Remaining rooted in the steadfast Word of God, we can be still and know that God is here.
Vicar Andrea Bonneville
Reformation Sunday
Texts: Psalm 46, Jeremiah 36:31-34, John 8: 31-36
Beloved in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. These are the words of Psalm 46, which we heard paraphrased in “A Mighty Fortress is our God.“
Be still and know—
Though the waters pour, the fires burn, the wind rages, and the temperatures rise;
Be still and know—
Though the virus spreads, the community is scattered, and people are ill;
Be still and know—
Though the election is just days away and injustice cries all around us;
Be still and know—
Though we are filled with anxiety, fear, and despair;
Be still and know—
Two actions that seem practically impossible as the chaos of the world spins around us. How are we supposed to be still when we are filled with so many emotions? How are we supposed to know when so many voices seek our attention?
Telling ourselves to be still is almost as foolish as telling a tree to stop swaying in the wind. When the wind blows, we can’t help but move with it.
We are swayed by social media, the news, even the lies we tell ourselves about our worthiness. In a time that is difficult to trust and in the midst of such powerful winds, where on earth do we find the respite of stillness?
Are we waiting for the eye of the storm? Just a brief respite from the wind gives us a chance to pull the hair back from our eyes, to see what’s around us. Or. Are we searching for our grounding, seeking to grow roots deep within the soil—a tether to hold us?
There are many valid responses to chaos.
Right now, it’s hard to be still and know.
It is hard to remain in the word of God as we usually have. Our rituals of gathering in community, feasting together, and communal song are not available to ground us.
When we’re uprooted from all of these things that teach us how to remain in God’s word, we must root ourselves in the proclamation we hear through John’s Gospel.
Jesus literally says, remain in me, and remain in my Word.
Continue in me, Continue in my Word
Hold onto me, hold onto my Word
Live in me, live in my Word
To be still and know is to remain in God. God with us tells us to remain in me. That sounds easy, but we know that finding rest in the midst of chaos is never easy.
We hear from the prophet Jeremiah that God writes on our hearts.
When God writes on hearts, our connection to God is no longer simply about belief, understanding, or knowledge. When God writes on our hearts, God makes a promise to forever be in relationship with us.
So, when Christ says to remain in me and remain in my word, God has already promised through the prophet of Jeremiah to do the heavy lifting in this two way relationship.
God writes that we are loved; beloved, claimed by God sealed with the Spirit forever. This is our baptismal promise. A promise that our entire identity is rooted in the steadfast love of the Triune God.
The promise of God’s steadfast love is engraved on our hearts; a promise that flows through our veins, a promise that reaches the tops of our heads and the tips of our toes; a promise that continues to flow throughout our entire body with each beat of our heart.
Beloved, God has made a permanent mark on your heart. And God is here and God is always with you. Each of us is an embodiment of God’s love in this world.
So when you can’t seem to calm yourself down, place a hand on your heart. Feels God’s presence within you.
Be still and know—
a centering, a deep breath that fills our lungs
Be still and know—
Letting ourselves be held by the community of Christ that surrounds us.
Be still and know—
Digging in our feet and rooting ourselves in God in the midst of chaos.
Be still and know—
It isn’t necessarily this far off thing that we have to achieve through physical stillness, meditation, or emptying our minds.
In these times, whenever you feel a sense of calm, identify it as God.
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and remain in God.
Remain in the presence of God. Remain in the people of God. When we remain in the Word of God, we grow deep roots of rest.
Theses roots entangle with the roots of our neighbor and with all of creation. Tethering us to the rich soil and to each other. The deeper and more enmeshed our roots grow, the further we can stretch ourselves out to witness to the injustices of our world and the needs of our neighbor.
Be still and know does not mean being complacent, but it allows us to let go of some of the burden of today because of our connectedness God and all of creation. It’s the kind of rest that comes from the confidence and certainty that God is here. We are not called to reform the world by ourselves
Be still and know is to continue in the work of Christ. To continue speaking truth to power. Showing empathy to all of God’s beloved. And holding each other as the wind blows.
We may rest in the life, the death, and the resurrection of Christ Jesus. Because the good news for today is that in the midst of the chaos, God lives in us and the Holy Spirit moves through our veins. For we know that we are no longer captive to sin but we are freed by what Christ has done for us. Free to Grow, free to Proclaim, and free to rest.
Thanks be to God who engraves steadfast love on our hearts; God who in the midst of chaos whispers, be still, my beloved, be still and know that I am your God and you are my mine.
Amen.
