What Message Do You Have to Share?

I love running and listening to A Morning at the Office an Episcopal Morning Prayer podcast by Forward Movement. It has truly changed my spiritual life. I listen to it for the first mile and a half of my run (now you can figure out my pace...slow). Without fail one or two verses always jump out at me, and I spend the rest of my run thinking about them and trying to hear what God is saying to me.

This morning the first verse was Mark 9: 32 "But they did not understand what he was saying and they were afraid to ask him." Jesus was teaching the disciples; they didn't understand; they were afraid to ask him. What are we afraid to ask God? God wants to hear our questions, our cries, our thanksgivings, our joys, our doubts. Why? Because God wants to be in relationship with us--deep relationship. And the way to deepen our relationship is to be real, to be honest, to be vulnerable.

During this time, we are all facing fears, anxieties, frustrations, grief, and a myriad of other emotions. We want answers; we want to know where God is in this pandemic. My faith tells me God is right in the middle of it all--not causing the pandemic, not choosing who catches the virus, but rather weeping with us when we weep, raging with us when we rage, and holding us in the palm of his hand.

All of that was going through my mind when this verse was read, ""Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us. But Jesus said, 'Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.'" (Mark 9:38-39) I believe very strongly in the ministry of all the baptized. I try very hard not to fall into clericalism. I believe right now, during this time (well really all the time), the world needs to hear all our voices. The disciples didn't want competition; they wanted to be the "in crowd." This is not the time, no time is ever the time to decide whose in and whose out. Being a disciple of Jesus is not about setting ourselves above, it is not about hierarchy, power, and position. It's about love--mutual life-giving love. And the world needs a chorus.

"No, not just the world," I thought, "I need to hear other voices. I need to hear voices of hope. I need to hear voices that point to God and to God's love. I need to hear voices that remind me we are a community of faith."

We are all living in a time most of us have never experienced. We need to not be afraid to go to God with our questions, our emotions, and our fears. And we need to all respond to one another as God's disciples--lay and ordained. The world needs us all.

Yesterday afternoon I texted a friend after our service. She is one of my go-to people not only because she is encouraging, but also because she tells me the truth. (And because like me she loves Jesus but cusses a little...a whole other story). "I don't know how to preach in a pandemic." I texted her. Her response
, "You did a great job, trust yourself, you have a message to share."

Today I want to hear from others. What message do you have to share? The world needs to hear it.