Does it feel like Advent to you?

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Does it feel like Advent to you?

           Although we are in the midst of spring with summer just around the corner, it seems like Advent to me.  Advent is a time of waiting and preparation, of going into an unknown future while placing our trust in God’s guidance.  The promise of Advent is that God is “Emmanuel,” always with us.

            As I prepare for my retirement, my congregation is preparing for a future with a (yet unknown) new minister. After June 16th, my congregation and I will be on separate journeys.  After sharing our lives, work, and worship together for over 36 years, we will be on different paths.  I will venture into retirement and the congregation will continue their ministry with new leadership.  None of us can know what the future holds.  This is always true – but with a particular date in mind, it becomes even more apparent.

We can trust that God is in the midst of all of these changes and offering guidance, strength, and direction. We remember God’s promise that God’s steadfast love endures forever.

            Trying to plan for an unknown future reminds me of anticipating parenthood before any baby was born.  Before I had children, I had lots of ideas (and ideals)  and envisioned myself as a source of wisdom with boundless patience, someone who would offer delicious home cooked meals after afternoons of craft time and outdoor adventures.  The reality, not surprisingly, was somewhat different.  Life was often chaotic. I often lost my patience. There were meals on the table, but Julia Child was not threatened by my cooking skills.

 It all worked out, but it was not what I expected.

We just can’t know ahead of time what challenges await us.  Our paths will take unexpected twists and turns.   The promise of Advent – that season of watching and wondering as we enter the unknown – is that God does not change. God is steadfast even as our world shifts and evolves.  God will be with us wherever the journey leads. 

We will undoubtedly be surprised at what we learn and experience along the way.  We will be invited to try new ways of doing things and to experiment with different ways of being. Step by step and day by day, we are invited to notice how God is weaving in and through our lives.

Along the way we can be intentional about being grateful – notice the blessings that God places in our lives. We can give thanks that God is with us and rejoice that we are not alone on this journey.

Where will we all end up?  Just like Mary and Joseph, we cannot discern the entire path. But also like them, we can look for signs and wonders, we can be open to visitors and strangers who bring us good news of a God who loves us, and we can trust that God is leading us into new ways of serving and celebrating God.  

And through it all, let’s keep one another in our prayers.

Easter: Endings and Beginnings

On By fosteringyourfaithIn Easter1 Comment

Resurrection – what does it mean to you?

Is resurrection a one-day event?  Or does resurrection speak to us beyond Easter Sunday?

When I was in seminary, our New Testament professor would lecture us every year just prior to Easter. He would sternly remind us, “When you are preparing your Easter Sunday sermon, do not focus on the resuscitation of a corpse.”

Or to put it another way – Easter is not just a history lesson about something that happened to one man, one time, thousands of years ago.  Yes, resurrection is about Jesus.  And it’s also about so much more.  Not just one body coming alive again – but all of God’s children receiving a Spirit of renewal.

Easter is about new life for all of us, every day. 

It’s about new beginnings for all of God’s children. 

It’s about hope seeping gradually into the darkest corners of despair.

Easter proclaims new life being offered when only endings are apparent.

It reminds us that endings evolve into – sometimes unplanned, often previously unimaginable – new beginnings.

Easter is about Jesus living again (alleluia!) – And it’s about new life for you and me, every day.

            Our lives are always changing.  Endings and beginnings are a natural part of every life.  Sometimes we choose those endings (graduations, leaving a job, completing a task) and sometimes those endings abruptly disrupt our life. Sometimes the next step – that new beginning – melds seamlessly into our routine.  Other times the way forward can be a rocky road, with lots of twists, turns, dead ends, and false starts.

            Resurrection tells us that something new – an attitude, an idea, a behavior, an outlook, a possibility – is coming. Resurrection hints at a new beginning, even when it is hidden from our view.

            Easter is coming!  Celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ!  And celebrate the gift of new life and hope that God gives us every day.

