Letter from Amy: June 4, 2025
- Amy Rowe
- Jun 4
- 4 min read
Dear Incarnation,
To what shall we compare the kingdom of Jesus, if not a seed?
It’s small, it’s sown, it’s tended and grown, and it’s sturdy within you and me.
(from "The Kingdom of Jesus" by The Porter's Gate)
I loved singing this song on Sunday — a fitting final gift to our congregation from Kevin Soo, who led us in worship and who, along with Evelyn, Micah, and Adam, has so often pointed me toward the kingdom of Jesus. We will miss these dear friends.
Today was my daughter's high school graduation. If you were at church when we prayed for her two Sundays ago, then you saw that I was a puddle. They weren't tears of sadness — she's taking a gap year, so she's not moving away quite yet. They were something else.
Perhaps the best word for it is culmination. Her graduation is a culmination of one long season of our life together, and the start of something new and not yet seen or understood. I'm overwhelmed with gratitude that I have had the privilege of shepherding these first 17 years of her life. I'm deeply humbled that "love covers a multitude of sins" — I've made so many mistakes along the way, and have so many more yet to make — but the love of God has held us both. I have a joyful curiosity about all that lies before her. And I'm just so proud of the person she is and is becoming, I could nearly burst.
That feeling of culmination is present for me at church this week, too, as this is the final week before my sabbatical. A year ago, we planned for my sabbatical to happen at a "low" time for the church: during the slow and settled rhythms of summer, with no major church transitions on the horizon. Clearly, God had other plans for us! And so this sabbatical has more of a feeling of culmination than expected. We abruptly and unexpectedly ended one season of our life together and are at the start of something new and not yet seen or understood. That means that "Mother Amy" is feeling many of the same emotions as "mom Amy": overwhelmed with gratitude, humbled by my many limitations and mistakes, joyfully curious about the future, and so very proud of this church.
It's a strange time to step away, on the cusp of so much change. We haven't yet had time for the learning, adapting, tweaking, and processing that will happen over the coming months. In many ways, I am sad to be away for this slow and important work — when I return, I will still be learning, and you will all be experts! But in other ways, I'm curious, expectant, even excited for what God might want to teach us through this strangely-timed sabbatical. Incarnation has always been about so much more than the leader at the helm or the building where we worship, and I am so grateful for those realities to be reinforced as we transition into a new season.
At our May Parish Meeting, someone asked how the church can be praying for me while I'm away. It was such a kind question (thank you, Claire!), and I've been thinking about it ever since. I will be praying for all of you while I'm away, and if you are inclined to pray for me, here are a few requests:
For rest. This one's obvious!
For my time with my family: meaningful conversations, quick apologies, quick forgiveness, good listening, rich shared experiences, lasting bonds, deep laughter. We will spend six weeks together in Europe, staying in close quarters, experiencing cultural disorientation, and hiking some very long and challenging days. I am sure we will all get very tired of each other at times! But I can't wait to be together in what feels like a once-in-a-lifetime alignment of both parents' sabbaticals and the kids' ages/life stages. On a very practical note, please pray that we would all stay healthy and injury-free during our long hiking trek in the Alps!
That God would draw me to works of beauty (books, art, music, creation) that refresh me and reinvigorate my imagination of him.
That God would use this time to sow into me whatever might be needed for the next season of our church's life. (I'm not sure what that is, but I always appreciate prayers for wisdom, courage, and humility.)
It's a privilege to be your pastor. I will miss you dearly. Thank you so much for allowing me the time away. I'll see you on Sunday — and then in September! (Okay, I may also see some of you in August, since Nadia will be working the sound system and John will participate in Wild Wonder camp. We'll act normal!)
***
To what shall we compare the kingdom of Jesus, if not a seed?
It’s small, it’s sown, it’s tended and grown, and it’s sturdy within you and me.
The kingdom of Jesus is so sturdy within Incarnation. I can't wait to see how it's tended and grown over the coming months.
With love,
Amy
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