Tomb of the Unnamed Soldier Parliament Hill, Ottawa
"Trust"
'Trust: a “word” from the Society of St. John the Evangelist, Boston, Mass. The psalmist says, "Whenever I am afraid, I will put my trust in you."
This simple act of trust, a simple letting go, ushers us to the place of rest. His is a shared yoke. He is bearing the weight with you, and for you. Br. David Vryhof, SSJE'
On October 22nd Canadians marked the 10th anniversary of the killing of the Canadian Soldier who was standing guard at theTomb of the Unnamed Soldier, Parliament Hill in Ottawa, in October 2014.
Replay of news broadcasts from that day evoked many memories for Canadians—shocked that such an event would ever happen in our capital. Visiting the Parliament buildings of our Canadian Government changed forever that day. Dare we say that Canada came of age that day: the peaceful Canadian sense of identity and innocence dissolved, a value vanished.
David Vryhof, SSJE expresses it well in regard to Psalm 56, v.3: “Whenever I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.”
A quick “Google” search will note that the word “trust” appears throughout the Holy Scriptures, one of the earliest occurrences comes with Moses leading the people to a new life in Israel.
Imagine what that journey was like!
There were ups and downs: moments when the people were angry with Moses. Yet, the Spirit of the Lord prevailed. The community stayed together. They trusted that, though certainties of the journey eluded them, they knew it would lead to a promised land.
We at St. John the Baptist, Duncan are embarking on such a venture—not across a sea or hoping God will divide bodies of water, but a journey none the less. Do we know what the journey will look like? No. Will there be moments of inconvenience? Yes.
But we must trust the process. Why? If we knew everything at the outset, we would likely never even begin the journey! Having taken those few first steps, we must now continue. We must acknowledge that there are uncertainties. Yet, God calls us to continue—as a people moving into a “new land” of ministry.
Together, we will explore the outcome. It will be exciting to experience the journey and to trust God, as the people of Israel did long ago.
Together, we will journey—guided by the Word of God. He calls us to trust him—again and again—to trust God—not with partial faith, but with our whole life.
It is a tall order—but we can be sure that God will lead and comfort us through the journey.