Photo credit: Darkdiamond67

“Habit-stacking” or, searching for blessings

On By fosteringyourfaithIn Uncategorized4 Comments

“Habit-stacking”

            The term “habit stacking” was introduced to me during a physical therapy session.  The phrase comes from a book by the same title by S.J. Scott.  The theory is that we can add healthy, uplifting habits to our lives if we couple them with already established routines.

            For example, one of the (many) exercises I’m supposed to do at home is squats and heel lifts (going up on your toes to strengthen your calves).  Not surprisingly, I found it challenging to squeeze one more thing into my day – especially something that took effort and hurt.

            My (very athletic, fit) therapist asked me, “What is something that you do every day?  What is part of your daily routine?”  Well, I put lotion on my face every day.  Bingo!  There is an opportunity. Now – couple that habit with another one and you have habit stacking. So now every morning I multi-task – as I apply my lotion, I go up on my toes and bend my knees.  It’s a small change. And it makes a difference. I’m not taking more time out of my day and I’m accomplishing something that is good for me.

            As we prepare to enter the New Year, I am pondering the question – what else would I like to add to my life? It doesn’t only have to be about adding habits that we feel we “should” do.  That sounds too much like the drudgery of New Year’s resolutions that are almost always short-lived. 

Instead, I wonder about blessings and benefits that I could add to my life. How can I increase moments of joy by changing my routine even a little bit?

In the evening before I go to bed, I go to our front door to ensure that it is closed and locked. Recently I have added to that daily habit.  Now I open the door and sometimes I even step out onto the front deck in order to take a moment to look up, gaze at the stars, and notice the moon. In that quiet moment, I feel like I am placing myself and the world into God’s care as I prepare to sleep.  I have “habit stacked” a moment of peace and awe into my life and it is a blessing.

Now I’m wondering if while I’m waiting for my tea water to heat up if I could intentionally take a moment to look out the window and really notice the beauty outside?

Or perhaps as I turn to my computer to tackle the day’s emails, could I pause and wonder who might need to hear from me today?  Can I think of one person who might love to know that I’m thinking about them?

What habits can you stack in this New Year?

What small moments might enrich our lives or the lives around us?

In every moment, we are promised that the God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow is with us.  We are invited to be aware and give thanks.

Blessings in the New Year…

Nothing lasts forever

On By fosteringyourfaithIn Gratitude4 Comments

 I grew up on top of a hill in Wallingford CT in what we called “the little house with the big view.”  The house was really just a winterized summer cottage built by my great-grandfather. It had tiny rooms, a galley kitchen, and a leaky roof. But the view – that was priceless. Looking west on a clear evening provided us spectacular sunsets that lit up the sky. On cloudy days we could see storms approaching as we watched rain and lightning advance ever closer.

Not too long ago, I drove by that special spot.  The house is gone. The trees that we used to climb have been cut down.  The fields where the horses grazed are empty.

Nothing lasts forever.

That fact – nothing lasts forever – could either be a cause for rejoicing (think – sitting in a dentist’s chair) or a reason to reflect, perhaps even mourn (think – a person/circumstance/place that you miss).

What if we lived with a greater awareness that nothing lasts forever?  Would that cause us to appreciate the blessings big and small that exist in our lives?  Would we notice the beauty that surrounds us as we hurry from one place to the next?  Would we listen – really listen – to the next conversation we hold with a friend or family member?  Would we make time to visit or call someone who has been on our mind?

As we approach Thanksgiving, perhaps the statement “nothing lasts forever” will be an invitation to gratitude and thankfulness.

The Bible tells us, “There is a time for every season.”  And we all know that seasons change, ebb, flow, and finally end. We cannot alter the passage of time but we can be intentional about noticing and appreciating the moments and the people who fill our lives.

