Tag Archives: God

Pastor’s Letter Dec. 7, 2022

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“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

-Philippians 4:6-7

Image of an open Bible with light coming down on it.

Good afternoon, Beloved,

I pray that each of you are well and guarded by God’s eternal peace. I was considering this amazing gift recently and roughly remembered what a professor once said. He explained that the absence of war is in itself not peace, and peace can exist while we are at war. In fact, he was explaining that these two states of being / society are not really in opposition. They can both, philosophically speaking, exist in the human psyche at the same time. 

Personally, I love this idea. This concept that even though we are dealing with great conflicts or even full out war, we can be at peace in our souls: faithfully trusting in God and whatever God has planned for us in the future. I love the idea; however, real world living has revealed that this state of being is not always that easy to achieve, especially for us broken humans. We have anxiety, worry, OCD or just simple conflicts which turn our world upside down. And in these moments, it is hard to find God’s peace. The very idea, like the apostle’s words above, seem to be just empty aphorisms or phrases when we are struggling in conflict or war.

So, what do we do? How do we go from this real-world conflict to the peace of God? Well beloved, I believe the answer is right there in Paul’s words. Right there when he says,” prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.” Now, I do believe any prayer in the midst of your conflict will help. Yet, there is one practice which I find helps me. It is a cross between a breathing prayer and the Lectio Divina. If you do not know what these are, please ask and I can show you them as well. 

For today though, let us focus on a prayer for your peace. Start by just choosing a piece of scripture (randomly or a particular passage). Then separate the passage into phrases and read them aloud. Finally, in between each phase breathe slowly in and out three times. It looks something like this:

“Do not be anxious” Breathe – Breathe – Breathe “about anything,” Breathe – Breathe – Breathe “but in everything” Breathe – Breathe – Breathe “by prayer and supplication” Breathe – Breathe – Breathe “with thanksgiving” Breathe – Breathe – Breathe “let your requests be made known” Breathe – Breathe – Breathe “to God.” Breathe – Breathe – Breathe “And the peace of God,” Breathe – Breathe – Breathe “which surpasses all understanding,” Breathe – Breathe – Breathe “will guard your hearts” Breathe – Breathe – Breathe “and your minds” Breathe – Breathe – Breathe “in Christ Jesus.”

This beloved is what we do. We set aside five minutes – that’s all – and pray to refocus – recenter – return to the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. It is a basic gift which God gave us when they created all of humankind and it works. It allows us to find that peace and confront the worries of the day with all the peace Christ has to offer through the Holy Spirit. 

I offer this truth as a gift to you amongst our busy season – amongst the conflicts – amongst the wars. For, peace is not just a nice idea or philosophy, it is a gift. An attainable goal we can all achieve if we give “everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving” to God.

I pray you will take this opportunity to find God’s Peace Now and always

Peace be with you all

Your pastor and teacher Brian

Pastor’s Letter November 30, 2022

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“What’s Your Superpower?”

On the first day of Ms. Heinbeck’s kindergarten class, little Johnny came running into the classroom. The arms of his coat were tied loosely around his neck, and he was making ‘whooossh’ sounds while his hands were thrust out in front of him. 

Ms. Heinbeck stopped Johnny at the door with a smile. “Hello,” she began, “and who might you be?” Johnny looked up at her and smiled back. 

He then said, “you have to guess. But you can ask one question.”

 “Ok, what’s your superpower?”

Johnny’s smile grew even wider, and he ran around her and said, “I can fly, can you see me?”

Laughing with joy, Ms. Heinbeck replied, “Oh yes, yes, I see you Superman. Welcome. Would you find a seat on the rug; so, we can begin?”

Johnny (aka Superman) did as he was requested after a few more lazy circles around the room. 

‘Today is a good day,’ Ms. Heinbeck thought as they started to get to know each other and learn as a community. 

Each day over the next few months began the same way. Johnny came in with a new superpower and Ms. Heinbeck guessed who he was. Then the whole class set about engaging in the day’s lessons. However, as Ms. Heinbeck got to know the class, she witnessed something else. Johnny, in whatever superhero persona he was that day, always was the first to help other students. The first to include other people in a game. The first to offer a hug or a kind word. All of this brought a special joy to Ms. Heinbeck, one that no one knew she needed.

