Dear Incarnation,
Another wonderful fall retreat in the books! From nature printing to dumpling wrapping to canoing to hayriding to talent showing, and all the quiet spaces in between, there were so many moments of joy and community made possible by all of you together. I'm especially grateful for the unsung work of the dishwashers, meal preppers/servers, floor sweepers, child-ukulele-teachers, and other generous acts of service that made the weekend possible. We are a church of ordinary faithfulness, even when on retreat!
This Sunday, we return to some ordinary rhythms at church. Children's programs kick off on Sunday, and I encourage everyone to read a bit about our approach to children's ministry on our website if you haven't before. Starting this week, children are invited to arrive at 9:30am before church for the Good Shepherd Atrium (ages 3-6, in the narthex, continues during the service through The Peace) and the True Vine Atrium (ages 7+, by the far sanctuary windows before church, then children sit with their families). Nursery care for ages 0-3 is available in the Mustard Seed Atrium in the courtyard.
On Sunday, we'll also return to the Renewed Ancient Liturgy from the 2019 Book of Common Prayer, after using a liturgy from the Kenyan prayerbook since Easter. Notice what feels different about this change! How does the older, more formal language influence the way you experience God in worship?
Fall is a time of settling into familiar rhythms, from Sunday mornings to weekday school and work. Below is a reflection on work and rest taken from one of the prayer stations at the fall retreat; perhaps you can find time in the coming week for 15 minutes of reflection on your rhythms of work and rest.
Look:
Noon – Rest from Work (after Millet), Vincent Van Gogh (1890-91)
Read:
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. On the sixth day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
(Genesis 2:1-3)
“That divine rest on the seventh day of creation has made clear (a) that God is not a workaholic, (b) that God is not anxious about the full functioning of creation, and (c) that the well-being of creation does not depend on endless work.”
(Walter Brueggemann, Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now)
Whatever is foreseen in joy
Must be lived out from day to day.
Vision held open in the dark
By our ten thousand days of work.
Harvest will fill the barn; for that
The hand must ache, the face must sweat.
And yet no leaf or grain is filled
By work of ours; the field is tilled
And left to grace. That we may reap,
Great work is done while we’re asleep.
When we work well, a Sabbath mood
Rests on our day, and finds it good.
(Wendell Berry, Sabbath Poem #10)
Reflect: Consider your relationship to your work.
Does your work follow God’s pattern of rest?
List 3-5 words that describe the pace and feel of your work.
How many hours a week do you work? Is this too many, too few, or about right?
How does your work enable a life of generosity with your time and money?
How does it hinder generosity?
Is God calling you to make a change in your pattern of work and rest?
***
I love the line from Berry's poem "That we may reap / Great work is done while we're asleep." Praise the God who works while we sleep!
With joy,
Amy
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