It has been almost two weeks since the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic.
I don’t know about you, but that seems like a lifetime ago. So much has changed so quickly I’m not sure what to feel at any given point.
I woke up a few mornings ago and realized that not knowing what to feel actually provides me with the opportunity to choose how I’m going to feel.
Last week, a colleague reminded me of the Old Testament prophet Zechariah’s admonition:
Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
today I declare that I will restore to you double.(Zechariah 9:12)
The great South African theologian Steve De Gruchy took the concept of hope a step further and once said that “We are called to be midwives of hope.”
The COVID-19 Pandemic is testing us in ways that few imagined just a few weeks ago. The cost—human, economic, social—is huge and growing. It is easy to lose hope in these times. But as the prophet Zechariah and De Gruchy remind us: despair is not an option.
Not only must we remain hopeful ourselves, but we must also bring hope to others. We can do this through our own acts every day—with our coworkers, our family members and our neighbors. By doing so we are united with one another through our common humanity.
Moreover, that is where we will find God.
It is through that strength of unity that we can be of real service to those in need even as we face challenges like the COVID-19 Pandemic. We are only going to get through this by working together.
My prayer for each of you is that you can find the hope of which Zechariah reminds us so that you can continue to be a midwife of hope for others.
So, each morning when I get up, I choose hope.
Anyone who knows me will attest that I am fundamentally a city person. Having lived in New York City on and off for over 30 years, my instincts are well-honed and distinctly urban. I can emerge from the subway and my sense of direction is intact. I know the most likely corners on which to catch a taxi during rush hour. My knowledge of animals is limited to the best kinds of pets for apartments.
Last Thursday afternoon, just before heading home to New York, I stood on Mount Nebo in Jordan and looked west to the Promised Land. Mount Nebo is where Moses stood at the end of his life, having led the Israelites in the desert for forty years, and died. 
A good pilgrimage leaves one with more questions than answers and this one has not disappointed. Several evenings we were blessed to have guests come and talk with us about the current situation here in the Holy Land. It’s hard not to be discouraged. How does one get to a just peace? What does that even mean?
I’m a planner. Some of that is by necessity. But, I confess, a good bit of it is by nature. And what does God do when you make plans? God laughs.
In keeping with my desire to observe Advent by seeking out beauty (see my 
This Sunday, the First Sunday in Advent, will mark a new liturgical year. We tend to gloss over that in our culture, focused as we are on the big event: Christmas Day. However, Advent is one of the places where one can feel God at work in the world. Here are five ways to make space for God during Advent. 