Welcome
Each week one of our pastors or staff members writes a column observing what is going on in our congregation, the Church and the world, and offering reflections on the Christian life and faith. Through this series of columns, we hope to connect your and our story to the enduring story of Christ; to offer pastoral reflections on our ongoing congregational life and mission; to report on news of the Presbyterian Church and Church universal; and to invite further reflection and deeper discipleship. We welcome your comments and suggestions. In other words, our words here are an invitation to continue the conversation.
It has been 40 days since we celebrated Easter. Forty days since we took comfort in the truth that death does not have the last word. Forty days since we gathered on the front lawn of BMPC, or around our computers at home, to proclaim the truth that Christ is risen! Today, 40 days later, we add two words to that proclamation: Christ is risen, and ascended!
As our congregation begins regathering after a long season of being apart, I am really looking forward to the first in-person worship this coming Sunday. It will still not be like it used to be for some time. We continue to deal with the necessary safety issues of being inside together with physical distancing, wearing masks, and meditating on the hymns rather than signing them boldly. But it’s a beginning, a significant step forward, and a welcome sign pointing to a post-pandemic future.
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve opened my front door. A pair of enterprising birds decided that my winter wreath would make an excellent place for a nest. I had initially ignored the random twigs I saw in the wreath and thought they were nothing more than a reminder of an early spring storm.
Since I was a little girl, I have appreciated the butterfly as a symbol of resurrection. I remember a walk through a special display about butterflies in a natural history museum on a family trip when I was about eight or nine. We learned about the phases of life from caterpillar to chrysalis, to an amazing winged thing of beauty taking flight. That exhibit exited through a fully-fenced enclosure where butterflies flew and alighted on us.
Do you know what porcupines do in the winter? As you think about that, consider this: In a normal year, today is tax day, the day many Americans collectively bemoan government waste and charge it to the taxpayer. But for the second year in a row, the due date has been pushed back. The pandemic has necessitated a longer pause for Americans to get their bearings and their documents in order.
In just a few weeks we will welcome our 2021 Theologian in Residence Jonathan L. Walton to be with us, virtually, for a weekend of conversations on the ways that scripture – when read through a Lens of Love - empowers and informs the work of the church in the world.
Easter feels long overdue this year. As a pastor I tend to mark the passage of time by the liturgical seasons of the church year, from Advent to the Reign of Christ, every bit as much by the Gregorian calendar, from January through December. The pandemic has skewed our perception of time in such a way as to feel like we have been through a yearlong Lent, a protracted season of solemn contemplation. However, nearing the end of Holy Week on this Maundy Thursday, we are assured that Easter is coming.
