“Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.”
Esther 4:14b
The challenges of pandemic, protest, and economic disruption continue to shape every area of our lives. We are navigating complex and volatile circumstances involving health, work, school, and church. Some of us have grown tired. Compassion fatigue has become a common response. Some of us are confused, overwhelmed, or angry. The tension of division continues to take its toll on individuals, households, businesses, and institutions. Most of us have recognized that we are in a marathon rather than a sprint. Our journey forward requires perseverance, regular sustenance, and a continual deepening of faith.
Our faith is a gift given to us by God and nurtured into fullness by God’s generosity. Our role is to embrace the gift, to tend it by turning to God daily so that the gift grows and develops. In the midst of extraordinary distress, many in our diocese are experiencing a deepening of the faith. While we worry about long-term impact on our households, faith leads us to open our cupboards and wallets so that others can eat. Longing to hug beloved family and friends again, faith prompts our hearts and minds to grasp the seemingly impossible goals of ending racism and white supremacy.
God will guide and guard our way through this journey. In the past few weeks, we have talked often of The Journey Forward as it relates to in-person worship. It will help us all to broaden our definition of The Journey Forward, because it is also about the growth of our faith. It’s our impact in the world as faithful people, and our relationship with a God who loves us. Faith powerfully connects us to God and to those in need of God’s love and mercy. Faith helps us to see the church, ourselves, our neighbors, and the world the way God sees them. As importantly, faith helps us to love and be merciful the way God intends for us to love and be merciful.
The Journey Forward continues. Individually and as church communities we are becoming more like the people and church God intends us to be. Lean into your faith, God will meet you there.
Grace and peace,
Bishop Hughes
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