Trust.
Dear friends and members of St. Matt’s,
Last week, as I celebrated the Eucharist, I was joined by several little helpers up at the Altar. I think most of you know me well enough to know by now that I love it when our sanctuary is filled with the sounds of babies and children. I love nothing more than hearing them fill the space and engage with our worship. I especially love it when they can join me at the Altar. Sometimes I can see things you can’t during those moments: little elbows on the table, little hands on the fair linen, little fingers tracing the stitches. And I love the seriousness in their faces when they hold on to those holy vessels. They – like we – may not understand the mysteries of the Eucharist. But they know they’re being trusted with something special. And that’s what it’s all about.
We can’t explain so many of the mysteries around us. Not the Eucharist – or exactly how Christ becomes present – though God knows many have tried. I’m not sure we can explain the mysteries of our lives and our bodies, though God has given us enough science to move forward in some fascinating ways. We don’t know exactly what it looks like or what happens when we leave this place, though Jesus and the writers of scripture have left us some clues. We don’t know and can’t fully explain the mysteries of creation, of love, of connection, of joy. But we know it when we feel it. When we see it. And in our better moments, we know we’ve been entrusted with something special.
In these next few weeks, there are some really important opportunities for you to tend to and cherish the special life with which you’ve been entrusted, the divine spark that lives within you, your connection to this community and to the world around you. Come to church this week and stay for the forum afterwards where we’ll learn together about pieces of the history of St. Matthew’s in the 1700s and 1800s. Beloved local historian Julie Hughes will join us for the forum as well, beginning around 11:30am on Sunday morning. Mark your calendar and join us as often as you can the following week as we travel with Jesus toward the cross. The full schedule for Holy Week is in this e-news and I would love for you to come as often as you can to hear this story – this amazing story with which we have been entrusted. Come experience it in new ways this year, and make yourself ready for the cross.
Give thanks today for the mysteries in your life that bring you joy, peace, love, and a sense of ground and roots under your feet. Give thanks for the connections of this community and the life that we share together. And come journey and wonder with us in the next few weeks as we listen for God and wait for the promise of Easter.
Until then, God loves you. And so do I.
Faithfully,
–Marissa +