We all see so many words in our days….in our emails, in advertisements, in books, on social media. Words words words. It’s easy to forget what those words point to–what they really mean, what experience they are trying to convey. We easily forget the people and the bodies behind the words. Sometimes, a photo will break through with meaning in a way words do not. Today, I am thinking about the refugee crisis in Europe and the photo of a dead Syrian toddler washed up on a Turkish beach that headlined many European newspapers this week. There is proper immigration policy and accountability– and there is the reality of a dead child washed up on the beach. I am thinking about the Monday morning front page of Butler County OH newspaper and the lead story about an 18 year old who died of a heroin overdose. That person was my cousin, that family my family. Sometimes, the bodies will break through. Sometimes, polite distance is simply no longer possible.
Some beauty to help counter the brutality….
In a world that tempts and pushes us towards denial and numbing, towards shopping and sugar, my hope is that church is the place to come when the bodies break through, when polite distance is no longer possible. A place to find good company as we try to figure out how to be open-hearted and compassionate in a world that can be so brutal.
I look forward to worshiping with you all on Sunday: All The Work They Don’t See.
We gather to honor all the labor that has brought us to where we are today, to remember the work that has been forgotten and to witness the labor we so easily fail to see. In this service, you will be invited to write down a few sentences about work you would like honored which often is not– labor done by yourself, by family, friends, and/or other members of our community. You will then be invited to share this with the congregation.
