As we look to the end of our church year, I’m very much aware of the endings as well as the beginnings in our community. Rev. Bill Sinkford just preached his last Easter sermon here. He’ll be in the pulpit just two more times before he retires in June. We’ve been talking about his retirement for quite a while now and still it seems to suddenly be all too near.

Rev. Alison Miller arrives in a couple weeks for her Candidating Week to be the new Senior Minister. She will preach, meet and greet, and begin her ministry in this congregation. This getting-to-know-each-other time between ministers and congregations is precious time. It is a time to imagine the future and what this church might be going forward. At its best, this is a fertile, creative, hopeful process.

This does feel like a particularly betwixt and between time, with these beginnings and endings. And with the changes come all kinds of emotions—some joyful, some hopeful, but also these times can call up sadness and grief. And I want to note that all of this comes as we continue to find our way through—and hopefully out of—these years of Covid. We’ve been back in person for just over a month now and we still don’t know what this church that is reemerging will look like or feel like. But I think that adds a layer of complexity to those emotions. At least it does for me these days and that it is easy to forget.

At times like these, I think it is important to note the things that are constants in our lives, like the people we know in this community, the other people and activities that ground us. Those people and practices can be sources of hope for us. Especially in the midst of minister transitions, one of the constants we can look to is the congregation and all the people who make up this congregation. I know for me this is a time to remember that this community has been around for well over 150 years and through that time has been the community of people here. I take hope in that.

And it is important to take part in the rituals of arriving and departing that we’ll be invited into in these coming weeks. I hope you will avail yourself of the opportunities coming up in this time of turning. Especially the events of Candidating Week and the opportunity to get to know Rev. Miller. And in June as we say farewell to Rev. Sinkford and celebrate his ministry here. Especially coming out of these months of isolation, coming together seems especially important. There are many passages to mark and to celebrate.

In closing some words that are helpful to me in times of turning. Words from Ecclesiastes:

To everything there is a season,

a time for every purpose under the sun:

A time to be born and a time to die;

a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

a time to kill and a time to heal…

a time to weep and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn and a time to dance….

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to lose and a time to seek…

a time to rend and a time to sew;

a time to keep silent and a time to speak;

a time for love and a time to hate;

a time for war and a time for peace.

Keeping the faith,

Tom