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Karen Hollis | June 29, 2025 Pentecost 3
Psalm 16
Keep me safe, O God,
for I have come to you for refuge.
I said to the Lord, “You are my Master!
Every good thing I have comes from you.”
The godly people in the land
are my true heroes!
I take pleasure in them!
Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods.
I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood
or even speak the names of their gods.
Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.
You guard all that is mine.
The land you have given me is a pleasant land.
What a wonderful inheritance!
I will bless the Lord who guides me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I know the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for God is right beside me.
No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.
My body rests in safety.
For you will not leave my soul among the dead
or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
You will show me the way of life,
granting me the joy of your presence
and the pleasures of living with you forever.
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be reflections of your word to us today, in Christ’s name we pray. Amen
I’ve been doing a lot of yoga recently. It occurred to me that I could use youtube videos to cultivate a home practice. I’ve been doing yoga with a woman named Adriene and she is teaching me about the breath. Lots of love in, she says, and lots of love out. There’s a pose I love, where you start by sitting on your knees, then take the knees wide and bow your torso forward, forehead perhaps reaching the ground, and arms stretched out before you – I think it’s actually called prayer pose. If you can imagine being in that posture, the face is tucked nicely in this protected, cozy space. Adriene calls this your own private little love cave. This is a space where we can take refuge, where we can meet God. Where we can know we are protected and we are safe. With the Psalmist we pray: “You are the Holy One, O God. Every good thing I have comes from you. You show me the way of life.” We can emerge from that space, grounded again in the holy presence within us, and with courage to be present with what is happening in the world, because God is here.
The psalms are a resource for us. We can reach to them in moments of joy and praise, fear and indignation, courage and compassion. They give us words for the full range of human experience and emotion.
When we are present with the many things happening in the world, we might join voices near and far, praying the words of Psalm 13: how long, O Lord? How long will the world order be in flux, and what will it become? With so much uncertain today, we worry about our safety, about our loved ones across borders and oceans, those we know and don’t know, because of policies and actions that don’t support the common good. We lift up to God the cost of groceries and medicine, jobs and research grants, pregnancies and families, the undocumented and queer folk, the continuity of life in creation. And we pray with the psalmist: “I know you are always with me. I will not be shaken, for you are right beside me.”
With the psalmist we pray in thanksgiving for the holy people of the world, who are showing up for Gaza. Even in our midst are those who participated in the special-appeal-offering for Gaza last week, those who purchase Palestinian dates, who write to our representatives and more. We follow on the news the movements of aid trying to reach the people, and those who would even put their physical safety on the line to save the suffering and the starving. We heard about the fleet of boats carrying aid that was illegally intercepted in international waters. “Meanwhile, thousands of people from around the world (including Canada) are walking across the desert from Egypt in the ‘Global March to Gaza,’ carrying food, medicine, and fuel. [In the words of Rev. Dr. Linda Noonan, ‘Like the Magi, they come at great peril, bearing gifts and crying, ‘Open wide the city gates and let us through!’”1 Our prayer doesn’t stand alone – it is paired with action, and necessarily so, because in this global world of ours, our safety, our salvation, is bound up with one another. God shows up where we show up. We are not safe until we are all safe. We are not free until we are all free.
I’m praying and I’m doing what I can to help, and I still worry. More than my concern for today is my concern for tomorrow. I wonder about the implications of new policies, new norms. I wonder about the implications of court rulings and eroding relationships. I wonder about the implications of conflicts between nations and where they will they lead. When will enough be enough? How long, O God? I worry about what will come, what fresh tragedies will arrive tomorrow and how they will impact, our community, our loved ones, the people of the world. And I know I’m not alone.
It’s difficult for many of us to stay in this moment, to stay present with our breath, without thinking what will happen in the future and how we will respond. I heard some wonderful words of wisdom recently from clinical psychologist, Dr. Emily Anhalt. She was telling the story of when her mom was sick in the hospital, worried about what she would do if her mom died. A family friend came to visit her and said: “the version of you that will handle that terrible thing, if or when it happens, will be born into existence in that moment. And that version of you will have more life experience, and more context, and more ability to handle that thing than you do now. It makes sense that you don’t know what you would do . . . because the version of you that will figure it out doesn’t exist yet. You have to trust your future self to handle future problems.” As I’ve thought about it, whenever I’ve had to deal with something really challenging, I do find myself present in that moment, with the presence of God, navigating my way.
A few weeks ago I talked about process theology, about God being relational. It’s the idea that as we grow and change, God evolves with us so they can meet us where we are. So, perhaps as we are born into a critical moment, God is born alongside us, companioning us with what we need. Perhaps with that awareness, we can be free and present in this moment, having faith in our future selves and in God to show up down the road.
There are people in the world today who are trying to overwhelm us with too much to think about, too much to worry about. I invite us to loosen our grip on the future, and be present today. To stay informed, without losing ourselves in the information. Take the action that is ours to do and let go of the rest. And when you need to, visit your own little love cave, whatever that may be for you and remember you are an expression of the divine, and the source of all you are, and everything you need, is as close as your very breath. Thanks be to God.