photo credit: Paul Turner
Several years ago, I had the privilege of walking St. Cuthbert’s Way, a pilgrim trail that begins just below Edinburgh and traverses the border lands between Scotland and England, ending at the North Sea. St. Cuthbert roamed that region in the early seventh century, introducing Christianity with only the Gospel of John and the psalms he sang by heart.
Most days we enjoyed cool breezes and blue sky with the exception of one day when we slogged across the hilltops of open fields, in rain and fog, with thunder rumbling in the distance. The wet air hid the normally bright trail markers, forcing us to rely upon the footpath worn by pilgrims….and the cows. Those darn cows had worn so many paths in varying directions, we doubled back several times, only adding to the tensions caused by the thunder and already long day.
We learned to cope with uncertainty and a bit of lostness.
Plodding our way out of this pandemic reminds me of this hike. We take a few steps forward with many people celebrating their vaccine doses, and yet you know there is a step back in this cliché. Is it two or three steps back as so many members of our community continue to fall ill? Is it kids returning to schools only to be sent home, with parents again scrambling to balance their care and work? You can fill in the blank with the range of life’s joys and routines still disrupted.
We cope with uncertainty because of our faith.
Our faith history teaches us to persist across the wide range of emotions. Write poetry of God’s goodness. Lament, loudly. Hold vigil with the sick. Rail against injustice. Our forebears in faith teach us to grieve our losses. Keep on keeping on. From their experiences we cannot be surprised when God startles us with an empty tomb.
The mystery of Christ’s resurrection beckons us to know that the bleakness will give way to new growth.
On St. Cuthbert’s Way, our rain drenched hike ended at a cozy inn with hot tea. We made our way to the English coast and at low tide walked the sandy floor of the North Sea to the Holy Island. It was quiet. Simple. And it is hauntingly clear that St. Cuthbert prevailed to bring the good news to this part of God’s world.
Our sermon series during Eastertide will explore how the earliest followers of Jesus found a way to share the good news despite opposition, and how they experienced their own unexpected joy.
In this year of such uncertainty, we have one sure thing – the tomb was and is empty. God brings the dawn of good news. We can choose how we carry this forward.
In faith,
Jo