Greetings From Pastor Lyn
A Happy and Blessed New Year!
Truly, the year 2022 simply went too fast! Maybe that’s partly because we were in “catch-up” mode after two years of relatively restricted activity and options. However, despite feeling like the year passed too quickly, I am very glad to welcome a new year with the accompanying hope every new year brings. 2022 was a heavy year for many of you. I pray 2023 is better.
Thank you for another wonderful year of ministry at Emanuel! There is a great deal of ministry that takes place in and from this congregation that would not be possible were it not for the dedicated volunteers and those who are faithfully committed to this ministry, financially and spiritually. I receive comments from people around the world (really!) who are amazed at all that happens at Emanuel. People do read and share the monthly publication Echoes or watch our services online. One mark of a great congregation is their willingness to go beyond their four walls in service to the wider community. Emanuel is a bright shining star in that category!
Thank you for the many birthday cards, gifts, greetings, lunches, and other wonderful things you did for me on my birthday! As many of you know, numbers mean relatively little to me, but as the number of candles grow on my birthday cakes, it’s especially meaningful that there’s more to life than numbers! For example, being in relationship with people who are truly “salt of the earth” and genuinely authentic in their actions and their words. I appreciate all of you so very much. God indeed blessed me when He called me to Emanuel!
An equally heart-felt thanks for the Christmas gifts, cards, food, and kind words spoken. This was my 8th Christmas with you, and I believe each year is a bigger blessing than the last. In part, it’s because this is a shared ministry – we are in this together – and it works!
Perhaps you’ve guessed by now, that my heart grew “3 sizes” (not that I’m a grinch, but the sentiment works!) this Christmas and 2023 promises to hold much that is beautiful. There will be challenges for us to face as a congregation and there will be personal challenges we will face as individuals or as families. Together, we will meet every challenge because we are a strong and faithful community of believers.
The Season of Epiphany begins January 6th. Tradition holds that after following a brilliant star for months or even years, the Magi arrive to pay homage to the new King. The Magi were not Jews, they did not share the same religious reverence as the Judeans. Yet, they showed reverence to that which was unknown to them. They understood that this King would be different; this King was the Messiah of Israel that they claimed also for themselves.
Philosopher Paul Woodruff asserts in his book Reverence: Renewing a Forgotten Virtue, Oxford University Press, 2014, “that reverence as a virtue has been lost in our modern age, but whose exercise may, like the Magi, transcend religious and cultural barriers. We may be divided from one another by our beliefs, but never by our reverence. If you desire peace in the world, do not pray that everyone share your beliefs. Pray instead that all may be reverent.”
Maybe that will be one of the challenges we face as a culture this new year. That is, the search for the divine by unorthodox means and renewing the practice of showing reverence. By that I mean, those who no longer or never did buy into religion or denominational creeds and practices, may come to faith through a different way of searching – like modern-day Magi looking for their Savior. The Magi were a prime example of “seekers.” When it comes right down to it, we are all seekers, even those with deep faith — or perhaps, especially those with deep faith — still seek Him. A challenge may be to find a way of accepting and/or celebrating this new way of seeking within ourselves and within others.
I’m not one to make New Year Resolutions. Too many failed attempts, I guess. But I am going to work on “reverence” this year as we – together – continue to seek Him in the unexpected or the unconventional.
God’s good and abundant blessings be yours, dear People,
Pastor Lyn
Truly, the year 2022 simply went too fast! Maybe that’s partly because we were in “catch-up” mode after two years of relatively restricted activity and options. However, despite feeling like the year passed too quickly, I am very glad to welcome a new year with the accompanying hope every new year brings. 2022 was a heavy year for many of you. I pray 2023 is better.
Thank you for another wonderful year of ministry at Emanuel! There is a great deal of ministry that takes place in and from this congregation that would not be possible were it not for the dedicated volunteers and those who are faithfully committed to this ministry, financially and spiritually. I receive comments from people around the world (really!) who are amazed at all that happens at Emanuel. People do read and share the monthly publication Echoes or watch our services online. One mark of a great congregation is their willingness to go beyond their four walls in service to the wider community. Emanuel is a bright shining star in that category!
Thank you for the many birthday cards, gifts, greetings, lunches, and other wonderful things you did for me on my birthday! As many of you know, numbers mean relatively little to me, but as the number of candles grow on my birthday cakes, it’s especially meaningful that there’s more to life than numbers! For example, being in relationship with people who are truly “salt of the earth” and genuinely authentic in their actions and their words. I appreciate all of you so very much. God indeed blessed me when He called me to Emanuel!
An equally heart-felt thanks for the Christmas gifts, cards, food, and kind words spoken. This was my 8th Christmas with you, and I believe each year is a bigger blessing than the last. In part, it’s because this is a shared ministry – we are in this together – and it works!
Perhaps you’ve guessed by now, that my heart grew “3 sizes” (not that I’m a grinch, but the sentiment works!) this Christmas and 2023 promises to hold much that is beautiful. There will be challenges for us to face as a congregation and there will be personal challenges we will face as individuals or as families. Together, we will meet every challenge because we are a strong and faithful community of believers.
The Season of Epiphany begins January 6th. Tradition holds that after following a brilliant star for months or even years, the Magi arrive to pay homage to the new King. The Magi were not Jews, they did not share the same religious reverence as the Judeans. Yet, they showed reverence to that which was unknown to them. They understood that this King would be different; this King was the Messiah of Israel that they claimed also for themselves.
Philosopher Paul Woodruff asserts in his book Reverence: Renewing a Forgotten Virtue, Oxford University Press, 2014, “that reverence as a virtue has been lost in our modern age, but whose exercise may, like the Magi, transcend religious and cultural barriers. We may be divided from one another by our beliefs, but never by our reverence. If you desire peace in the world, do not pray that everyone share your beliefs. Pray instead that all may be reverent.”
Maybe that will be one of the challenges we face as a culture this new year. That is, the search for the divine by unorthodox means and renewing the practice of showing reverence. By that I mean, those who no longer or never did buy into religion or denominational creeds and practices, may come to faith through a different way of searching – like modern-day Magi looking for their Savior. The Magi were a prime example of “seekers.” When it comes right down to it, we are all seekers, even those with deep faith — or perhaps, especially those with deep faith — still seek Him. A challenge may be to find a way of accepting and/or celebrating this new way of seeking within ourselves and within others.
I’m not one to make New Year Resolutions. Too many failed attempts, I guess. But I am going to work on “reverence” this year as we – together – continue to seek Him in the unexpected or the unconventional.
God’s good and abundant blessings be yours, dear People,
Pastor Lyn