A Letter from Lindy
Greetings Pilgrims,
My week took a turn when my beloved and elderly dog Luna re-injured her leg on Memorial Day as she was startled by another canine as we exited the house for an evening constitutional. What began as a limp I thought she would shake off in our 20 minute stroll, became progressively worse through the week to the point she could not put pressure on it whenever we went out for her to relieve herself. That in addition to some unexpected, elevated numbers from our vet appointment has slowed my week down, keeping me tethered to home today (Thursday) to maintain a watchful eye on her as her body adjusts to (hopefully) helpful medication.
It's hard to slow your roll when you are used to a faster pace mid-week. With Mondays as my Sabbath and Fridays dedicated to sermon writing, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursday can feel more pressure-filled with to-do lists. So when a Thursday’s calendar is wiped clean of meetings, its spaciousness can feel as disorienting as sabbath time and place– hard to receive and live into. No surprise, God’s word spoke into my restlessness through this Sunday’s scripture about honoring the sabbath and keeping it holy–especially for those under our care….hmmm, no coincidence there, our still speaking God.
I’m mindful that this Sunday marks the year to date from when I stepped away for the first month of my sabbatical in 2023. How much more intentional I could be when I was gifted with the expanse of a month that had no deadlines or emails or sermons. The reminder had me reflecting on how much I have allowed the rhythms I had put in place to develop the discipline of Sabbath to slip in our allegiance to “being busy, so, so busy.” It hurts my heart when one of the refrains I hear often in conversation is, “I didn’t want to bother you, I know how busy you are….” I don’t like that reputation and/or orientation, thus I’m grateful this week’s texts prompt me to reflect and renew so that I might discover the joy God hopes in commanding sabbath for God’s beloved creatures and creation.
I pray we explore the what, how and why together this Sunday.
Pastor Lindy
(she/her) why pronouns matter