You might be here
You might quickly realize where you are on the graph below. Perhaps it accurately describes your own roller coaster of emotional well-being, and maybe even our wider social situation. I don’t know about you, but after a period of camaraderie and shared heroic effort, I now sense and see the disillusionment growing, circulating, deepening. Perhaps that’s where you are. Maybe that’s what you are sensing in others, too.
Click the photo to enlarge.
That disillusionment is fertile soil for social-media conspiracy theory videos to take root (here’s a helpful article about the recent explosion of “Plandemic”). Disillusionment leaves us grasping for something to make sense, something to channel our frustration, something that will serve as a short-cut to arrive at the life we want to resume.
The fatigue and disorientation of a slow-burning disaster like this pandemic has and will continue to take it’s toll. And I suspect disillusionment is inevitable for all of us at some point.
Dear friend, be patient and gentle with yourself, and with others. Disillusionment is hard. And the antidote may be harder: trust. Trusting in the presence of God with us. Trusting that we have what it takes to get through this. Trusting that we are still part of a bigger network of love, connection, and mutual well-being, even when we feel so isolated. Trusting that love, listening, and compassion can still take us somewhere new. And even so, trusting that there are no short-cuts to new life: only what Jesus called the “narrow way” that is long, slow, and hard.
That antidote to disillusionment, that trust, is at the heart of Psalm 23. It is transformative for the Psalmist, evident in the very way the words themselves shift in the Psalm. If we read carefully and take our time, we might notice the Psalm itself is a spiritual journey. I look forward to sharing that journey in worship with you this weekend. You can find the video at southelkhorncc.org/digital-liturgy soon or on South Elkhorn’s Facebook page at 10:30 AM Sunday.
See you (digitally) Sunday,
PS – I hope to see you this Sunday. You are invited for communion at 11:30 AM. (Follow the directions here). And if you’d like to join a Sunday School by zoom, let me know. I’d be happy to connect you to one of the different groups meeting weekly for conversation and holy connection–one is doing “lectio divina“, another is studying and discussing the scripture passage for the week.
Worship each week with a digital liturgy: pause, pray, sing, reflect, and reconnect.
Digital liturgy is posted each weekend to South Elkhorn’s website and premiers on South Elkhorn’s Facebook page at 10:30AM on Sunday.
Meet Jim
I’m so excited to welcome Rev. Dr. Jim Abernathy to South Elkhorn! The Cabinet (South Elkhorn’s governing board), with recommendation from the Sabbatical Team and Personnel, unanimously voted to call Jim as Interim Sabbatical Minister for this summer (June 1 – August 31). He will be joining us for worship on May 22 and I can’t wait for you to meet him!
How Long is Compassion?
It’s long-lasting and long-reaching. Week of Compassion is the relief, refugee, and development mission fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Learn how your gifts make a difference.
Surprise!
During that vacation, in two final conversations with my grandmother before her death, when words were hard and fraught, I found comfort in the words of Jesus. In the gospels, Jesus teaches us by his own example to pray. But he doesn’t leave us there. He also teaches us how to pray. And then, as if knowing that sometimes prayer is just too much: he gives us words to pray. Words that can carry us.
Words that carry us
During that vacation, in two final conversations with my grandmother before her death, when words were hard and fraught, I found comfort in the words of Jesus. In the gospels, Jesus teaches us by his own example to pray. But he doesn’t leave us there. He also teaches us how to pray. And then, as if knowing that sometimes prayer is just too much: he gives us words to pray. Words that can carry us.
Unfair
It seems everyone wants to be more authentic. Jesus points to a challenging counter-intuitive path with a surprising detour through denial.
Living in Denial
Holy ground hurts. Sandals don’t stay on when you sprint. I didn’t expect actual flames.
Holy Ground Hurts
Holy ground hurts. Sandals don’t stay on when you sprint. I didn’t expect actual flames.
Jumping In
I was grateful for Acts of Reconciliation resources provided by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). My heart is hurting and my spirit is stirred by the cries of black and brown people who are facing the crushing weight of structural racism. And not only those who are featured in television interviews and news articles, but also those I know personally: friends, colleagues, and siblings in Christ. I'm listening. I'm learning. I'm praying. I'm sitting with the [...]
The Colors of Christ
Growing up, "whiteness" was mostly invisible to me. I knew that I was white, that others were not, but I mostly didn't think about race. And if I'm honest, when I did think about it, it made me really uncomfortable. I quickly retreated to "colorblindness" (choosing not to see race, and pretending race had no impact on how I treated people). Maybe that's why I still remember when I was shocked by "whiteness"... it was when [...]
What does glitter have to do with God?
This weekend is special. You might just discover what glitter has to do with God. I'm so excited for you to experience the unique gifts of the South Elkhorn youth. The online worship service is led by youth sharing their music, song, prayer, short reflections, a children's moment, communion, and more. You can tune in on Facebook at 10:30AM on Sunday, or anytime this weekend here. Their joy, hope, and creativity lifted and elevated my spirit. I suspect [...]
Monastic Moment
"We are all monks now." That headline stopped me in my tracks. Whatever else this moment is, what if it might be our "monastic moment"? What if "healthy at home" can be more than a pandemic precaution, but an opportunity for something more. No, this isn't the shallow cheer leading that suggests we should learn a new language, master a new skill, or build something new with a zealous discipline and loads of "free time." [...]
Sunday Morning Zoom Communion
Your invited to share Communion by Zoom on Sundays at 11:30 AM. Pause for a sacred moment to greet the church family, hear the words of institution, share bread and cup with whatever elements you have at home, and receive a blessing. To join, follow the links and use the password here.
Excarnation
You don't just have a body. You are a body. And bodies matter to God. So much so that God "became flesh" in Christ and lived among us (the "incarnation"). So much so that God raised Christ's body. So much so that when Christ was raised and appeared to the disciples and to Thomas he showed them his scarred body--his hands and his side. Bodies matter to God. And in Christ God embraces and relates to who we are [...]
A Blessing You Can’t Turn Back
My heart soared seeing so many faces yesterday. It was Maundy Thursday, and over 40 screens (filled with 70-100 people) gathered via zoom to remember Jesus' last supper, share in communion from our many different rooms and tables, and receive a blessing. If you weren't able to join, I want to share that blessing with you (at the very bottom of this email). I pray these words bless your soul as they have mine. See you (digitally) [...]
What you might be feeling…
I think it's grief. At least that's what I've noticed about myself. I'm grieving. It doesn't feel like the grief I expect when a loved one dies. But it's grief, I'm growing more sure of it every day. I've seen some powerful acknowledgment of this grief. Recently I read a beautiful one by a South Elkhorn Church and choir member and professor at Transylvania University, Jeremy Paden. Maybe you've noticed it, too, even if you have [...]
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