Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places, Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ! The Great Transition. Whatever you might call it, we are in it.  Our politics may be a harbinger of such a transition with the current spirited conversation between past ways of ordering society and emerging new ones. From the beginning, literally, God has been part of such conversations, calling us to remember our ancestors while reminding us “I am making a new creation.”  How many times does Jesus start off a lesson with “You have heard it said . . . but I say to you”?

Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places— Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, who took a little girl by the hand and raised her up. “I’m Harry, this is Jenny, how we can help?” This is how I got started in gun violence prevention.  It was a Friday in 2010 when we attended a weekly luncheon of the City Club of Cleveland where Conceal Carry was being debated, a hot topic in Ohio back then.  We sat in the two remaining seats at a table in the back.

Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places— Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, who said once that the truth will set us free. Who said, “What is truth?” This is the only question I remember from the ordination exam I and other Presbyterian students took back in 1984. This Bible content exam, one of five needed to continue our journey to becoming Presbyterian pastors, was multiple choice and I only remember this question because I got it wrong, and apparently so did my classmates. We had dinner together following the exam in the Refectory at Yale Divinity School and this was the question we all discussed. Who said it? Never heard the question before. Are you sure it’s in the Bible?

Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places— Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, who crossed the Sea of Galilee to a foreign and inhospitable land. This land seems closer than ever before. You may recall last week we left Jesus and his disciples on a boat after a storm and there was a great calm following Jesus’ pronouncement “Peace, be still!” How can I experience that peace after the Supreme Court’s recent pronouncements that have upended our understanding of democracy? How can I be still when our cherished system based on the rule of law has been, by all evidence, upended by partisan judgments not based on precedence nor the Constitution?

Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places— Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, who told four of his disciples they should go “across to the other side” in Mark 4:35-41, our scripture for this Sunday. What does this mean, “the other side”? When I hear that phrase, my mind immediately goes political and all the wrangling between sides.   Might the gospel writer have had that in mind in his day and we are supposed to reach out to those who think differently than we do?

Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places— Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ! May we plant a thousand seeds. This is Wednesday, I am on my way from Ann Arbor to Cleveland Clinic for my annual checkup and I make a last second decision to exit the Ohio Turnpike and head towards Wooster, the home of my earliest memories and my college years. I drive by fields upon fields of emerging crops.  I remember that my mom, who grew up on a farm not far from here, could tell me about every crop in every field. 

Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places— Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ! Vielen Dank!  Muchas Gracias!  Thank you so much!!! Jenny and I are back from our two-month vacation and study leave filled with deep thanks for your generosity in making this possible.  It truly was a trip of a lifetime. In the coming weeks and months, I will be sharing what I learned from our time in Australia, walking the Camino in Spain, and Germany.  But for now, here are a few insights...

Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places— Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ! I write you from a cafe in the city center of Greifswald, a college town in northern Germany not far from the Baltic Sea. Justus, who some of you may remember when he lived with us as an exchange student in 2014-2015, is finishing medical school here and will be a full-fledged physician at the end of this year.  He and his family have been a big part of our family through the years and it has been wonderful to spend time with him again. So, Australia, Spain, and now our final destination Germany. ...

Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places! Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, who walked from town to town until he finally reached Jerusalem. Buen Camino! This is the greeting you will hear and quickly learn to say on the Camino.  It literally means ‘good road or path’ but it transcends such a simple definition to mean a wish of wellbeing among pilgrims (peregrinos) and an offer of a helping hand along the journey.

Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places— Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ! The Camino de Santiago.  The Way of St. James. Like Iona, I am not sure when I first heard about this pilgrimage.  Perhaps it has been roaming around within me for years without any acknowledgment and suddenly it appeared and said it was time to go wander a bit, stretch your legs and your stamina.  And your heart. So here we are.  When you read this, Jenny and I, and daughters Gwen and Claire, will be arriving in Madrid ...