Dear family,
I write to you from the "Red Carpet Room" on the campus of Colorado State University, while working hard at National Youth Conference. It has been a chaotic first four days, and my sense is that it is going to get even crazier. We have two more days, and each day is going to push the young people of the Church of the Brethren further along their faith journeys. They have learned to embrace who they are, what it means to acknowledge their own brokenness, and today they/we wrestle with the audacity of grace. Sitting here, trying to wrap my mind around all that is happening, i feel a need to name a strange dichotomy.
In the midst of this amazing life-giving experience, our church family, once again, is dealing with loss.
But that's life, right? We cannot escape the inevitable: life ends at some time.
Which, for me, at least, raises the obvious question: what will we do with the life we are given? How will we spend our days? What relationships will we nurture? What relationships will we let fade away like a bad dream? When faced with death, whether a loved one or an acquaintance, we often, once again, return to our own mortality, and that usually illumines questions we have carried for a long time. And it is good, very good, that viewing our own mortality causes us to ask questions of our life. It is healthy. It is necessary. And it is Godly.
So what will we do? Will we weep with Connie, YES! Will we miss Nelson and his wit? OF COURSE! But if we are to honor his story, and if we want to support Connie in the healthiest way possible, we must not only struggle with our mortality, but we must also live. LIVE! Truly LIVE! And for us, as a people of faith, that begins with our common story as followers of Jesus.
What will we do? If our faith is real, then we will embrace the teachings and challenges of Jesus, so that, along with the saints of yesteryear, we can add our names to the amazing family tree that finds Jesus as it root, trunk, and support. We will add our names to the likes of St. Augustine. St. Paul. Mother Teresa. Martin Luther. Teresa of Avila. Anna Mow. Alexander Mack. Sarah Righter Major. Ted Studebaker. Dan West. And so many more. When we anchor our narrative, our own personal narratives into the greater narrative of God, in Jesus, we become part of an amazing family tree with sisters and brothers that stretch beyond the confines of human history. It is time, folks, to anchor etch our names into Jesus' family tree. He awaits to add your name, my name, and so many more names to the extensive lists of his brothers and sisters.
And here's a beautiful truth when we write our names into Jesus' family tree, Jesus transforms us. We go from lost to being found. We go from being blind to having sight. And we go from not being able to hear to having ears that listen to the Master's song. More than that, we change. We evolve from narcissistic beings into selfless servants, chasing after more and more persons lost in this broken world. Included in this transformation is a new way of looking at life.
We embrace the reality of our mortality, and when loss hits us like a cold snowball that makes us shiver, we do not deny death. We take this chance to grieve. We take this chance to tell stories. And we take this chance to remember. But more than that, we also take this chance to know that life has a greater purpose, and if we, those left behind, want to honor our loved ones, we will do what Jesus commanded. Let love guide us and let our love define us. When we let love guide and define us, not even death can stop us.
We all love to tell stories of our family trees, and most of us are rather proud of where we came from. So why not tell the greatest story of our common family tree: Jesus. And while we do, let's make sure we continue to nurture this tree so that others, those who follow behind us, can add their names to this tree. It is more than big enough, and there are plenty of spaces waiting for our sisters and brothers.
Mourn for Nelson, we lost a good friend. Support Connie, she needs it. But then make room for the next great comic to emerge in our midst, reminding us that laughter is greater than our deepest sorrow and most painful hurt. Amen.
Shalom, Salaam, Peace,
Jerry
PS I know this is long. But i have so many thoughts stirring around in my head right now, and i feel moved and inspired, which is always a great thing. Remember Matthew 1 is our text for this Sunday. PLEASE READ! Read more than once. Read daily. Make it so familiar to you, that you can recite it by memory. See ya Sunday.
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