Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places:

Greetings in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ!

These days of uncertainty have me scrambling for insights and wisdom.  A few days ago, quite by accident, I found it in some of the oldest words, if not the oldest, in Scripture:  Miriam’s Song in Exodus 15:20-21.

Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister,
took a tambourine in her hand;
and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing.
And Miriam sang to them:
‘Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.’

Did you see what caught my imagination?

Oh, it’s wonderful that some of the first words preserved in the Bible are about women!  Women take center stage.  They are the actors in this Exodus drama. They are not on the outskirts but in the very center of a celebration of God.  In a patriarchal time, the Bible includes women in such a major way.

That’s part of it, surely.  But here’s what made me catch my breath.  Miriam, followed by “all the women,” had the forethought to bring tambourines with them.

Imagine the fear and sheer chaos of fleeing from the powerful Egyptian army close behind.  In those desperate hours, when their very lives were in great jeopardy, they did not grab weapons or give up and say life is over.  No, they grabbed tambourines with the expectation they would survive, and not only survive, but win this great battle and eventually celebrate with music and dancing.

There it is.  That’s what caught my attention.

Whatever you are experiencing—pain, foreboding, unease, fear, anxiety (place your own words here) —remember to bring your tambourine along.

Tambourines are those things we take along on our journey to symbolize great hope for the future, beyond and despite what we might see right now, to get through the Red Sea to safety and, God willing, to the Promised Land beyond.  What are your tambourines?

I am thinking I will bring my favorite banana bread recipe, and put some hope in my pockets, and the newest Louise Penny book that I just started, and my phone with the contact numbers of my friends and family and community, because at some point there’s going to be some dancing again and the sound of tambourines.

Yes, there will be.  Miriam and her friends assure me so from ancient times and I am find this to be a great comfort in these times.

Grace and peace,

Harry