My Dear Sisters and Brothers at Christ Church,

This week I feel like the universe is subjecting me to the same discipline I used on my dog when he got excited as a puppy and tried to steal food from the counter. I'd squirt him with a mixture of water and vinegar. He would sneeze and blink and try to figure out what just happened. I feel this way because I've been excited about Covid easing, about more sunshine, and especially because of a family trip to Disneyland next week. These things are like food on the countertop for my inner dog. But the recent racially-motivated mass shooting in Buffalo, the leak from the Supreme Court, and ongoing horror in Ukraine have got me down, like a squirt of vinegar in the face. I realize this is a crude comparison, but it captures some of the sting and surprise I feel. So this week I've been thinking about where I can find hope in the face of tragedies before which I feel helpless. Where do we look for sweetness when the world seems so full of vinegar? I have two thoughts.

A little dramatically, I like the theology of Psalm 23: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me..." I find comfort and realism in the idea that when we walk through the shadowy places of life, God is present to us. Frustratingly, God doesn't fix the pain, but God does accompany us through it.

But that seems pretty theoretical, so the other place I turn is the community of people I have. Despite the fact that they can't fix the world either, I find comfort in talking about how I feel, lamenting together, and finding things to laugh about, despite the vinegar. Life is just better with people I love.

While Psalm 23 feels academic when I read it, I sense that I can find that elusive God in the people with whom I share this life. The people who listen to me, who call me on my stuff, they embody the God who walks along side me, "art with me," and comforts me.

Stay safe out there, keep the faith, lean in to hope, and take care of each other. And may God be with you.

Peace,
Stephen