Fellowship of Hope

I hope that by the time you read this sure signs of spring – a bit of warmth in the air, perhaps, or some patches of ground appearing under melting snow, or noticeably earlier sunrises.

But I am writing this on January 27, when the high is going to be -3, and those signs of spring seem far away. This, of course, has been one of those more intense winters that makes us, on some days, think twice about going outside; that makes us all too familiar with our snowblowers and shovels, and that may lead us to declare (as I have!) – "Okay, now I’ve really had enough" (and it’s possible that now and then we’ve worded it much more strongly!).

You may have found yourself daydreaming about what you knew was waiting to emerge, what would certainly green, your yard and neighborhood transformed by new life. All the potential for that transformed reality, for that new life, was already there – it was simply waiting for the warmth to bring it forward.

Have you ever felt like that winter ground? Promise and beauty and purpose lie just beneath the surface, but warmth is required – an atmosphere that beckons growth and new beginnings, that will welcome the first tender shoots, that will sustain and strengthen what is vulnerable.

The church is meant to be that kind of community for one another. Oh, surely there are disagreements that need to be dealt with, and problems that nearly exhaust our patience. But much of the time, the church, grounded in the love of God, is a community of warmth for one another that brings out our best; a fellowship of hope that sees, before it is apparent, the "new creation" God is shaping in one another.

In March, April, and May, we will be sharing the church-wide theme of Inspiring Hope in Each Other. That reminds us that as we participate in special Lenten and Easter events, celebrate Mission outreach and Confirmation and Environmental Care and Mother’s Day, and serve together in congregational ministries, we will also have countless  opportunities to see and affirm the gifts, the goodness, and God’s marvelous possibilities in each other.

As a counselor put it, "We can encourage others to become whole persons through our words of blessing...to have words of  affirmation poured into our soul gives us the energy to run the distance of life’s journey before us, but also gives us the strength to manage life’s daily struggles."

I look forward to opening my eyes this spring to the many ways we in this congregation are Inspiring Hope in Each Other.