"It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view. The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts; it is beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is the Lord’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted knowing they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that affects far beyond our capabilities.
"We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very, very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the Master Builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future that is not our own." ~Oscar Romero
Last evening, after our Midweek dinner together, we gathered in the Upper Parish Hall for a time of music and prayer led by our Word & Table musicians. Surrounded by beautiful and resonant songs, we paused to light candles, offer prayers, and hear words of wisdom from our tradition. Here, we shared the words above, from blessed Archbishop Oscar Romero.
You and I are part of a grand story, a love-story, being written by God. Your life has meaning and purpose and, we say, is found in and through the love of God, neighbor, and self. As I said on Sunday, and I say again today: our calling as Christians is not changed by the outcomes of political elections. Our purpose does not change: In Christ, we are called to love, to do justice, to respect the dignity of all, to be reconcilers, peacemakers, and servants of all. To do any of this is to know that in this life our work—our life's work—will never be complete. This is why we are together in community: we need one another.
Now is an okay time to feel many things. I would not encourage anyone to rush by this moment, but be present. And let us not forget that the work of the gospel of Jesus Christ, is now, always. I am so grateful we have one another—that we have this place and this community called Epiphany. We are for others; we are for one another; we are for the love of God.
I look forward to being with you on Sunday and offering you words of hope and life in this moment together.
See you Sunday,
Nick
