Bucket of Shells

I recently got back from a week-long family vacation to Cape May, New Jersey. This pilgrimage to Cape May has been a family tradition on my husband’s side for generations. Extended family and friends all rent beach houses and stay for the week spending time catching up, relaxing, and playing together. 

As someone who grew up by the beach I love a good beach vacation. It’s made all the more special now that I get to see my kids wandering the beach, digging in the sand, and playing with their cousins.  One day my 4 year old daughter asked if we could go for a walk and search for shells. The fact that I am in my third trimester carrying her little sister and that I might not be up for a walk on the beach did not occur to my daughter.  Still, I couldn’t resist saying yes to her. We grabbed a bucket and made our way down along the surf looking for shells. 

As we went along she would pick up a shell here or there. Seaweed also made it into the bucket along with small pieces of driftwood or stones. What was fascinating to me was that she didn’t just pick out things that I, or anyone else for that matter, would have deemed beautiful. Most of the shells were broken or had holes in them. Seaweed is not something I have ever chosen to collect. And what were we doing carrying around a bucket that was half pebbles? And yet, to her, each and every thing in her bucket was a piece of treasure. Everything she picked up was beautiful or special in its own way and in a way she could see that they rest of us just missed. 

The way my daughter saw the items in her bucket is the way God sees all of us. There are people in our lives that we would not want to collect or allow in our own buckets but who God loves dearly. God is able to see them for the unique, beautiful, special person they are. Sometimes we need to be reminded to look at those around us from the perspective of God who loves everyone we see. And other times we need to be reminded that we too are so loved and cherished by God. We can go through seasons of feeling worthless, overwhelmed, and overlooked and yet, even in those times, God sees you as a precious treasure to be held close. Friends, I pray that you know God’s deep love for you today and everyday. 

Looking for God at the Beach

I’ve often heard people say that the beach is one of those places that they feel the presence of God. When you are staring out at the vast ocean, bare feet sunk into the sand, the sound of wind and waves drowning out the busyness of the world, it make sense. There is a peace and a presence that can be felt in that space. I know because I’ve felt it too. 

I was at the beach recently and realized that feeling God’s presence in this way - maybe during the early morning or late evening when hardly anyone else is around is only one way to sense God. The quiet way. The solitary way. 

But as I sat on the beach mid-day surrounded by people I saw God all around me. I saw people - old and young - reclining in their chairs and simply staring off into the distance at the ocean. They probably did not realize that they were deep in meditation. As they sat they were breathing deeply of the salty ocean air and exhaling as the waves crashed. If you have done this before you know the feeling of being centered and connected and renewed - it’s like praying without even realizing it. 

I also saw children young and old at play. Some were searching for shells and other precious treasures God created for us to find. Some were throwing the ball back and forth or riding the waves or climbing the rocks. Godly play meeting natural wonder. I also saw families building castles together - using their hands to dig in the sand to form and create structures and worlds. As they did so they were imitating God the creator whose hands formed the world. I saw people in sabbath rest with their hats pulled over their eyes lulled to sleep by the rhythm of the ocean. 

Sure, God is there in the early morning when the world is quiet and we walk along the beach in silent reflection. But God is also in the hustle and bustle - in the play and fun - in the crash of waves and the call of gulls - in the laughter of children and the snores of grandfathers. We just need the time to look around and see it - to stop and notice God in the midst of us all the time. In the quiet and in the chaos. In all places. 

New Life

I look forward to that time in late March and early April when all the flowering trees, forsythia bushes, and all the colorful flowers like tulips, daffodils, and hyacinth begin shooting up out of their bulbs. When all those plants begin waking up from their winter naps I feel like I am beginning to wake up too. I’m not really a fan of winter. I don’t care for the cold or the very early sunsets that leave us in the dark for so many hours. But when spring arrives my mood shifts. I get outside more and go for walks. I look around as I drive keeping an eye out for any new flowers along my way. 

Spring is a time of hope and rebirth so Easter fits wonderfully into this season of new life. This past Easter Sunday I could feel the energy of rebirth and new life all around me. The weather was perfect, the flowers were blooming, folks from our congregation and community came together to worship outside and witness to the resurrection hope once again. Even our kids running through the graveyard and hunting for eggs was a sign that the tomb was empty and that death was not the end of our story, but rather that in Christ we are offered a new life of abundance and joy. 

There is a beautiful hymn that weaves together the imagery of all those flowering plants that symbolize the beginning of Spring with the truth about Christ and the resurrection. The lyrics go like this, 

““In the bulb there is a flower;
in the seed, an apple tree;
in cocoons, a hidden promise:
butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter
there’s a spring that waits to be,
unrevealed until its season,
something God alone can see.

