“Do not let your hearts be troubled,” Jesus says to his disciples in his farewell discourse shared while he is on his way to the cross and his death. In that context, these are meant to be comforting words.
But reading these words in the context of the planet heating up with the resulting unprecedented wildfires, flooding and violent storms; with the melting of glaciers and ice floes; the extinction of creatures whose habitats have disappeared; ice storms replacing snowstorms in the Northland; peoples suffering the effects of drought, and those wondering where they will live when their homelands are no longer inhabitable, I hear the words as an affront. How can one look upon any of this and not be troubled? Isn’t being disturbed in heart and spirit the faithful response? Let your hearts, minds and spirits be quaked to their core at the devastation and loss and at our failure to be neighbors who care for the least of these.
But then let’s change contexts again, this time to this year’s EcoFaith Summit, From Fear to Fire: Igniting Community for a Planet in Peril, held at the church I serve in Duluth. Here Jesus’ words accurately translated: “Do not let your (plural) heart (singular) be troubled” were experienced by nearly 400 people (including online participants) sharing one heart overflowing with care for the earth and her creatures and for the humans most impacted by environmental neglect and injustice. This one heart came together troubled, but left ignited to act on behalf of the planet in as many dwelling places as were represented. A community with one heart seeking to follow Jesus who says, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”
Again, context is key. How often this I AM statement of Jesus is used to exclude and dismiss: if you don’t believe in Jesus as the way, the truth and the life, you will not know God nor will you experience abundant or eternal life. This, when his words are meant to be reassurance for questioning disciples who, when Jesus is killed, will wonder if they have made a grave error and followed the wrong path – one with a dead-end. And then they will have to wonder again when, after being overjoyed with Jesus’ resurrection appearances, Jesus departs and they wonder if they have been abandoned on a path to nowhere.
He goes on to tell them that he will not leave them orphaned, and reassures them that though things are going to get rough and they may doubt and think all is lost, he is and will continue to be “the way, the truth and the life.” Words of comfort also for those of us who sometimes flag in our hope for the planet and in our human capacity to live out care for “all our relations.” It is good to be reminded that Jesus’ way of being is “the way”, sometimes evidence to the contrary.
Perhaps, you know Antonio Machado’s line: “Caminante, no hay camino;” translated “Traveler, there is no road; we make the road by walking.” Thomas in the story wants directions– a roadmap to a place. I expect most of us do, too. We want to know: what to do? How to fix things? What’s next? And there were plenty of Fireseed breakout sessions at the Summit to give us tools and direction, as well as action stations for us to do something right on the spot.
However, the bigger gift was and is the spirit and power of that one heart walking together the way of love, the way of creation care, Ignited, set aflame, we return to our dwelling places as smoldering embers that do not die out but remain ready to burst into flame, not as a destructive out-of-control wildfire, but like a controlled burn – intentional and restorative, making way for new life – the abundant life Jesus has promised.
Jesus encourages his dubious disciples with the promise that they and we will do greater works than he. On our own that is impossible but together we have the power of our collective heart and the promise from Jesus that we do know the way.
The Rev. Dianne O. Loufman
First Lutheran Church, Lead Pastor
faithlovecommunity
Duluth, MN
Rev. Dianne Loufman
Duluth, MN
About First Lutheran: We were pleased to host the EcoFaith Summit for the third year in a row. We have a group of community people pairing up with congregational members to make our community garden truly that – a communal space. We are waiting for the 300 pollinator plants planted in the fall to start rising from the earth. We look forward to celebrating Lake Superior Sunday the third week of July and we hope this year we and our neighbors to the north are free of wildfires burning and sending us all sheltering inside. My husband and I look forward to our annual Boundary Waters trip this summer, even as we will be grieving the possibility of its sacredness being dishonored by mining. There is work to be done; we walk the way together.
Beautiful, Dianne. And profound.
Thank you, once again (all of you at First!), for your gracious hospitality for the Summit.
And thank you, Dianne, in particular, for these words that invite us to continue our reflection, dig deeply into the work before us in our particulare contexts, and blaze brightly, knowing we are part of a holy fire that spans the state, the region, the nation, the world - bursting open fire seeds of healing, restoration, renewal, and possibility as we burn away all barriers to God's preferred future.
Thank you, Rev. Diane. May our hearts, minds, spirits indeed be quaked to the core. May we create new paths together as we follow the Way. Grateful for this reflection and to be your neighbor!