Things are changing.
One of those things is that I am leaving. This will be a farewell sermon;
I want you all to know how much I am going to miss you and have loved being in your midst.
But there’s other stuff changing too.
We were reminded Friday that come June 15th many of the state guidelines and laws around COVID and social distancing will be lifted.
Already, I see people going on trips…seeing family members who they haven’t visited in over a year.
As I walk the greenbelt or downtown, I see more people without masks…more people going out to dinner, and even folks eating indoors.
The Pandemic is changing, and so at a personal, state, and national level we are in a transitional time.
And with that change and transition comes celebration and joy, as well as stress and uncertainty.
This is true of any change. With every new beginning there is an ending.
But to some it may be confusing to talk about feeling anxious or stressed about the “end” of the pandemic:
“Isn’t this what we’ve been waiting for??
Aren’t you excited that we finally get to go back to normal life?”
And while I am very excited about getting to resume activities that are life giving to me…I also know that when we as humans live in a particular way for an extended period (like socially distanced for a little over a year) we develop habits.
There are things about the pandemic that we have enjoyed.
Perhaps the permission it has given us to avoid this or that social engagement or uncomfortable social protocols.
For some families, it has actually brought them closer together with more shared meals and game nights together.
The changes also bring up stress and anxiety as people are forced to make more decisions about what is healthy and safe for them.
There is legitimate fear for those who are immunocompromised about how safe it will be to navigate the world, even with a vaccine.
With the changing Pandemic;
what are you losing?
What are you afraid of?
It can be helpful to actually say that out loud or to write it down.
[Invite Zoom/FB to post…
invite in-person to say]
Having and sharing what could be considered grief or anxiety about the Pandemic “ending” is normal and healthy.
It is okay that this transition is not purely joyful or exciting…in fact, it’s to be expected.
And when we are more cognizant of this mixed reality…the excitement and the fear…the joy and the sadness…then we can better recognize the transitional nature of this time we are in.
And it’s that awareness of the transitional time that brings us back to the Holy Spirit and Pentecost.
In our tradition, Pentecost is the celebration of the “coming of the Holy Spirit to the disciples.”
But, I’ve always had a problem with the idea that we receive the Holy Spirit at some appointed time or occasion.
In Genesis 2 it says “God formed humanity from the dust of the ground and breathed into their nostrils the breath of life.”
In the Hebrew, the word for breath is the same as the word for wind which is also the same word for Spirit.
So yes, God breathed into humanity the Spirit of God from the beginning. God’s breath or spirit has been interwoven in creation from the beginning.
So maybe then we can think about how Pentecost reflects the reality that we are usually the most aware of the Holy Spirit in moments of transition and change.
It is during transitions and changes that we are invited to trust God’s Spirit to guide and lead us. We are challenged to rely upon the Spirit.
It is in these times that we are encouraged to quiet our ourselves and listen to Her Wisdom.
God’s Spirit is with us always, but when we’re feeling any grief, disorientation, or anxiety…that’s when Her presence is most acutely sought after & noticed.
But, of course, we know from our lived experience that She doesn’t inherently prevent or take away the grief, disorientation, or anxiety.
Let me be clear, I am not saying that the Holy Spirit causes these feelings.
But what I am saying is that when we feel grief or anxiety, the Holy Spirit is there in that with you.
And often offering you some sort of grace through those feelings.
What do I mean?
Well, on that Pentecost 2,000 years ago, the disciples certainly were in a transition time: a time of change. Pamela+ spoke about this very effectively and passionately two Sundays ago.
And in that time of intense transition, they encountered God’s Spirit very powerfully. So powerfully that they began gathering all the people from all the nations into one beloved community.
But this joyous change,
like our own end of pandemic changes,
was not without its own stress and grief.
It is this moment that sends many of the disciples out of Jerusalem and to the surrounding nations. That means an end to close, personal relationships and community.
People are saying goodbye to one another and to ways of living and being.
They are saying goodbye to their old habits and patterns and ways.
And they are going to uncertain places, some that will receive them with joy, but others that will ultimately kill them.
But in those challenges that the disciples face…the Holy Spirit is there offering a grace.
As the disciples say goodbye to traditional customs and habits of life,
they are being invited to recover the best parts of their own tradition.
As the disciples say goodbye to their close community of love,
They are being invited to love and form community amongst anyone they encounter.
As the disciples have anxiety about persecution, social rejection, and their future,
They are being invited into trusting God with their whole being.
While it does take work, one can often find in their grief and anxiety some invitation from God’s Spirit to grow…to become more fully human…to become more intimately knit into the Trinitarian life of God.
Which then begs the question in our own life…what is the Holy Spirit inviting us to in our grief, uncertainty, and anxiety today?
Think about what you said/wrote earlier…or just thought in your head when I asked you what you are losing or what you are anxious about.
What could the Holy Spirit be inviting you to in that?
Maybe for those who are going to miss the slower pace of life that the pandemic offered….
Could the Holy Spirit be offering you to consider how sabbath and times of rest are important to you?
Maybe for those who are going to miss particular COVID habits…
What gift did that habit bring you, and how can you keep the gift even as the packaging changes?
For those anxious about what is to come…
How is the Holy Spirit providing you with a path forward?
I obviously can’t tell you what the Holy Spirit is inviting you to in this COVID transition time.
But what I can tell you, is that if you can approach your feelings of grief or anxiety with these kinds of questions…
If you can be open to these emotions as just as valid vehicles of God’s grace as the feelings of joy and happiness…
It will bring such a relief to these times of transition in your life. Transition won’t be as hard because you’ll trust and know that God’s Spirit is in it with you, guiding you, and leading you.
And now, it is with all that said, that I want to get back to this being a farewell sermon.
I promise I will keep this brief and to the point.
I really love the community at St. Martin’s.
You all supported me when I first moved to California.
It was here in this community that I encountered new ways of understanding Christianity and the Bible…
it was this community that helped me recover my faith by helping me see God as continually active in the flow of life.
Thank you for helping me encounter God more richly and more intimately.
And then it was this community that helped me discern a call to ordained ministry. You supported me in this call…you prayed for me…you walked with me…and you gave me a variety of chances to experience a range of ministries in the church.
It was many of you who helped me and my wife move when she was 8 months pregnant…and many of you brought meals to us in those first few months of parenthood.
I am going to miss you all so much.
I know that in this goodbye and in this grief, the Holy Spirit is inviting me to:
Always remember the Gospel’s commitment to a just and loving Kingdom of Heaven on Earth,
To continue to seek new ways of expressing the Gospel in ways that connect to the questions and struggles people have today,
And finally, to cherish and appreciate the richness of spiritual community and friendship…to seek this wherever I go.
And for you, I hope that whatever sadness you feel about us parting, that you can consider what the Holy Spirit is offering you in that…
I hope you find an invitation to know how truly loved you are just as you are.
I hope you find an invitation to co-create with God new ways of engaging in Worship and doing ministry.
I hope you find an invitation to seek and serve God in all of your life.
Friends, until we meet again,
may the grace of God Almighty, the Creator, the Incarnate Word, and the Holy Spirit, be with you now and always.
Amen.