There’s a song in every silence,
seeking word and melody;
there’s a dawn in every darkness
bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future;
what it holds, a mystery,
unrevealed until its season,
something God alone can see.

In our end is our beginning;
in our time, infinity;
in our doubt there is believing;
in our life, eternity.
In our death, a resurrection;
at the last, a victory,
unrevealed until its season,
something God alone can see.””

— Hymn of Promise by Natalie Sleeth

I hope this spring you feel God moving and new life beginning. The past year has been one full of grief, loss, and uncertainty and yet, in all times God is with us. God is with us when we feel like the a bulb buried deep within the earth and longing for light. God is with us when we spring forth onto a new and glorious day. Whatever the next days, weeks, and months hold I am confident that God will continue to be with us. 

Missing the Mark

A few days ago was the beginning of a new month and on the first of February I had the sinking thought that I was only one month into this new year and I was already horribly behind on my new year’s resolution. I don’t often make resolutions because inevitably I fail at reaching my goal. It’s sometimes easier not to set a goal at all that way I don’t have to feel that sense of failure when I miss the mark. After living through the mess that was 2020 I thought it was time for me to set a good goal for myself, a new year’s resolution that would keep me on the right track. I decided that my resolution would be to read the entire Bible in one year. It’s a big goal, but I felt confident that I could do it. There is a Bible App that has different reading plans so each day it lets you know what readings to do and helps up check them off as you go so you can watch your progress. 

Diving into God’s Word and setting up a rhythm of daily devotion seemed like a wonderful way to begin 2021. Of course, as I checked in on that goal I was already more than a week behind on my readings. I’m just not sure I will be able to catch up and maintain this practice so that by the end of the year I would have read the entire Bible. At first this realization hit me like a brick and made me feel like I was failing. What made matters worse was that I was failing to read scripture, which added another layer of guilt. But then I took a beat, lifted up that grief and guilt to God and in that moment I remembered God’s grace. This goal that I had set, while noble and ambitious, was also arbitrary. What would happen if it took me more than a year to read the whole Bible? Nothing. In fact, if I stick to this goal and remove the timetable what a joy it will be to journey with God in this way no matter how long it takes. There is a delight and a challenge to reading the whole cannon of Scripture and if it take me a year, or 18 months, or several years I believe it will still be nourishment to my very soul. 

Maybe you set a new year’s resolution for yourself and maybe you have felt that pang of failure if you missed the mark on your goal. I hope that if you do feel that pang you are able to pause and breath and remember that in God was have an abundance of grace.  I hope you are able to see yourself, your progress, your failures, your missteps the way God sees you - as a beloved child of God who is received by God in all times with grace and love. 

7 Years Later

Some numbers carry special meaning for us. For some it’s a favorite number which can be traced back to their birthday or the number on their jersey in high school. Some numbers are historically special. We see this all the time in biblical texts where numbers convey special meaning and importance. Seven is one those special numbers. In scripture it is the number of completeness. We see it appear when God created the world in 7 days and later at the end of the Bible we see it again and again in the book of Revelation. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about the number seven recently because I am coming up on my 7 year anniversary of serving at Thompson Church. If I’m being completely honest with you all I would have to admit that I had no idea I would be serving at Thompson this long. Typically an associate pastor in her first call does not serve the same church for seven years. But what I have come to realize is that serving alongside the good people of Thompson is not your typical call. I have grown a great deal in my years serving at Thompson because the members and church leaders have given me so many opportunities to serve in new ways and to stretch myself. Of course, some of those opportunities were not things we planned on like staffing changes or a global pandemic, just to name a few.

I’ve heard from some members that they are grateful to me for my presence in the midst of all this change and uncertainty which we have faced as a congregation over the past few years. I’m glad I’ve been able to provide that comfort, but I want you all to know that I feel the same way about you. Over the past seven years a lot has changed in my life both professionally and personally. And if any of you know me well you know I don’t really like change or uncertainty. I always want to have a plan. I want to know what’s coming my way so I can be prepared. I want my life and my call to be decent and in order. Of course, that isn’t how life works out most of the time and that has been more true recently than at any other time in my life. And yet, I don’t feel as adrift and anxious as I might have been and I believe that is because of Thompson Church. I knew that no matter what the road ahead might look like, no matter how choppy the sea, the people of Thompson Church were there for me and for each other. So thank you for allowing me to lend you some comfort over the years, but please know that I am thankful for each and every one of you as well for being my comfort and support.  I am proud to serve to Lord with you all.