[God is With Us in the Storm]

God is With Us in the Storm

The storm may rage, but it does not have the final word.

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This has been a tough week for those who choose love.

• We live in a place and time where the President chooses to militarize our city and targets the unhoused and people of color.
• One of our churches (SSI) cannot hold services for their Latino parishioners because ICE is stationed on the street and in the rear of the church building.
• Division, fear, and doubt are pervasive in our lives.

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A Theology That Denies God

I played on YouTube, my friend, The Rev. Canon Leonard Hamlin’s sermon given today at Washington National Cathedral. (You can find his sermon here) The juxtaposition of his sermon and the undertones of where we live and in the time we live gives one pause.

He quoted a theologian in his sermon:

“A theology that is indifferent to human suffering and misery, is a theology that denies God.”

This leads me to think about the theology of the Christian Nationalists and much of the leadership of our country. They are interested in power, not love. They are focused on straight white purity, not diversity and inclusion. They are interested in a history that absolves them from wrongdoing and blame. They are interested only in ways of thinking and values that match theirs rather than looking for common threads of values as building blocks for unity.

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God Is With Us

But Leonard reminded me that, “God is at work in the midst of struggle and suffering.”
In his words he shared, he used the refrain, again and again:

God is with us.

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The Balcony and the Storm

Tonight, I sat on the balcony at my apartment watching thunderstorms move in. I took a picture of the storm clouds as they loomed low over the apartment, and Leonard’s words rang true in my head and in my heart: “God is with us.”

The storm can sometimes be scary. Winds, lightning, and thunder threaten safety and security. And yet, I sat there on the balcony knowing and feeling God’s presence.

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Our Stronghold

Is our future going to be easy? Will things suddenly change and division and hatred be replaced with love and respect? Not likely.

But, God is with us. God’s presence with us will be our stronghold, and it will be what carries us through.

As we say each time we renew our baptismal vows:

“I will, with God’s help.”

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The Final Word

The storm may rage, but it does not have the final word.

God is with us—

• in the stillness of my thoughts sitting on the balcony,
• in the thunder’s roar,
• in the streets where fear abides,
• and in the hearts that choose love over hate.

With God’s help, we will not lose hope.
With God’s help, we will continue to love.

May it be so.