January Pastoral Letter
Dear Friends,
On New Year’s Eve, many people sing, “Auld Lang Syne.”
"Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind.” Should they?
If we are talking about old friends or treasured memories, then no, they should not be forgot.
But, if we are talking about the events of 2020--those things that keep us awake at night, our fears, anxieties, divisions or grief, then yes, they should be forgot!
But, if the memories of 2020 are forgot and never brought to mind, then what pray tell, do we bring to mind? What do we fill our time and mind and heart with? What are our resolutions of this New Year?
One of the painful memories of 2020 is my mother’s long and painful recovery from back surgery and my father’s rapid health demise through hospice care and his death on Nov. 22. Although many memories I am glad to forget, some I am glad to bring to mind. On the day before my Dad died, I took out my Bible and said, “how about if I read a Psalm?” Quietly, but clearly, Dad said, “I know them all.” I read Psalm 121. And then Mom said, “How about another?” I read Psalm 23. Mom said, “Keep reading, Dad is listening.” And so I kept reading psalm and after psalm after psalm. Some familiar and some not so familiar. Some psalms of praise and some psalms of lament. Some affirm, “ascribe to the Lord glory and strength” and others cry out in pain, “How long, O Lord?” Still others reassure, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me.” As I read the psalms, it was as if they were expressing the deep prayers of our hearts. It was balm for our weary souls.
I realized then and I remember now that the psalms are an old acquaintance that should not be forgot and should always be brought to mind. And so in this New Year, I have resolved to read through the book of Psalms. On Jan. 1, I began with Psalm 1 and each day, I will read another Psalm, until I go through the whole book of 150 Psalms. To do so, I am using a new book I got for Christmas called Psalms for Praying: An Invitation for Wholeness by Nan Merrill. In the preface, Merrill writes, “Out of the silence, as I continue to meditate and dialogue with the Psalms, they become living prayers that evoke, albeit subtle, new insights...The plight of our world cries out for active, focused prayer.” Indeed, our world cries out for active, focused prayer. And yet, at this time in which we are battling a coronavirus pandemic and social isolation, sometimes the words are hard to find, let alone focused prayer. And so, I invite you to open up the Bible--maybe the book of Psalms--or maybe the Gospels--and find the words that have sustained the faith and focused the prayers of people for centuries.
“For Auld Lang Syne, My Dear, for Auld Lang Syne, we will take a cup kindness yet.”
As we leave behind this past year, and let old acquaintances be forgot, can we let go of our fears, anxieties, divisions and grief? Can we take a cup of kindness--a cup that nourishes our body, mind, and spirit? How can we find such a cup and how do we fill it up? Three suggestions:
Pray daily--saying thank you and help are enough.
Worship online until we can worship in the sanctuary again.
Resolve to read the Bible. One day at a time. One psalm at a time.
From Psalms for Praying, here is Merrill’s translation of Psalm 3:
O Beloved, how numerous are my fears!
They rise up within me whispering
there is no help for you.
Yet You, O Beloved, radiate Love
around me, my glory;
gratitude becomes my song,
When I cry out to You,
You answer within my heart.
I lie down to sleep; if I should
awaken, my Beloved is there
holding me with strength
and tenderness.
I feel secure.
As this New Year begins, may you forget your fears and may gratitude become your song. May you trust that our Beloved God is there, holding you with strength and tenderness. And may you feel secure in the knowledge of God’s love that has been born among us in the name of Emmanuel, with means, God is with us. Now and Always.
New Year’s Blessings,
Pastor Donna