My dear friends,
I have the privilege of crafting the final newsletter intro of 2022, which gives me the choice of looking ahead (an article on New Years resolutions, perhaps?) or back (a “year in review”). Some of you know that many years ago, I was an actual card-carrying, tweed-wearing historian. While I don’t miss that career at all (I mean come on, I get to finger paint here in ministry!), it did rather shape me, so looking back over the year is the natural choice. But then again, now I work with children, who are the most fantastically hope-filled, forward-looking creatures imaginable, and they are shaping me too.
I’ll split the difference by sharing two notable moments at Epiphany in 2022, that stand out so brilliantly in my heart when I think about the past year, and one resolution for the next.
Midwinter. Last January, Omicron was in full swing. We were all—to use the words of my late grandmother—not amused. We decided that here at church we couldn’t have indoor meals together for a while. Of course, this was deep midwinter, also known as not picnic season in New England. Were we to isolate again? Give up on fellowship time? Rather than cancel Midweek, we pivoted over to Midwinter, where we ate (the most amazing ever) grilled cheese sandwiches and gathered around firepits in the Cloister Garden. It was a spot of blazing warmth, love, and community in the middle of another long, dark pandemic winter.
The Parish Weekend Away. For me this was a resolute bookend to the shutdown, and the realization of a deep desire of my heart. Not only did we gather, but we shared meals, memories, and afternoons lazing in the sunshine. We square danced our hearts out. We created bonds of friendship. We treasured each other and the gifts of time, laughter, and community.
So, what’s my resolution? To meet and truly know more of you during the coming year. I know many of you well already; but I have a lot of room in me for more true friends.
And if I may be so bold as to suggest one resolution for you for 2023, it’s this: Invest yourself here. Come to Midweek. Come to the Parish Weekend Away. Come to Bible Study, to Church School. Stay for fellowship hour. I know how busy we get. I know how many pressures are on us. But church community is different from everything else out there. Time in communal worship; in prayer; in studying the Word of God; and in fellowship with our family in Christ—these are things for which we are truly intended, made in the image of a loving, present God. This will bring you joy in 2023.
With love and hope,
Bryn
