A Devotion for What Comes Next

We’ve all heard the words: “What now?” after a disaster. After a mighty storm or flood or trauma, “What Comes Next?” seems to fall from the lips of all those affected. It’s a fair question; in the face of uncertainty, we long to know where we will find shelter, what we will eat, and how we might rebuild when all seems broken beyond repair.

After the conclusion of yesterday’s Special Session of the General Conference of the UMC, many of us are asking “what comes next?”(More details on the results of the Conference can be found here). Whether you find yourself pleased with the results of the vote or mourning, the fact remains that this conference revealed a great division within the UMC, the church so many of us love and call home. And so we ask: what now? How do we continue the work of the church, the work God has called us to when it seems like so much is broken beyond repair?

I don’t find it coincidental that next week we will begin the season of Lent – a time of repentance, of mourning, grieving, and refining. In this time of 40 days of preparation before Lent, we are invited to follow Jesus ever more closely, to walk in his footsteps as he teaches, ministers, eats with friends and enemies alike – and ultimately, sacrifices his very life.

Lent is one big – “What Comes Next?” season. Lent is a time where we pray prayers that almost seem too big, too complex, too heavy to pray at other times of year. We prepare to encounter Christ in his passion, death, and resurrection. Who can predict what God will do?

We pray for the grace to see our own brokenness more clearly, to align our lives more fully with how God intends us to live, and to proclaim the good news of Christ joyously in our words and lives. The rhythm of Lent gives us time and space to encounter God glorified while simultaneously searching our hearts, acknowledging our own pain and the deep pain of others.

This year, we find ourselves approaching Lent feeling a bit overwhelmed by possibilities. We are sitting on a mountain of prayer requests, both personal and communal, each known fully by God alone. And we’re listening, hoping, and pleading to see what comes next.

In our recovery work, we know that the “next” is often a long period of time. It is not a singular day, week, or even year. In the same way, our “next” as a church won’t be a moment, but rather a journey of restoration. May we tend to one another, be gentle with one another, and in all things, honor one another as beloved of God.

I leave you with this Scripture reflection from Common Prayer: A Book for Ordinary Radicals from today:

You take dry bones and clothe them with bodies :
create a church from those who are dead.

Psalm 127:1 – 4

Unless the Lord builds the house : their labor is in vain who build it.
Unless the Lord watches over the city : in vain the watchman keeps his vigil.
It is in vain that you rise so early and go to bed so late : vain, too, to eat the bread of toil, for he gives to his beloved sleep.
Children are a heritage from the Lord : and the fruit of the womb is a gift.

You take dry bones and clothe them with bodies :
create a church from those who are dead.

Grace and peace,

Chaplain Amy