The Pastor's Corner, October 2011 Newsletter
God’s grace and peace be with you all. I pray that this September has brought you a renewed sense of the movement of God’s Spirit in your life. I have been amazed at what I have seen here at Westhope in our midst. We have seen new folks visiting and we have had an amazing rededication service, we have seen the Ignatian Exercises beginning through the Contemplative Center and we have seen a new sign and new windows in the Sanctuary. There are many signs of life that I could not have imagined several months ago.
As I have been reading over the last several weeks I have noticed more and more conversation and writing about the discontinuous change that we are experiencing all around us. It is the change that is not in a natural sequence of things like the seasons or aging but it is change that comes unpredictably like a hurricane or job loss. There is a great instability in our economy and in the political system. The question that I hear under many struggles for people is “where do I go to find something solid in the midst of the storm?” Also in my reading this week I found 2 Corinthians which speaks of God as the God of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles.” I had to shout out “Yes!” when I read this. It was a wonderful reminder where we can turn in times of change and particularly discontinuous and unsettling change. Part of the power of God’s work in our lives is to hold out to us comfort in our troubles. God’s love for us does not fade when we enter trouble or trials but remains a constant. God’s presence, although not always noticeable, never leaves us. And that is a promise and a foundation on which we can stand in all of our times- whether stable or unstable, joyful or filled with sorrow. Just because our feelings change does not mean that God does. My prayer for us all is that we can deepen in our practice of faith so that we are ever more aware of that presence and comfort to hold us and guide us in all of our moments.
I am so grateful for all of your work and all of God’s work to get us to where we are as a community. I look forward to this program year and all that it holds for us as a community of faith. As the fall colors deepen may you know the brightening of your awareness of God’s comfort and presence. I look forward to seeing you in church. I remain...
In communion, Erik