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Good Saturday
I know. You are getting lots of email. But I’m committed to helping us find words in hard times. And this is a hard time.
1. On Thursday, I posted this on Facebook:
If my efforts to figure out the motives of a person on the other side of the world are keeping me from devotion my attention to the pain I understand in the person in front of me (or in front of my heart), then I could probably recalibrate.
My friend Rich Dixon responded:
I haven't thought this through...but somehow I think this might have another side. I gotta ponder. If my efforts to ignore the suffering of a person around the world cause me to become self-centered, then I probably could recalibrate.
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We're both right. Vague worry, dread, and fear lead us to paralysis and distraction, to anger and argument, to natural and unhealthy responses.
Here’s a truth. In the US today, several thousand people will die and their families will be disrupted. And that many will die tomorrow, too. While we’re worrying about things we can’t control, there are people close to us who are losing loved ones. Their grief is being complicated by the confusion and uncertainty.
At the same time, people you and I know are within miles of active combat. For them, this is not an abstract TV event. And for their parents and friends, this is scary. And complicated.
The need for presence and comfort and fear-abatement are everywhere.
2. As I fell asleep on Wednesday night, aware of the fear in our world, I prayed what I pray every night.
Keep watch, dear Lord,
with those who work, or watch, or weep this night,
and give your angels charge over those who sleep.
Tend the sick, Lord Christ;
give rest to the weary,
bless the dying,
soothe the suffering,
pity the afflicted,
shield the joyous;
and all for your love’s sake. Amen.
As I fell asleep on Friday night, I could only get through the first couple lines, lost in fatigue and uncertainty about the news we were hearing, and aware that God keeps watch better than I do.
3. As I was writing to you, I thought of Psalm 2. In it, the leaders of nations rage against being servants of God. "Let us break their bonds asunder" is a line that people familiar with Handel's Messiah will know. The bonds are God's constraints. And one song after that comes the chorus "Hallelujah" There is a larger story than what we see on our screens.
4. Here are a bunch of prayers for Ukraine
5. So what?
-we can ask God to give peace to the hearts of people who are talking with him.
-we can ask for courage and clarity for those who are in chaos.
-we can turn our attention (and time) away from endless streams of speculation and turn them toward the works of compassion and support that are in front of us.
For example, if you know someone who is concerned about family, offer them an encouraging sandwich and an ear. Rather, for example, than offering them more speculation offer confirmation that this waiting is hard. Rather, for example, than offering a “God’s got this”, acknowledge their awareness that “this” includes hard outcomes and involves long journeys.
-we can remember than numbers are people, too. In the phrase, “Minimal casualties”, casualties are still actual people. “Refugees” are still people who are not in their homes, who don’t know what home looks like. And any phrase that starts, “at least” usually includes humans who have been disrupted. And as we remember, we can ask God if there is anything we can do for those people. And not be surprised if the response is, “No, not them, but Eddie down the street needs help.”
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Sometimes the search for words means not saying any for a while, and then offering observations rather than absolutes, offering options rather than commands, saying "I see you" rather than "You just need to."
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Keep watch, dear Lord,
with those who work, or watch, or weep this night,
and give your angels charge over those who sleep.
Tend the sick, Lord Christ;
give rest to the weary,
bless the dying,
soothe the suffering,
pity the afflicted,
shield the joyous;
and all for your love’s sake. Amen.
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