Letter from Lindy Dec 13

My beloved community,

It seems I have fallen into a pattern of apology to start this letter. Maybe we are supposed to be having weekly worship glitches, just to remind us how human we really are in this season of waiting and watching for breath-taking God glimpses. Humbled we are again, not because of Zoom, but with our own sound system offering crackling elevator music undergirding my sermon, and me none the wiser. My daughter, who texts me after each Sunday’s worship with words of affirmation about my message, offered me this: “well, what I heard of your sermon was good” :( Sorry for the sensory deprivation and lost message. Gracious Nathan, not wanting to interrupt me mid-stream, waited for communion to switch out the mic. Grateful, for stopping me amidst would have really thrown me for a loop. Who knows what I would have said and done ;)

I am excited to hear the wonderful voices of Pilgrim’s choir this Sunday. For those of you who check out our YouTube channel, you got a sneak peak, as the music director from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church who helped with technology posted a piece there on Thursday. Lovely, lovely sight and sound that reminds us how much we are still community even at a respective distance. I hope our Advent offerings nurture and nourish you through. I pray that these lessons we are learning in 2020 shape and mold us anew as one of God’s beloved communities of witness.

As there is a longer invitation and description below, let me close by encouraging those who feel able to join us for our longest night service, “Labyrinth and Luminaries” on Monday, December 21. I don’t know about you, but even with the hope of the vaccine, I still find myself quick to tears at every image of ICUs; pleas from exhausted health care workers; ever-climbing COVID death toll. I carry so much grief. 2020 grief that touches all the other grief spots in my heart. I was grateful that, as much as our service spoke to my need, when I sent it to our Deacon Co-Chairs, they both remarked that they should have known better than to have opened the Google doc at work, because it brought them to tears as well. I pray we trust each other to lament together and hold each other's tears.

Hope to “see” you Sunday.
Pastor Lindy