And So We Begin...

Well, it's the first week of my new appointment as the pastor of Christ Church. What a whirlwind of a beginning! As I write this, I am very much appreciating the 4th of July, as it gives me some time to take a deep breath to get a little rest and to reflect on our journey thus far.

There are unique situations, but for the most part, United Methodist pastors begin their new appointments on July 1 of a given year. This is the first time in any of my transitions to a new appointment that July 1 was actually on a Sunday morning. Usually there are a few days in the office, unpacking a few of the most necessary boxes, feeling a little settled in and then Sunday happens. But not this year - wham! First day and first Sunday all in one fell swoop! But God is good, all the time -- all the time, God is good!

From my perspective I was pleased with worship. I felt God's presence with me and felt as though I was connecting with the people in the pews. The folks here have been very welcoming and gracious. I'm excited about the possibilities of ministry God has in store in Erie with and for Christ Church. I feel as though we're off to a good start together - part of that due to David Janz, the previous pastor of this church and the good way in which he has helped to prepare myself and this congregation for this new appointment -- and ultimately due to God's grace that just abounds!

I'm also glad for this break in the middle of the week, because as we begin a new ministry and settling into a new home here in Erie, our family is also preparing for a week at C.A.T. Camp at Jumonville starting on Sunday afternoon. Now, for those of you who don't know - we have three GREAT camps in our Western PA Conference. Jummonville is the one we know the best, but all 3 camps are terrific! And for those of you who are wondering - what in the world is C.A.T. Camp, I'll tell you - Creative Arts Thing Camp. This is a great family camp - leather crafting, stained glass, basket weaving, fabric dying, scrapbooking, quilting, kids' classes, jewelry making, sketching, Ukrainian eggs - to name a few! What started out as our family vacation, has now turned into a week in which we contribute to the camp as teachers. My husband Steve is in charge of child care, our daughter Ellen teaches scrapbooking and I'm teaching rag-basket making this year. It is no longer a vacation, but we still love to get up on God's mountain to catch up with old friends and make new friends. Jumonville is just one of those places that I find spiritual renewal. But, in getting ready for teaching at camp, there's a lot of work involved - and on top of that, the challenge of making a change in our home and church family and my new work schedule.

Everybody says change is hard, but change is easy - it's transition that's hard! Change is an inevitable part of life -- it's getting used to new ways of doing things that's the hard part. Like going to a cupboard in the kitchen to look for a cup and finding that in a different kitchen, the cups work better on the other side. Or, going into a different bathroom with lots more switches and trying to remember which one turns on which light. Or, learning the nuances for different worship services.

Change and transition are words that are often used interchangeably, but they have different meanings. Change is a one-time occurrence - we change clothes, change houses, change jobs. Transition is the on-going process of dealing with a change. Transition is letting go of what we're used to and embracing how things might become. Transition periods can be some of the most productive periods of our lives, if we remember that we're not throwing away what's happened or where we've been in our lives. Transition means that now we accept the changes and search for the way God is calling us forward. During transitions we might grieve what we've lost, longing for how things used to be -- and that's okay. But transitions are also a wonderful time of discovery and renewal. It's a time to say what do we want to keep in our lives, what needs renewed in our lives, what needs to go? God is the great change-agent -- God is always longing to renew us and make us more and more into the image of Christ. And in my experience, God most often uses the every day events of life to do that, if we allow God's Spirit to be at work within us and among us.

In Benedictine spirituality, "statio" is an important concept. "Statio" acknowledges the times between times. In Wisdom Distilled from the Daily, Joan Chittister explains, "The practice of statio is meant to center us and make us conscious of what we're about to do and make us present to God who is present to us. Statio is the desire to do consciously what I might otherwise do mechanically. Statio is the virtue of presence."

So I'm pausing to think, "What drawer is the silverware in?" and "Which key opens what door?" and "What do we do next in worship?" -- and in pausing I'm having to be conscious about things that are usually mechanical and I'm finding that God is always in that moment of the pause. I'm also being reminded as I pause for some rest and reflection on our nation's birthday, that every day I need to take the "pause that refreshes" - quiet moments all through every day to take a deep breath, center my life again in Christ, and go forward with God ready to guide me to the next step.

I hope for you who read this that you take some time today to thank God for where you've been, think about where God is calling you forward and trust God to do that. And in your pauses of today's moments, in between the hot dogs and the fireworks, pray for our country, our leaders, our soldiers in harm's way, those who are controlled by oppressive regimes and pray for oppressive leaders - that they would choose God's way. In fact - why not weave sacred pauses into every day routine things - thank God for the moment and savor that moment, because you will never have it again.

By God's Grace,
Michelle