Before my parents moved out of that tiny house on the hill, our whole family gathered there to say a final good-bye.  Everyone – adults, children, and grandchildren – were invited to name a spot on the property that held a special memory.  We would go to that place, listen to the memory, and give thanks.  We stood around the special climbing tree, we walked to the barn and remembered caring for the horses, we squeezed into the microscopic kitchen and reminisced about delicious meals, we sat in the living room and visualized stockings hanging from the mantel and joy being shared.

Through this month of Thanksgiving and beyond, may we be especially aware of the precious gifts that God offers us every day.

Photo credit: Herbert Goetsch, Unsplash

Trust

On By fosteringyourfaithIn Faith2 Comments

I do not believe that everything happens for a reason. I have witnessed – and perhaps you have, as well – too many awful events to believe that God is directing those circumstances.  I have seen people’s lives disrupted, plans ruined, hopes crushed, and futures dismantled by accidents, illness, and sometimes just plain evil. It would be a cruel God who would cause a horrific accident or a child’s illness or a devastating historical event in order to teach us a lesson. And I don’t believe in a cruel God. 

So that means that some things – often, many things – are beyond my understanding.  I do not have a satisfying answer to the question, “Why?”  Why do plans fall apart? Why do dreams get destroyed?  Why do the innocent so often suffer?

I do believe in a loving God who promises to show up.  I believe in the God of presence.  I believe God when God vows, “I will always be with you until the end of the age.” 

Lately I have been reflecting on some Bible passages about trust:

  • Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.   (Proverbs 3:5)
  • When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.  Psalm 56
  • Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.   Isaiah 26:4

Sometimes – often – things do not go as planned.  The future may appear murky. I am invited to place my trust in God – not because God is dictating every aspect of my life but because God has promised never to leave me or abandon me.

That means when I am facing daunting challenges, I trust that I won’t do it alone.  God has promised to be there when I need God most.

Life is not neat and tidy.  Personally, I cannot discover a reason for many events in my own life or in the world around me.  But I trust that God is on this journey with me. God offers strength and comfort. God invites me into renewing times of rest. God assures me that I can ask for help – from God and from the people God has placed in my life.

I trust that God is bigger than the overwhelming events in the world.

I trust that God’s strength will provide me the ability to go forward.

I trust that God’s wisdom can lead me through a maze of difficulties.

I trust that when I have reached my limit, I can turn everything over to God.  I don’t have to have all the answers.

I trust that when I fail, God will help me begin again.

I trust that God will always love me. 

And that will be enough, one day at a time.

PS: I commend Kate Bowler’s book Everything Happens for a Reason (and other lies I’ve loved) as well as her website www.katebowler.com

 

Even in chaos, gratitude

On By fosteringyourfaithIn Gratitude3 Comments

I am thankful for shower chairs. Now, mind you, I didn’t actually know that such a thing existed until I suddenly needed one post-surgery.  And let me tell you – it’s a game changer!  Allows me to safely take a shower which is good for body and spirit.

That gratitude for an unlikely blessing made me wonder – what else are we grateful for?  How does God surprise us by providing gifts that we were not even aware we needed?  What blessings might I be overlooking?

I think of the people in southern California who are discovering the blessings of safe shelter, warm meals, and charging stations following devastating rainfall.  They are not thankful for the storms but are grateful for the compassion.

I wonder about the people in Ukraine who experience the ministries of a group like World Kitchen which sets up shop in the midst of war to provide nourishing meals and opportunities for fellowship. No one is thankful for war but experiencing kindness in the midst of overwhelming loss must feel miraculous.

Sometimes we may not like our circumstances or we may find ourselves confronting situations that we never desired. That does not mean that blessings are absent. It could mean that even in those times and those places, we might discover a reason to give thanks.

I have a friend whose daughter was riding her bike in city traffic and was hit by a car.  The driver raced away and was never found.  It was a terrifying and also heartbreaking situation – the careless disregard for this beloved child was enough to cast doubt on people in general. But it happened that another person witnessed the accident. That person did stop, called 911, stayed with her until help arrived, let her use his phone to call her parents, and then volunteered to keep her damaged bike until she could claim it again.  And there it was – in the midst of chaos, hurt, and loss, a reason to give thanks.

