Several months ago, I began to seek God’s guidance in an effort to transition my time, resources, energy, and experience to align with my personal mission statement (discerned from Micah 6:8 and The Blues Brothers Movie)
“I believe that I am gifted by the Spirit, forgiven by Christ, and sent on a mission from God to be fair, just, and merciful, as I walk in humble fellowship with God.”
This is not to say I wasn’t engaged or participatory previously, rather I discerned that the Spirit is leading me to be more intentional in my mission.
I titled this post using a quote from, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. in Slaughterhouse Five. And so it goes… This phrase has blatant, pregnant expectation with it’s ‘…’ ending and is surrounded in all the mystery of what ‘it’ is. The phrase has frequently become a tag line at the end of conversations, sermons, news reports, and even funeral eulogies.
The ‘it’ in this line refers to the ordinary way in which life unfolds, particularly due to upsetting or unfortunate outcomes of events. I’ll use a recent event – the 2024 presidential election – as a springboard for discussion.
And so it goes…on November 6th, people rested in either devastation and unbelief or elation and celebration. A wide disparity that appeared to have no continuum of possibility. Even those who had a clear ‘stake’ or ‘personal investment’ in a particular candidate were stunned. Some even questioned the efficacy of the total effort involved in voting. Yet, already existing in-between the extremities of political ideologies, there emerged a vivid mosaic of reds and blues that revealed a more reconciling tact.
Graciously, God has continued to reveal that the real impacts of any failed or successful human endeavor (the 2024 election, in particular) are the unexpected, emerging pathways into a new and preferable future. Pathways are always initiated, cultivated, created, incentivized, and innovated by the power of the Holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of those who walk in the light.
How? The Church of Jesus Christ gathers to visibly proclaim and give thanks and praise for what God has done, continues to do, and has yet to do for us through Jesus. Worship, itself, is meant to bring the Word of God into our lives for the sake of salvation, obedience, and forgiveness. It is this Word that empowers and energizes us to put one foot in front of the other no matter the obstacle. From our Word and Sacrament ministry, comes celebration of new pathways and possibilities in every situation. I think, the close of worship really does end with the unspoken blessing: And so it goes…
We are the ‘it’ and we go…into a broken world that needs to be reconciled to God with the Good News of Jesus Christ. God, extends to us, healing, restoration, and peace through Jesus Christ. So, we don’t have to spend much time recognizing new pathways for change. Why? Because, grace invites us onto the path toward reconciliation with God and others. The path is not paved with ‘good intentions’, rather it’s long, winding, and paved with forgiveness.
If you find yourself unable to step forward into the future for any reason, consider combining these two phrases: And so it goes…I forgive you.
Sometimes, the ‘you’ is us, the person we face in the mirror each day. On some days, the ‘you’ has a specific name surrounded by betrayal, hurt, anger. On other days, the ‘you’ is a cause or diagnosis. Still other days, the ‘you’ is God. The only way I know begin reconciliation is naming and claiming the truth to the outcomes of the vulgarities of life and love. Even Jesus started there: Father, forgive them.
Perhaps, you are like me and are seeking a new way to engage reconciliation in the days, weeks, and years to come. I encourage you to adopt a mantra or life goal that focuses your time, talents, faith, and power. Go ahead, try this one – And so it goes…I forgive you.
gracexchange 