Greetings Church Family!
I pray that you and yours are well these days.
June’s theme is Celebrating Blessings and a good one to end our church year with. Natural endings invite us to both count them and prepare for them. Right now, we are holding several transitions that deserve blessing: we are closing out our first year together; we are readying ourselves to say farewell to our Director of Religious Education, Lauren Strauss; our committee work is quieting for the summer; and after worship service on June 19th, our church year invites us towards some stillness. This isn’t to say that we cease doing church for the summer, far from it. Lay-led summer worship, fellowship with one another, showing up for justice in our community together, cultivating and nurturing spiritual practices–this all lives on. But there is no doubt that how we do church feels different.
Every life and community need time to rest, to take stock, to put things down so as to prepare for the unknown blessings to come. We can’t be ready if we are unceasing! We can’t be ready if we are exhausted! I can’t wait to hear what treasures you unearth out of this time–share them with us in September, won’t you?
But before summer arrives, we have some endings to prepare for. I want to echo our music director, Charlyn Bethell, and encourage you to come to in-person worship if you are able. The windows are open, the music is vibrant, and the company is life-giving. Join us for our last three services which will offer you time to properly thank Lauren for her ten-year ministry here at First Parish, as well as to support our youth as they offer us their credos on June 12th. Our last service will bring the FPW band into the sanctuary for our annual Flower Communion service! After two long years away, we are ready for this blessed homecoming, aren’t we?
Let us count our blessings together. May we trust that in doing so we welcome in the new, and make the impossible, possible.
As always, reach out if you need to. Tell us how you are. Know that you are not alone.
In faith and with love,
Rev. Sophia
Reverend Sophia Lyons
Rev. Sophia is committed to radical welcome and spreading the good news that is our bold Unitarian Universalist faith. Some of her areas of interest include interfaith partnerships, addictions ministry, spiritual direction, and working towards collective liberation for all. Rev. Sophia aspires to live her life and fulfill her ministry guided by spiritual seeking, big love, and the seven principles of Unitarian Universalism.