By the Rev. Barbara Mraz
I am out of ideas so I scroll through some my old blogs, wondering if I can recycle one of them. There’s one on FDR, several directly or indirectly about Trump, and many about flowers (lilacs as immigrants, the bliss of gardens), one about feet (mine) and one about house layouts (floor plans). Yes, they were all discussed in a theological framework, and yes, I’m a deacon so I have one foot in the church and one in the world (SO in the world) but they all seem so irrelevant now. Naïve. Clueless about real pain and what can really happen. Each one of them pre-Covid and pre-George Floyd.
To be sure a lot has changed: The belief that the country is immune from massive pandemic and that a woman’s right to choose is an issue that’s been settled. The belief that the people with a record of sexual harassment will not be appointed to the Supreme Court and that masks are only for Halloween or costume parties. The certainty that the nation’s capital will not be stormed by gun-toting, flag-bearing maniacs, spurred on by a sitting president. The idea that we would have no physical contact within our families for twelve months. Virtual church.
It’s no wonder we can’t seem to calm down. At least I can’t.
Some themes endure, like the reality of those who scorn reason and evidence and the insistence by some evangelical Christians that prayer belongs in schools and that law enforcement belongs in the hands of vigilantes.
What you read on epistlesesandepiphanies does not pretend to be an opinion piece in the New York Times or an essay in the New Yorker. Instead these pieces attempt to draw attention to important issues and suggest a connection to the faith. Some provide links to exquisite music (thank you, Craig) while others highlight important events in our community. And okay, so many of my blogs are mini-commercials for coming to church the following Sunday! I admit it! So shoot me! (whoa that expression has to go….)
In this week’s Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples (who often appear to be dunderheads) that they shouldn’t be afraid to asks questions; the Epistle from James warns of the cravings that can destroy us; Proverbs gives the recipe for a perfect wife! (“A capable wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.” It is actually a wonderful description).
So yay! Church! You should come! Jered, Craig, Jay, Cameron and I will be there to teach you and greet you and Richard has chosen some lovely music. The sermon will contain two pieces of exquisite poetry. Feed your heart. Let go of the demands on your time and just give in to your impulse to simply worship what is bigger and better than you are. Whose very definition is Love.
See you in church.
Barbara