For, you see Ms. Heinbeck had become saddened by the school system and the students, almost jaded. In fact, her teaching had become bland and uninspiring because of so much that happened throughout the pandemic. Now, every day seemed to drag on with the school’s focus on testing and the students’ lack of participation which was disheartening. So much so that Ms. Heinbeck had considered quitting at the end of the year. That was until Johnny came in and started to fly around the classroom with joy at just being accepted for who he was.

Then one Monday, Johnny came walking in just like everyone else. Sad and not a glimmer of any superhero to be seen. Still, Ms. Heinbeck stopped him at the door with a smile and said, “hello and who might you be?”

Johnny glancing up started to say, “it’s me…” but, Ms. Heinbeck cut him off mid-stream.

“Wait, I’m sorry. I forgot. I have to guess, right?”

“No, ma’am,” he continued. “It’s me – just me. I had a birthday over the weekend and now I gotta be a big boy. Not a superhero. So, it’s just me…”

Ms. Heinbeck understood but did not let him finish before asking, “what’s your superpower?” 

The interaction seemed to confuse Johnny and make him all the more upset as he had really enjoyed “being” these superheroes with Ms. Heinbeck. Yet, he had to grow up now and be a big boy. So, he just stood there and gazed at her, unsure how to respond. 

Ms. Heinbeck did not miss a beat as she continued, ”hmmm, you are not telling me your power; so, it must be one of the best powers in the whole world. It’s got to be the one which can heal hearts. Make friends. Bring joy to everyone they meet. A power like that can welcome and accept everyone. If that’s your superpower, then never let it go because it’s the only one that matters in this world and the most powerful one of all. Does that sound like your power?” She asked.

Johnny stopped and thought for a moment and figured it would be ok to play for one more day. So, he nodded his head and smiled.

Ms. Heinbeck smiled back and said with a joy in her voice that had been gone for a very long time, “Oh wow, I think I know what your superpower is. It’s ‘Love’ and that would make you Johnny the superhero who saved me.” Johnny (aka Johnny) smiled even wider though not fully understanding as he threw his arms around her before they began the lessons of the day.

Johnny never did let go of that superpower, even though he became a big boy too.

Beloved,

May the Light of God’s Love fill your hearts in this Advent season and throughout all the struggles we face every day. Not only that but may we also ALL be the Light of Love that someone else needs in this world for this is the greatest superpower which God has given to each of us. Amen.

Your pastor and teacher

Brian

Pastor’s Letter October 19, 2022

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An image of people holding hands in a circle praying.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.”
-Proverbs 3:5-6

Good morning Beloved,

I pray you are all well and safe on this blessed day of Creation. I pray this knowing, as many of you know, that not everyone in our community is safe. The world around us swells with a variety of illnesses, violent actions, and financial unknowns. These concerns tear at our hearts personally while our worries for each other have become almost palpable in the air we breathe. It almost feels as if this time – this time is when we should be throwing on the sack cloth and lamenting before God. Begging to know what we can do…

Yet, the Truth is that God has told us what to do many times. His Truth has filtered through Her Word many times in the God-inspired scripture we know to be true. Its just really, really hard to do. That Truth is “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” For, God will guide us to where we are meant to be, nay to where we have to be, in order to fulfill the plans God has in store for all of us. This truth is hard. The truth that sometimes we have to simply let go and trust in God. 

I am reminded of this reality today more than ever as we discussed our troubling financial situation at the Vision and Leadership Team meeting last night. Specifically, we discussed the loss of Cliff’s Driving school, the rising inflation, and how it is afflicting everyone in our community personally. We also discussed the amazing engagement over the last year and subsequent burn out of many people in this church community. We looked at the reality of next year’s budget and agreed it looks bleak. From my insights alone, it looks bleak. But yet, I heard those words from Proverbs again and realized it is not my insights alone that matter. We must trust in God and come together as a community if we are to discover how to make next years budget – faithfully. Then again, we must also trust in God and the call which is placed before us if the budget cannot be met – faithfully. 

