SERMON ARCHIVES

There are times when I wonder if, in the end, there is only suffering and the absence of suffering. Desolation is real. But it is not all there is forever. And joy is real, too. If desolation is the ocean we swim in, it need not be where we drown.

The Rev. Kirk Loadman-Copeland writes: “It is not clear if life is joy punctuated by tragedy, or tragedy punctuated by joy.” We live forever between the poles of existence, between desolation and consolation, but the Rev. Dr. John Buehrens tells us that the way we live in that space “matters forever.”

Each day we may walk into the unknown, into unseen growth, challenges, and mysteries. As we depart 2020 and step into unseen experiences awaiting us in 2021, we can pause for a moment, gather our breath, reflect on what we have learned, and prepare to welcome the new year.