Excerpt from Exodus 6:2-9

"'I am the Lord…I will redeem you.' Moses told this to the Israelites; but they would not listen to him, because of their broken spirit."

Reflection by William C. Green

It's hard to live with loss. I may have hope and faith, but compared to losing a job, or my health, or someone I love, these are a stretch. God becomes remote.

I find it helpful to remember that what's become remote is not God, but me. I've been knocked off balance, sucker punched, broken in body or spirit. All I can see or think of is myself, what's instantly at hand and roiling inside me.

It's the support of others that begins to get me on my feet and make me able to move again, a step at a time. That's God enough for me, since it can be hard to pray alone and experience God's support.

I've come to believe that God is not known primarily in terms of my own feelings. My faith comes alive in the give-and-take of the feelings, concerns, and prayers of others, including those at church. Perhaps this is why Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in their midst."

I don't believe God ever wants us to be broken and running on empty. I also believe, as one writer put it, that God's power can only enter where there is a void to receive it — and we no longer try to fill it by ourselves.

Prayer

God, you become known through us for others and through them for us. Heal any broken spirit in the power of your Spirit. Amen.

About the Author William C. Green, a United Church of Christ minister, is the Director of Long Looking, a consultancy service specializing in fundraising and education for congregations. His new book, 52 Ways to Ignite Your Congregation: Generous Giving, has just been published.

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