Shut Down


I had a particularly busy weekend where I worked a whole bunch. We had three church funerals in eight days. But, it is part of the job, and I was compensated for it. I stood on the sidelines Saturday with a federal employee, who's considered essential personnel, and must continue to report in to work even though there will be no income for them in the bank at the end of the pay period.  I lift up my eyes to the hills.
 From where does my help come?

You are probably as exasperated about the shutdown of our federal government as I am. You probably have assigned villain status to one person or group as I have, and to be fair, if we were all in one room, many will differ on exactly who the villain is. Ultimately in Washington, there are plenty of small men from both political parties in big jobs. We need a sensible solution to the government shutdown and yet the players seem dug in for an even  longer haul. Simply put, a solution will eventually have to come from the ugly realities of political compromise. It may or may not come soon. Stay tuned. I lift up my eyes to the hills.
 From where does my help come?

Before you start running for the door, let me put you at ease: I'm not here to debate who's right or wrong, or to tell you what your Christian political response should be. What I do want to talk about are people's feelings in light of the shutdown: Frustrated. Uncertain. Helpless. Forgotten. These captive feelings aren't exclusive to those directly affected by the politics of the day. Do you ever look around on Sunday at people's worried faces and wonder if the church itself has become shutdown? I lift up my eyes to the hills.
 From where does my help come?

Despite all the having all strength we can muster, things don't always turn out the way we desire them to. When life takes a sharp pivot, what are we to do? Where do we look for assistance? Perhaps being a community that's caught up in God's grace is sufficient. I wonder if a church isn't sorely needed where people aren't held captive by the fear of shutdowns? I wonder if God isn't calling us to be that church today? I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)

Pastor Milo
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