August 7, Ordinary 19C (Luke 12:32-40)
In the shadow of uncertainty, fear and hope look similar.
“Pastor, don’t tell us we’re afraid.” These words rolled softly from the mouth of a man named Bill.
The congregation’s council gathered around me in a semicircle. I prayed for our conversation. They wanted to know what questions I had. “What does the gospel sound like in this place?” I asked. “And what does it look like in the life of the congregation?” The looks they gave me suggested that these were not the questions they were prepared to answer, at least not right away. Still, the nervous laughter with which they met me, and the way they shook my hand without looking me in the eye, left me curious to understand where the congregation’s grief and pain were lodged.
“And don’t tell us we need to change,” Rachel, who told me she was the most senior member of the congregation, said in a whisper.
