Beloved Friends,
Happy almost New Year’s Eve. Wow. How can it be the end of another year? We have had a glorious few months leading us to the end of this year, largely in part due to the gift of proximity. This has been the first year, in what feels like a lifetime (rather than just two), that we were able to gather in person each week for all of Advent and Christmas Eve in addition to still offering Trinity@Home. I have learned over this season of “both/and” that we are so blessed to have found our way to offering, as Sufi poet and mystic Sufi says, “a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground.” Both ways of leaning into God’s love have integrity, breadth and depth and it truly does take a village. Thank you for continuing to support both ways we live into being a progressive, inclusive and creative community of faith.
Recently I re-read a wonderful quote by Methodist pastor, therapist and founder of Bread for the Journey, Wayne Muller in his book How Then Shall We Live, that I think underscores the beauty of this holy and communal task we call worship. He writes:
Some of us wish to wait till our gift is potent and comprehensive enough to solve all the world’s problems. Seeing that our gift does not stop all the suffering, we decide it is inadequate. But every gift is a drop of water on a stone; every kindness, every flash of color or melody helps us remain hopeful and in balance. Each of us knows some part of the secret, and each of us holds our small portion of the light. We can thrive on the earth only if we each bring what we have and offer it at the family table.
Liturgy, literally translated as “the work of the people” happens well when we remember that all of us, and all our gifts are called forth. Each of us is indeed a precious and needed drop of water for a thirsty world. Each of us, when we come together as the Body of Christ, can do the work of offering the light of Christ to a world in need of hope and healing.
As you welcome in the New Year tomorrow, may you do so remembering you have a star guiding you home and that we need you to continue to bring what you have and offer it at the family table we call Trinity.
May you never forget that you are loved.
Lisa