The Pastor's Corner, September 2011 Newsletter
God’s grace and peace be with you as we move into the Fall and kids are beginning to go back to school.
It seems as if we were just getting out for Summer! I was in the office of Moreland Middle School and it was a buzz of activity. It is amazing to me that we are starting that cycle all over again, and because of that it seems to be a good marking point to look forward to see where we are going now. This past year has been so full of change with the massive change of TAPC leaving, and we can get caught looking back. But know the challenge is to look forward and see where we are going. All the doings of this past year have set us in a really good place to look forward into this upcoming year as a year of growth and freedom in ministry here. What will we do with it?
One of the big items on Session’s agenda right now is taking time to dream and seek that vision. What do we see when we look ahead to this year and the future? This is a time to dream and to plan for what can be…not just what has been. We have been led beautifully by God to a good and solid place, a foundation on which we can now build ministry. What do you think that God is calling into being in our midst and through this community? I know that I feel a sense of excitement and freedom that I haven’t felt since I have been here. It seems like there are possibilities that were never available in my first 5 years. God is good and continues to make that goodness known in our midst.
I am also aware that in the midst of the goodness that is happening here there is chaos and destruction around us in the larger community: hurricane Irene barraged the East Coast, Syria and Libya are undergoing regime changes, there are fears about the economy, and we are coming up on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
There are many ways to look at and deal with these situations. One of them that seems so prevalent today is to go down the path of fear. What will happen? What is the worst-case scenario? We hear religious communities proclaiming that these are the end times. I think that’s rubbish. Although it is good to prepare ourselves for what may come, the path of fear leads us to a very dark place. Over and over again Jesus teaches, “fear not”. The Old Testament is filled with it also. Fear is destructive to who we are. Now I know some fear is normal but the amount of fear out there right now is pretty stunning. I encourage us not to go down that path.
Another way of dealing is scapegoating. We need to find someone to blame for what is happening because it must be someone’s fault. We look around us for someone to take some or all of the blame. Often that entity is God or some other being that is different than us. This is not a healthy way either. But the healthiest way of dealing with all of these things is to try and learn from them and take accountability for our part in them, and then change our ways to a more holy and whole way of living. One of the famous Old Testament stories is Jonah and the whale. We can get so caught up in the whale that we forget about Ninevah, which was a very important city in that day. They heard that they were doing wrong in the eyes of the Lord and their reaction was ‘from the greatest to the least” they turned from their ways, put on sackcloth (a sign of repentance) and fasted. Amazing! They didn’t argue or point fingers or get paralyzed by fear. They looked at what they were doing and turned from the ways that offended God. And God had compassion on them. What a great model for us!
How can we turn in our ways to live our lives more in tune with nature rather than trying to dominate it? How can we live opening ourselves to dialogue with other cultures and listening to the cries of the world so that we care for people (see Jesus’ Golden Rule) instead of hating “them” or allowing our country to dominate “them”? How can we learn the lessons from our past so that we can live more in harmony and build bridges rather than separate ourselves off from others? How can we stay away from blaming God but rather noticing how God guides us and holds us even through our darkest times? That is the way of faithfulness and that is the way of the Christ. As we move into our future how we respond to the world around us will speak volumes to our faithfulness and trust in our God.
As school begins for the children may we all have a renewed understanding of our own learning in life. May we be those who are scholars of our God that we might follow ever more deeply and find life, and the Holy One, waiting for us.
Blessings to you. I remain
In communion, Erik