Before we write off an overwhelming situation as a lost cause, can we wonder – where is God in this?  Because surely the God who promises to never leave us or forsake us is right there with us. Sometimes hidden, sometimes surprising.  But with us.  Always.

May we be aware of God’s presence today.

May we share God’s love with others today.

Yours in Christ,

Waiting

On By fosteringyourfaithIn Holy WeekLeave a comment

Sometimes God’s abundant blessings are immediately apparent – we wake up grateful for a new day, amazed by the beauty of creation, and filled with confidence that God is right here, right now.

Other times, not so much.

Other times, God is not so easily found.

Sometimes we just have to …wait.

And watch.  And trust.

Holy Week guides us through those waiting times. Day by day during this long week leading up to resurrection, we walk through loss and pain and grief. We hear stories of betrayal, pain, and desertion. We are reminded that there are seasons of our lives that hurt.  Either we are experiencing a time of challenge and loss or we know someone who is.

There are times when God seems far away and when we cannot fathom what God is doing.

And so we wait.

And watch.  And trust.

Holy Week also reminds us that God is faithful.

The Good News is that God meets us where we are.  God will not abandon us.  We are not alone.

During this Holy Week and beyond – let us wait and watch for God.

Let us trust that God is at work in ways that we may not yet be able to understand.

But God’s love will prevail.

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”  Psalm 27

Rooted in God’s Love

On By fosteringyourfaithIn Living our faithLeave a comment

 I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may …grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.  (Ephesians 3:17-18)

Yesterday was a warm, breezy day. The tips of the daffodils could be spotted, bravely pushing their way through the chilly soil, seeking the sunshine.

Today it is snowing. Pine branches droop as they are weighed down by the falling snow.  The daffodils are nowhere in sight.

Tomorrow’s forecast predicts temperatures near 50 degrees.

It is said that the only thing we can count on is that nothing remains the same.

Things change.  Often in an instance. 

I think about the people in Ukraine who were living ordinary lives until suddenly they were living in a country at war.

I think about people who were simply going about their lives – at school or grocery shopping or attending a concert or at a prayer service when shots were fired and their lives changed forever.

I think about the people in Syria and Turkey who went to bed one night only to be convulsed by waves of terror as an earthquake struck.

          Change enters our lives in so many ways. Sometimes it’s a happy occasion like graduation, birth, a new job, or a new friend. Other times it’s a phone call, accident, betrayal, or diagnosis that alters our life forever.

            And then what?  How do we weather the storms?  How do we navigate our new circumstances? 

            Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, says that when we root ourselves in God’s love, we will discover just how trustworthy and constant that love is.  Paul reminds us that even in a world where everything changes, God remains the same.  God is God – yesterday, today, and forever.  God’s love is “steadfast” – unchanging, always there, always available.

 The phrase “rooted in God’s love” makes me think about plants or flowers or long grass that may be tossed about by damaging winds but which remain strong because they have put their roots down into the soil and water below.

So the question for all of us is – how do we root ourselves in the love of God?

When everything is turned upside down, how do we remember to call upon the faithful one?

As we journey through Lent, with our eyes on the Cross and our hope in the promise of resurrection and new life, let’s explore our roots – and how we can tap into the power of God.

Artwork: Roger Solomon

Ordination Anniversary!

On By fosteringyourfaithIn Uncategorized12 Comments

Today I am filled with gratitude.  35 years ago today on January 17, 1988, I was ordained as a Christian minister by the United Church of Christ.

            I am grateful that I was called into ministry.  I was living in Germany at the time, miserable in an office job in a manufacturing company.  Having discovered that I was not cut out for the business world (I never cared how many things we sold or paid attention to increasing productivity), I was searching for direction.  What could I do that might make a difference in the world?  How could I try to help people?  How could I be part of something bigger than myself?

