Subject: Embracing Wisdom: A Call to the Church (06/17/'24)

Subject: Embracing Wisdom: A Call to the Church Dear Friends, In the dawn of the twenty-first century, we find the Church resembling an ostrich, lost in a landscape of shifting sands and shadows. There is a pervasive belief that if we see no one, no one sees us. This game of oblivion, a dance of avoidance, has marked our days. With wings that flap in joyous abandon, we soar on pinions and plumage infused with love’s light. Yet, beneath us, the earth cradles our forsaken responsibilities, warming them in the dust. Forgotten in this act is the peril that a mere foot could crush them, or that wild beasts might trample them in their heedless wandering. In our folly, we treat our commitments with a cruel indifference, as if they were not our own. Our labor, though in vain, stirs no concern in our hearts, for God has veiled wisdom from our eyes and withheld a share of understanding from our souls. When we lift ourselves on high, we mock the challenges before us, unaware of the ground’s treachery below. Dear Church, we must not remain trapped in the illusion of unseen presence, burying our heads in the sands of denial. The world calls out, waiting to be engaged, to be reconciled. Let us lift our gaze from the dust, see beyond the plight, embrace the wisdom we have long forgotten, and walk in the light that has always been ours to follow. In faith and unity, Pastor Steven G. Lee (June 17, 2024)