Maybe it’s not happening all in an instant, a moment of divine healing, the fire coming down from heaven. It’s happening inch by inch as we decide and then live the truth that all human life is worth preserving. It’s happening little by little as we decide and then live it, that all humans have dignity. It’s happening slowly and stubbornly as we decide and then live the hope and the faith and the love that in us, small at first, growing to great. 

We are in a “we’re lost and we need God more than ever” moment. This is a time to double down on our love, to read those Baptismal vows daily and then to do them. This is a time to look deeply as we offer the peace of Christ, to surrender to the love of God, to let ourselves be found by the Good Shepherd, and to pray for those who are lost.

Image: Shepherd in Spring by J. Kirk Richards

What if our  imaginations were utilized for the glory of God?

Where equity, justice, and even angels are so normative that we expect them to be guests at our table. Where we promise to love our neighbors as ourselves and respect the dignity of every human being. Where we don’t give ourselves a pass, but sit in the ditches with those who suffer, honing our empathy. 

When you feel the rage, you’ve got to be able to know which one it is. Is it a rage, like that leader of the synagogue, one that leads to oppression, or one that is leading you or someone else to releasing, pardoning, or freeing? Is it one that needs a long walk by yourself, or one that burns until you speak it? Is it one that you need help with? It is one that you need to fan a little, to keep your energy faced in the right direction, towards those who need your voice? 

Image credit Nazar Ivanyuk

So besides loving God and our neighbor, what are we to do? In this time and place of division we must be followers of Jesus before we’re anything else. We must be seeking first the kindom of God. We must be doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our God. We must be enjoying this beautiful world that God has given us, always mindful that it is a gift and a delight to be cherished and shared. We need to laugh, to find those places where we can just delight. We must be looking for those fingerprints of God, for that strange and odd work of convergence and hope, for those quick glimpses of clarity in the midst.

It’s not always the huge changes that bring about healing. It’s the little things: Stopping the conversation before things get really heated. Refusing to hate. Remembering all the little ways to love and then doing them. Telling the stories of God’s faithfulness. Listening with our hearts. Inviting all. Reminding others of their belovedness. 

This Pentecost we’re invited to step again into the stream of Spirit. We’re invited to slow down. We’re invited to pay attention to the small things, to listen deeply, to love, and to be more human, comfortable and even to embrace our weaknesses and our liabilities.

These are some gifts y’all. And they are not only gifts just for us. These are gifts for the world, our world.

Whatever it is that brings you and the world healing — whether it be swimming in fresh water, enjoying nature, loving this long, slow spring, loving one another, enjoying your family, friends, and pets, serving one another, therapy, reading, weeding, wisdom, do it. We’re all in this together.