You have all heard, I’m sure, the self-effacing joke: how many Lutherans does it take to change a light bulb? “CHANGE?” Change makes us feel all out of sorts, like when the Pastor changes the order of service (which never happens at Joy, of course…). A different musical setting of the liturgy. Going back to two services in the fall. A change in a meeting location or time. The “in-house” list is endless. Uncertainty, loss of control, clinging to the “seven last words of the church” – “we have always done it that way.” Change and/or transition occur at much deeper, emotional levels. We know the loss of a loved one, with its stages of shock, anger and sadness. “How will I ever get through this?” In those moments, look for the eyes of God – He might be sending you a wink. That image does not convey that God is thinking less of your situation, your grief. It conveys that He cares so much to send you a very personal moment that would be described by the secular world as mere coincidence. It is a hope message, His arm around you.

Transitions can be unrattling or refreshing; either extreme. Take your pick. Choose your response to the changes in life. All of us in my congregation are here because of transition. No one – not a single one – is a native of the community our church was planted in some brief thirty years ago. Even with that uniqueness, a choice is presented for us in how we come to terms with that reality. Not knowing who are neighbors are can be a positive thing – it means you may include your neighbor in this new aspect of our faith journey! By comparison, we have relatively few “sacred cows” in our congregation; no decades-old customs that are sacrosanct. The sense of always being made new in the transitions that face us can be liberating! We always have Jesus and his cross before us. He says to us, “Peace be with you.” When we are fragmented, out of sorts, lonely and questioning, he smiles gently and winks as if saying, “such is life”. The beautiful, ethereal hymn “Shepherd Me, O God” comes to mind:

Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants, beyond my fears, from death into life.

May you be blessed with the Spirit of peace and assurance as you face the transitions in your lives, knowing the steadfast, unconditional love of God.

Pastor Art