Good Friday

Today, on Good Friday, I will sit for an hour in the Presbyterian meeting house, quietly and without any preaching or singing, and grapple with the same questions the apostles faced over 2000 years ago. Why do we deny and betray God? What does God require of us? If Jesus was the son of God, why did God make him suffer so terribly?

I've heard faith described as being willing to "sit in the question mark," a difficult thing to do when most of us want answers, and we want them now.

I still find myself amazed that I belong to a church, that I have a church family -- that, frankly, I was willing to join anything. Maybe it was no accident that I was led to my chuch right after this country elected Bush to his first term. I joined the ACLU after he was elected to his second term. I think it comes down to this: Being part of a community of people struggling to walk their faith journeys is a whole lot easier and more inspiring than stumbling along in the dark, cursing the darkness without lighting a candle. When a whole group of people light their candles together, you can see the path more clearly. And I believe in the deepest part of me that whether we choose to affiliate with any religion or congregation or not, we do have a purpose here, and that purpose will be revealed if we are open to it. I'm still searching, but I'm not searching in the dark.