Musings: On Seasonal Transitions...

It is a SNOW DAY here in Cumberland County and my rule of thumb is that if it is not safe for the school buses to be out, unless it is a matter of life and death, it is not safe enough for me to be on the roads either. And so, I am working from my desk in the basement this morning will re-evaluate after lunch. Unfortunately, this means that I had to reschedule two meetings that were booked for this morning at the office and Rasta will not get a walk with Geoffrey… and Rasta is rather disappointed about this!

I will use this morning to begin planning for our All Ages Event and the seasonal transition from Epiphany to Lent on February 11th.

Our Lenten theme for this year is Wandering Heart from A Sanctified Art, and is based largely on the story of the disciple called Peter and their journey of faith.  The logo features a whimsical dashed line that weaves and meanders through the image. The journey of faith is anything but predictable – with twists and turns that are both surprising and disappointing, beautiful, and challenging. And along the way, there are places and experiences where we are changed.  For Peter, these are marked on the logo as icons, geotags, symbolizing the moments of transition and transformation in Peter’s journey.

The various colours within the logos for the season, washes of ochre, red clay, and blue-gray tones recall the sand and earthy pigment that were surely underfoot for Peter throughout his travels, throughout his pursuit to follow Jesus with his heart on his sleeve.

Beginning with the All-Ages Event on February 11th, continuing over the five weeks of Lent, Holy Week and into Easter, it is my hope that you come to understand that faith is a constant journey of steadfast pursuit, one that ebbs and flows – and that wandering is exploration, not necessarily distance from God. Hopefully you will connect with the many ways that Peter keeps going: he drops his nets, he walks on water, he runs to the empty tomb, he swims to the shore to meet the risen Christ. He keeps searching and yearning and loving, even after missteps or mistakes.

We will look for ourselves in the stepping stones of Peter’s story. We will reflect on the

stages of our own faith journeys as well as who and what has shaped us along pathways of our wandering.

Take a few moments to watch the video below and open your wandering heart to the journey we are about to embark up together...

Faithfully,

Lloyd

Looking Ahead

This morning, because of the weather, I am working from home. I will re-evaluate after lunch and if I am able, I will make my way to the hospitals to do visits there. If it makes more sense to stay off the roads, I will use the afternoon to prepare for the AST Senate meeting which is scheduled for Wednesday morning.

Tomorrow I will meet with the Lectionary Study Group at 10:30AM followed by two other meetings at the Church and a couple of Pastoral Visits.

On Wednesday I will take part in the AST Senate meeting via Zoom from home from 9AM til noon and then in the evening I will participate in the Collaborative Ministry consultation from 6:30PM to 8:30PM.

Thursday will be a day of working from home to prepare the liturgy and reflection for Sunday.

Friday and Saturday will be days off.

On Sunday at 11AM we will gather in community to mark the last day in the season of Epiphany and 3PM Jennie and I, and others who would like to join us, will gather at the Drew Nursing Home to offer leadership at their Sunday Gathering.