A Letter from Pastor Gene - The Gift of Being Present
That sabbatical I took in June and July is getting a little hazy as I sit typing with the pellet stove going full blast, Halloween behind us, and my yard covered in fallen leaves. While I remember what I had for breakfast yesterday (Butternut, ricotta, and granola toast at Popovers), some of the details of that time have begun to fade. Rather than causing me alarm, I’ve learned that leading a busy life, or simply piling on days, weeks, and months to more of the same causes some of the moments that we live through to get lost; it is what it is. However, the overall motifs, feelings, and emotions (in other words the color of the events) can last a lifetime and my gut says that my sabbatical time will probably remain as such which is why I am writing you this note.
You may remember that before I took some time off, I wrote you all a letter that included all the things I was going to do while I was away. For some of them, I did bits and pieces (reading, researching for a book) and for some, I didn’t even think about it (my banjo…sorry Bill). What I did essentially boiled down to two things; I slept like a teenager, and I was more present than I’ve been at any point in my adult life. The first is pretty easy to understand; I was much more tired than I was aware of. The second might take a little unpacking.
I don’t think I’m unique in that when I’m working on something (this letter for example) I’ve got a few, or many, or approximately 27,000 other things competing for my attention/on my mind. Most of us don’t have the luxury of only focusing on one thing at a time even though science has shown us time and time again that as humans we’re not very good at multi-tasking. And so, you can imagine what a gift it was to be able to do one thing at a time. If I was being a dad, that’s all I had to do, or reading a book, or watching my dogs run, or just sitting quietly with Erin. One thing at a time, or the gift of presence, was the greatest AHAH from my time away.
This is why I am so excited to invite you to join me and Deacon Deb for our Advent study. We will be reading Right Here, Right Now – The Practice of Christian Mindfulness by Amy Oden. It’s all about the gift of presents…er being present during this Advent season when our lives seem to ratchet up exponentially, and if we’re not careful we can quickly turn pretty Grinchy (sorry, wrong study). Now for many this idea of mindfulness might seem a little new agey or Buddhist or…well not very Christian but it has roots buried deep in our Judeo-Christian tradition. Being aware of our surroundings, the people we’re spending time with, and maybe if we’re lucky, hearing the still small voice of God is super important to who we are. The book study will supplement a lot of what you will hear during our Sunday worship services and my prayer for you is that during this busy season, you might have your own AHAH moment.
The small group opportunities that we offer here at SUM provide you a chance to slow down, converse with others, ask questions, and wonder about the magic of the season in ways that simply aren’t possible at Sunday worship. The good news though is that your small group time will reinforce what you hear through the liturgy and sermon on Sunday and vice versa. I think both are so important for our life as a faith community and in our personal growth so I hope you’ll make time to worship with us, come and join our small group, and revel in the presents of this season.
OTJ,
PG
Click here to register for an Advent small group session that suits your schedule.