Dear Covenant Family,
Standing before a hot spring called Morning Glory (159 degrees F) in Yellowstone, I could see the steam rising up from the earth into a clear blue sky, so beautiful and so dangerous at the same time. I learned that some of the geysers and hot springs in the park are related to one another and react according to the water levels and geothermal events of their neighbors.
In a book called Saving Yellowstone, Megan Kate Nelson writes an interesting history of the creation of the world’s first national park in 1872, during the Reconstruction Era, and the intertwining stories of explorer Joseph Hayden, financier Jay Roberts and Lakota leader Sitting Bull. She concludes that, “Yellowstone promised to be a place that proved American’s greatness by virtue of its natural wonders. But its geysers and mud pots revealed the reality of this strange country: the United States is both beautiful and terrible. It is both fragile and powerful. And that what lies beneath the surface in this nation is always threatening to explode.” (193) Her words reminded me of the hidden forces at work under the earth as well the hidden forces at work in our families, our communities, our churches.
I’ve spent a lot of time listening for the undercurrents in various churches I have served, including this one. It’s impossible to predict where trouble will bubble up, or the particular challenges that will turn out to be strangely beautiful. A congregation, like a family, is a system. Within the church system there are a variety of systems and sub-systems- cultural, structural, communication, decision making and economic. These are the systems we try to regulate through policies, plans and procedures. But it is actually the emotional system that is the most powerful, and the most difficult to detect, understand and potentially change. Anxiety can build to the point where the system becomes reactive, people take things personally, and staying calm and emotionally becomes difficult. We can help each other by listening carefully, managing our own impulses to control outcomes, enjoying humor, and taking a few breaths before speaking. I’ve seen people do this very well at Covenant and I am still learning it myself.
Here's where I find hope. Amid all the unpredictability of the geysers at Yellowstone, Old Faithful still goes off on schedule. Not every hour, as it used to, more like 90 minutes now, but this famous and centrally located geyser is a constant at the center of the park. For a Christian community, Jesus is at the center. He is our hope, our constant, our source of spiritual energy in a chaotic world. Jesus was always realigning what his disciples worried about, all the things they wanted to control. He asked them to lean into silence, prayer, service and letting go. Paul picked up this theme when he wrote to the Philippians (4:6-7) Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus.
May you know the peace of Jesus whatever undercurrents are present in your own life. Our faithful God is our strength and our salvation. Let’s keep praying for each other.
Peace,
Pastor Jessie
