All SHALL Be Well

"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."

I know I wrote using this quote from Julian of Norwich only a few months ago, but this is my lifeline, my call, and my mantra just now. I wear a chain with a silver möbius strip around my neck. Julian's words are etched into the silver. I find myself fingering the twisted circle as I think and pray. This reminds me that I am a small finite part of this divine dance of God's grace and love. The entirety is much larger than I in so many ways. 

This past Sunday, our district superintendent, Cathy Abbott, preached in worship at Christ Crossman reminding us that our greatest call is to align ourselves as closely as ever we can with God's will--not my will, but your will, O God, you who call us to do justice, to love mercy/kindness, to walk humbly with you. If our hearts are aligned with yours then we will seek this path in all our relationships. Still, there is no guarantee that we will not make mistakes, that we will not mishear, that we will not misjudge our steps. What is our recourse? With the psalmist, I cry:

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.

Lord, hear my voice!

Let your ears be attentive

to the voice of my supplications!

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,

Lord, who could stand?

But there is forgiveness with you,

so that you may be revered.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

and in his word I hope;

my soul waits for the Lord

more than those who watch for the morning.

More than those who watch for the morning,

O Israel, hope in the Lord!

For with the Lord there is steadfast love,

and with him is great power to redeem.

It is he who will redeem Israel

from all its iniquities.

Thus, it is not a simplistic statement of faith. Rather it is a deep abiding affirmation that our beginning, our end, and our present are within the God who stands with those watching in the morning. Look, there is our hope. See, there is love. All SHALL be well!

What Does It Mean?

What does it mean to the church when our candidate wins? It means that we work at being the Body of Christ in the world: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving water to those who are thirsty, visiting those in prison, caring for the oppressed, forgiving our enemies, loving God and neighbor.

What does it mean to be the church when our candidate loses? It means that we work at being the Body of Christ in the world: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving water to those who are thirsty, visiting those in prison, caring for the oppressed, forgiving our enemies, loving God and neighbor.

Our work is the same regardless. When Mary sang her song, it did not mean a new reverse triumphalism wins. It means always that we who are God’s people are on the side of the poor. It still means that the ways of God are not the ways of the world which looks for quid pro quo. We are the people who have received grace and mercy, knowing always that this is what informs our stance in the world.

So our candidate wins. Celebrate a little, then keep being God’s people working on behalf of all God’s children.

So our candidate loses. Grieve a little, then keep being God’s people working on behalf of all God’s children.

Romans 12:12-14

Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.

Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.