Fear and Trembling
Night fell.
The winds came.
Fear and trembling took residency within every fiber of our beings.
Chaos ensured.
The world twisted, turned, and shook foundations.
Brokeness.
Light rose.
Stones were broken.
The world stood toppled.
Trembling and awe began to slowly move within the core of our being.
Connection came.
Community gathered.
Mourning.
A different path.
Standing on holy ground.
When I arrived at East End in July 2018, one of the first things I noticed was what, Judi Hoffman, did as she stood behind the pulpit. Without hardly any effort Judi removed her shoes and pushed them aside. In a conversation the following week I asked her about why she took her shoes off. She told me the told the story of her arrival and standing there for the first time and that there was a presence that was so holy it could not fully be described and she knew she was standing on holy ground. She was standing where so many faithful servants of Jesus had been.
Today as I stood in the sanctuary, with the light bursting through the roof, the organ pushed into the chancel area, cracks in the wall, glass, and dirt littering every inch of space and doors that were in sandwiched in-between pews, I heard the sweet whisper of this is holy ground. It wasn't about the building; the structure in which I was standing. The holiness that could be felt is something that comes from whose we are and who we are together.
At East End UMC, we are standing among the holy. We are people who believe in the mystery of God's faithfulness with and for us. A faith that weaves us together in the toughest of moments and in the joyous of occasions. We are people of faith who believe in boundless love which was evident today as people made their way through the roadblocks to tend to one another. We are people who believe in a radical hospitality and sometimes that means not just welcoming one another into a sacred and holy space but accepting help when the stranger comes to us. Allowing the stranger to feed us, shelter us and welcome us in. We are people who believe in standing in solidarity with our neighbors. The neighborhood linked resources, our denominational connection enveloped us in prayer and holiness.
There is grief.
Yet we are standing on holy ground. Holy ground moves with us wherever the body of Jesus Christ plant their feet in the holiness of God. It is not found in a building but in the presence of one another, the grace, compassion, and mercy that we live and breathe together.
Fear and trembling as we stand on holy ground.
The winds came.
Fear and trembling took residency within every fiber of our beings.
Chaos ensured.
The world twisted, turned, and shook foundations.
Brokeness.
Light rose.
Stones were broken.
The world stood toppled.
Trembling and awe began to slowly move within the core of our being.
Connection came.
Community gathered.
Mourning.
A different path.
Standing on holy ground.
When I arrived at East End in July 2018, one of the first things I noticed was what, Judi Hoffman, did as she stood behind the pulpit. Without hardly any effort Judi removed her shoes and pushed them aside. In a conversation the following week I asked her about why she took her shoes off. She told me the told the story of her arrival and standing there for the first time and that there was a presence that was so holy it could not fully be described and she knew she was standing on holy ground. She was standing where so many faithful servants of Jesus had been.
Today as I stood in the sanctuary, with the light bursting through the roof, the organ pushed into the chancel area, cracks in the wall, glass, and dirt littering every inch of space and doors that were in sandwiched in-between pews, I heard the sweet whisper of this is holy ground. It wasn't about the building; the structure in which I was standing. The holiness that could be felt is something that comes from whose we are and who we are together.
At East End UMC, we are standing among the holy. We are people who believe in the mystery of God's faithfulness with and for us. A faith that weaves us together in the toughest of moments and in the joyous of occasions. We are people of faith who believe in boundless love which was evident today as people made their way through the roadblocks to tend to one another. We are people who believe in a radical hospitality and sometimes that means not just welcoming one another into a sacred and holy space but accepting help when the stranger comes to us. Allowing the stranger to feed us, shelter us and welcome us in. We are people who believe in standing in solidarity with our neighbors. The neighborhood linked resources, our denominational connection enveloped us in prayer and holiness.
There is grief.
Yet we are standing on holy ground. Holy ground moves with us wherever the body of Jesus Christ plant their feet in the holiness of God. It is not found in a building but in the presence of one another, the grace, compassion, and mercy that we live and breathe together.
Fear and trembling as we stand on holy ground.
Wow
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