09 May Stay Gentle

Dear Westwood Church family,

One of the reasons I need church most every week is that it helps me stay grounded in hope, and open to possibilities.

I know that churches haven’t always cultivated open-hearted hope; we have sometimes let fear, grief, and anxiety distort the message we’re meant to proclaim. But it’s always there, woven into the scriptures we read and the songs we sing: an invitation to choose to practice love, offer grace, and trust in our belonging.

We can find these things in other places, too. I am often reminded of them by my favorite artists. This week, for me, it’s been in the music of Brandi Carlile, who’s song, “Stay Gentle” is a needed reminder to refuse to grow callous or rigid, even in the face of violence, hatred, and oppression. She sings: “Know to find joy in the darkness is wise / Although they will think you don’t understand.”

Choosing to live with hope comes with the risk of looking naive, or poorly informed. But the central story of our gospel is otherwise: Jesus endures violent evil–even in his death on a cross–while still persisting in offering forgiveness, and generously inviting others to participate in his kingdom. After his resurrection, he cooks breakfast on the seashore for his disciplines, appears inside the locked rooms where they’ve sought refuge, and invites them to touch, see, and know his living presence.

Persisting in open-hearted living requires not only our own individual understanding–it demands our participation in communities of hope. We can’t experience love in isolation. Our healing and our holiness are collective experiences, fully realized only in community with others.

Which, again, is one of the reasons I depend on the community of the church. Most every week, in our shared life together, I see acts of radical compassion, evidence of persistent joy, signs of gracious healing, and a witness of deep love. May you see and experience this, too, and may it allow you to stay gentle, and embody grace.

grace and peace,
Pastor Molly