In the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount he offers a series of “blessings.”  One of those blessings goes like this: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” I always thought that to be an odd blessing. Shouldn’t it be: “Blessed are those who ARE righteous……?” Those who have it all figured out, correct on every issue, the righteous, shouldn’t they receive God’s blessing?  Not those of us who are spinning around not knowing which way is up or down. Perhaps there is something to admitting I do not have the right answer so instead of pretending I do, or simply taking someone else’s advice, I am going to go through this process of prayer and discernment out of a deep desire for doing the right thing.  The journey of hungering and thirsting for righteousness often comes out of experiencing a difficult situation we did not see coming.

Over the past month there have been several events that have emerged out of nowhere.  Some of our own churches have been affected with the earthquake and hurricane that ravaged Haiti.  Recently, flooding in the Middle/West Tennessee area caught everyone by surprise forcing people to scramble to pick up the pieces.  All of our hearts are groaning watching the situation in Afghanistan from a distance and just when it seemed that school might be able to gather with some sense of normalcy, administers, educators and students all begin the new school year facing political division and confusion on how to handle the surge of the Delta variant of COVID-19.

I am asking all Cumberland Presbyterians to join in prayer. To pray for hope and healing where natural disasters have destroyed people’s ways of life. To pray for peace, understanding, and grace among conflict, strife and political upheaval.  To pray for healing and safety for all those entering a new school year.

In all of these situations there are people who are going to be making difficult decisions that will affect so many.  So please pray for those who are making these decisions.  Let us pray that the decisions that are made are not from a position doing what is popular or out of selfish motives, but that they begin from a position of hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Jesus blesses those who proceed through life in that manner and promises all who do will be filled.

I am praying for all of you and please be in prayer for each other.  For those of you feel led to give financially to the relief effort in Tennessee you are welcome to send the funds to: Missions Ministry Team at 8207 Traditional Place Cordova, TN 38016. Please mark checks with TN Flood Relief.

Blessings,

Rev. Duawn Mearns, Moderator of the 190th General Assembly