What is Required of Us These Days?
When responding to the challenges in our lives, it might be helpful to consider what leads us to do justice and extend kindness.
In church life, October often means it is stewardship season along with all the other things October brings. This year is no exception; we will be focusing on stewardship in one way or another this month and next.
There won’t be individual letters asking for your pledge, though. We begin with stewardship of resources – all of them – and ask what is required of us. Then we will gradually move toward focusing on the specifics of Living Table and what is needed. Please consider giving a “13th month” if you are able (more about this later).
This week’s text is Job 1:1, 2:1-10 and gratitude as a spiritual practice is the theme. (Don’t forget to bring readings for worship!) Job may seem an unlikely choice for stewardship conversations, yet, somehow it feels appropriate this year.
We struggle to figure out what we need to do or what we can do in response to the chaos and uncertainty in the world around us. We watch as politicians spew little more than rhetoric or, in the case of the VP Debate, niceties.
Where does this leave us? Confused and wondering how we make things better for ourselves and all of our neighbors. Fortunately, we have an answer that does not determine our every action or choice in specific ways.
Micah told us long ago that what is required of us is, “to do justice, love kindness, and go humbly with God” (6:8). When responding to the challenges in our lives, it might be helpful to consider what leads us to do justice and extend kindness – at the polls or in a traffic jam and every place in between.
It’s a lot. Many of us are carrying heavy burdens in the midst of all of this. Take a breath. Remember you are part of a community that loves and values you. Reach out if you can. And don’t forget you can join us on Wednesday nights (using the regular worship link or in person) for services of Hope and Healing.
In the meantime, as you pursue justice, kindness, and living humbly, remember that ashes and pain are not all there is. There is love, beauty, and wonder yet to be experienced in the world.
Feel free to share your gratitude or experiences of beauty, wonder, or love in the comments.
About Rachael Keefe
Rev. Dr. Rachael Keefe is the pastor of Living Table United Church of Christ. She was called to Living Table in 2015 after serving in many varied ministry settings since her ordination in 1992. She holds graduate degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and Andover Newton Seminary at Yale (formerly Andover Newton Theological School). Her ministry and leadership often center around advocacy and accessibility. Her writing has been published by Chalice Press, The Christian Century, Red Letter Christians, Working Preacher, RevGalBlogPals, and others. She is grateful to be in ministry with Living Table today.
Copyright
Unless otherwise specified, all content on this site is copyrighted by the author, when designated, or by Living Table United Church of Christ. This means that you cannot copy-and-paste content from this website to reuse elsewhere without express written permission. All images are copyrighted and may not be used elsewhere. With any questions, please contact us. You can still share everything from this site by sharing a link to the exact page of interest. What is prohibited by this policy and standard U.S. copyright law is reusing or republishing our content without license.