Spinning into Grace

       “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for                         them.?”          Psalm 8.3-4
 “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.  If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”
                                                                                                        Psalm 139.7-12

                                                                         

        Years ago, we lived in a town that was out in the middle of not much else.  The night sky was clearly visible as were the stars, the planets, all the stuff that inhabits the night sky. It was amazing! Standing in our backyard and looking upward, it seemed as though you could see the night sky move; feel the earth moving beneath your feet. For me it was a fragile feeling. All that was holding me down from floating into that night sky was something called “gravity”, a “thing” I couldn’t see, smell, hear, or touch. In fact, I couldn’t even really feel it! Yet, gravity was the very invisible source I needed to trust, despite my blindness to it.
        Life often feels as though it’s spinning out of our control. We fear we are powerless to stop the spinning. Even groups of people, no matter how large or small that group, will find themselves struggling with the same feelings, the same fears. Our reactions may include anger, depression, frustration, and alienation. In our individual or collective desire to find that grounding we need, we may make impulsive decisions that are unhealthy for us – and perhaps – unhealthy for the group. We go looking for a place or group that appears grounded, leaders who we believe will rescue us from our unsettledness and “ground” us once again. The truth is, however, that even those new groups will eventually become unsettled by change.
         In Psalm 8 the psalmist asks the timeless question. Do we really matter? Does the Ultimate Force of the Universe notice us? Care about us?  In Psalm 139, the psalmist gives us a piece of the answers we seek. There is nowhere that we can be without God. Nowhere. Further, God who is everywhere cares so much for us that this Holy One hangs in there with us even while we go looking or doubt.
         There is a Force greater than us that keeps us on solid ground. All around us we see the evidence of that Ground of Our Being. The Bible stories tell us that swirling in a vortex of change and fear is not for us. We are able to breathe deeply and move through those uncertain times. We know that others throughout human history have done so, and it’s because the Author of the Universe, the Ground of Our Being, never leaves us. The truth is that no matter where we go to escape the unsettled feelings of change or fear, we will eventually experience the same feelings again. We need these Psalms, we need these Scriptures, we need one another so that even in the frightening times of loss or change or worry, we can remember. God never leaves us.
          One of my favorite hymns, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” contains this reference to
1 Samuel 7.12: “Here I plant my Ebenezer”. The Hebrew word means “thus far the Lord has helped us”. That “Ebenezer” is our solid ground. It is the place wherein we remember that God has helped us thus far and will not abandon us. It is our statement that although changes come, we are grounded by God’s loving Presence. Gravity is the force that allows us to feel secure in the midst of a swirling, dancing universe that can make us dizzy or anxious. The Holy One is the force that allows us to feel secure in the midst of the swirling, dancing experience of change.  In life, change is inevitable. In lives, God’s love never changes. Trusting what we cannot see is acting upon our faith. Have you planted your Ebenezer deeply enough that you are anchored there? Coming together as Church is the way we deepen that Ebenezer. Life is filled with changes. We do not need to fear or walk away. Together we are able to cling to the Solid Rock and experience the joy of the journey.
           Whenever we feel that our world is spinning out of control, we need to run, not walk, to those who can ground us again. Those who can remind us that there is a force, a power greater than ourselves and that we are not alone. Church, may we be that place for others. May we be that place for ourselves.