Letter from Lindy Jan 10

Beloved Pilgrims,

I was celebrating my home church’s unveiling of this banner yesterday while completing the text for this letter on Epiphany, just prior to the onset of the horrifying events that occurred in our nation’s Capitol. After racing over to my mom’s to turn on the coverage for her, I then sat glued to my chair until the wee hours of the morning, praying with and for our nation, along with fellow UCC churches across the country. I must confess that no official words of condemnation that came forth that night could assuage the anger in my heart at the elected officials who stoked the fires of this seditious act--and there was more than one. One reporter captured my sentiment in expressing his disbelief, but then named we c/should not be surprised that this mob did exactly what the president asked of them. Finally, one senator, late into the night, came the closest to reflecting the breaking of my heart--Mitt Romney, words I never imagined holding together, but there it was. Oh, pilgrims, we, people of faith, have much holy work before us…...

And gosh, this week began with such heartbreak from the phone call from Ellen, sharing about her final visit with Kristin, without knowing it would be the last, to the news early Monday morning of Kristin’s death. Wading through the many decisions, amidst pandemic, has been hard for everyone involved. What is right doesn’t have clarity, as the rituals we so need to lean into continue to have such inherent risk. I pray that our gathering at the graveside to turn our hearts to God to thank them for this extraordinary life will be both meaningful and safe. As I shared by email, you are invited to join if that fits into your safety protocols. The service will also be live streamed which you can access here, if that feels better for your circumstances.

If you have not read Kristin’s obituary, let me share it with you, just to bring forth glimpses of her life and legacy. You will note that Kristin had wanted any memorial monies to be directed to the most vulnerable of our community, which is so reflective of her. Additionally, as her beloved community, we are also imagining contributing, in Kristin’s honor, a gift to Cieneguilla Children's Orphanage, which we have supported for years because of the Herzogs’ introduction of it to Pilgrim. What another wonderful way to pay tribute to our beloved friend. As our online giving does not have flexibility to designate within categories, we have set up a separate line item if you would like to honor Kristin in this way.

I shared during prayers of the people last Sunday that my mother’s community was to receive the COVID vaccine on Friday. As we have seen across the country, the roll-out has hiccups along the way and their vaccine date is now pushed to February due to supply and prioritization. We have much still to learn. In our learning, I wanted to share that I will be participating, on Pilgrim’s behalf, in a roundtable discussion on January 13 with two local infectious disease experts – Dr. Cam Wolfe and Dr. Ibukun Akinboyo – who will share information and answer questions we have about COVID-19 vaccines. Let me encourage you to send any questions you might have to me so that I can submit them for these experts to answer. Our session will be recorded and I will work to create an opportunity for you to view it, and if there is interest, perhaps even spark a conversation among us.

Pilgrims, this Sunday we come to the river’s shore with Jesus, responding to John’s baptismal call. Now more than ever, we need to respond with confession, repentance, forgiveness as we move through this new year.

Epiphany Light,
Pastor Lindy