Pastor’s Corner – March 27, 2025

Dear Beloved,

How has your season of Lent (the season from Ash Wednesday through Holy Week that offers us an opportunity for repentance and deeper reflection in preparation for remembering and celebrating the resurrection) started out?  I am grateful for Dr. Rev. Hannah Ingram’s message on Ash Wednesday and Pastor Marc’s Sunday messages throughout this season that are guiding me.  I am thankful for the choir, minister of music, and organist who help me be still in our community worship time.  I am thankful for artists, authors, prophets, and poets who help me grow and for the opportunities to be in conversation with you and with people, creatures, and the creation that I am blessed to be around.  One of the authors that I am grateful for this season is Mallory McDuff.  Her book Last Best Act is helping me take time to think about regenerative death and how my morality can bring life and blessings.  As a pastor’s kid, funerals were common dinner time topics.  I am grateful that we grew up talking about death.  I’m grateful that I grew up being taught that no matter what, not even death separates us from God’s love.  

As I grew up, I learned that it is important not to try to rush or hurry people’s hurt and pain.  Grief is complex and different for everyone.  Words often fail me, and in those times, I hope that I can stay present in whatever way the person or people need and in that presence to share God’s love and care.  I still have so much to learn about how to do this well.  

Being at funerals and the season of Lent lead me think about my mortality which helps me think about what truly matters most - often I fail to live that out, but by God’s grace I can keep trying.  I’m so grateful that God never gives up on us.  God’s love is unbounded and unending.  May this good news offer us hope and shalom this day and in whatever lies ahead - for God is with us in life, in death, and in life after death.  We are not alone.  May we share this good news near and far.

With gratitude and hope,

Sarah

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39