After my second year of teaching, I went to Germany for one school year to teach. As a young American in a small town, I found myself most often on the same schedule of retirees. We would eat our kuchen and kaffee at the same time in the afternoon and then go see a lecture at the library or a music event at the cultural center. After a couple of months of this schedule, I found out about a gospel choir that meet in the local evangelical church.
At the first meeting, I was surprised to discover that all of the songs were in English. One of the songs they were singing was an old gospel song, “I’m On My Way.”
I’m on my way to kingdom land.
I’m on my way to kingdom land.
Don’t you hinder me.
I’m on my way to kingdom land.
This is the song that has been repeating in my head with a slight German accent this Lenten season.
We’re not there yet, but we’re on our way.
We haven’t figured out how to live in these pandemic times, but we’re on our way.
We are still disappointed with plans that have to be cancelled and changed and rescheduled again and again, but we’re on our way.
We aren’t sure how to help combat the pain and violence, but we’re on our way.
We’re on our way to living more intentionally and purposefully because we’ve been reminded again and again how short these lives are that we have to love. We’re on our way to living more kindly and compassionately because we’ve been carrying the hurt and grief of collective calamity. We’re on our way to loving more deeply and more quickly because we know that love wins even over hurt and even over death.
We’re on our way, don’t you hinder us!