Hold Fast

Romans 12:9-21
Second Reading for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Year A)

One of my favorite pictures ever of our two boys was taken in the final month before I moved to Tennessee. The two of them are dancing in the sprinkler in my parents’ yard. The sun beams down on them. And I know that it sounds cheesy, but it looked like every children’s Bible illustration of the Holy Spirit shining down. But instead of a just-baptized Jesus and a dove it was our 6 year old and 3 year old joyfully frolicking in the grass. Though that was not going to save the world, it still looks like God is saying, “This is good. With them I am well pleased.”

Even four years later, that picture never ceases to make me smile. There is something so joyous and pure and good about it. It captures a memory on to which I try to hold as much as I can. It’s one of those moments that reminds me why EA and I do this parent thing even though it often drives us up the wall these days.

Many years ago, Paul wrote that our love must be sincere and we must hate what is evil. But he had a third piece of instruction that feels like the engine that drives the other two: hold fast to the good. For us to have a love that is authentic and the strength to push back on the injustice that inflicts wounds on all of us, we need to cling to whatever good we find in the world. We need to remember that goodness is there amidst the heartbreak. We need to remember that God is behind that goodness and it is what God desires for this world. It reminds us what we are striving for.

I have nothing profound to add to Paul’s words. In this year that seems like a never-ending salvo of heartbreak, hold fast to what is good. Remember it. May it nourish you as you try to love God and neighbor. May it be the goal in your mind as you try to join God in making this world a more just, loving, and compassionate place.

Hold fast to the good. Remember it. Treasure it. Show the good to those around you. May it sustain you and keep you.