God's steadfast love endures...

O give thanks to the LORD, for God is good; for God's steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those God redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction; they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and God saved them from their distress; God's word was sent out and healed them, and delivered them from destruction. Let them thank the LORD for God's steadfast love, for God's wonderful works to humankind. And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of God's deeds with songs of joy.
~ Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
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      Since late in August 1988 I’ve been sharing long walks with Linda Carol Ellis. Walking with her to breakfast yesterday morning was one of those wonderful, stretch-beyond-your-usual-thinking, wonder-what-could-be-if kind of walks. Part of our conversation was about the world we are living in now.  We talked about how life is happening so quickly. We seem to have little or no time to understand, to feel, to respond. We talked about feeling reactive in so many parts of life. Daily, if not hourly I am stunned by announcements / briefings / news that just feels so startlingly wrong. Words of us versus them, black versus white, Christians versus Muslims, Democrats versus Republicans. How we listen to one another, treat one another, dismiss one another - seems out of sorts with who and whose we are.

                                       For God’s steadfast love endures…

      In these intentional, Lenten days of moving in and through the wilderness we have been given time to turn toward, not away from these `reacting places.’ In these wilderness days we are invited to lean in and listen to what is being shouted or said or whispered by our sisters and brothers around us.
 
                                     For God’s steadfast love endures…

      Last weekend I was at a wonderful retreat with women from our church. At one point we stood in a tight circle and turned to give one another back rubs. (Ahhhhhh). In front of me, Sherri was wearing a shirt that read, “Love Thy Neighbor" with a list of neighbors (Homeless, Atheist, Muslim, and more).  As I read the groups of people listed as neighbors on her shirt, for some reason I skipped over the line that read: “Gays are my neighbor.”  For just an instant, "gays" weren't listed. When I didn’t see it, I thought, “thank God, we are finally OFF the list.” For me being OFF, meant that we (gay people) were finally seen as part of the mainstream, seen for being more than just that one part of ourselves.

      And there was a big ah-ha for me that morning. I started thinking about who was on the “Love Thy Neighbor”list and who wasn’t. Why do we (you and me) need to create a list at all? Is there a place beyond our fearful places where we can all see past our dividing places, categorizing places, marginalizing places to a place where we are leaning in, listening for, depending on, looking out for every last one of us?

                                                                           For God’s steadfast love endures…

      The psalm invites all of us, ALL of us to lean in to God’s steadfast love. We are told, “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those God redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south...” these ever-changing, turning inside-out and outside-in days are happening to us all, each one. It matters that we all pay attention to one another, for one another.

                                                                         For God’s steadfast love endures…

      While we were walking we passed the tree in this picture. Along the way, I took this picture because it felt important to see beyond what is feeling so difficult now. This tree brought me hope. The big branch of this tree bends in a way that looks like a picture frame. We are able to see through in a way that it is rarely possible. I felt I was being invited to look deeper, to look past what we usually see. In this seeing through we are invited to catch a glimpse of this steadfast love of God that has been, is now and will be.

      Sometimes I get bogged down with the mess of what is on all around me. It feels overwhelming and too, too much. Too much pain, sorrow, hate. And then I remember that God is holding us all. Always. God’s t shirt is big enough for everyone’s particularity to be listed - from the east and from the west, from the north and the south, big enough for the Yankees and the Rebels, the young and the old, the slow and the speedy -- all of us.   God    has      this,    God has us all.

                                                                         For God’s steadfast love endures…

      A story from long-ago came to mind yesterday when Linda and I were walking. The image in my head was the story of the old brick pile. A young girl and older woman (story possibly gender-modified here) came up to a towering pile of bricks. “What can we do with this big ‘ole pile of bricks?” the young one asked. “Oh, that is the question,” the older woman replied. “Perhaps each brick represents how we spend our lives. Why, with this great pile of bricks we could build a wall all around us that would keep us safe and everyone else out. Or with this same pile, we could build a bridge that would allow people to cross that river just over there.” The older woman stopped and looked over toward the river, “It’s up to us. We decide. Brick-by-brick. Will we build a wall, or will we build a bridge?”

                                                                         For God’s steadfast love endures…  

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