I am thankful for many things. For one, I am thankful that there was no violence in the aftermath of the mid-term election and so far the will of the electorate is being respected. I am thankful that my daughter and her new husband will be home for Thanksgiving. I am thankful for the congregational spirit at Zoar Baptist Church. I am thankful for the young people attending the Wednesday youth group and the bond we have forged with other churches to minister to the youth of Middlesex County. I am thankful for partners like Hands Across Middlesex and the office of Social Services, and I am thankful for my fellow pastors who meet for prayer every week.
I am thankful for many things, but I am also grieved. I am grieved that the apparent will of the American people is so far afield from the will of God. I am grieved that so many families are fractured and separated at Thanksgiving. I am grieved that some congregations show more hostility to one another than grace. I am grieved that for every youth engaged with any church there are twenty or more who have no church engagement. I am grieved that so few congregations seem to partner with anyone, and I grieve over every pastor who ministers in isolation.
It seems almost necessary that joy and grief go hand in hand.
The person who only celebrates is deluded. The person who only grieves is depressed.
Neither delusion nor depression can be the norm for the person of faith. Faith in God grounds me in the real world…
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