To explain as simply as possible, we must do one of two things, or possibly both, next year.
1. Raise more funds for the ministry and Mission of our church
2. Lower the spending of the ministry and Mission of our church

Right now, we are facing this reality and the reality that many of you are already generously giving of your treasures, talents, and time. Giving to the point, that some of you are dipping into your savings or stretching yourselves paper thin each month to share with the community. This beloved is not what anyone wants to see. No one should have to feel a burden by supporting the church. It is the same as all of you who have worked tirelessly to put together Craft Fairs, Yard Sales, Community Dinners and burnt yourselves out in the attempt to bring our ministry to the greater Salem community. This truth is even seen in all of you who have worked hard to maintain and create connection throughout the last two years in online worship, actually giving up time to be in prayer or worship in order to serve those online and share their prayers and thoughts. To all of you who have been so faithful, I am blessed to be called as your pastor and teacher. And to all of you, no one can expect or request any more than the faithful engagement you have revealed, thank you.

To all the rest of you, we need you to step up and become part of our community once again. We need your voice to help us – to bring new insights – to build us as a community – together. We need you to be willing to change if that is what God is calling us to do because right now we are at our limit of doing things as they have always been done before. By “at the limit” I mean people are becoming burnt out, as explained above. Therefore, we have to work together both now and for the future of this church community and come up with new ways to share our time – our talents and yes even new ways to gather treasures in order to support the basic needs of this church ministry. We need your insights and participation, now more than ever because the reality is that if we cannot discover new ways or get your assistance to help raise funds in the coming year, we as a church will have to limit our staff.

Yes, this truth means next year we may have to cut down to half or 3/4 time pastor and / or pause the Christian Education director position and Music Director position. This reality is where we are and in all of this, I pray you will do the hardest thing in the world and trust God. Yes, help however and wherever you can, step up and reengage our community, come to the VLT meeting on December 9th to discuss the possibilities; and, even if all of this work does not help us balance the budget, we need you to trust in God that we are being directed into a new phase of God’s plan for our church.

I pray that all are well and safe. My heart cries out to all of you while sharing my faithful belief that God is carrying us wherever and however He wishes us to be in this magnificent ministry of Her Church.

With all my love and faith
your pastor and teacher, Brian

Pastor’s Letter September 28, 2022

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A watercolor image of a tree with leaves changing colors. Red, yellow and green primarily.

Hello beloved, 

I pray you are all doing well on this beautiful fall morning. The changing leaves this morning reminded me that God’s beauty is all around us every day. And as I watched the burgeoning reds and yellows – the golds and oranges, I did think about how they would all turn brown soon. Rather, God turned my heart to the way the tree began. From a simple sapling. Saplings which, over time, had broken free from the hard seeds that confined them. Released from their prison, the sapling started to grow – force its way from the ground. Withstood storms and weather year after year until it grew into the magnificent giant trees with multicolored leaves, which fly past us as we speed down the highways – today. 

In all this glorious beauty, I wondered why the sapling grew, climbed from the ground, broke free of the shell which bound it in birth? Did the sapling grow out of duty or from inspiration? 

I wondered for a moment and thought, it is just a tree. That is what trees do, right? But then again, I looked to witness the trees bending to the light. Each limb climbing higher and higher. Struggling to find its way to the sun. Oh, maybe I was wrong, and the tree is inspired by the sun – by the light – by the love God created in the world. Either way, we will never know for these are trees. Maybe though, we are not really speaking about trees – at all.

Maybe – just maybe – the beauty I saw this morning was really – all of you. Striving for the Son – the light – the love God created for all. At least, this truth is my hope. My hope that you are inspired by God in everything you do. Inspired by God to teach, to clean, to sell your wares. Not out of duty, for, duty will only help you do the barest minimum in this world. No, I hope you are inspired – inspired by God and the magnificent beauty around us every day. Inspired to love your family, your fellowship, your neighbors. Inspired to be the tree climbing higher and higher towards the light.

