The Sun Still Shines Through

I preached Sunday about opting out of that which disconnects us from God and one another (see this exegesis from the amazing Debie Thomas that guided me). I talked about our collective struggles with racism and greed, and smaller more personal struggles like my own with mindless scrolling. Right after I recorded the sermon, I was scrolling and walking to the sanctuary completely oblivious to what I just said on the video. Still, I happened to look up for a second and caught the beauty in the image you clicked on to get here.

I confess that I find stained glass can sometimes be a way to keep us disconnected from the earth and from our community, forming a visual barrier between those Inside and those Outside. But in moments like I captured here, the sun breaks through and throws a rainbow on the wall anyway. I think God is like that, breaking through the ways we are disconnected to give us glimpses of a more beautiful way to be.

This window at Calvary depicts the parable of the rich man and Lazarus from Luke 16:19-31, in which a man enjoys riches in life and ignores the suffering of his neighbor Lazarus. In death, Lazarus is rewarded, and the rich man suffers. It is a parable that condemns the disconnect between rich and poor in Jesus' day and today. Watching the sun shine through this window, I was left wondering not only the ways God is breaking through the barriers we create, but also the ways God is leading me by the hand to break through those same barriers, whether the disconnect is caused by my own grief and distraction or by societal sins like racism and classism. I have discovered even these moments of comfort and beauty are calls to create that for others. To help others open themselves to the ways the sun breaks through and throws some rainbows up on the wall for us all.