April'25 Words from the Pastor

We are at the midpoint in our Lenten journey. In last month’s newsletter I introduced the spiritual practice of stillness and silence as a tool for identifying habits and practices that might be distracting us – leaving us unable to hear God whispering– calling us to let go and trust that God has a plan for us and this community. Like Jesus, we are having a wilderness experience. If we follow Jesus’ example of stillness and silence – we will emerge with a clearer understanding of who we are, as God’s people, and what God is calling us to.

As we prepare to have our first Dinner & Discernment gathering – our first gathering to begin the transitional work that is the focus of my time with you – I would like to introduce a second spiritual practice. Curiosity. You might be thinking to yourself – Curiosity as a spiritual practice? In this time of uncertainty and fear, I would argue that curiosity is a powerful spiritual antidote.

Author Celeste Ng recounted that her family motto is “Be kind, be curious, be helpful” and that her son didn’t understand why curious is in the mix. She told him:

“Because being curious is admitting that you don’t know, but also that you want to know... that people you don’t know are worth knowing, that they have something to teach you. That learning about them—that encountering new ideas—doesn’t threaten you, it enriches you... That you approach the world as a trove of things to take in, rather than things you frantically, fearfully wall out.”

I am a huge proponent of curiosity. It keeps us engaged in the world around us – leaving little space for fear. I was recently asked by another pastor doing Transitional Ministry how I am able to meet and engage people when I am out in the community. I explained that I don’t do anything special – I’m simply curious and – despite being an introvert by nature – have allowed curiosity to be the driver. Albert Einstein once said,

“The important thing is not to stop
questioning... never lose a holy curiosity.”

I love that he called it a holy curiosity – that it is something sacred and essential to living and loving life.

I think Jesus appreciates curiosity. In the gospels, Jesus asks over 300 questions, but of the 183 he was asked, he only directly answered three. He preferred to answer questions with a question of his own, preferring instead to parables and metaphors. Jesus wanted people to be curious – to think – to contemplate as they discovered the meaning behind Jesus’ teachings.

Curiosity keeps us open and wondering – less likely to judge or shut down. I believe that right now, God is calling us to be curious.

What are you curious about?

How might God be calling us to be curious?

Blessings,
Pastor Lynda

March'25 Words from the Pastor

 I first want to begin with words of gratitude for how wonderfully I have been welcomed and how supportive and patient everyone has been as I settle into both the manse and my role as your Interim Minister. My heart is filled with joy, and I am excited to see where this journey will take us all.

We are just days away from entering the most sacred season of Lent. We enter Lent as a community in transition – a community that has committed itself to doing the difficult work of discerning where and to what God is calling you to. Over the coming months we will be gathering regularly to begin the discernment process. You will be asked to reflect upon your history (who you have been) – doing an honest assessment who you are in this current moment and what brought you to this place of transition – identifying what of the past needs to be released to create space for God to do something new – all in preparation for creating a vision and plan for who you will be in the future.

The season of Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and self-examination in preparation for the celebration of the resurrection of the Lord at Easter. “The liturgies throughout Lent try to pry loose our fingers, one by one, from presumed securities and plunge us into unknown baptismal waters, waters that turn out to be not only our death tomb but surprisingly our womb of life.”*

While the work of Intentional Ministry is focused on the community – the process is benefitted when we, as individuals, engage in personal self-assessment and self-reflection. How wonderful that our work as a community begins during Lent – a season of self-reflection and transformation.

This Lenten season I encourage you to consider engaging in the spiritual practice of stillness and silence. The world is a noisy and distracting place. And yet, God speaks to us through the silence of our hearts. Create time each day to reflect and listen for what God is calling each of us to– as individuals and as a faith community.

I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth; do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:19 NRSV

As we enter Lent, let us fully immerse ourselves in silence – allowing the power and possibility of the paschal mystery to transform us.

Blessings,
Pastor Lynda
* Companion to the Book of Common Worship