By Rev. Dr. John A. Jones IV, Associate Regional Minister – Education
“Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” ~ Luke 1:38
Summer is upon us. Humidity, higher temperatures, “interesting” weather. I must admit that I, like many people in Wisconsin, enjoy the heck out of summer. It provides the opportunity to be outside, spend more time with family, camping, biking, swimming, and vacations – simply enjoying the fullness of our human bodies.
Summer is a time of rest and invigoration, a time to play and a time to be still. I love the time with family and time on vacation, and not just because I’m kind of lazy.
Summer also reminds us that Sabbath is a lifestyle and a witness to the watching world. I was recently reading a poem by Morgan Harper Nichols about July and August:
Let July be July.
Let August be August.
And let yourself just be even in the uncertainty.
You don’t have to fix everything.
You don’t have to solve everything.
And you can still find peace and grow in the wild of changing things.
I think that this poem captures Mary’s “let it be” in a different way – kind of like the Beatles.
We are facing both dark times AND celebrations. The 250th birthday of the nation warrants celebration, but we also have to resist Christian Nationalism when we see it. This milestone will be manipulated.
This summer we need to be active, bearing witness to the Christ who conquers hate with love rather than with violence. We have to be active in resisting false idols.
But we also have to rest. We must remember that our Creator is ultimately in control of all the “wild of changing things.” When we take our rest, not only do we renew our spirits. We also lean into the reality that God – not ourselves – is ultimately in control. We don’t have to fix anything or solve anything. Our rest can be praise.
So this summer, let July be July and August be August. Let it be.
