Weekly Reflection: A Message From Mayfield

Last week devastating tornados struck several states. One of the hardest hit areas was Mayfield, Kentucky where many of the town’s buildings were destroyed and numerous people were injured and killed. Amid this horrific tragedy, it did not take long for stories of both great pain and determined resilience to emerge. I want to share one story coming from Mayfield United Methodist Church. Just a few days after the tornados, CBS news interviewed the Rev. Joey Reed the pastor of the church. The video of that interview is posted below, and I encourage you to watch the entire interview.

There are two messages from that interview that are especially meaningful to me. The first has to do with joy, an unlikely subject under the circumstance. Before the tornados hit, the bulletin for the upcoming third Sunday of Advent had been prepared. Traditionally the theme of that Sunday is Joy. Rev. Reed shared that one bulletin was found underneath the rubble of the church building. The following message was printed on the back of the bulletin, “Joy is often mistaken for happiness, but happiness can change by a turn of events. Joy is something that abides.” The church went on to hold a worship service that Sunday in partnership with another church that was not destroyed in the storms. The service maintained that week’s Advent theme on Joy, because they were grounded in a faith in God that transcended even the terrible circumstances they were enduring. The second message that impacted me was when Rev. Reed shared that “Discipleship is forged in a crucible of suffering.” He went on to say that the suffering needs to be acknowledge and deeply mourned. Only then can people move on into the future with hope. Reflecting on this, it occurred to me that this is true not only for those suffering from the recent tornados but for all kinds of suffering. In particular, I think of the calling of the Cornelius Corps to lift up racial justice as an essential aspect of discipleship. Here too we must acknowledge and mourn the deep suffering of racial injustice both historically and in the present. Then we can move forward in hope trusting in the love of God that redeems suffering and opens up a new way. Please continue to pray for Rev. Reed, the people of Mayfield, KY, and all those suffering from last week’s storms. Also consider contributing to one of the many organizations aiding the storm victims. Even as we pray for them and offer assistance to them, may we give thanks for their witness of faith, resilience, and discipleship.