Lighting a Candle of Hope in the Windows of Our Hearts

And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently. And the people healed. And in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.

And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.

—Kitty O’Meara, Iona Community in Scotland

It’s a beautiful vision, isn’t it? And I wish it were as easy as it sounds. But the reality for many of us is that this time brings with it confusion and cloudiness that complicates our best intentions. And while we may be thinking, “I should be using this time to xyz,” there are no “shoulds” during a pandemic other than staying safe and taking good care of ourselves and those around us.

But even while we work to stay safe and take care, the persistent needs in our communities continue and intensify. Each one of us could name a litany of pressing social and economic needs that desperately require compassionate and just faith responses. So, the questions I want to leave with you are how shall we light a candle of hope in the windows of our hearts? How can we clear our vision so that we are able to meet the challenges and opportunities that arise in the world we are moving toward?

Our world is changing, and we are changing with it. There is pain—and there is joy—in acknowledging that. May we always find solace in God’s presence—and always seek God’s guidance—on the journey.

See you in (zoom) church,

Christy