Two Separate Transactions

This morning as I sit at my desk my mind is filled with details and feelings around two separate transactions.

Out of Every Death Comes New Life

The first is dealing with the closing of the Great Village Pastoral Charge. As the supervisor for this congregation it is my responsibility to walk with them through this process and to fill out the paperwork necessary for this to happen. There is also the emotional work involved as I sit with my brothers and sisters who know that their life as a congregation has come to an end. It is very much a grieving process for all of us. This congregation is near and dear to my heart for it was here that I began my ministry some 24 years ago. It was in this place that I did all my firsts as an ordained minister – first sermon, first funeral, first wedding, first conflict situation, etc. As I try to get my mind around all of this I cannot help but think that there is no better time than now to be doing this. We are once again entering the fall season. That time when the air turns cooler, the leaves begin to change colour and creation prepares to die once more, opening itself to what is yet to come. I think of my faith community in the Village and the congregation of St. James as they prepare to die. We are a people of resurrection and so my soul also knows that out of every death comes new life. We do not know what form that life will take but fall is always followed by winter and then the amazing gift of Spring.

Signs of Growth and Possibilities

The second is dealing with the reality of First United congregation and the state of our building. This congregation is alive and vibrant and very much in the Spring of its life. There are all kinds of signs of new growth and there are many possibilities just around the corner waiting to be discovered. However, the building we use as the base for our ministry is struggling and we are faced with deciding what to do. Is there a way to help the building recover from its aliments and gain new life? Is it time to say good-bye to the building and find a new home? Is it time to demolish and raise a new home on this site? The questions are difficult and there is no easy answer. While the church is not a building, as the old song goes, it is a sacred place that holds a wealth of memories and the stories of those who have walked this way and entrusted to us an amazing heritage. As I wade through this with my new faith family I cannot help but think that there is no better time than now to be doing this. As the air turns cooler, the leaves begin to change their colour and prepare for winter rest, and creation prepares once more for the cycle of life we too are preparing to do the same. Whatever the future holds for us we can be sure that there will be things that need to fall to the earth and die, providing nourishment for what is yet to come.

Gift of Life

And so this morning I sit and meditate on this wonderful gift of life with all of its ups and downs and the cycle that brings hope and promise of what is yet to come.

The North Wind ~ by Valerie Peyton Kingsbury

The North wind blows and with it comes the storm
A battle of the elements speak unrest and uncertainty
The rain falls, the trees sway, the water swells
each one a puppet of the mighty north wind

The wind comes to clear the air and prepare the land
Fall storms to ready the land for rebirth
The land must die, yet each part clings
The north wind blows and with it comes the storm

The leaves will soon give way to the mighty wind
And Fall to the earth to provide food for the land
Seeds will bury themselves deep in the soil
There, prepare for winter sleep

The north wind blows and with it comes the storm
A promise of new life lingers in the air
Underneath the dormant land there waits a miracle
With every falling, comes a rising, resurrection born.

Blessings
Valerie