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FROM PASTOR LINDA’S DESK . . .
Spirituality
Part One
Many folks have the idea that spirituality has to do with mystics and dessert fathers, or monks secluded in a monastery
apart from everyday lives. There are others who believe that spirituality is another way to talk about ones faith in God and
life in the church. And finally, there are those who think spirituality is associated with New Age ideas of religion and has
no place in a serious discussion of Christianity. Spirituality does include mysticism and seclusion, and it does reflect our
faith in God and our life in the church. It also has to do with how we see God, and where we feel close to God. As far as
"new age" goes, spiritual practices date back to the early church fathers. There has been a resurgence of interest in spiritual
practices in the past ten or so years, and that includes many who reject formal religion altogether; but I want to set them
aside for the moment and just have a conversation about how and where we might see God in our everyday lives. I want to explore
where we might connect with God, where we might be most aware of God’s presence in the world.
In San Jose, before seminary, I chaired a committee in the presbytery that was responsible for the "theology, the worship,
and the spirituality" of the presbytery and its life together. Someone once asked me to define that. I replied that theology
is what we believe about God, worship is where we honor and praise God, and spirituality is our relationship with God. Our
spirituality is our everyday encounters with the Holy. Often we have no problem on Sunday mornings feeling God’s presence,
but for some, it’s not that easy the rest of the week. But God is present in all that we do, and that is what we will
explore together. For instance, sitting on the deck in the sun as I write this, I can sense God all around me — from
the delicate tinkling of my wind chimes to the cacophony of bird songs, from the cars driving past on Highway D to the sound
of the wind rustling through the trees. . . . I know God is here! But what will happen when I put this pen down and
go back inside to work? Will I be able to feel God’s presence as strongly sitting at my desk in my office?
"Spiritual Literacy, Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life," authored by Frederick and Mary Ann Brussat, addresses this problem
of experiencing God in the ordinary things of life. The introduction begins, "life is a sacred adventure. Every day we encounter
signs that point to the active presence of the Spirit in the world around us. Spiritual literacy is the ability to read the
signs written in the texts of our own experiences. Whether viewed as a gift from God or a skill to be cultivated, this facility
enables us to discern and decipher a world full of meaning." God is never apart from us, sometimes we separate from God, but
God is always with us. We all can encounter God in our everyday lives. We will continue next month as we will look at the
"Basic Alphabet of Spiritual Literacy." In the meantime, look around you as you work or play. Look for the ways and the places
that you can see God in your everyday lives."
In Christ,
Pastor Linda
July 2008
SUNDAY LUNCHES WITH PASTOR LINDA
A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to all of you who participated in the Sunday lunches at my house during April and May. I wish all
of you could have participated, but I totally understand why some of you could not. I enjoyed creating a different, but equally
easy, menu for each of the four Sundays. It was fun having such a large group sitting around my table that rarely gets used,
but it also was a great opportunity for me to get to know you all a little better and to have a greater understanding of why
you are such faithful members of the church. Every last one of you cited the warm, family feeling of the congregation as a
whole as the reason you were attracted to the church and why you kept coming after your first visit. I have to admit, I have
felt that warmth since the first time I met you all at the gathering that Saturday (that seems like ages ago) before I preached
for you the first time.
For those of you who didn’t participate, I asked three questions:
1. Why do you keep coming back to this church so faithfully?
2. If you had it in your power to wish anything into being for this church, what would it be?
3. How do we keep the same warm family feeling as we grow?
The answers to question #2 was almost the same from everyone; the wish for more people to come and join with us for worship
and fellowship in the name of Jesus Christ. The main concern was how do we let people know we are here? Another thing that
came up from the younger members had to do with activities that they could participate in together besides Sunday morning
worship. The ideas ranged from hands on mission opportunities to having a "rock concert" from one of the youngest attending.
Some of the "mission minded" activities included adopting a section of highway, participating in the Crop Walk, or the Cystic
Fibrosis Walk. Other ideas for fellowship included a regular game night or card game scheduled once a month, another midyear
event such as the Christmas Progressive Dinner where spouses of members might be included, and other activities for couples
and some family activities where the entire family to participate.
The answers to the third question seemed to range from "I don’t know" to "lots of intentional effort from the existing
members to make the new members feel included."
All in all it was fun, energizing and one more way to gather together for really focused conversation. I am thinking about
other ways we might get together in small groups to brainstorm with Session on some new ideas or some strategies for getting
the word about our wonderful church community out to other folks in the area.
Dousman Derby Days are approaching; maybe we could participate in the parade in some fun way! Any ideas? Talk to any member
of session….it could be a fun way of letting others know we are here and that we are excited about our church!
Pastor Linda
July 2008
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