Clergy from left, Deacon Amy Schmuck, Deacon Cynthia Biddlecomb, retired, The Rev. Mary Ann Hill and The Rev. Lynn Finnegan. Photo by Nate Limback/ladailypost.com
By The Rev. Lynn Finnegan
Former Associate Rector
Church of the Holy Faith, Santa Fe
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” These words from the apostle Paul were intended to encourage the church in Thessalonica, which was getting a little anxious. Paul, and many Christians in the first century, believed the world would end and they would join the resurrected Christ any day now, and certainly within their lifetimes. When it started looking like this wasn’t going to happen, some questioned what the future might hold. Paul encourages the church to remain steadfast in faith, hope, and love. His letter is basically a “seize the day” missive: don’t give up, don’t neglect one another, don’t waste the precious life you have, don’t worry that things aren’t going exactly as planned. He reminds them the timing of the “day of the Lord” will be a surprise and they should continue to encourage one another. “But since we belong to the day,” Paul writes, “let us be sober and put on the breastplate of faith and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation.”
The metaphor of dressing for battle in the keeping of faith is one used frequently by Paul. And some days, he isn’t wrong. Faith can be hard. I mean seriously, gratitude in ALL circumstances? Rejoicing always? Isn’t that a little over the top? What about the unexpected fears and tragedies? What about the dreams and plans and hopes for the future that go horribly wrong? The divorce, the hurricane, the addiction, the lost job, the death. Christian nationalism, racism, homophobia, threats to free speech, wars, genocide, sexual exploitation. Is Paul saying that Christ calls us to give thanks for EVERYTHING?
No. The key lies in the use of one simple preposition. Paul did not encourage the anxious Thessalonians to “give thanks FOR all circumstances,” but to “give thanks IN all circumstances.” The first is a stance of denial, but the latter is a stance of faith, hope, and trust in a loving God who will never abandon us. Inevitably, life throws a curveball. We face personal, national, and global circumstances that leave us prone to despair and frustration. We are not grateful for these circumstances, but we can remain grateful in these circumstances. We can offer them to God in prayer. We can encourage one another. We can find moments of rejoicing and gratitude in even the smallest of things. We can use our gratitude to work for change. This is not to say we deny space for tears and anger, but that we have faith that God will help us move through to the other side. We can surrender our egos while simultaneously putting on “the breastplate of faith and love” and a helmet of “the hope of salvation.”
This is my last All Shall Be Well article and I am grateful to God for the past thirty-three years in Los Alamos. My husband and I have moved to Colorado to be closer to kids and grandkids. Special gratitude goes to Carol Clark and my amazing co-All Shall Be Well writers for the opportunity to share what has long been a dream of mine: to offer a female Christian clergy voice to the Los Alamos community. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Editor’s note: ‘All Shall Be Well’ is a column written by local women clergy including The Rev. Mary Ann Hill, Rector, Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church (momaryannhill@gmail.com); The Rev. Lynn Finnegan, former Associate Rector, The Episcopal Church of the Holy Faith, Santa Fe (rev.lynn@holyfaithchurchsf.org); Deacon Amy Schmuck, Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church (deaconamy@bethluth.com); and ELCA Deacon Cynthia Biddlecomb, M.Div., retired (czoebidd@gmail.com).