Sacred Connections: Seeing Through
Earlier this week, a friend and I were lamenting winter, neither of us particularly embracing the cold temperatures and gray skies. Always looking for the bright side, my friend mentioned that she did enjoy being able to “see through” – meaning see through the trees to see those things hidden by foliage during the other seasons. That thought of “seeing through” captivated me, as it sparked reflection on how this season of pandemic, violence, dissent, struggles for justice have also enabled us to see through the artifice we may have accepted to the depths that have been waiting for us to engage.
In our church, as we plan for each liturgical season, and have back up plans for our back-up plans, we continually try to see through to the essence and meaning of our treasured traditions so that we somehow remain connected with that core. Seeking that essence is what brought us together at Ault Park this past fall, and to a parking lot on Christmas Eve. That essence inspires creativity and openness to finding new ways to honor our traditions and share our love of God and each other, while still physically apart.
In our community and country, we’re attempting to see through to the underlying elements of systemic racism that perpetuate injustice and disadvantages on so many fronts. We may not have been as conscious of discrimination that has been perpetuated under the surface, if we’ve not been directly engaged, or directly on the receiving end. But now that we are beginning to see through, now that faces and names and obscenely skewed numbers of those suffering and experiencing injustice cannot be denied, we can become voices of clarity and advocacy, walking together the way of love.
Seeing through this pandemic during this time of such political division has challenged each of us as to a deeper understanding of the essentials in our own lives. What gives us a sense of meaning and purpose? What gives us hope and encouragement? Who do we reach out to? Who reaches out to us? Which relationships have flourished, and which ones have floundered? What are our deepest fears and vulnerabilities? What new skills have we needed to acquire to navigate this unknown road?
And seeing through brings us ever more in touch with our relationship with God. How vulnerable are we in prayer? How open are we to listening? How and when do we turn to God amidst all the other uncertainty that has taken up residence in our lives?
As so much of the outer trappings of our lives have been put on hold, or more permanently peeled away, many of us are finding a simplicity at the core. A simplicity that has little to do with striving and much more to do with appreciating what is still here, savoring what remains.
During this season of more barren landscapes and the urge to stay closer to home, let us see through to what is visible now, the complexity and simplicity, and allow ourselves to be transformed. Let this be a season of deepening and renewal, and an open invitation to dream.
