There Is a Firmer Foundation
Yesterday evening, over bowls of loaded baked potato soup that Brandy had graciously rescued amidst my feeble attempt to prepare, our family processed the shocking images of violence that accompanied the riots, the attack on our nation’s Capitol, and the assault on the democratic process.
Brandy said, “Kids, this will be one of those days you will remember and tell your kids about.” One of the boys quickly replied, “Mom, do you know how many times you have said that in the last year?!” He was right, and so was Brandy. After a year of the unprecedented, the events of yesterday are in a category all their own. My guess is that the range of emotions expressed at our dinner table are not dissimilar from other tables across our nation.
We were shocked. How could people who say they love our country violently disrupt the democratic process on which our country is built?
We were angry. There is a lot to be angry about.
We were unsettled. Is this another of those, “our lives will never be the same” moments?
We were grateful. We live in a country where events like this are without precedent in our lifetime. We have not needed to normalize democratic instability in ways so many others in our world have had to.
We were at peace. Though we ended the day watching the resumption of the democratic process, which was inspiring to see, our peace ultimately came from the assurance that we have our faith rooted in a firmer thing than what this world has to offer.
As we processed all of this with our kids, I recalled the first time my life was shaken. I was the age of my teenagers now and my family encountered the unprecedented and our lives were shaken to the core. A shattering of trusted circumstances left me looking for what I could trust. It is not that I was looking for faith, I was already a devoted follower of Jesus. Rather, I found that I had easily nestled together my trust in family and my trust in Jesus. They were compatible foundations and the roots of my faith had grown into the foundation of “family.” When the latter foundation was shaken, it was not simply a crisis of circumstance but of faith.
I loved my family then and I love them now, but in that crisis, I was able to recognize that I had allowed my trust in family to, in part, supplant my trust in God. My love for my family did not diminish, but I realized that God’s love for me is made of better stuff than anything in this world. I didn’t understand my circumstances, but I ultimately didn’t doubt that God was bigger than my problems and good enough to care about them. My faith grew.
I love our country and I am grateful for the foundational strength of our democracy and for those who worked into the evening last night to ensure that the democratic process moved forward. I am grateful that when our circumstances feel fragile and we are shaken, we, who know the love of God, can remember there is a firmer foundation in which to grow the roots of our faith. When we are swept in a storm of circumstances, emotions, relationships, etc., we can let the crisis be one that grows our faith rather than erodes it.
Over the next two weeks, as we hope for the peaceful transition of power which has in the past characterized our country and inspired the world, I invite you to join me in prayer for our country, for our leaders, for ourselves, and for our church. Pray that God will bring healing we cannot manage on our own, humility to serve a cause bigger than ourselves, and wisdom to root our faith in Jesus first.
I have been caught lately by Paul’s words in I Corinthians 2:2, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
I have found myself wondering again and again, “What does knowing Jesus Christ and him crucified mean in this circumstance, in this conversation, with this fear or uncertainty? What could it mean for our church if we embrace both the hope and humility of that reality in the face of every challenge and opportunity?” I pray we will remember the truth of his humble and sacrificial love to each other again and again in whatever we encounter in the year ahead.
With love for my church family,
John Parker
John Parker is the lead pastor at Summit Church. He enjoys woodworking and boats and dreams of building his own boat in the coming years.