Certainties

What feels certain today is that life is scary and hard. I have a roof over my head, food in my pantry, and money in the bank, but there is still a measure of grief and fear that seems to hang around. I am not living in a place where air raid sirens ring out continuously, where family members are torn apart by war, and where food is scarce, and yet an uneasy feeling sits in the pit of my stomach.

We know with certainty that we will wake up this morning, open our computers, and listen to news that will cause grief and anxiety to rise in us once again. That grief will climb its way onto our shoulders and travel with us throughout the day. We will cringe at the hate, thoughtlessness, and greed that we witness from people in the headlines and from people in our neighborhoods.

The uncertainties of this day will be enough to pray and lament over. But there are other certainties. Certainties that will bring us to our knees with prayers of gratitude. The gift of today’s lectionary text is the reading of Psalm 23.

In this Psalm, there is a lament. There is death and evil. There is the cry for God to walk with us through the valley and to give us courage in the face of evil.

And thankfully, the Psalm gives us certainties – certainties for this day and every day. May we cling to these certainties with a measure of gratitude and hope that God is with us in the valleys. God is shepherding us through. God is here. God anoints us with gracious love. God provides a way and dwells with us always.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters.

He revives my soul and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup is running over.

Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

For Good

“I've heard it said, That people come into our lives for a reason Bringing something we must learn. And we are led to those Who help us most to grow if we let them. And we help them in return. Well, I don't know if I believe that's true But I know I'm who I am today Because I knew you.

Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes the sun, Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood. Who can say if I've been changed for the better But because I knew you I have been changed for good."

(Stephen Schwartz – “For Good” from Wicked)

I will let you in on a little secret about myself and be a bit vulnerable at the same time. I love Broadway musicals, and it has been a dream of mine to sing on a Broadway stage.

At this stage in my life, I realize that is not going to happen, and I am okay with that. Obviously, my life has taken a different path. My Broadway experiences will only be from a theatre seat (when I am really lucky) or, more likely, from listening to my iTunes playlist.

I have seen a handful of Broadway shows in my lifetime. Wicked is not one of them, though it is still on my hope-to-see list. In 2003, Kristin Chenoweth played the role of Glinda the Good Witch in the Broadway version of Wicked. It was her voice that drew me to the music of this show.

Stephen Schwartz is the musical genius behind Wicked. Of all the masterfully crafted songs in this show, “For Good” is the one that’s melody and lyrics found its way into my heart. It is a song that stands as a tribute to people's influence in our lives. It is about forgiveness and gratitude for the imprint that they leave on our lives.

“For Good” is the second to last song in the musical where Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, who turns into the Wicked Witch of the West, say goodbye for the last time. The idea for the song came when composer Schwartz had a conversation with his daughter. He asked her to consider what she would say to her best friend if she knew that she would never see her again. The first verse of this song is based on his daughter’s words.

The song is about the impressions that people leave in our lives after we say goodbye. It’s about how they change us and form us “for good,” which can have a double meaning. It can mean for the better, or it can imply forever.

Just a month ago, on a hot July Sunday afternoon, my siblings and I said goodbye to our mom. She told us that she was going home on a Sunday, and after a year-long battle with declining health and dementia, she did go home…on a Sunday just as she said she would. We said goodbye for the last time in this lifetime.

In the days since her death, I have reflected on the impressions she has left behind – the imprints that mark our hearts because we knew her as our mother – the ways we have been changed “for good” because of her nurture, care, and love over our lives.

Standing beside my mother as she passed from this world into the presence of God was a sacred space. I thought of all the times that she stood with me. Some of those times were beautiful and some simply were not. It is a sacred space, this kind of relationship where acceptance and love never give up – where beauty and perfection aren’t required – where ego and resentments don’t exist. This is a space for people who really see you. They are the ones who change you “for good.”

As the song unfolds, Elphba sings words that I offer up to my mom with deep gratitude and pray that she knows…“So much of me is made of what I learned from you. You’ll be with me like a handprint on my heart.”

I hope you will take a moment to listen to this song by using the link below. As you listen maybe you will remember someone whose handprint is on your heart - someone whose goodness has made you better and stronger.

"For Good" from Wicked

Mr. Homer

There are some people who come into your life, and you know immediately that they are a gift from God. Homer Gordon was that kind of person. Quiet, kind, and compassionate are just a few of the adjectives that I would use to describe this man.

Homer was a man with a work ethic that was unmatched. He gave 100% of himself to his job and to the people that he ministered among. His gentle quiet ways made you want to be his friend. His humbleness made you want to be like him. His earnestness made you wish there were more people like him in the world. His gentle way with children made you wish that every child had a Homer in their life.

Homer Gordon was the custodian at Highland Hills Baptist Church from 1997 until 2023. He served that community of faith for 26 years with a heart of integrity and love. If you needed something, Homer would do anything in his power to get it for you. If he couldn’t meet your need, he would be humbly apologetic even if it wasn’t his fault.

I served at Highland Hills Baptist Church with Homer for 24 years. During those years, my children were usually with me as I worked and ministered. Homer loved them as if they were his own. He protected them. He nurtured them. He kept his eye on them. He loved them.

They were a part of his life until the very end. “How are Caitlyn and Chase?” he always asked. He watched them grow up from their earliest days until the day he took his last breath. He loved it when they visited with him after they left home for college. His smiles and hugs meant the world to them. Mr. Homer was a constant in their lives. He never failed them. His love was genuine and constant. They will never forget their Mr. Homer.

I will never forget this kind, gentle man. Homer never let me down. In the same way that he loved my children, he loved me. Humble and servant-hearted, that was our Homer. I have known many people with titles and degrees dripping from their resumes, but I honestly believe that the greatest who walked among us was this kind servant – Homer Gordon. May he rest in peace and rise in glory. Amen.