Pastor's Pondering - August 5, 2022

“Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dear friends –

Tom and I enjoyed some time up in northern Minnesota last week where I had the chance to take a night sky photography class with a photographer up in Grand Marais who I have followed on social media for several years. It was a bucket list opportunity, for sure! We had a great trip. The green in the above photo is the northern lights, which I have not seen before. The full section of the quote above from MKL is part of his last speech in Memphis on April 3, 1968. “Strangely enough, I would turn to the Almighty, and say, "If you allow me to live just a few years in the second half of the 20th century, I will be happy." Now that's a strange statement to make, because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land; confusion all around. That's a strange statement. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. And I see God working in this period of the twentieth century in a way that men, in some strange way, are responding.” Martin Luther King, Jr., even in the midst of all the turmoil and racial injustice of the 60s, again and again pointed his listeners to hope – that even when things are the darkest, the most pointed light can come through. Our next few weeks at River Glen, we will focus on hope as well – on seeing light in the darkness, in having spiritual practices that continue to lift us up even when things are challenging, and in spurring one another on in endurance and good expectations for what is to come, especially for younger generations who are experiencing the pinch of wondering what is next. I hope you’ll join us on Sunday! Jess