In these moments of life, I pray that you – let God inspire you – in everything from the mundane to the beautiful – from the Heavenly gifts to the simple stones – from everyday work to our worship together as one amazing fellowship. And may we all be inspired as live in God’s Creation – together.

your pastor and teacher, Brian

During this fall, let us consider how to live out our love. Remember love and faith is not just a feeling but an action we do every day. Feel free to text, call, or email me always to share as I am here to support you and your relationship with God wherever you are on the journey. My number is (207-350-9561) if you need anything or simply want to talk. Next week, I have been called to celebrate some of that love in our world through Angel’s son’s wedding. Therefore, I will be on vacation through the ninth of October. Many blessings to you all.

Pastor’s Letter September 21, 2022

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Man accepting the grace of God.

Hello Beloved,

I pray you are all well and healthy on this beautiful day. And it truly is a beautiful day as we continue to pass through the storms of this world. Through faith, we have made it through. Thank God. 

Sometimes, we forget that simple prayer of gratitude; yet today it is important to remember. It is important to remember because God has given us the tools and gifts to make it through the storms of life. It is important to remember because this moment of God’s glory is not only in the present, but also all around us. It is important to remember for the twelve families of our community who came down with Covid recently have all started to heal without a need for anyone to become hospitalized. Thanks be to God.

Beloved, we know this reality may or may not have been the case two and a half years ago. But now, the virus has become not much more than a cold to many, the vaccines and medications are helping to heal people, our community, our nation, our humanity continues to be revealed in our mutual care and love for one another. What a blessing, today is now that the storm of Covid is passing. For all of these graces and the blessings of all of you, I am truly grateful now and always to God. 

With this in mind, let us return to worship, fellowship, and our ministries with gracious hearts for God is carrying us through the storms of life. Guiding our wisdom and quieting our fears. Yes, be cautious and careful if you feel you need to be; but know, that we are held in God’s Loving hands – now and always. We are held by these hands; so, we may be the hands of Christ living out our love every day in the world, through faith. 

Thank you, God, for carrying and healing us through the storm of the Covid outbreak. The one thing each pastor has been concerned with for the last number of years. Thank you, God and blessings be upon all, of you throughout the community. Thank you, God, for revealing to us how this fearful virus has become not much more than a cold in our world.

May God’s healing love continue to bless and care for each and every one of you as we return to worship God together through our faith, ministries, and worship.

Your pastor and teacher, Brian

During the fading summer and early fall, let us consider how to live out our love each day. Remember love and faith is not just a feeling but an action we do every day. Feel free to text, call, or email me always to share as I am here to support you and your relationship with God wherever you are on the journey. My number is (207-350-9561) if you need anything or simply want to talk. Next week, my pastoral care hours are Tues. 12-5, Wed. 11-3, Thurs. 10-2. Many blessings to you all.

Pastor’s Letter Sep. 4, 2022

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An image of a diverse group of people walking together. The image is taking from behind.

Hello beloved,

I hope you are all well on this Labor day weekend and last Sunday of our summer. Next week, we will rally back to church at 10 am to worship God and celebrate the gifts of so many people in our community. It’s about time isn’t it? It is about time to rally back to worship, to fellowship, to God. I feel in many ways this year’s Rally Sunday is about more than just coming back after a long summer, it is about coming back after a long pandemic.

That said, we know Covid is not over and many of our friends are still maintaining a degree of safety. Let us continue to keep them in our prayers. Please know if you are one of these souls, you are not forgotten and thought of often by everyone in the church. Still, this era of the pandemic seems to be waning and our time to rally again in our faith seems to be needed by many. Your voice and presence, I know, is needed by me. And I say “needed” as Proverbs 27:17 reminds us “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another.” Your wits, insights, belief in God sharpens mine as well as I hope I do for all of you. We teach and learn from one another in ways that cannot always be seen. 

Take for example last Wednesday, the sin of pride and the healing ability of humility came up in the message. It was not until someone chatted with me about their upbringing that I understood a misunderstanding. For, you see they saw pride as a good thing – being proud of family, country, a good day’s work. And that all makes sense as it is one of the definitions of pride. However, pride as a sin is not a good thing. It is the “excessive view of one’s self without regard for others” and one of the other definitions of this word. This latter definition is the way I was using it throughout the message but somehow there was a disconnect. Furthermore, it is not just a sin in the apocrypha text we read that night. The term is found throughout the Bible such as in Jeremiah 9:23-24, “…Let not the mighty man boast of his might…but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me…” Pride is also mentioned in the following verses: Proverbs 8:13, Proverbs 16:18, Romans 12:16, 1 Corinthians 13:4, Galatians 6:3 and James 4:6-7. 

