Church family, today a number of hummingbirds took their time outside of my study’s window. They drank the nectar from the flowers in the Courtyard and were completely unbothered by my staring.
I was struck by the wondrous gift of the quiet and beautiful moments. It reminded me of the sheer gift of God’s presence in the here and now. Paying attention to the simple and immediate can be extremely difficult for us. The phone rings, the bills are waiting, we hear the news of the Haitian president’s assassination, we learn of new Covid spikes and new variants wreaking havoc.
These things are real and should concern us. Our hearts should be moved by the concerns of our neighbors next door and globally.
But. We cannot participate in the transformation of the world if we are not also practicing an awareness of the presence of God. We are humans, so we come with built-in limitations. Base model or luxury! We need sleep, water, breath, love, connection, hope, compassion.
This week, I invite you to take a walk or even just a deep breath. Breathe in, knowing that the Spirit of God is in every single molecule of oxygen. Dig your fingers into some soil in the garden, knowing that this is God’s good creation. Give a buck to the panhandler on the side of the road, trusting that whether they are really in need or not, they are made in the same image of God as you.
We need you to take care of you. We need to take care of one another. The journey of following Jesus into the dark corners of the world takes our whole lives. Being a human being takes it all out of us.
God made us with limits and still calls us to the work of being co-creators. So we need to rest.
As we go into our second Sunday together (yay!), may you know that you are prayed for. May you know you are loved, you are carried. I’m looking forward to the work we’re going to do together in the days ahead. So we must also learn how to rest and enjoy life together.
– Pastor Megan