As I mulled over entering ministry, I posted an airmail letter to my parents (it was 1983, long before the internet). Fearing that a declaration about entering ministry might be too shocking, I described wrestling with ideas from teaching to nursing to ministry.  Two weeks later, I received my mother’s reply, “You would be a wonderful minister.”  I am grateful for her faith in me – and for being a role model in living out her own faith.

I quit my job, sold my VW Bug, and headed back to the States. Never mind that I had never met a woman minster or that the majority of Protestant denominations weren’t accepting women ministers, I knew what my direction had to be.

I am grateful to my mentor the Rev. Dr. Bruce Bunker for shepherding me through years of training with countless hours of conversation and guidance.

I am grateful to Lancaster Theological Seminary for providing an educational foundation filled with creativity and community as well as a wide array of hands-on experiences that helped prepare me for parish ministry.

I am grateful for my friends and classmates who accompanied my on the journey through Greek 101 (flashcards, anyone?), introduction to Church History (you too can learn 2000 years of history in 2 semesters!), counseling, sermon preparation (“we have a powerful story to tell – get up and share it!”) and much more.

I am grateful to the East Woodstock Congregational Church for calling me as their pastor in November 1987.  Their faith and confidence in a young, untested seminarian was the confirmation necessary on the journey towards ordination.

I am grateful the First Congregational Church of Wallingford for hosting my ordination. I was baptized and confirmed in that church and attended Sunday School, Pilgrim Fellowship (thanks, Mike Jackson!), and Youth Choir there.  They really raised me in the faith so it was a proper place to celebrate my entry into ministry.  

I am grateful for God’s faithfulness through the ups and downs of a lifetime in ministry. During 35 years, I have confronted unbearable sadness, suffering, evil, and hardship.  And I have experienced compassion, joy, fellowship, transformation, kindness, empathy, forgiveness, and new life. In the end, love wins.  To quote Desmond Tutu, during my ministry I have discovered that “goodness is stronger than evil, love is stronger than hate, light is stronger than darkness, life is stronger than death.”

Today, January 17, 2023 I am so grateful.

Celebrating “shining lights”

On By fosteringyourfaithIn EpiphanyLeave a comment

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.  Each of us has deep cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lit the flame within us.”  – Albert Schweitzer

  • Who is a shining light in your life? 
  • Who is someone who has helped you find your way?
  • Who is a person who rekindled your spark just when you thought that you might never shine again?

I’m going to guess that all of us have at least one story about a person who has been a shining light in our lives. All of us have a person – and perhaps several people – who have offered us hope, encouragement, wisdom, forgiveness, or inspiration.  The season of Epiphany  – the weeks when we especially celebrate the Light shining in the darkness – is an opportunity to give thanks for a person who lit up your life and rekindled your spirit just when you needed it most.

Sometimes that person is someone we have a longstanding relationship with. Or it might be a teacher, coach, neighbor, or boss.  It may even be a stranger whose life briefly intersected with ours but who left a lasting impression.

These “shining lights” are gifts from God.  These weeks of Epiphany are an opportunity to celebrate the many forms that God’s light takes. We rely on the promise that God’s light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never overcome it. Epiphany begins with the star over Bethlehem, inviting any who look up to follow the light to Christ.  The season continues for seven weeks as we celebrate God’s gift to us in Jesus, the “light of the world.”

We are asked to look for that light in others. Who is someone who taught you how to let your light shine?  Who has demonstrated God’s love and light to you – and what did you learn from them? Who is that person who helped you find your path or directed your course?

How has that person’s light encouraged you to let your own light shine? We are asked to share God’s light that dwells within each one of us.

We live in a world that often seems worn and weary, a world that is aching for glimpses of the divine. Let us bask in the glow of gratitude for those who has shared their light with us. And let us dare to share our own light and our own gifts with those around us.  

Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify God in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)