What a difference a day makes.

Yesterday, the sun was shining and the weather was warm as I crossed the street to cast my vote in the presidential election.

I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep last night; stayed up late watching the returns, and woke early with a storm rolling in, wind and rain battering against my bedroom window.

The work of today, though, looks a lot like the work of yesterday.

I have a funeral to prepare for, always a hard call, to hold the grief of the bereaved, while continuing to hold out the hope, even the joy, of resurrection, the extension of a life of love.

Last week, I noticed that our infant baptism information forms had not been updated in a long time; they contain embarrassing assumptions about the structure of family. They need to be reformed in order to reflect the blessed diversity that is embraced in this community.

I had a conversation with a community colleague about the nasty undercurrent of racism underlying some of the discussion of local ballot issues. We agreed that we have work to do to help to understand, air, heal our divisions; to root out the racism hiding in plain sight in our neighbourhoods.

I need to study and pray in order to prepare a sermon from the scriptures for this Sunday, one which will assure people of the grace of God’s love, the gospel of Christ, and compel us to respond likewise by loving mercy, doing justice, walking humbly with one another and with God.

I will look ahead to Advent, with its portents and promises of end times and righteous judgement, when the oppressed will be set free, the hungry fed, the weeping comforted. In the meantime, the season says, though, there will be storms.

A line in this week’s readings exhorts, “Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.” (2 Thessalonians 3:13)

The sleepless night, the stormy conditions, the darkness of the morning do not help to mitigate the weariness, the nervousness, the heaviness of life and limb, but the work is the same today as yesterday. Holding grief; holding out hope. Reforming assumptions to include more families in our embrace. Confronting sin. Studying scripture, praying, waiting on the Word of God. Weathering storms.

“Do not be weary in doing what is right.”