Transformative
hope in a
complex world.

 Vaccines on their way, a new administration in Washington promising to apply all the resources available to the federal government to produce, disperse and administer the vaccine, and the willingness of millions to get inoculated when their turn arrives are all hopeful signs. And yet the challenge of new variants of the virus here in Colorado means the changes we pray and hope for may not come as quickly as we desire. Living between the promise of change and the arrival of such change will require us to keep the faith, trust the routines we developed that enabled us to reach 2021, and do what we are able to do to care for one another. Patience is required and we are not allowed to demand it be given to us immediately!!! 

 

The symbol of the Phoenix historically in the United States is linked to rebuilding of colleges and universities following devastating fires. The Flag of San Francisco features a Phoenix in the center of the flag, symbolic of the city’s rebuilding after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

As we focus on Embracing the Promise of the Phoenix, let me encourage you to revisit times in life when you felt devastated by events beyond your control, or perhaps choices made that resulted in dramatic change that left you wondering about (or even fearful of) what would come next. Questions like: How will I get through this? What comes next? Is there a way forward to stability and/or wholeness?

In my life, these questions were usually followed by a series of “what ifs?”: What if I don’t heal? What if there is no work to be found? What if the money runs out before help arrives?

Think about these kinds of experiences in your own history. What did you learn from them? How were you impacted by events in your own personal history? What role did faith play, if any, in moving through these life altering challenges? When you have time and if so inclined, reflect on your own history that has brought you to where you are today.