These are some difficult days, aren’t they, Caldwell?
War rages in Ukraine. Insurgencies and civil wars flare up on nearly every continent. Refugees wonder where they will find refuge. Fears surge. Covid numbers are dropping… or are they? Inflation.
It’s all too much.
What do we do now? We continue to make and walk this road of Lent, slow step by slow step. To the cross.
As we walk, let’s makes sure we look around and notice those who make their way to the cross with us. Some are carrying crosses of their own. I suspect we all are. Some are weeping. Some of us are weeping too. Some look and feel forlorn and desperate. As do we. Some are carrying burdens that we wish we could take from them, but alas, we cannot.
We walk alongside them, offering our presence and our support. We offer them words of encouragement and hope… if we have any to spare.
What do we do now? We watch the news. We read the news. At the same time, we pray for everyone whose story we see, hear, and read. And we pray for one another.
We call politicians and ask them to do something, anything to make the horror stop. We find agencies doing good work, and we support those agencies.
And we keep on praying for all people everywhere – Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy.
We know we can’t go to Ukraine to help directly. Or to Nicaragua or Cameroon or Haiti – or any of the other places where we wish we could go and do something to help.
What do we do now? Although we can’t go to those places, we can get up on Saturday morning, March 19th, and come to the church anytime between 9 am and 2 pm to do some clean up, furniture moving, and organizing in The Third Place, in the sanctuary, in the choir loft, in the Shelby Room, and in our new community hall – so that we can continue to do the work that God has called us to do at the corner of Park and 5th.
What do we do now – when our spirits are dragging and our energy is waning? We can get up and come to worship on Sunday, March 27th, prepared to stay after to hear a presentation about renewable energy by Enrique P. Sanchez. He will share how Trinity Presbyterian Church in Hendersonville, NC, transitioned to solar energy. We can learn from their challenges and their successes as we continue our journey toward being a more intentionally Green Congregation.
What do we do now, Caldwell, with the world in the state that it’s in?
We hold onto hope in God and in each other.
We hold onto faith in God and in each other.
We hold onto the promises of God that we find in scripture – promises that wars and rumors of war are not the end. Promises that swords will be turned into plowshares.
Promises that the hungry will be fed, the sick will be made whole, and captives will be set free.
And then we get up and we get involved in working alongside God in bringing those promises to life.
I know it’s hard to hold on by ourselves.
So let’s hold onto each other.
When you’re down, I will hold you up as best I can.
When I’m down, you will hold me up as best you can.
Together we will make this road.
Together we will walk this road.
To the cross. To the tomb.
And out the other side – in victory, celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus.
But for now, on this gray Tuesday evening, we weep for all that is happening in our world.
We pray for all those affected by the brokenness of our world – which means everybody.
And we keep moving forward, walking this Lenten road with Christ, filled with the Spirit, and loved, cherished, and claimed by our Creator.
I hope to see you on Saturday, ready to do some spring cleaning at the church we call home.
There’s so much work to do, my dear friends – at Caldwell and beyond.