Pastor's Page

So much has changed since our last newsletter. We are home, indoors, having given up much more for Lent than we ever imagined: handshakes when meeting someone, going to the movies or a ballgame, sharing a meal with friends. Others are working harder than ever, volunteering to help those who need it or providing essential services and supplies in these unprecedented times. Nothing is normal right now.

     We’ve been focusing on prayer this Lenten season, which included a  message on Psalms of Lament. If you’re grieving the loss of life as you knew it, that’s ok. Take a moment to breathe. Weep if things are getting to be too much. After all, even Jesus wept.

     Yet, while we’ve lost much, we’re gaining as well. There are fewer cars on the roads all over the world. We get to see neighbors as we walk down the street. As I write this, the Bear Hunt is happening here in town, with many families and even businesses putting teddy bears and other stuffed toys in their windows to greet each other. And across our country, a heart hunt is also underway as people paint and tape up hearts in their windows, sharing love with all who pass.

     Whenever I walk into town, I pass an Alphabet laid out in sidewalk chalk. I see people heading to get groceries or just going for a walk. Even if we’re both on the phone, we find a way to greet each other as we pass. These opportunities to interact are too precious to waste.

     And the calendar keeps turning. Palm Sunday and Good Friday are coming, followed by the biggest celebration in the church: Easter Sunday. Spring is here- irises are popping up, a deep purple against the grass that has turned from brown to green.

     My invitation this month is to take advantage of this time. Luke’s gospel tells the story of Mary and Martha; Martha wanted her sister to come help her in the kitchen, but Mary chose to sit at Jesus’ feet and   listen. When Martha wanted Jesus to tell Mary to help, Jesus instead   replied “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things. One thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part. It won’t be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42) Are you able to sit down to dinner  as a family? Relish it. Do you have the opportunity to slow down? I’m enjoying talking to family more often and connecting with them in new ways- my mother has learned how to use her laptop’s camera and I got to be  with them for a family dinner that was happening in Florida, chatting with family who have decided to stay there until this has quieted down. I got to talk to my brother and his fiancée, and found a new way to connect with them more often.

     We have an amazing God who is at work and I believe that God is creating good out of this. Easter is coming, and whatever it looks like this year, we know that Christ is risen! God walks with us each and every day.

     May God bless you while we are apart.

           -Pastor Annie



Pastor Annie McMillan