In the Stillness of Hope

Here we are, hopefully with a little more room to breathe. There is a little less anxiety and uncertainty in the world now that we imagine an end to this pandemic may be in sight. With elections behind us and vaccinations on the way, winter becomes a time to pause and sink into the waiting. Advent in the Christian tradition is this kind of waiting… a waiting time of hope, of anticipation, of joy yet to come. This is very different from waiting in dread. It bears little resemblance to the stuck feelings of an unknown situation where there’s no way to tell how things might turn out.

Yet, all of life is uncertain. All we do here on Earth is a part of a Great Story where we shall never know the ending. We never live long enough to experience more than a single chapter.

It is still worth living. Still worth being together in these times. It is still worth it to believe that what we do makes a difference in the ultimate moral arc of the universe, as we do our best to bend that arc toward justice and love.

In this time of waiting, know that your church leadership is looking to the future. Our team is are working hard on Stewardship. We reach outward to make sure we can sustain our congregation’s building and staff through the coming year. Our Board and staff are working on a plan for new visioning. We know that as we return to the building following a vaccine, we will be returning with a fundamentally changed vision of the possibilities for connection and ways of “doing church” for the future.

For this moment, in this month, let us live into the anticipation of who we can become.

Let us take the space to honor who we are as a community even now.

Do reach out if a phone call or a porch visit would be helpful to you during this season. With the holidays and the colder weather, it can be a hard time for people. If personal contact by phone or email would make you feel more connected, that’s something this congregation is always here for.