The next contestant is…
When I was younger and had fewer evening commitments (read: before becoming a rector and before nightly bedtime with kiddos), I was a fan of the early seasons of the reality television show “Big Brother.” This show was a tamer version of the over-the-top “Survivor” show, and for the college Sociology minor in me, a purer social experiment. Big Brother begins each season with 16 total strangers locked in a house with plethora cameras where they compete, make alliances, and hope to be the last one standing for a cash prize.
Every season each competitor would come in with a strategy, but even in the early years, the recurring theme for the show was “expect the unexpected.” Mid-season, players would think that they had everything going their way with a plan that would lead to the final episode. Every season the game designers would shift the rules or throw in a twist that forced players to adapt. Expect the unexpected.
These last couple of years have felt a bit like a season of Big Brother. We have been building our program year for close to a decade and have wonderful new traditions of special worship services and music events. We have a robust spiritual, formational, and fellowship-oriented program year for our families with little ones and young people. Our Seniors, Retirees, and Empty Nesters and our Betweeners have grown close as they have gone on outings and shared meals. We have well-developed programs to care for our neighbors in need. Friends, together, we have put together a really great game plan for our common life. That said, we have learned to expect the unexpected.
Life outside of church has also thrown us many and varying twists. This came to mind (I am writing this on Tuesday morning) as I woke up this morning without power due to Hurricane Nicholas. Covid, and particularly the Delta variant, has been a further source of uncertainty. Our church community has done the wonderful work of caring for each other and offering a steady presence even as we have adapted to the unexpected. Even among the shifting sands of this world, we are constantly reminded that the rock of our salvation, the sure foundation upon with our faith is built, is the steadfast love of God we know through Jesus Christ. I pray that the unexpected happening around us can be seen through the steadfast lens of that love and we can be assured that all will be well by the grace of God.
We love you and God loves you,
Josh Condon+