Thread
This past weekend was one of unexpected challenges, but it was also one of celebration. We held a successful Annual Meeting, celebrating all the wonderful ministries that fill our sacred space and time, and we elected Sara Kirkpatrick, Kathy Simms, Ed Chrzanowski, and George Toth to serve on the Christ Church Vestry. I am thankful to Isaac, Ed, Sara, George, and Kathy for offering themselves for election. It is a pleasure to see many capable and faithful parishioners stepping up to lead this amazing congregation.
This past week, I joined nine people on Zoom for a program called Spiritual Journey. It is a nine-month program comprised of monthly meetings, readings, reflections, and journaling, and I love being a part of this group. I must add that this is my first time being involved in something like that and it was very interesting. My ultimate goal is to be a spiritual director.
It was at this gathering that the leader shared this poem called The Way It Is:
There’s a thread you follow. It goes among things that change.
But it doesn’t change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost.
Tragedies happen, people get hurt
Or die, and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding
You don’t ever let go of the thread.
As I reflected on the poem, the one word that jumped out at me was thread. I don’t know why it jumped out at me; one reason may be that it was probably used multiple times, and another reason may be because the imagery of a thread provoked something much deeper in me.
There’s an invisible thread that we follow, and it is unchangeable. Although all those who follow the invisible thread do change, they are never to let go of the thread. Never let go of the thread!
Which thread are you holding on to? Our story is one where we want to hold on to something - some thread. It isn’t part of our human narrative not to hold on to anything. We all hold on to a thread of some sort. But whichever thread we hold on to, some of us want to see, touch, and feel it. Listen to Thomas when his friends told him about the crucified and risen Christ appearing to them: “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Which thread was Thomas holding on to? Are you holding on to a thread similar to Thomas'? Do you want to see and touch your thread?
Here’s a question: Why would you want to hold on to an invisible thread? It is one thing seeing the thread and knowing what it looks like, and it is another holding on to it. To hold on to the thread, you need to have a reason - you need to know the thread. It doesn’t have to be an absolute, fantastic, or unassailable reason, but you do need to have a reason. The reason, or your knowledge of the thread, doesn’t have to make sense - but you must have a reason. And those who have a reason to hold on to the invisible thread don’t ask about how the thread looks like. For those people, the thread isn’t anything they can touch, feel, push around, or see. But they can most certainly feel the manifestation of the thread in their lives.
They trust in its benevolent power, and they know the thread to the point where their confidence in the functionality of the thread in their lives empowers them to hold on, and makes them want to continue to hold on to it.
The story is told of a student who once said to a pastor that Christianity is a crutch. The pastor asked him, "If you broke both of your legs, would you appreciate the use of a wheelchair to get around?" The student responded, "Yes, I would." The pastor asked him another question: "If you broke one leg, would you appreciate the use of crutches to get around?" and the student responded with, "Yes, I would." The pastor went on to tell the student, "I am a broken person, and so are you. I have never met a person who isn’t broken, and I am so glad I can lean on Jesus who is putting me back together again."
This isn’t a testimony from a pastor who has seen Jesus, but it is a testimony from a pastor who believes in the power of the invisible thread to put his broken life together. This is also your testimony and mine - that the thread puts our broken lives together. But through this process of mending our brokenness, we have to give up something to hold on to this invisible thread.
Some of the things we are invited to give up may be daunting, but we are called to give them up, nonetheless, so that you can be free to hold on to the thread. The simple truth is that if your hands are full, there’s no way you can hold on to anything. That’s why we have to let go - so we can hold on to the thread.
As we bring our Stewardship season to a close, please keep in mind that Stewardship Sunday is November 3, 2024. On that Sunday, we will each be invited to bring our pledge cards forward or to pledge online. We will then offer a prayer of thanksgiving together. All of these acts will symbolize one thing: we have to let go of some of what we possess to hold on to the thread.
I celebrate the thread that puts our broken lives together. The power of the thread isn’t always visible, but its effect always confounds us. I hold on to the thread because it assures me of who I am.
Thanks be to God; we are made by the thread for the thread, and that’s the only hope we can boast of.
Manny +
To pledge to Christ Church for 2025, please visit www.christchurchcolumbia.org/pledge-2025