After the phone call

Praise be to the Lord,
to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens.
Our God is a God who saves;
from the Sovereign LORD comes
escape from death.
Psalm 68:19-2

I made a phone call today and it rang and rang and then they answered - they answered. And now all I can do is whisper the words above.

I was standing this morning in the Narthex at Truro catching up with friends when I learned that my dearest of friends, whom I've known since my twenties, were in what was nearly a horrific crash on the interstate freeway not long after they headed out with their children and their packed SUV and trailer to make a new home in Virginia. As they drove on the open highway, suddenly, their car and trailer jack-knifed and flipped over, trapping the entire family inside.

But the car and the trailer - loaded up to capacity for their long journey - did not explode. There was no fire. The entire family crawled out of the car and escaped.

And they did escape - all of them were saved. And except for a few bumps and scratches and a couple of stitches for the driver, they walked away from the crash.

When I talked to them this afternoon, I kept blinking back the tears of gratitude - and they gave me the verse above. Talking with them, grateful, so grateful, reminded me once again that no matter what happens - the church is the people, not the buildings. It's the people - whether we are delivered to remain in our church homes or become sojourners through the land - it will still be the people. And God is indeed Abba, our Father.

As I listened over the phone to what happened - and most especially, what didn't happen - they told me they will not give up. They are leaving their diocese and they are coming to CANA. They retrieved their possessions that survived the crash and, with a borrowed truck, they will continue on their journey, placing their trust in a God who delivered them. I am so grateful that this family, a family that has weathered so much all ready, will continue this new journey in faith. I am awed by their witness that even now, at this hour, they will not, even in the face of near death, they will not, by the grace of God, give up.