The Church's Cycle of Seasons - Test Driving Spiritual Resources for When We Need Them

The Church’s liturgical calendar is structured around seasons which flow from Advent and Christmas through Epiphany and into Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, followed by the long period of Ordinary Time, and then back once again to Advent. Each season has its own character and its own themes. One of the gifts which comes with paying attention to such a calendar of seasons is the opportunity to really immerse ourselves in the themes. The truth is that we may or may not be experiencing the realities represented by the various seasons when the season is occurring. The joy of Christmas may not be ours at that moment. The wonder of Epiphany may not resonate with where we find ourselves on January 6^th. The notions of sacrifice and reflection which present themselves during Lent may seem foreign to us. But the seasons allow us to “try them on” and take them for a “test drive”, so that when we do find ourselves in such circumstances we will have some spiritual resources available to us which can be brought to bear. 

On February 26^th we will once again enter the season of Lent, which is the 40 days (not counting Sundays) preceding Easter. It is the season which offers us the chance to explore some of the “darker” aspects of life – sacrifice, loss, suffering, betrayal, grief, etc. I hope you will take the opportunity to allow this season to be a time of spiritual exploration and growth as together we discover what it means to be people of faith even in challenging times.

- Pastor Roger

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow) 

A New Year Begins

Another year has come and gone. We’ve made one more trip around the sun (approximately 584 million miles, in case you were interested). 2019 included some amazing adventures, some difficult challenges, some wonderful surprises, and some heartbreaking losses. And all of it has led us here to this moment. We stand at the beginning of a new year which stretches out before us. Some of what lies ahead we can probably predict with reasonable accuracy. Other experiences will catch us completely off guard. All we can do is take a deep breath and step onto the path, committed to doing our best to face whatever comes our way with faith and trust and integrity. We need not face the future alone because we move into this newest stage of our journey together with each other and with God’s ongoing presence. I do not know what the future holds for any of us, individually or collectively, but in this moment I am glad to be here with you. Thank you for being partners with me on this journey. May the year ahead offer us opportunities for learning, growth, healing, connection, and delight.

- Pastor Roger

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)