The point is that without that conversation, I could not sharpen my wit and my delivery of God’s message. Therefore, thank you to that soul. A truth, I believe goes both ways. At least, I hope it does. I pray that all our interactions in worship and discussions afterward also sharpen your wit and deepen your faith as we walk on this journey of our faith together. 

For our community, which is sometimes on very different parts of our journey, I find our interactions a great gift. We are able to sharpen our faith – our wit – our beliefs better when they are confronted by different views. It is a truth as old as the old testament. It is a practice of learning used as far back as Socrates. It is one of the greatest gifts we have as a community. But, it only works when we show up and share our presence and thoughts. It is only a blessing when we are confronted with other truths – other beliefs – other ways of living out our love with God. So, let us rally again next week and come together as one fellowship – one community – worshiping God in a variety of ways along the journey – together.

May you have a safe, restful, and wonderful Labor Day before we rally once more together – for God.

Your pastor and teacher, Brian

During the summer, let us consider and remember how to love God each day. Remember love and faith is not just a feeling but an action we do every day – even rest can be an action. Feel free to text, call, or email me always to share as I am here to support you and your relationship with God wherever you are on the journey. My number is (207-350-9561) if you need anything or simply want to talk. Next week, the church will be closed on Monday for the holiday and my pastoral care hours are Tues. 12-5, Wed. 11-3, Thurs. 10-2. Many blessings to you all.

Pastor’s Letter August 28, 2022

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An image of a women resting in a hammock while reading a book.

Hello beloved,

God’s Love

May kindness flow – like water – through you

May your toil bring, the seeds of Love to you

May the breath of God rush – to comfort you

May the warmth of the Son gently cover you

May God’s Love be the gift, we seek and give

Amen

I pray you are all feeling the gift of God’s Love today and every day. I wanted to start my letter this way as poems, to me, are a wonderful expression of faith and how I enjoy the sabbath. That time of respite and recovery. That gift from God where we simply rest and worship. Yet, we do not always do this “resting” – well – do we? At least, most protestants fall into this trap of not resting. Instead, we rush around and do more and more because worshiping God is our passion and joy and because it just needs to be done. We rush around until we simply crash and can do nothing more. I have seen people get to this point where worship itself is just too much to do and it becomes just another thing, another expectation, another duty.

But this path is not how God Creates us. We are created to rest as well as toil. To be revived in the joy of worship and fellowship on the sabbath. So, we will all be re-energized for the week ahead.

Still, “things must get done.” I hear these words and your thoughts – beloved, especially all of you who are involved in all the ministries of this church. The roughly thirty to forty of you who help in everything, I hear you and witness your exhaustion. And I hope the other seventy to eighty souls of our community who are not involved – who have sat back in rest for so long – who do not share their voice in our fellowship will step forward to give you a rest as well. I hope these souls will join us in our church ministries even if it is in a new way because they cannot physically be in church. But for now – today – it is the sabbath. Nothing needs to get done on this last Sunday in August.

Therefore, simply rest and worship God in your heart, if not in your body. Rest, rejuvenate, and let the worry of things that “need to get done” – drift away. God will provide what we truly need and what we need is for all of you to find some well-deserved rest in these fading summer days.

With all of God’s Love, I pray you take today to fully rest in the way which re-energizes your soul.

Many blessings of love,

your pastor and teacher, Brian

During the summer, let us consider and remember how to love God each day. Remember love and faith is not just a feeling but an action we do every day – even rest can be an action. Feel free to text, call, or email me always to share as I am here to support you and your relationship with God wherever you are on the journey. My number is (207-350-9561) if you need anything or simply want to talk. Next week, my pastoral care hours are Tues. 12-5, Wed. 11-3, Thurs. 10-2. Many blessings to you all.

Pastor’s Letter July 24, 2022

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The image is of two hands palm up praying to God in front of a sunrise. The glow from the sun is highlighted in the palms of the hands.

