Weekly Outlook - Breaking my silence: A pastor’s journey with HIV

Dear readers, It's hard to believe this time next week, we will be in Lent! If you're still looking for a Lenten devotional, you might consider our offering, Grieving Change and Loss. Here's a sample for the first Sunday of Lent written by Outlook Editor Teri McDowell Ott. You can read more samples and learn more on our website.  “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for this is the end of everyone, and the living will lay it to heart.”—Ecclesiastes 7:2 Denial of death can take many forms. For the person diagnosed with a terminal illness, the stage of denial may include rejection of reality and facts. The person may go searching for a second, third or fourth medical opinion or might turn to alternative modes of healing to bolster their disbelief of the terminal diagnosis. To the grieving, denial can feel like they are living a dream, or as if a big mistake has been made that will soon be corrected. Joan Didion’s 2007 book A Year of Magical Thinking describes the year after her husband’s unexpected death. She writes the details of the day he died, trying to convince herself that it actually happened. Describing the year after his death, she continues to write of waking up in bed wondering why she was alone, wondering why other people thought her husband was dead, wondering – fearing! – that she had allowed her husband to be buried alive. Denial serves an emotional purpose in the grief process. Kübler-Ross writes about denial acting as an emotional “buffer,” giving the grieving person time to collect themselves and, in that time, to build the psychological strength to withstand the pain that comes with deep loss. Denial is a mode of survival: our biological means of allowing only as much pain as we can handle. In this way, denial can be understood as a form of grace. As we reflect on grief’s stage of denial this week, contemplate the way this stage serves as grace. What pain have you experienced that was simply too much to bear? What pain have you needed to deny in order to survive? When have you witnessed others experiencing denial to protect themselves from painful truths? Prayer: Merciful God, we all experience loss. We all grieve life’s limits. We praise you for subtle grace, the gifts that keep us afloat while awash in grief. Amen. Peace, Rose Schrott Taylor Digital Content Editor

Rev. John Buchanan, former pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church, dies at 87 by Kade Heather Breaking my silence: A pastor’s journey with HIV by Andries Coetzee Bridging generations for racial justice by Colleen Bell  I’ve been labeled a felon for 54 years. The president won’t be. by Patrice Gaines The power of the pilgrim: A journey of faith and witness by Keatan King and Omar Rouchon Presbyterian Church of Okemos, Michigan reaffirms baptism vows for a boy named Zach, a beloved member and transgender youth by Mike Ferguson In case you missed it... The march of Presbyterians in the Civil Rights Movement As attitudes about race began to shift among White Presbyterians in both the UPCUSA and the PCUS, social justice emerged as a primary, common mission, writes Jimmie Hawkins. South Pittsburgh pastor takes the long view of service to the community Neighborhood connections have fueled ministry and relationships over three decades. — Gregg Brekke Ungoverning: The Attack on the Administrative State and the Politics of Chaos Russell Muirhead and Nancy Rosenblum make a compelling case that America’s “ungoverning” may lead to a national government so weak that no party or leader can govern. Paul B. Dornan reviews their new book. Love’s Braided Dance: Hope in a Time of Crisis Norman Wirzba offers a theology of hope in “a time of crisis.” Amy Pagliarella reviews Wirzba's latest book. Dear Aunt Osibe and Uncle Ernest: A letter to my ancestors Gail Henderson-Belsito remembers two people who embodied all that is civil and right. Performance as prophecy and protest Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 Super Bowl halftime show was a prophetic pronouncement — and an invitation for Christians, writes Shea Watts. Fresh Outlook Bible Studies: “Revelation” In four sessions, “Revelation: Professing Christ Today” by Mark D. Hinds seeks to create an inclusive environment for discussing and reflecting on the political ramifications of following Christ.

Order today! How do we hold space for grief while clinging to hope? Grieving Change and Loss, a daily Lenten devotional from Presbyterian Outlook, embraces the complexity of loss in its many forms — from lost health to fractured friendships — and invites you to encounter the resurrection promise anew. Explore grief’s six stages each week with reflections, Scripture, and prayer.