The Holding Place

Sunday, May 4, 2025

Third Sunday of Easter

International Family Equality Day

Rachel Hall-Dew (she/her)

Activist and Mother

Allied Christian

A poetic devotional for those caught in the flames and lost in the deserts of life

I must believe

That from this void of darkness

With no good end in sight

A radiant light will shine through

The warmth of the Son for me and you

For it is said,

“If you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, your night will become like the noonday.” (Isaiah 58:10)

Lord, let it be so.

And I must choose faith

That from the pangs of loneliness

And wrongful accusation

Connection will grow anew

And blessed freedom will ring true

For it is said,

“God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing.” (Psalm 68:6)

Lord, let it be so.

I must surrender and trust

That in waves of hardship

In the crushing weight of uncertainty

A new path will be made clear

A new way to breathe free from fear

For it is said,

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:19)

Lord, let it be so.

And I must hold on to hope

That from the chains of oppression

And the loss of human rights

Justice will roll down unending

Our weary souls will receive their mending

For it is said,

“I remain confident in this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13)

Lord, let it be so.

I must cling to the truth

That in confusion and loss

In heartache and sorrow

Love still leads the way

Love will always save the day

For it is said,

“Owe no one anything except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8)

Lord, let it be so.

Prayer

Lord, in our trials and tribulations, in our obstacles and challenges, in our pain and anger and grief, we ask that you would make a way when there seems to be no way. Amen.

Sometimes You Just Need a Dog

Monday, April 28, 2025

Happy Monday, my friends! Last week was strange. As a pastor and faith leader whose congregation only holds an Easter service, my Holy Week is more relaxed than many of my friends and colleagues, but that means the two weeks after Easter tend to be fuller and feature more meetings which were intentionally scheduled for “after Easter.” Going to bed last Sunday, I looked at my calendar and realized that I was going somewhere, recording something, or in Zoom meetings everyday and for most of those days. Then Monday morning the news reached North America that Pope Francis had passed away. The week I thought I was going to have had already changed.

It was almost twenty years to the day that I last consciously observed the death of a pope in 2005 when I was still Catholic. This time it wasn’t about the loss of the global head of my church, but about Francis as a builder of community and beacon of hope in a world yearning for glimmers of light. My reaction to his death was particularly informed by his openness and compassion to the LGBTQIA+ community, inside and beyond the Catholic Church. That said, he was a complex person and leader whose statements and decisions did not always live up to his intentions. I was often one of his critics, but I appreciated the work he did and the model he set for all pastors.  

By Monday night I felt like I was in a fog and couldn’t believe the pope’s death was hitting me so hard. On Tuesday morning my body told me the truth: this wasn’t grief, it was a full-blown allergy attack which would last through Thursday afternoon. I was frustrated at my inability to concentrate and at all the meetings and connections I had to postpone. I took that frustration out on Scout, who had had enough of “cranky dad” by Thursday. But sometimes we just need our furry friends even if they’ve taken the brunt of our anger and even if we aren’t exactly their favorite humans right then. Dogs can extend grace even when we don’t deserve it.[1] Scout crawled into my arms and growled when I tried to get up twice. He knew what I needed.

When life gets hard, where do you find grace?

This is not so much a prayer as a short narrative written by Patricia Czubak from the prospective of a dog. That said, let us pray: “Treat me kindly my beloved friend for no heart in all the world is more grateful for your kindness than the loving heart of me. Speak softly to me often, for your voice is music to my ears, as you can tell by the fierce wagging of my tail, whenever you call my name. Please don't leave me out in the cold and damp. For you have domesticated me and I am no longer use to the bitter elements. I ask no greater privilege than to sit by your side. If you had no home, I would rather follow you through sleet and snow than rest my head upon the softest pillow in the warmest home in all the land. You are my beloved friend, and I am devoted to you eternally. Please fill my bowls with fresh water to drink and food to eat, for although I would not reproach you if they were empty, I cannot tell you when I hunger and thirst. Do these things so that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, or so that I may stand ready to warn and protect you should you ever be in danger. When the time draws near my beloved friend, and I am weak, deprived of sight and health. Do not turn me out, rather hold me gently in your arms while skilled hands grant me merciful and eternal rest. I will leave you, knowing that with the last breath I drew my love for you knew no boundaries and my fate was forever safer and happier in your loving care.”

Blessings on your weeks, my friends. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.

Faithfully,

Ben

[1] I imagine cats and other creatures can too, but I’m definitely a dog person.

Second Easter Peace

Sunday, April 27, 2025

Second Sunday of Easter

The Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp (he/they)

Executive Director, LOVEboldly

Queer Christian

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the authorities, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19)

A week ago today we not only celebrated Easter, we celebrated a rare moment when Easter in the western Christian traditions—Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, and Protestantism—and in the Eastern Christian traditions—Eastern Orthodoxy—fell on the same day. This is also the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. In a time when there is so much division and discord across many geo-political landscapes, moments of unity can feel miraculous.

The Apostles too were living in a moment of division and great fear. The occupying army of Rome had just murdered their teacher, and their own cultural leaders had been complicit in that murder. Even though the room is dark and the doors are locked, Jesus appears to

them with a simple and reassuring message: peace be with you. Peace is never a simple reality to convey, but in that moment and in that place, Jesus need only say the word and the Apostles are reassured.

Reflection

What peace do you need right now? How can you convey peace to others?

Action

One of the hardest things for us to do is cultivate peace for ourselves. Yet, it is so important that we find time to give ourselves that which we call peace. Lock your door, find a good book, make yourself some tea, or whatever you do for peace and give yourself 30 minutes of peace today.