Welcome

There’s a parable* in Luke’s gospel about a woman who wouldn’t give up trying to get justice from a judge “who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.” Two women in my life, a good friend and my daughter-in-law, refused to give up persuading me to write some occasional thoughts on life in this moment in time.

They convinced me that I might have a few things to say. I resisted, even though I wrote many sermons over many years, contributed to books and publications, and sent almost weekly short letters to congregations who were good enough (mostly) to read them. But I feel rusty. And I have also enjoyed a fairly carefree period in my life, with few deadlines imposed on me.

But they just wouldn’t give up.

Their counterargument is that we’re in a uniquely disorienting time. And, if any of us has a struggle to share, we owe it to each other to share it. Eventually, that made sense to me. And though I am a lifelong news junkie, I have put myself on a diet to avoid all but the major headlines. Maybe you’ve done the same. In the process, I, and maybe you too, hope to discover, or be led to rediscover, some quieter, deeper wisdom.

I feel no shame in that. It doesn’t mean I don’t care, or that I’ve given up advocating what I believe in, or taking action as a citizen. Best case: I am claiming stewardship over my energies. Taking good measure of what I can sustain.

I plan to write about this and related challenges once a week, delivered on Wednesday. I’ll share my inner struggle. I’ll tap into the wisdom of those in my tradition. I’ll offer what my teachers in other traditions have offered me.

Life is so much more than the headlines.

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Postscripts:

About me

“I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means,” Joan Didion famously said. I can’t say it better. I began working as a journalist and spent most of my years as an Episcopal priest running churches. Those are two fraught professions now, but their assumptions and rhythms are written on my soul. If this Substack goes anywhere and you come along, be warned.

Why you’re receiving this

When I retired, people were kind enough to say they wanted to hear from me regularly. Many signed up for a mailing list, which I’ve kept. But I quickly realized I need to let my successors be free of distraction from the past. And after many years of everyone else making my calendar, I embraced being calendar-free. To that prior list, I’ve added family and new friends. But I completely understand that you might want to opt out of the list. Substack makes that easy.

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* The Parable of the Persistent Woman

Luke 18: Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. He said, “There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him: ‘My rights are being violated. Protect me!’

“He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, ‘I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. But because this widow won’t quit badgering me, I’d better do something and see that she gets justice—otherwise I’m going to end up beaten black-and-blue by her pounding.’”

Then the Master said, “Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think God won’t step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won’t he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?”

[This translation is from The Message, a dynamic rendering of the New Testament. © Eugene Peterson]