The Rev. Canon Anne E. Kitch
Canon for Ministry Formation and Transitions
Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time,
before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now
hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart.
1 Corinthians 4:5
The darkness gathers quickly as I walk along the path, the late fall afternoon passing from sunshine into dusk within the space of a breath. The lights of the nearby city illumine the path, and at the same time seem to cast a mystic glow, hinting at another landscape enveloping this one and for a moment I stand in the in-between and I glimpse the kingdom.
Lately I feel as if I have been walking in gathering darkness. Distress and dissipation clamor for my attention, and the news of the world and of the neighborhood is simply too much to bear. Too much to do, too much brokenness, too many demands, not enough time or resources or energy. And too easy to forget to hope. But as I stand up and raise my head in this moment I am overwhelmed with the reminder that the Kingdom of God is not only near, but among us. And when I walk this path, any path, I walk within the bounds of God’s love.
I seek the purpose that eludes me and somehow I have to be content with this. Knowing that I am called to focus on the now, not the when, and to practice hope. Nothing comes to fullness before its time.
I round the corner for home, knowing it will be full dark before I get there. But I am not afraid. I know the way.