Hello Beloved,

With all the love God has placed within me, I pray you are each doing well. I would like to invite all of you to do the same. Let us pray: Holy God, bless and care for the people in this fellowship and in our community. Care for those in our state and in our world. Watch over all of your Creation, O God, and heal us with your eternal love. Holy one my prayers and love go out to all people but especially Kathy Zecchini, Brenda and Carol Cross, Moe, Granddaughters travelling and children who are crossing the countryside. We pray for Ivan and the loved ones we have lost as well as Audrey, Toni, and Kyle and all those souls who are sick today. Savior, send your healing light into the lives of your people who are angry, hurt, or feeling lost; bless them God with your forgiveness and open their hearts to be forgiving. God, please also heal our world of the divisions and violence as we pray you will care for our President and all people who have Covid in this world, today. In the name of your son, our Christ we pray. Amen.

Beloved, I bring this gift of communal prayer to our thoughts as the gift itself, in recent years, has been minimized to something meaningless or trivial. Some people have criticized this gift as condescending. Yet I believe, prayer is far from meaningless for so many reasons. Most importantly, it is our primary way to speak with God. That alone is a gift and our joy.

However, there are other benefits to prayer. When we pray as one people, we are focusing on the individual person. Letting them know we hear them and see their pain. We are letting them know that they are not alone in this world and having to deal with their struggle by themselves. We are hearing them and being lifted also by their joy. If nothing else, the Covid pandemic revealed to me how important our community is – how much we need one another – how much better life is when we can feel our community caring for us in our everyday lives.

That said, someone recently asked if we came back to church too early as at least one church community in the area is still avoiding fellowship, our President has been diagnosed with Covid, and members of our fellowship have gotten this disease though, thank God, not from anyone else in the church as far as we know. My response to this question (which I am very thankful for Gary) is “no, no I do not believe we came back too early.” I believe this beloved because of prayer.

Because we need one another in our lives and our community holding us now more than ever before in our lives. We need to laugh and question. Feel loved and forgiven. We need to be held in the love that God offers to all people equally right now because we do not know what tomorrow will bring and we are so much better with one another. I am so much better when I have Ed Dacey in my life who has an unbelievable gift and understanding of the by-laws, I am so much better when I have Betty Sears in my life with her institutional memory of our church community, I am so much better with Merri, Emily, Johnny, and everyone of you as we learn and pray together. I am so much better with Philathea and the choir. Everyone of you and our interactions together through prayer, fellowship, and worship of God, makes me a better human and for that I am grateful. I can only believe that this truth is the same for all of us.

So no, I do not believe we came back too early as we have done everything to prevent the worst of outcomes from happening and our community needs each of us in fellowship, worship, and prayer more than we need any fear or conflict. Therefore, I pray you – each of you – are well and will return to be wholly part of this fellowship so we can all be better human beings and disciples of God’s Love – together.

Your pastor and teacher, Brian

During summer, let us consider how we each love God. Remember love is not just a feeling but an action we do every day. Feel free to text, call, or email me always to share as I am here to support you and your relationship with God wherever you are on the journey. My number is (207-350-9561) if you need anything or simply want to talk. Next week, my pastoral care hours are Tues. 12-5, Wed. 11-3, Thurs. 10-2. Many blessings and Love to you all.

Pastor’s Letter March 30,2022

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“But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.”

John 5:17

“Are You Done, Yet?”

Earlier this week, I was thinking about my childhood. It was an amazing time to be alive especially after the gas shortage of the 70’s subsided and my family could take road trips once again. We would go all over seeing various types of historical sites and amusement parks. However, as with most pre-electronic age children, playing the “out-of-state license plate” game would get old after a while and one of us would invariably ask the dreaded question, “are we there yet?”

Not unreasonable by any means after a four – eight – twelve-hour journey cramped in the backseat of a car. Anyone would get bored. But, what about the ten, fifty, eighty-year journey of life. What about the journey of our faith overall or the journey of our faith throughout lent? Are you the one now asking, “Are You Done Yet?” 

