Having commented on the realities of loss in the chaos of disaffiliation with The Episcopal Church, my mind is turned to one of the most common expressions I am hearing from people. Stand firm! On the day after the news went public, I received an encouraging email from a local youth pastor outside our diocese who shared that he is praying for us and then said “stand firm”. My reply (after saying thanks for the prayers) was to say “it’s the only way to stand. Otherwise we would be wobbly”. Okay, probably a weak attempt at humor. Standing firm seems like a no brainer… but is it? What would it mean to not stand firm? It occurs to me that one alternative to standing firm might be to flee. That one could be a temptation. The only other alternative that I can think to standing firm would be in the highly unlikely event that The Episcopal Church national office swept in and in taking control offered us lucrative salaries to remain in our jobs. That is so far from reality it’s not worth my time here. Which really leaves me with the only alternative – fleeing. So, does standing firm mean not leaving this situation? If fleeing is the result of not trusting God in this situation, then it would be the opposite of standing firm. However, one never knows if circumstances are God’s way of moving some of us on to other ministries. The key seems to be listening and trusting.
This brings me to the next issue in this chaos. In the midst of this most yucky predicament, the temptation is to let fear overtake clear thinking. No one would consciously choose to allow fear to have that sort of power over them, but as I talk with others, it seems easy to dwell on the harsh reality of the situation and then expect the worst case scenario. We could show up at the office one day, find the office has been taken over, police at the doors and the authorities asking for our keys back. We could find our assets frozen and no longer be able to carry out any ministry. It’s honestly not a good picture. So, how do we proceed? Next weekend we have our third “Encounter” weekend for students. We will, God willing, have a great weekend of ministry to teens. We have to keep focused on the ministry at hand. The important thing is to trust that God will protect us no matter what happens.
The greatest thing we can do in the midst of all this is seek God’s glory. It might be that we are seeking shelter in the hands of the most high as we seek His glory. But it is His Glory that we seek.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
(Psalm 91:1-2 ESV)
I went back and looked at my notes from the sermon on Exodus 14 that I referenced in my previous post. I was reminded of some of the points made that are relevant to this predicament.
~ Fear will make you miserable
~ God’s best for us requires faith
~ God’s glory is the goal
The preacher then added a few more specific applications from the text which relates here.
~ Take heart, be cheerful
~ Stand Firm (there that is again) – don’t run, flee, or flinch (see Romans 8:38-39)
~ Witness the deliverance God has for you.
I am so grateful that I was in that church on that Sunday to hear that sermon!
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