Letter from Pastor Jason

So much has happened in the last month. There is so much pain and grief and fear.

Many of us are experiencing anxiety and uncertainty, and in the midst of that, I have hope. I have seen the church operate under the radar other countries. I have seen the faithful work and fruit the church bears when it is pushed into a pressure cooker, but while we are in there, don’t forget to breathe. This is going to be marathon, not a sprint.

But we are going to act.

The first thing we will be doing is having hope and continuing to gather as a community. The season of Lent is a time for growth in faith—through prayer, spiritual practices, and self-examination in preparation for the commemoration of the dying and rising of Jesus. In many churches, this is a time to nurture those who seek to be baptized or make a declaration of faith. Reconciliation is a key theme in Lent—reconciliation with God and one another through the grace of Christ.

We live in a world that wants to put everything into neat and separate boxes, claiming “in v. out,” “right v. wrong,” “black v. white.” However, faith is what happens in the [in] between places. Our theme comes from A Sanctified Art, and this is what they have to say about it:

"We invite you to look beyond black and white binaries and easy answers. We encourage you to notice the dichotomies that define our lives, but also imagine where God might be meeting us beyond the categories we create. This theme may resonate with anyone who is in discernment or trying to find their way through an undefined space. It will speak to anyone who feels as if they are living in a divided world. It is for those who seek a spiritual life that engages with complexity instead of avoiding it. This Lent, we're trusting that God shows up in shades of gray, rainbow hues, and everywhere in between."

Throughout Lent, we will be making paper cranes during coffee hour in the Gathering Place to decorate the sanctuary for the Easter Season. In Japanese, this practice is called senbazuru—the making of 1,000 paper cranes. It started sometime in the 17th century and has been thought of as a prayer for hope, healing, and peace. This will become our communal Lenten practice, as we strip away the distractions in our lives, allowing for a deeper connection with God, ourselves, and each other. The completed cranes will be displayed in the sanctuary as a symbol of our collective prayer and commitment to action on behalf of the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and in prison (Matthew 25:34-35).

Additionally, if you are interested in being baptized, making a declaration of faith, or officially joining in the work of this community by becoming a member, please reach out to me. When we say “Jesus is Lord,” that means “Caesar is not.”

Another thing we can do is stay grounded. Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, former moderator of the PC(USA) General Assembly, recently posted these questions on his blog:

• How do I stay informed but not distracted?
• How do I amplify voices and information but avoid fetishizing trauma and feeding the rage cycle?
• How do I honor my rage, anger, and disappointment without dipping into the well of dismissal, dehumanization, and destruction of the other?
• How do I participate in reinforcing, building, and sustaining communities of beauty, belonging, hope, and resistance?
• How will I prepare to risk and leverage my bodily and socioeconomic privileges on behalf of those who are justifiably terrified for their lives?
• How will I resist in ways I believe God calls me to do so?
• How do I ensure that I am tending to my own body, mind, and soul without turning self-care into a justification for doing as little as possible?

Be gentle with yourself.
Don’t forget to go outside and look at the moon or bend down and look at a leaf on the ground.
God is with us.
God has not abandoned us.
God is moving through us.

In Christ’s Love,
​
Pastor Jason