Surprise!
As a foster parent, I know that timelines are… flexible. Part of the calling to this work is preparing your heart and mind for the unexpected, for the impossible, for the “wait, that’s not how we planned it!”
So it shouldn’t have come as any surprise that the same dexterity and flexibility would be called for working with Kentucky Refugee Ministries. And yet, we all get our hopes and expectations set on how things are supposed to go. The very flexible plan we had thought would be sufficient turned out to need a bit more flexibility than we imagined.
And there was no small amount of, “oh no, can we do it?” when we learned the news that the family was bigger than we planned and coming and moving into their home a bit sooner than would have been ideal.
Indeed, as this email is sent, South Elkhorn church members are vigorously cleaning, preparing, and setting up a warm and inviting home–stocking the pantry and cooking a hot meal! When the Afghan couple and their four children, including a baby girl, step into their home tonight we pray they experience all the love, generosity, and joy that the gifts, donations, contributions, and hard work are meant to convey.
Katie Havelda Dent looked at me yesterday as we piled items out of one van and into a temporary storage location and said, “you know, as I was thinking about how impossible it would be to get this all worked out so quickly, especially with packages not yet arrived and certain items not yet secured, I kept remembering the story of ‘the fishes and loaves.'”
Her words hit my soul hard: that is just the right story for what was needed in this moment. When Jesus took a few fish and a bit of bread and then turned it into a feast for 5,000 or more he was showing all of us the surprising power of God’s Spirit.
In the last two days, somehow, someway, mattresses were secured, baby items donated for travel and meals, professional movers were (miraculously!) available to help with getting items into the home, and so many donations and contributions came in. And not just from the South Elkhorn family–acquaintances, friends, and many others saw what South Elkhorn was up to and wanted to help. We were inspiring Christ’s deeper way of love in others beyond our church.
Yes, it might not go like we planned, but God’s Spirit is rippling through our shared love, generosity, and joy to make a way when it seemed like there was no way.
That’s how God’s Spirit moves and works–through love, generosity, and joy. I pray you sense that today and this holiday season. And I pray you know and feel that same ever-surprising and soul-restoring love, generosity, and joy as we gather to worship this Sunday.
See you 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.
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 [...]
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 [...]
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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