God, I am tired of being in parts.
My family is scattered in different States
My church is scattered across the city
And the pieces and parts of myself that were for friendships and socialization are hard to find.
And we are all in the parables of the lost–we’ve all lost money, and our flock and family.
We’ve lost a year. A year of birthdays and friendships and fun. A year of school and work and experiences. A year of community. All of it has sucked, and been sucked our of it and we are all left in pieces, in parts.
I am so tired of being apart, God.
And I keep thinking, how we keep trying to be community!
First with the loving works given to us by artists, then with rainbows, then we bells ringing and neighbors singing, and parking lot hangouts and drive by parties. Bubbles and postcards, phone calls and chocolate, zoom calls and google calls and Skype calls and FaceTime calls–all to ad nauseum.
Look how we are all trying to be together while we are a part.
I think of my congregant in Japan who sends us masks and face shields,
I think of my congregant in Western New York who sends us articles and prayers
I think of our friend in Pakistan, or Dubai (depending) who edits our YouTube.
God we are trying, so hard, and I can’t wait to try this community again.
In the midst of being prodigal children, in the midst of being lost, we are trying to find one another!
God, be with us.
Inscribe on our hearts the lessons of essential workers and the inadequacy of disability checks of the skewed value of work over health, and the indelible effects that racism has on every single system we have.
God, I can’t wait until we can be in person together.
Then we will rejoice: we have found our coin, our flock, our family!
And until we are there, help us God, please help us to continue to look for community.
Because Church happens whenever we seek, find and are a community.
Don’t let us give up. Sustain us like the widow, like the shepherd, like the stubborn (and possibly too recalcitrant) prodigal family.
Help us to Find one another we pray.
Amen.
Feel free to use/share/adapt/ with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
katyandtheword 