Trust in the Tumult

For many today, the word “retreat” evokes feelings of ease, peace, rest, and renewal. A retreat is where you go when you need a break, when you long for greater wellbeing, when you crave deeper connection with your community, your values, your surroundings. While on a retreat, you might wander through the woods soaking in the smells and sounds of nature or engage in practices like prayer, yoga, meditation or simply allow your tense muscles to relax in the warmth of the whirlpool. 

Long before retreating conjured images of self-care and personal wellness, it described physically drawing back, often in the context of war, usually sparked by fear or finitude. To retreat was to pause, regroup, strategize. Not necessarily to surrender but to survive. 

This week in my neighborhood and around the Twin Cities, immigrants, refugees, and other vulnerable communities are feeling afraid and finite. Many are questioning where they are safe. Some are choosing to retreat—whether that be with loved ones, at places of worship, or in the familiarity of their own home. Churches, once seen as sanctuaries, are considering switching to online worship, because safety within their walls can no longer be guaranteed. Businesses are temporarily closed from fear their employees or customers could be targeted by violence or discrimination. One small business owner described the current collective feeling here like a cloud not only looming over his community but within his heart as well. 

For centuries, monasteries (the genesis of modern-day retreat centers) played a vital role as places of refuge and resilience during war, political upheaval, and times of crisis. When there were few other places to turn, these institutions of hospitality provided a bedrock of stability that helped communities navigate chaos and foster resilience. Their historical legacy continues to inform the role that retreat centers like ours can play in providing solidarity, healing, and hope during challenging times. 

Scripture might describe the challenges that many are experiencing today as tumultuous times. Throughout the Bible, a tumult could refer to anything from a state of panic and confusion to long periods of social or spiritual unrest. It is associated not only with human actions like the uprising of an agitated crowd but also with the disruptive work of the Divine. Part of what made those times tumultuous was the dis-order that resulted from God dismantling systems once ordered to divide, to marginalize, and to oppress. To sooth the cries of the afflicted, God began to unveil the upside-down vision of Heaven on Earth. Throughout the arc of Scripture, tumults highlight the ongoing struggle between good and evil, with God’s reign of equity and justice ultimately healing a hurting world. 

Compelled by this vision, the hospitality of retreat centers like ours is not conditional or coercive. Our welcome is wide. Mount Olivet Conference & Retreat Center is committed to extending hospitality to all, especially to those who have historically experienced rejection and threat in their surrounding communities and to those most vulnerable in society. Because everyone deserves rest, renewal, healing, and wholeness. 

For those whose voices feel lost in these tumultuous times, may you find a quiet place to be heard and held.
For those whose safety is at risk, may you be upheld by your community and strengthened by the impossible promise of a more just future.
For those who aren’t directly impacted by today’s tumult, may the Spirit of Love lead you to those who need you.
May we each trust—in whatever small way we can—that today’s tumult will eventually yield some tomorrow’s tranquility.