God speaks through Scripture. Of this, I am entirely convinced.
God speaks in other ways, too. Christians have told me that God speaks to them through nature, through art, and through the mouths of their loved ones—to name only a few.
On this Independence Day, I hear God speaking to me in Amanda Gorman's poem "The Hill We Climb," which she wrote for the inauguration this past January. In it, she reminded the nation,
"There is always light if we're brave enough to see it."
This was a hopeful and healing statement in a time of great division in the country. I also hear this sentiment in the context of a changing church and a changing world. It's easy to be overwhelmed and afraid in tumultuous times like these. But the Gospel of John tells us that Jesus is the light that is coming into the world. It assures us, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it" (John 1:5).
As I grapple with how to be a Christian in a deeply misguided world, I'm turning today to Gorman's poem. It's a reminder that our country is, as she describes it: "a nation that isn't broken, but simply unfinished."
You can (re)watch her reading of the poem "The Hill We Climb" at the January 2021 inauguration here: