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Dear Beloveds, In just a few days, I was to be leaving for the second part of my sabbatical. I was to travel to Jerusalem. We awoke on last Saturday morning to the news of the horror and atrocities that were occurring in Israel. We awoke to the news of death and destruction, and a horrible reminder that the world is a broken place. We are reeling from the news coming each day of the war. As the situation worsened, commercial airlines suspended all flights into Tel Aviv, and the difficult decision was made for me not to go to Israel. Indeed, saddened that I cannot go, it is a mere shadow of the tragedy of this horrific war. I am so grateful to Pastor Matt and our Personnel Committee for their understanding and compassion in allowing me to postpone my planned sabbatical trip to Jerusalem to a later date when things will, God willing, be safer. Please, keep lifting up this tragic and horrific war in your prayers, and all the innocent lives that have been changed forever. I will be continuing to work for the next week and a half, and then flying to Seoul, South Korea for what was planned as the second part of my trip, where I have found a retreat house high in the mountains outside of the city. While it is a Christian prayer house, they follow the monastic model of silent retreat, so my first few days in Korea will be spent in welcome silence. I am certain I will meet other sojourners who will be grieving and mourning this unspeakable humanitarian crisis. After that prayer time, I will return to the city to audit classes at a seminary in Seoul. From there, I will return home, serve as a guest preacher, and then return back to work the first week of November. I covet your prayers for the learning and growth that this trip holds. This week, I was reminded by a dear colleague of mine in the power of love. Love is a power. And we have to use this power, daily in our lives, to conquer injustice, pain, and evil. We are all reeling-- emotional, angry, and horrified at this tragic state of the world. We pray for those who have lost loved ones, and for who are fighting for their lives, and we are all praying for a way forward. I leave you with a portion of a prayer given by Pope Francis: “Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace, enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister…keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation…” May we be instruments of God’s peace in this world. With great love for you, Pastor Grace
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