Expecting miracles

I once had a parishioner who was getting a PhD in Biology. Frequently, he left church for the lab or came from the lab to a meeting. Once, he bemoaned a power outage that had ruined an experiment of three weeks and how that would set his dissertation timeline for “biology proceeds at the speed of life.” It cannot be hurried, and there are no shortcuts. The young shoots of a plant may seem to burst out of nowhere, but it’s been growing, very slowly, over time. A true group effort of various chemical factors came together to bring a small shoot to fruition. 

One outcome of the pandemic is I have a better appreciation for time, how long different things take, and what it means to wait. Overnight delivery was once expected, now supply chain issues make waits of six to eight weeks unremarkable. Patience is required. These disruptions can offer the opportunity to notice and give thanks for what we have before running to the next thing.

Over this past year I have been reflecting, writing, and preaching on what it means to have enough and to be enough. Understanding “enough,” deeply believing that there will be enough, even more than enough, and that we are enough leads to better relationships with ourselves, each other, and our world. 

Attention to our boundaries and capacities, the abundance in our connections and communities, allowing for multiple kinds of space, restoring our faith in one another, communicating better, all of it requires time. Believing that there is more than enough in all of those experiences requires patience. It’s that kind of awareness that signals us to prune, to water, to repot the whole plant altogether to nurture more growth and abundance in our lives. And to know when to leave well enough alone to enjoy the progress! 

October begins our Stewardship Campaign. During this time, you will hear about how God has provided not only enough but more than enough in this congregation, through the generosity of each person. And you will be invited to consider your faithful response. There will be more than enough because faith unlocks generosity. 

Expect miracles! 

Nancy+