A post from the Jesus Collective Leadership Team

Contribution by Cherish Hamilton (Texas, United States)

Tomorrow

What does tomorrow hold? That is a question that many of us are asking whether we live in the states or not. We’ve heard a lot over the last several months, so much that it’s felt more like years. The never ending political season. We’ve been shocked by what we’ve heard. Shocked by what others are believing on both sides. Shocked by the results we are now hearing. Shocked by what we are seeing passed on and shared across social media and in conversations. It is loud, it is shocking, and I am feeling the effects. Maybe you are too.

In a conversation recently with a pastor friend I was asked what I think is driving it all – the polarity, the buying in, the believing of shocking rhetoric on all sides. I paused and thought for a moment and responded, fear. Fear has seeped into the hearts of people and the church. We’ve all been told what the coming year holds for us if one person wins over another and all of it guised in fearful rhetoric. We’ve been told to be afraid of losing our jobs. We’ve been told to be afraid of losing our rights. We’ve been told to be afraid of a worsening economy. We’ve been told to be afraid of not having enough. Fear seems to be everywhere. 

Aristotle is known to have said, ​“Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil”. Let that sink in for a moment. Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil. These nine words call me to reflect. There is a very real pain many of us are feeling. This season has cost us. It has wounded us. Many of us are weary. The fear and the pain are real. So now what?

What is the invitation? What is the invitation in a moment where fear lurks in words dripped across our screens, where rhetoric is threaded into conversations, where our senses have been shocked by seeing a vision of kingdom that is rooted in exceptionalism and empire that is far from the kingdom of God? What is the invitation where it seems we’ve lost the point of the story? For me I hear an invitation from the Spirit to surrender and cast off fear. Sounds so simple doesn’t it? But yet here we are, here I am, with heart palpitations, knots in our stomachs, wondering what happens tomorrow. 

Tomorrow? The truth is we don’t know what happens tomorrow. It feels uncertain. Yes, we’ve weathered this season and are feeling the affects, the wounds, the division. It has all been a devastating disruption. It has been a shock to our system. 

So I ask again, what is the invitation? Today I turn from fear and hold fast to Jesus, the Jesus of the Sermon on the Mount. The Jesus who teaches us who the kingdom of God is for. The Jesus who reminds us that it is what we do, not what we say or how we vote that glorifies God. The Jesus who teaches us to pray HIS kingdom come, HIS will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The Jesus who challenges us to examine where our treasures lies and seek first the kingdom of God. The Jesus who tells us not to worry about tomorrow and cautions us against judging each other. The Jesus who invites us to seek him and trust that he will show up. The Jesus who shows us the narrow road but cautions us that we might miss it. The Jesus who warns us against false prophets. The Jesus who tells us that we will either be foolish or wise. We will either listen and obey or we will not. The invitation waits. What will we do today? Will we turn to Jesus? Will we continue to heed his words? Tomorrow and everyday after will we receive the invitation from Jesus to journey with him on the narrow path? Yes, these days are shocking. The wounds are real. Yes, these days may be ridden with fear. Yet, the invitation awaits.