When the Fire Goes Out
Greetings in the name of risen Christ! I am somewhat flabbergasted to already be entering into my third month of ministry with each of you! Erin and I are grateful for the welcome each of you continue to provide through your loving words and actions. We feel so fortunate to be in ministry together even amidst these deeply challenging pandemic times.
As Labor Day approaches, I have been reflecting on Moses’ encounter with God through a burning bush. As we explored during Sunday worship, God invites us all around the burning bush of God’s presence in order to send us out into the world. Campfires are wonderful, but they don’t last forever. As God reminds us all, we eventually have to “Get going!”
For many, the annual Labor Day Festival at Beulah brings about a “burning bush” experience of sorts. We light the fires in the barbecue pits, gather around the clock throughout the weekend, and encounter God in the fellowship. Who would’ve thunk that the roasting of pigs and chickens, the making of the World’s Greatest Hash™, the baking of delicious treats, and the cleaning out of houses for an epic garage sale would bring us into the presence of God? Well, it does! The consistent highlight I’ve heard about the Labor Day Festival is the power of the fellowship to bring people together. Even amidst the blood, sweat, and tears, God is present.
This year, we’re mourning the loss of the Labor Day Festival alongside the loss of so much in our lives and our world. As I reflect on this loss, a conversation from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring comes to mind:
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
I feel Frodo’s wish on a deeply personal, even spiritual, level. How I would prefer the pandemic not happen during my time. We have lost much. And yet, we know that we have a decision to make. Do we believe that God is still with us even amidst loss? As people of resurrection, we can boldly proclaim, “Yes!” We ask, “Who is with me when I’m afraid, doubting, lonely, and in mourning?” We hear God respond to us just as God responded to Moses, “I Am.”
While the fires of the barbecue pits will not be lit this Labor Day weekend, the fires of God’s presence are still burning throughout our world. Even as we mourn, let us be people who proclaim to the world that God is still at work, still on the move, and still offering the healing warmth of God’s love to all who will gather around the fire. I’m ready to get going with God to share this good news. Are you ready too?