Are you asking: “Are You, God, done creating and shifting the world in new ways? Changing it all around and making us re-learn things in order to speak with one another? Are you done, God so I can finally be at peace at the journey’s end?”

Have you asked these questions as you threw up your hands and said, “I’m done – I’ve done my ministry – time for someone else to do all the work.” It kind of sounds like – reminds me of – when we were children and someone would ask, “are we there yet?”

The reality is though, God is not done creating and recreating our world. We are not yet perfected in the kin-dom to come. We are all still on the journey of our faith. However young or old we are! Still, the way forward is not always a straight line. There is not just one road before us. It is more like a great untamed desert and with the help of God, we are plotting our way to the next stop along the journey. But it will take us to have a faith in God – a humbleness in our lack of perfection – and a loving goal to go further than the generations before us. It will take all these gifts, beloved, so the journey ahead may be transformed from the frustrated “are You done Yet” into a ministry of love as we journey together through the wilderness of life. 

May these gifts fill your life and transform our fellowship; so, we may hear God calling us to the next waystation on the journey knowing full well that God is not done, yet.

With loving faith

Your pastor and teacher, Brian

Please consider the ways you care for your own spirituality and faith throughout Lent. If you would like, you may text, call, or email me always to talk and discover ideas to help you refresh your soul. As I am here to support you and your relationship with God wherever you are on the journey. My number is (207-350-9561) if you need anything or simply want to talk. Next week, my pastoral care hours are Mon. 9-4, Tues. 12-5, Wed. 9-4, Thurs. 10-2 to provide some time for visiting. Many blessings and Love to you all.

Pastor’s Letter March 9, 2022

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“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up…”

  • Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 (NRSV)
image of a rustic alarm clock on a wooden table.

…but, why now?

Why now? These words keep fluttering about in conversations throughout our world. Why now, indeed? If you, Beloved, have not heard these words lately, I expect you have at some point in your life. Words of frustration when everything seems to be just a bit off. When it’s pouring rain outside, the dogs meet a new friend – the skunk, and you get locked out of the house trying to get them back in…Why now, seems like a great response along with some other choice words. But we also ask “why now” when everything seems to be going right and we feel some calling – some movement of spirit – some undeniable sensation to do something which moves us from the status quo and into a place of uneasiness. Why now? Why did I feel the need to upset the balance, now?

I have heard those words come from my own lips, beloved, as I prayed to God, often throughout the years. However, in my prayers the words from Ecclesiastes also kept coming back over and over: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” What this scripture does not say is we get to decide what time it is. In fact, the words of scripture remind us that we are not in control. We are the “matter under heaven.” And there is a time for us as individuals, as a fellowship, as a community. So, maybe now is that time and maybe it is not? That is why we pray and discern. Because we do not know for sure what season or time it is right now. We can only look around the world and witness the invitations to grow and learn.

Oh, and faithfully trust in God while it’s happening (whatever “it” is). That may be the most important part. For, anxiety over the future will not bring us peace nor will the sadness for the times now gone, peace is only found when we live in today – praying, discerning, and faithfully following wherever Christ is leading us. 

So, perhaps the question we could ask in this season of Lent is not, “why now”; but what are these things happening around us revealing to me – now? What is God calling me to do – now? What season and time is God bringing all humans into – now? For, I hope you remember, beloved, that our spiritual faith journey is both as an individual as well as part of the community. We affect each other in ways that we cannot even imagine. We learn from each other and grow as one body by witnessing the things affecting each other’s lives. It is in this journey together, we are called to discern where Christ is leading us as well and what time God has brought us into, as that one body. 

I pray you take a moment to pray this week to discern where you see Christ leading us as a people; so, we may come together and fulfill Her ministry and His Mission – together.

your pastor and teacher, Brian

Please consider the ways you care for your own spirituality and faith throughout Lent. If you would like, you may text, call, or email me always to talk and discover ideas to help you refresh your soul. As I am here to support you and your relationship with God wherever you are on the journey. My number is (207-350-9561) if you need anything or simply want to talk. Next week, my pastoral care hours are Mon. 9-4, Tues. 12-5, Wed. 9-4, Thurs. 10-2 to provide some time for visiting. Many blessings and Love to you all.