By Greg Yee, Superintendent, PacNWC
I am an occasional journaler. Along with some work lists, books, read and prayer items, I’ve been keeping a standing page titled, “Cloud of Witnesses.” Here I enter the names of those that have gone before me. Two weeks ago in Connecticut, while I was with the Council of Superintendents, in the middle of an evening worship time singing “Soon and Very Soon,” we got word that our dear colleague and friend Dick Lucco passed. He had been ill and suffering, but it was startling nonetheless.
Facing death is always a universal disruptor.
When a loved one passes, we change our plans and travel at all costs. We cancel appointments. We take leave. For the council, we stopped mid-singing to sit with the difficult news and then continued as if we were singing our brother into the presence of the Lord. I added Dick to my list.
Facing death universally pulls us away from unconscious daily rhythms and shocks us into a space of reflection. It gives a sobering perspective about life and the value of it.
Friends, there’s been a lot of death lately.
Death because of wars and weather.
Death because of disease and distress.
And too many absolutely shocking, senseless deaths in normal, seemingly safe places like grocery stores, churches, and elementary schools.
We experience Indignation…despair…trauma…maybe callousness for some of us because it’s too much, too often. How long O Lord?…Lord have mercy…
Church – followers of Jesus, as we continue to cry out to God and pray for the Holy Spirit’s comfort and leading during this moment of great tragedy, may we be disrupted.
I am grateful for the impulse to be together and pray. I am grateful for Newport Cov opening space to lament and pray last Wednesday. Radiant also did this online. I know you allowed your worship services to refocus on prayer. Yes, may we keep on putting our energy and time into the vital work of prayer. We must reaffirm our belief in the power of it!
How else are we disrupted?
Many of you know I am a big basketball fan. The NBA playoffs were disrupted by my home team the Golden State Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr here. I know this went viral, but watch it if you haven’t yet. This is especially poignant understanding that Coach Kerr’s father was assassinated by extremists while president of American University in Beirut. He was shot two times in the back of the head when Steve was only 18. It was a horrific disruption that led Steve to fight for sensible gun control. But equally important, it was a disruption that led to how he would see and treat people different from him for the rest of his life; how to stand with people when they are treated unjustly, and how to fight for the dignity of life for all.
OK, spiritual realities – Death came into the world because of sin. For the wages of sin is death, right (Rom 6:23)? Sin has had nearly all of human history to infect and infest to create horrific brokenness like racially and politically targeted mass and the shooting of kids. Sin tirelessly labors to repulse and isolate. Its end goal is to accept alienation.
More spiritual realities – as we just celebrated the ascension of our Savior who conquered death, how do walk forward as ones who have said “yes” to him? Light always disrupts darkness. And the fact that we are called to be bringers of Christ’s light, assumes that being “bringers” involves time and action. As Great Commission, Great Commandment-people we are never to be stationary or solitary in our faith’s disposition. As we will sadly never have a shortage of disruptive moments on this side of heaven, in this moment, we must reconstitute our commitments to bring Christ’s light to our communities.
I heard an interview with one of the relatives of a Robb Elementary School victim. He did not want to talk about gun control saying there was time to do that later. Instead, his instinct was to question how any teenager could be so angry, would have so few good people in his life, and have so little moral grounding that he would end up doing this.
I could only hear Christ’s call upon us as the Church. As recipients of dividing walls being torn down, how do we tear down walls of class, race, and gender where it has diminished and alienated (Eph 2:14-18)? As those having a Father who is Healer and Redeemer, how do we seek the peace of our cities and put our energies into championing restoration and wholeness (Jer 29:7; Psalm 147:3)? As being sent out as disciple-makers, how do we increase our life-on-life focus, create mentoring programs, and increase connections to our communities…(Matt 28:16-20, 2 Cor 5:18-21)?
Sitting at 55, life seems even more fragile than ever these days. One thing is underscored by all we’ve experienced in these past few weeks – get closer to people: to pray, to family and loved ones, to those we’re called to…The pandemic taught us unnatural patterns of isolation. Get closer to people. There is so much darkness, so it seems even more clear than ever. Getting closer to people always increases the lumens. In Christ’s name, with the power of God’s indwelling Spirit, get closer to people. The great cloud of witnesses is cheering us on.