anyone would listen to my advice, opinions, and counsel anyway, being that I’ve only been ordained for a year. I wondered if I had the courage, stamina, and strength to do all that would be demanded of me during this summer.
Whenever I find myself in particularly challenging moments in my life, I turn to God in prayer, persistent prayer, probably annoying prayer, from God’s perspective. I ask God many, many, many questions. Many questions. As I prepare to ask those questions, I pour my heart out in my journal. I form questions and try to form answers on paper – as though I can predict how God might answer me. In any case, I fill pages and pages of journals with my puzzling and my pondering.
This summer, instead of only writing those questions in my journal, I posed some of my questions to you here in the blog. I shared some of the things I was asking God with you. I asked you to share some of the things you are asking God, some of the things on your hearts. And you responded. You wrote back. You called me. You texted me. You even sent me snail mail! You accompanied me during my own summer of questions and reminded me that we are all asking questions and listening for answers. You also reminded me of the faithfulness of our God to hear our prayers and answer them – even if the answers aren’t what we hope they will be.
How can I say thanks? I start by thanking God for you. I thank God for the beloved community you are and thank God in advance for the beloved community you are becoming. I thank God for how we are learning to listen to one another with grace and mercy. I thank God that we are learning to forgive one another and be reconciled when things go wrong – and because we are human, things do go wrong. I thank God for you, Caldwell.
And I thank you for being you – for how you have loved one another, supported one another, encouraged one another, and reminded each other that you are, that we are a family, on this bumpy, beautiful, unpredictable, unprecedented life journey together.
Not only have you loved one another, but also you have loved me, supported me, encouraged me, and reminded me that you are right here with me.
Therefore, I say – thank you so very much.
2. Where do we go from here?
We welcome John back to the helm in the next two weeks. We will remind him of how beloved he is and how much he has been missed. We will give him time to readjust to life in community with all that comes with it, and we will remain present, loving, and encouraging as he regains his “C” legs.
And we press on. We restart the sandwich making ministry for Roof Above. We get ourselves ready to host overnight guests in Hope Community Hall with Room in the Inn. We reengage with Christian Formation – with practices related to the spiritual growth of our children and our adults. We make sure that people who need school supplies get them. We get ready to sign up for the All-Church Retreat in November. We reach out to members of our faith family that we haven’t seen in a while and make sure they are doing well. We keep moving forward in our dream of affordable housing on our campus. We press on – with the Spirit of the Living God empowering us every step of the way.
I want to end today’s blog with the words of the apostle Paul found in the first chapter of Philippians – I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.
Thank you again, Caldwell, for walking through this Summer of Questions with me. May you sense God’s close and comforting presence every step of the way, today, tomorrow, and always.
Peace, Gail