It’s Wednesday. The collect in Morning Prayer that I associate with Wednesday is “Lord God almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
I look forward to Wednesdays as a day of reflection on God’s grace that has brought me, and those I love, in safety to one more new day. I recall the times when I did not feel or recognize that, in God’s love, I was safely into a new day because injury, pain, chaos, and darkness were all that I could see. Yet here I am, safely entering the morning of another new day. May it please God that my children, grandchildren, and all who are in my prayers, not only rejoice in their own new days, but also be protected from falling into sin or being overcome by adversity. I do wonder about those living in war torn places, subject to oppression and abuse, and floundering in the aftermath of disaster. Did they make it into a new day at all, and, if they did, how safe will it be?
Wednesdays lead me toward Fridays when the canticle reminds me that God’s ways, which are not our ways, will not fail to accomplish what God intends, no matter how bad we screw things up. Moreover, the collect assures us that the way of the cross is none other than the way of life and peace. How much faith does it take to believe that? Apparently not much, but perhaps more than I have at times. I’m like Habakkuk. I want God’s assurance written in large, plain letters that I can easily read and understand even while jogging down the street.
Now and then I run into an erstwhile member of one church or another who claims that they have just such a revelation. Simple words writ large that make everything clear. But when I hear their message it seems so far removed from what Jesus taught and where he led, that I just shake my head in disbelief. To me it seems a better thing to just trust God and go on about the work of proclaiming by word and deed that the kingdom of God has come near, regardless of the chaos all around.
Amen, Steve.